Getting Around Cagayan de Oro
Cagayan de Oro is a busy regional hub on the north coast of Mindanao, and its streets are served by a mix of jeepneys, multicabs, motorelas, taxis, trisikads and sidecars. There is no rail, metro or tram network in the city, so all practical movement is by road, on foot, or by ferry for those arriving across the water. Like other Philippine cities, CDO has its share of traffic problems, with congestion heaviest in the morning, around midday and again in the evening, and especially noticeable on Fridays, weekends and holidays along Claro M. Recto Avenue, where several malls are located, and in Divisoria.
Jeepneys and Multicabs
Jeepneys and multicabs are the workhorses of local transport and are usually safe during the day. They cost only a fraction of a taxi ride, with fares typically around ₱7 for the first few kilometres and a discounted rate for students and senior citizens, though this varies with the length of the route. It is common to see conductors riding at the rear, collecting fares and calling out the destination and intermediate stops to passersby.
- Be prepared for a cramped ride: passenger compartments are small and can feel claustrophobic, particularly for taller travellers.
- Drivers often wait until the vehicle is completely full before departing a terminal.
- On routes passing through markets, you may find yourself sharing space with sacks of rice or farm animals.
- If a jeepney or multicab does not take you all the way to your destination, ride it to a large hub and continue from there on another vehicle.
Where to Catch Public Transport
To catch public transport in the city, look for a loading and unloading zone marked by a sign or a yellow box painted on the road. If there are no yellow boxes, avoid waiting close to intersections or in No Parking areas. Public transport becomes unreliable in rainy weather: jeepneys, multicabs and taxis are few and far between, and those that do appear are often full or simply do not stop. In that situation your options are to wait for an empty vehicle with enough free seats, wait for the rain to stop, or walk to your destination.
Taxis and Ride-Hailing
Taxis are one of the main modes of land transportation in the city and are a comfortable step up from jeepneys, at a correspondingly higher price. The source material for this guide does not detail ride-hailing apps for CDO, so plan around taxis and the other road-based modes described here, and confirm locally what app-based options are currently operating.
Walkability
Walking is a realistic fallback in the city centre, particularly around Divisoria and the mall district along Claro M. Recto Avenue, where several malls sit close together. It is also the practical last resort when rain has cleared the streets of available vehicles. Outside the core, distances between destinations make walking less appealing, and the traffic congestion during peak hours means even short trips by vehicle can be slow.
Arriving by Air: Laguindingan Airport
Cagayan de Oro is served by Laguindingan Airport, which opened in 2013 and replaced the old Lumbia Airport in the city. It sits in Barangay Moog in the municipality of Laguindingan, well to the west of the city, and also serves Iligan, Northern Mindanao, Lanao del Norte and Bukidnon. The airport handles a mix of narrow-body jets and smaller turboprops; widebody aircraft do not use it because the runway is not long enough. Although it is sometimes called an "international" airport, there are no scheduled international flights. The single two-storey terminal is small and easily gets crowded.
On departure, you enter the terminal on the ground floor on the right-hand side, pass a ticket inspection with a security guard, a baggage scan and a metal detector before you are even inside, so have your printed tickets ready. After check-in, head upstairs by escalator or elevator for a second baggage scan and metal detector, then into the departures area, which has a small number of eating places. There are three gates, numbered right to left as you face the runway; the airbridge at Gate 1 is not in use, so passengers walk on the apron and use airstairs, with courtesy umbrellas handed out. On arrival, you either head downstairs or enter the terminal through double doors on the right facing the apron, then pass the baggage carousels and out to the meeters and greeters area. The airport has an observation deck, but it is closed to the general public.
Airport to City: Your Options
Because the airport is far from the city, allow more than enough travel time. On an airport shuttle, the journey from downtown takes roughly 45 minutes to an hour in good traffic between the morning and evening rush hours; during rush hour, or if you use multiple modes of transport, expect it to take longer.
- Airport shuttles: Several operators run shuttles between Laguindingan Airport and the city's shopping malls (Centrio, Limketkai, Gaisano City and SM CDO Downtown Premier), the Eastbound Bus Terminal, or Divisoria. These usually cost around ₱199. Use an accredited shuttle with the company name displayed prominently on the vehicle, and avoid so-called colorum or illegal transport services.
- Bus combination: You can take a public utility vehicle from the airport to the National Highway for about ₱20, then transfer to a Rural Transit or Super 5 Transport bus travelling along the highway. Rural Transit air-conditioned buses cost about ₱85 and non-air-conditioned buses about ₱65. Super 5 Transport can take you from the airport to the city for about ₱100 including the airport shuttle, first by shuttle to the highway and then by one of their buses. Rural Transit and Super 5 buses terminate at the Westbound Bus Terminal.
Buses and the Two Terminals
CDO has two integrated bus terminals, and which one you use depends on your direction of travel.
- Eastbound Integrated Bus Terminal (Agora Integrated Bus Terminal) in Agora, next to Market City, is the busier and more congested of the two. Buses bound for destinations north, south or east of the city serve it, including Butuan, Surigao, Manila, Bukidnon, Davao, Koronadal and General Santos. A few mid-range and expensive hotels are nearby, and you can take a jeepney labelled R2 to Divisoria for around ₱8.
- Westbound Integrated Bus Terminal (Bulua Integrated Bus Terminal) in Bulua, near the BIR office and the Bulua Fish Markets, serves buses bound for destinations west of the city, such as Iligan, Ozamiz and Zamboanga.
Several operators connect the city to the wider region. Bachelor Express runs services from Balingoan port (for ferries to Camiguin), Gingoog, Butuan and Surigao. Philtranco operates from Manila via Butuan, Surigao, Tacloban and Legazpi City. Rural Transit serves Bukidnon, Davao, Koronadal, General Santos, Iligan (via the airport), Ozamiz, Oroquieta, Dipolog, Pagadian and Zamboanga City. Super 5 Transport serves Balingoan port (for Camiguin), Bukidnon, and Iligan via the airport.
Arriving by Ferry
Ferries dock at Cagayan de Oro Port in Barangay Macabalan, just north of downtown, which makes it convenient for reaching the city centre on arrival. Tickets for some ferry lines are sold at offices to your right as you enter the port compound, while other lines have offices across the street from the compound entrance.