Ormoc
Introduction
Ormoc is an independent component city in the Eastern Visayas region of the Philippines, and the second most-populous city in the province of Leyte after the provincial capital, Tacloban. It serves as the economic, cultural, commercial and transportation hub of western Leyte, which makes it a practical base for exploring this part of the province.
Getting there
Many travellers heading for Leyte Province fly into Tacloban, but Ormoc has its own airport, and most people arriving by sea land right in the city. Ormoc Airport (OMC) is served by Cebgo with flights from Cebu.
By boat, you can choose between fast hydrofoil ferries from Cebu, which make the crossing in about two and a half hours, or larger, slower RoRo ferries that take roughly four and a half to six hours. Operators on the Cebu route include Oceanjet, 2GO SuperCat, Lite Shipping and Roble Shipping. Lite Shipping also runs a ferry between Ormoc and Ouano Port in Mandaue, Cebu. Buses and minivans connect Ormoc with Tacloban, Naval, Baybay and Maasin, and Philtranco runs buses from Manila via Tacloban and Legazpi City.
Getting around
For short hops around the city center, your hotel and nearby points of interest, tricycles are the most common mode of transport and the default choice. They are recommended for short distances and are often faster for such trips because they avoid the frequent stops larger vehicles make. Walking works well for short trips in the immediate city center and around the port area, but use a tricycle for anything longer or when you want to avoid those stops.
- Tricycles: the workhorse for short trips within the city.
- Jeepneys: Public Utility Jeepneys run from the city center out to rural barangays on scheduled times, so they are the practical choice beyond the built-up area.
- Buses and vans: Public Utility Buses and Vans run daily to neighboring municipalities including Tacloban, Naval, Baybay and Maasin. For long-haul travel, Philtranco Bus lines has two buses a day from Manila via Tacloban and Legazpi City.
- Car rental: Rent-a-car services are available at the terminal area, from tour operators, and at hotels if you want to move on your own schedule.
Transfers are straightforward because the City Jeepney Terminal sits next to the main bus terminal near the port, so you can arrive by bus or boat and pick up a jeepney or tricycle in the same area. There is no rail, metro or tram network, and the source material does not describe a taxi or ride-hailing scene, so plan on tricycles, jeepneys, buses and vans. If you fly in to Ormoc Airport, you continue into the city by road; arrange your onward ride with your hotel or a local operator, or take a tricycle or jeepney from the terminal area once you reach the city.
Where to stay
Ormoc's places to stay cluster around the city centre, with the greatest concentration on and around Real Street and Bonifacio Street. Options range from simple fan rooms to air-conditioned singles and doubles, and most establishments keep a noon check-out. If you want air conditioning, cable TV and a private bathroom as standard, you will find plenty of choice: the hotels on Bonifacio Street add hot water and free WiFi, while the pension houses on Real Street and San Pablo Street offer air-conditioned doubles with the same comforts.
- GV Hotel, Real corner Solidad streets – air-conditioned single and double rooms, all with bathrooms and cable TV.
- Buenas Pension Plaza, Lopez Jaena Street – air-conditioned single and double rooms with bathroom and cable TV.
- Zenaidas Chateau Tourist Inn, Navarro Street – air-conditioned single and double rooms with own bathroom and cable TV.
- Pongos Hotel, Bonifacio Street – air-conditioned single and double rooms, hot water, cable TV, free WiFi.
- Don Felipe Hotel, Bonifacio Street – air-conditioned single and double rooms, hot water, cable TV, free WiFi.
- Peachtree Lodge, Real Street – air-conditioned double room with cable TV and free WiFi.
- Niko's Ark Voyager's Inn, Real Street – air-conditioned double rooms with own bathroom, cable TV and free WiFi.
- Oriental Pension Plaza, Rizal Street – air-conditioned double rooms with bathroom, cable TV and free WiFi; check-out is 11am.
- Casa de Ormoc Pension House, San Pablo Street – air-conditioned single and double rooms with bathroom, cable TV and free WiFi.
- Ormoc Friendly Inn, Lopez Jaena Street – fan double rooms with bathroom and free WiFi.
- J B Garden Pensione Plaza, Barangay Conepcion Street – fan single room with an outside bathroom.
