The Philippines is a tourist gem in Southeast Asia. It is considered as
a premier destination for beach and nature lovers alike. One of the top
go to destination is the province of Bohol located in the Visayas Region in
central Philippines. From pristine white sand beaches, natural wonders,
and nature adventure activities, Bohol never runs out of attraction and
activities for tourists. It is an hour and a half flight of the Philippines
capital Manila, and about 2 hours ferry ride form Cebu City. Every one
who wants to visit the Philippines should never pass out to make Bohol as part
of their itinerary. Below are some of the activities we did and places
we went on our time in Bohol Philippines.
CHOCOLATE HILLS - ATV AND VIEW POINT
One of the attractions unique to Bohol is the Chocolate Hills. It is
considered as one of the Natural Wonders of the World. As the name
itself implies, these are natural hill mounds close to 1,700 total and between
100 to 160 feet in elevation. It is spread over an area of 20 square
miles which is very majestic when viewed on an elevated area. During
summer, it's color is brownish which make's it look like chocolate
mounds. In the rainy season, when we visited, the locals gave it a new
name as "Matcha Hills" as it has a lush green color. We did an ATV quad
bike activity to explore the hills, then, went to the view point to marvel the
beautiful "Matcha Mills".
ATV Ride (Sotera's ATV Rides) - P950 ($17) per person for 1 hr
Entrance Fee to Chocolate Hills View Point Complex - P100 ($1.8) per person
Watch this YouTube video of Chocolate Hills:
Chocolate Hills View Point
Q5X9+C3V, Carmen, Bohol, Philippines
TARSIER CONSERVATION AREA
Another attraction unique to Bohol is the Tarsier Conservation Area.
Bohol is home to the Philippine Tarsier which is considered as the smallest
primate in the world. In the Tarsier Conservation Area, you can view
the Philippine Tarsier in their habitat. One thing that is important to
note when visiting the Tarsier Conservation Area is that you should be in
complete silence when you are there. The Tarsiers are very sensitive and
can be easily stressed which can be very harmful to the animal. The
Tarsier is also a mammal with the largest eye-to-body proportion. They
have excellent night vision as they are mostly nocturnal. The
Conservation also does not allow Flash Photography when inside the Tarsier
area.
Entrance Fee - P60 ($1.1)
Watch this YouTube video of Tarsier Conservation Area:
Tarsier Conservation Area
Bilar, 6317 Bohol, Philippines
BILAR MAN-MADE FOREST
The Bilar Man Made Forest is a dense mahogany forest stretching 2 kilometers
along the road of Bilar. This is a favorite stop of tourists because the
place is perfect for social media photos and posts. The road becomes
like a tunnel of mahogany trees while you are passing it. The
temperature in this area also drops significantly as it is cooler under the
shade of the trees. This attraction is along the road so be careful when
you visit as vehicles pass by this road.
Entrance Fee - FREE
Watch this YouTube video of Bilar Man-made Forest:
Bilar Man-Made Forest
M37H+M9X, Loay Interior Road, Bilar, Bohol, Philippines
LOAY RIVER CRUISE
The river cruises in Bohol is a must visit attraction and should not be missed. Previously, the famous river cruise is the Loboc River Cruise. But, recently, a new cruise was introduced called the Loay River Cruise. The Loay River Cruise is further down south to the Loboc River. Our guide said that it is gaining more popularity because it has better food variety and it is less crowded. It is actually a Lunch Buffet cruise with mostly traditional local Filipino dishes on the menu. The cruise have 5 schedules daily from 11AM to 3PM daily and takes about and hour to finish.
Lunch Buffet Cruise - P750 per person (as of May 2022)
Watch this YouTube video of Loay River Cruise:
Rio Verde Floating Restaurant
J235+5XR POb. Ubos, Tagbilaran East Road, Bayan ng Loay, 6303, Bohol, Philippines
ALONA BEACH
Alona Beach is probably one of the most popular beaches in Panglao Island and
the whole of Bohol in general. The beach was named after a famous
actress "Alona Alegre" who ran naked on the beach in a 1973 movie
"Esteban". The 1-kilometer stretch of white sand beach is well know as a
scuba diving assembly point as well as a hub for beach night life with a lot
of bars and pubs along it's shores.
Entrance Fee - FREE
Watch this YouTube video of Alona Beach:
Alona Beach
Bohol, Philippines
DAUIS CHURCH
Also known as the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption, the Dauis Church is
a historical and religious landmark in the province of Bohol. Built in
1697, the church complex became the official residence of the Jesuits
from Loboc. A portion of the church’s front and the portico was
damaged when a 7.2 earthquake occurred in the provinces of Bohol and Cebu in
2013. In 2015, the National Historical Commission later restored the church
complex before being turned over to the Diocese of Tagbilaran in
2017. The church is open to visitors daily as it is an all-year
round destination.
