Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
58.8km²
Area
73km
Coastline
6m
Highest point
467,824
People
30°C
Warmest sea
June
1,604km
To the mainland
When to go to Mactan
Best for the beach from January to March and from June to July.
The sea is warmest in June (30 °C) and coolest in February (27 °C). You can swim comfortably all year (21 °C or more).
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
Island in the Philippines
Mactan is an island in Philippines. It covers 58.8 km², with 73 km of coastline. Its highest point rises to 6 m. About 467,824 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 1,604 km away.
Getting there
- Mactan Cebu International Airport (CEB)airport on the island, with scheduled flightsCar hire at CEB airport (Cebu City/Lapu-Lapu City)Discover Cars · Affiliate link↗
- FerriesCebu - Hilongos, Cebu - Ormoc (Super Shuttle Ferry), Cebu - Ormoc (Roble Shipping), Cebu City to Lapu-Lapu City (Opon)
- 1,604 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
- From January to March and from June to Julybest months to go (from 30 years of averages)
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
On the island
What you find on Mactan.
- 25beachesBankrupt Resort, Cebu Beach Club, Hadsan beach and 22 more
- 3viewpointsFirst Mactan Bridge, Guamamela Street, 2nd Bridge
- 2lighthousesOpon Lighthouse, Bantolinao Lighthouse
- 6ferry terminalsMactan-Cebu Ferry Terminal, Punta Engaňo Passenger Terminal, Cebu-Mactan Ferry Passenger Terminal Building and 3 more
- 1marinasCebu Yacht Club
- 2ruins and archaeological sites
- 10dive centresPoby Divers Center, SCUBAble Dive Shop, Uncle Mike's Crib and 7 more
- 1campsitesAirmen's Village
- 125hotels, guesthouses and apartments
- 224restaurants, cafés and bars
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, inside the island's outline. A low number may only mean nobody has mapped it yet.
Cross-checked with our atlases
Mactan in our other atlases
Everything Coastya, Peakyas, Lakeyas and Cascadyas know about what lies inside Mactan, each with its own numbers.
1beachCoastya
Beach with the warmest sea
29.9°C
sea in the warmest month · according to Coastya
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 8 m above the sea. 100 % of it is below 200 m.
- 100 %0–50 m
Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
10 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Towns on the island
- Lapu-Lapu City497,813 people
- Cordova29,289 people
- Gabi2,589 people
- Buagsong2,436 people
- Dapitan2,236 people
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 28 | 28 | 29 | 31 | 31 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 28 |
| Night low (°C) | 24 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 25 |
| Sea (°C) | 28 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 |
| Rain (mm) | 160 | 103 | 83 | 66 | 126 | 212 | 238 | 203 | 219 | 238 | 163 | 198 |
| Wet days | 19 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 18 | 25 | 26 | 23 | 24 | 26 | 23 | 23 |
| Sun h/day | 4.9 | 5.9 | 7.4 | 8.5 | 7.4 | 6.4 | 5.5 | 5.6 | 5.6 | 5.8 | 6.0 | 5.1 |
| Wind (km/h) | 20 | 19 | 18 | 16 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 15 | 18 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +0.7 | +0.4 | +0.7 | +0.3 | +0.5 | +0.2 | +1.0 | +0.9 | +1.0 | +0.8 | +0.6 | +1.2 |
| 2021 | +0.9 | +1.5 | +1.2 | +0.1 | +0.2 | +0.4 | +0.3 | +0.7 | +0.5 | +0.6 | +0.6 | +0.1 |
| 2022 | +0.2 | +0.7 | +0.7 | +0.1 | −0.2 | +0.3 | +0.5 | +0.7 | +0.8 | +0.4 | +0.8 | +0.7 |
| 2023 | +0.3 | +0.6 | +0.2 | +0.6 | +0.6 | +0.1 | +0.1 | +0.5 | +0.5 | +0.8 | +0.8 | +0.4 |
| 2024 | +0.9 | +0.6 | +0.3 | +0.3 | +0.4 | +0.5 | +0.4 | +0.9 | +0.5 | +0.7 | +0.5 | +0.7 |
| 2025 | +0.9 | +1.1 | +0.4 | +0.5 | +0.4 | −0.1 | ±0.0 | +0.3 | ±0.0 | +0.3 | +0.2 | +0.7 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.
Nearby
More islands nearby.
Cebu
Philippines4,454 km²999 m31 km away
BoholPhilippines3,821 km²191 m56 km away
NegrosPhilippines13,075 km²2,460 m111 km away
LeytePhilippines7,368 km²1,349 m116 km away
Panglao IslandPhilippines90 km²190 m80 km away
BantayanPhilippines113 km²26 m103 km away
BiliranPhilippines500 km²1,301 m150 km away
GuimarasPhilippines581 km²155 m154 km awayAbout these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q685318) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Beaches, mountains, lakes and waterfalls | Coastya — Wikidata · CC0; © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0; NOAA OISST |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
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