Things to Do in Mactan, Cebu: Shrine, Seafood and Islands

Most people land on Mactan, check into a resort, and only leave the hotel for an island-hopping boat. That's a shame, because the island has a lot packed into a small area. In one or two days you can see where Lapu-Lapu fought Magellan, eat seafood cooked three ways, watch guitars being built by hand, and take a short boat ride to one of the country's most important stopovers for migratory birds.

This guide lists the best things to do in Mactan, plus a few trips just off the island, with practical notes on costs, timing and getting around. Mactan is also where Mactan-Cebu International Airport sits, so most of these work well on an arrival day or before a late flight.

Lapu-Lapu City covers most of Mactan, and the town of Cordova takes up the southern tip. The two bridges to the mainland can jam at rush hour, so staying on the island saves a lot of time if you plan to do several of these.

1. Visit the Mactan Shrine in Punta Engaño

The Mactan Shrine, also called the Liberty Shrine, marks the area where the Battle of Mactan is believed to have taken place in 1521. The best-known sight is a 6-metre bronze statue of Lapu-Lapu, put up in 1981. A short walk away stands a stone obelisk to Ferdinand Magellan from 1866. Markers point to where Lapu-Lapu's forces pushed back the Spanish and where Magellan was killed.

Entry is free, and the park is open to the public during the day. It's a quick stop, usually under an hour, so pair it with lunch nearby. If you're on the island around 27 April, Lapu-Lapu Day, the shrine hosts a reenactment of the battle known as Kadaugan sa Mactan, and the area gets crowded.

To get there, take a taxi or Grab, or a jeepney marked for Punta Engaño and ask to get off at the shrine.

2. Eat sutukil by the water

Sutukil is a Cebuano way of ordering seafood. The name combines three cooking styles: sugba (grilled), tuwa (in a soup, often with tomato and ginger) and kilaw (raw, cured in vinegar or citrus). You choose fish, prawns, squid or shellfish from the display, pay by weight, and tell the kitchen how you want each one cooked.

The seafood restaurants around the Mactan Shrine are the traditional place to try it, which makes this an easy pairing with your shrine visit. Ask for the price per kilo before they weigh anything, and agree on the cooking charge. Splitting one fish three ways is a good way to try everything if there are only two of you. For more dishes to look for on Cebu menus, see our list of Cebu's best local food beyond lechon.

3. Watch guitars being made in Maribago and Abuno

Maribago is often called the guitar-making capital of Cebu. Guitar making there goes back to the 1890s, and many families in the area still work in the trade, although younger residents are moving into other jobs.

Several workshops let visitors watch the process, from cutting and shaping the wood to inlay work and varnishing. Alegre Guitars, on the Pajac-Maribago road, offers a free walk-through of its workshop next to the store. Its listed prices start at about P2,500 for a ukulele and P3,800 for a guitar, and go much higher for professional models. Nearby in Abuno, Pajac, Ferangeli traces its family business back to 1919 and runs one-day ukulele-making workshops.

A ukulele packs more easily than a guitar and makes a good gift. If you're flying out with a guitar, ask the shop for a hard case and check your airline's rules for musical instruments.

4. Go island hopping

The waters east of Mactan are full of small islands and reefs. Most day trips stop at a marine sanctuary for snorkelling, usually Hilutungan or Nalusuan, then at Pandanon for its sandbar, and sometimes at Caohagan. Prices vary a lot depending on who you book with and how many people share the boat. Before you hand over any money, read our guide to Mactan island hopping costs and booking so you know what a fair rate looks like.

Go in the morning, when the water tends to be calmer and the sanctuaries are less crowded. Bring reef-safe sunscreen, and don't touch or stand on the coral.

5. Spend a beach day at Mactan Newtown

Not every Mactan hotel has a sandy beach. If yours doesn't, Mactan Newtown has a public beach with calm, shallow water, cottages and water sports. Day visitors pay an entrance fee, and cottages and corkage cost extra. Weekdays are much quieter than weekends and holidays.

Beyond Mactan: short trips off the island

Birdwatching on Olango Island

Olango sits about 5 kilometres east of Mactan, and its wildlife sanctuary is one of the most important stopovers in the Philippines for birds migrating along the East Asian–Australasian Flyway. It was also the country's first Ramsar wetland site. Peak season runs from November to February, when tens of thousands of shorebirds rest and feed on the mudflats. Birdwatching is possible from roughly September to May.

To get there, take a boat from Angasil Port in Mactan to Santa Rosa on Olango. The crossing takes about 15 minutes, boats leave often during the day, and fares have been around P40. From the Santa Rosa port, a tricycle or habal-habal takes 10 to 15 minutes to the sanctuary in Barangay Sabang.

Timing matters more than anything else here. Arrive about two hours before high tide, when the rising water pushes the birds closer to the viewing area. Check the tide table the night before, bring binoculars if you have them, and carry cash for transport and fees. There is little shade on the boardwalk, so bring a hat and water.

Cordova's mangroves and sunset

Cordova, at the southern end of the island, is a short ride from most Mactan hotels and has its own list of things to do: mangrove walks, a sandbar, and the local fish dish bakasi. Our guide to Cordova, Cebu's most-visited town covers it in detail. Combine it with Olango or island hopping on a day when you don't want to cross to the mainland.

How to fit it all in

With one free day, spend the morning island hopping and the afternoon at the shrine, finishing with a sutukil dinner. With two days, add a morning at the Olango sanctuary timed to the tide, then the guitar workshops in Maribago and an evening in Cordova.

Taxis and Grab are the easiest way to get between stops. Jeepneys run along the main roads and cost much less, but routes can be confusing on the first try. Many resorts also arrange transport and tours, usually at a higher price than booking on your own.

Mactan rewards anyone who leaves the resort for a few hours. The history, the food and the islands are all close together, and many of these stops cost little or nothing.