How to drive your own car from Cebu City to Liquid Dumaguete by Steve White (previous guest)
Getting to Liquid is very easy for car owners/renters. Here are directions starting from the Cebu City SM mall. If you are starting elsewhere in the city, ask a local how to get to SM, because SM is almost exactly on top of the road you want to begin on.
Here’s the very short version, if you are already familiar with Cebu or if you have a good map:
1. From SM, head south on Sergio Osmena Blvd onto the South Coastal Road.
2. At the end of the Cebu South Coastal Road, turn left onto Cebu South road (the national highway).
3. Drive approximately 130-135 kilometers south to Maayo Shipping and take a boat to Dumaguete
4. When the ferry lands, turn left, go through Dumaguete to Dauin. Just past kilometer marker 12 look for the Liquid sign on the left. Turn left and follow the dirt road to Liquid.
And now the detailed version for folks who are less familiar with the area:
From SM, you want to turn right onto the highway that runs along the coast. Depending on where you are parked, you might need to drive around the SM parking lots until you find yourself facing the ocean (the port where there are many shipping containers). Once you are facing the ocean, go up to the main road and turn right. At SM, this road is called “Sergio Osmena Blvd”.
Head south on that road. It will change names to Cebu South Coastal Rd. Keep going south.
A few kilometers south of SM the road will split. Keep left. You want to follow the signs for the SUBWAY. The other option to the right is “City Center” (but don’t go there). The subway will take you underground for a short stretch and then put you on the coastal road.
The Cebu South Coastal Road will eventually end at a “T” intersection with a stoplight on Cebu South Road. Turn left on Cebu South Road (the National Highway) and head south.
Follow that road south for about 30-35 km until you get to the city of Carcar. In the center of Carcar there is a traffic circle / roundabout. You want to reset your odometer here. Exit on the south side of the roundabout (the sign says it is heading towards Bato). If you enter the roundabout at “six oclock” you will exit at “twelve oclock”. Just keep going south on the main road.
From the Carcar traffic circle you will drive 98 kilometers to the Maayo Shipping boat dock. Just stay on the main road and keep heading south. You will pass through Sibonga, Argao, Dalaguete, Alcoy, and Boljoon. After that is Oslob and Santander. Inside the municipality of Santander you will pass through several small towns before you get to the dock. The last one is called Talisay. You will drive through Talisay and out the other side, and pass a large sign that says something like “you are now leaving Talisay, thanks for visiting”. Just past that you will find the Maayo Shipping dock on the left. Look for the very prominent Maayo Shipping signs. Turn left into the parking lot and queue for the next boat.
Boats run approximately 5am to 11pm every 1 to 2 hours. As of October 2011, the rate was 869 pesos for a small car with two adults. Additional passengers cost an extra 70 pesos each.
Once you get to Tampi (where the boat lands on Negros Island) turn left out of the Maayo parking lot and head south towards Dumaguete. Go all the way through Dumaguete and head towards the next town, Dauin. You will see concrete kilometer markers on the right side of the road. Just past kilometer marker 12 you should see the Liquid sign on the left. Turn left and follow the dirt road until you get to Liquid.
Then relax and enjoy your stay!