For the tightest budgets, the fan rooms at Ormoc Friendly Inn and J B Garden Pensione Plaza are the cheapest way to stay, though the latter's bathroom is outside the room.
Food & drink
Ormoc's eating scene leans on Filipino cooking and fresh seafood, with several places clustered around Ormoc Plaza. Chitos Chow Restaurant serves Filipino dishes and seafood, while Pardi's Grill at Ormoc Villa Hotel offers Filipino and grilled food in a setting suited to family dining. At the bay area by the plaza, Ormoc Barbecue Park turns festive at night, with pork, chicken and hotdog barbecue and soft drinks or beer to drink.
For the local seafood custom, head to Sals Bar and Restaurant on Hermosilla Dr., where the à la carte menu gives way to a "sutukil" method: you point to raw seafood, meat and vegetables and tell the cook whether you want it "sinugba" (grilled), "tuwa" (boiled) or "kilaw" (eaten raw, marinated in vinegar and coconut milk). Gil's Grill on Larrazabal Blvd. is known for the same su-tu-kil trio along with grilled fare and seafood. Lighter stops include Ikea on Bonifacio St., a refreshment parlor known for cakes and halo-halo, and Mayong's Snack Haus on Rizal St., an affordable snack bar in the shopping district next to Quality Bakeshop, which sells bread and cakes. For drinks, Bebida's Coffeeshop sits in Ormoc Centrum Mall, and Bistado Karaoke Bar offers private karaoke rooms by the hour, beer and wine at the bar, and a comedy bar on Thursday nights.
What to see and do
Ormoc's sights are split between the mountains and the coast, so plan on travelling out from the city to reach most of them. In the mountainous north, Lake Danao draws families for fishing, picnics and sightseeing, with floating cottages and boats for hire if you want to get out on the water. Farther out, Tongonan Hotsprings National Park sits high amid forested hills at the western end of the Leyte Mountain Trail, a cool, lush valley where you can watch a hillside geyser spout boiling water and steam, soak in a warm medicinal pool, and see formations giving off sulfuric vapours. Also north of the city, in Barangay Hibunawon, rolling terrain is given over to a pineapple plantation; Ormoc's Queen Pineapple is prized for its sweetness and makes a favourite pasalubong. For a harder walk, Lake Kasudsuran lies in virgin forest below Mt. Janagdan and is reachable only on foot, while Alto Peak, also known as Mt. Amindueuen, is explored with Barangay Cabintan as your base. Sayahan Falls in Barangay Gaas is another outing, one that came to wider attention through shared photographs. Closer in, Centennial Park holds the Veteran's Park, laid out to honour the Filipino soldiers who fought for the liberation of Leyte and the Philippines, and the Centennial Marker; it works well as a leisure and picnic ground. Puente dela Reina, the city's oldest bridge, still carries traffic, its cobblestones intact, a relic of an age when it served as a docking area for the sailboats and vintas of Chinese, Javan, and Indonesian traders. Two sites recall the Second World War: the Western Leyte Guerrilla Warfare Forces Monument, commemorating the resistance fighters of the guerrilla war, and the Ruins of Cong. Dominador Tan Residence, a 1930s mansion that became a Japanese garrison and was destroyed in the bombing of Ormoc before liberation, now treated almost as a shrine by visiting Japanese and a witness to the city's history.Three days in Ormoc
Day one: Arrive at Ormoc Airport, served by Cebgo from Cebu, or come in by RoRo ferry from Cebu with operators such as Oceanjet, SuperCat, Lite Shipping, Roble Shipping or Ouano Port in Mandaue. Settle into Ormoc and get your bearings on foot, then use tricycles, jeepneys or Public Utility Jeepneys to reach the places you want to see around the city.
Day two: Head out from Ormoc to explore the wider province of Leyte. Buses and vans run to Naval, Baybay and Maasin, and you can also reach Tacloban, the regional centre of Eastern Visayas. Philtranco connects Ormoc with Manila and Legazpi City, so longer overland legs are possible if you plan ahead.
Day three: Use your final day for the transport links you have not yet tried. Public Utility Buses and Vans cover many routes, and you can rent a car if you prefer to arrange your own transfers. Philtranco Bus services and the ferries from Ormoc give you options for continuing on to Cebu, Manila or elsewhere in the Philippines.