Entrance Fee - FREE
Dauis Church
Poblacion, Dauis, 6339 Bohol, Philippines
NOVA SHELL MUSEUM
The Nova Shell Museum is a well known attraction in Panglao and is usually
part of the guided tours in Bohol. It boasts an amazing collection of
seashells that come from different parts of the world, not just in the seas of
the Philippines. The Nova Shell Museum also houses the smallest sea
shell in the world called "Rotaovula Hirohitoi". The shell was
named after Emperor Hirohito of Japan. The shell itself is so small that
the use of a magnifying glass is recommended to see the shell in its
glory. The Museum is open from 9:00AM to 4:30PM daily. It is also
a good place to buy authentic pearls and pearl jewelry.
Entrance Fee - Adult P100, Seniors P80, Students P60
Watch this YouTube video of Nova Shell Museum:
Nova Shell Museum
Teofilo Arcay St, Poblacion, Panglao, Bohol, Philippines
HINAGDANAN CAVE
Hinagdanan Cave is a limestone cave that descends down underground with a
clear water pool that is 10 to 12 meters deep. The cave was also
transformed as a resort where you can swim on the cave pools at a fee.
Due it's growing popularity, many food stalls and souvenir shops were built
near the cave to cater to the growing number of tourists visiting. The
cave is open from 7:30AM to 6:00PM daily but since the size of the cave is
limited, it only allows 50 persons a time inside the cave and with a time
limit of 30mins.
Entrance Fee - P25 per person for just the cave entry & P50 for cave entry
plus bathing on the pool.
Watch this YouTube video of Hinagdanan Cave:
Hinagdanan Cave
JRG2+496, Bingag, Dauis, Bohol, Philippines
BALICASAG ISLAND
A trip to Bohol is never complete without visiting the beautiful islands
surrounding it. Balicasag Island is one of those island that is well
known and a popular tourist attraction for this. Usually you book an
island-hopping tour and this island would be one of your stops. As part
our our tour, we also did a dolphin watching tour before going to Balicasag
Island. When you are in the island, you can enjoy activities like turtle
watching, snorkeling on their fish sanctuary, and swim on their pristine white
sand beaches. There are also several eateries in the island where you
can eat breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Tour Cost - P2,500 (includes dolphin watching tour and Virgin Island)
Watch this YouTube video of Balicasag Island & Dolphin Watching:
Balicasag Island
Bohol, Philippines
VIRGIN ISLAND
Also known as Pungtud Island, the Virgin island is a C-shaped sand bar between
the Balicasag Island and Panglao Island. It is famous for the seafood
vendors in the sand wherein you can directly order and they will cook your
food right there. Food may there is a bit pricey though, which is
understandable because you are in the middle of the sea. But eating
there is a great experience itself. There, you can enjoy fresh seafood
like sea urchin (unni), sea cucumber, cowries, conch, squid, abalone, and
local fishes. They have grilling stations set up there for cooking food
but you can also opt to have your seafood raw if that works for you.
Tour Cost - P2,500 (includes dolphin watching tour and Balicasag Island) -
Food cost is separate
Watch this YouTube video of Virgin Island:
.
Virgin Island
Bohol, Philippines
Here are some travel tips if you want to visit Bohol Philippines:
- The Philippines in general have two(2) seasons, the rainy and summer season. On destinations like Bohol, it is always best to go on summer time between March - early June.
- The Philippine weather is humid so be prepared to perspire a lot. It is advisable to wear light and comfortable clothing during your travels. I recommend also brining extra shirts or face towels.
- If you are not familiar with the area, it is always good to book for tour packages. Some areas in the Philippine provinces have very limited access to taxis or ride shares so all-in tour packages are advised. Just make sure to do your research on checking reviews online as well as comparing rates. Mor often it's also good to contact your hotel to help you book tours to avoid scams.
- In the outskirts of the city, some establishments may not accept cards as payment so please always carry cash with you.
- Bohol is a beach destination and if you book island hopping tours, you'll probably go snorkeling on marine sanctuaries. If you have your own goggles or snorkeling gear, might as well bring them to save a few bucks on renting or buying them in the island.
For more info about Bohol Philippines, please visit: https://tourism.bohol.gov.ph/ and https://philippines.travel/destinations/bohol
For more travel and food blogs, please visit: http://haringlarga.blogspot.com/p/home.html
No comments:
Post a Comment