Thursday 23 February 2012 03:01:33 PHT
What to see and what to do in Bohol
IJsselstein, Thursday, 27 January 2011 (updated: Monday, 24 October 2011)
Bohol has a tremendous lot to offer, so much that many tourists have a hard time to select those most important things to see in their limited time. You can easily spend a week on the island, and just see the highlights.
To help you in your selection, we give a short overview of the more popular tourist destinations, some of which are included in the organized tours that are offered by various travel agents. If you have just a few days, you could join with one of those; however, if you have more time or more adventurous inclined, you can also visit those places on your own - in which case it is advisable to arrange for your own transport, which can be a taxi or rented car or motorbike, as trying to travel the island by public transportation can take considerable time.
Tagbilaran city
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| Blood Compact |
Tagbilaran is the capital of Bohol, and its only city. It is located at the south-western end of the island. Most boats arrive here, and all scheduled flights land on its one-strip airport, not far from the city center. Apart from visiting several shopping malls, such as Bohol Quality, Island City Mall, and Plaza Marcela, you dine in various restaurants, visit the Bohol Museum, and a number of interesting landmarks, such as the Sandugo blood compact site, which is located in the Bool district of Tagbilaran city. This monument is included in most tours, and offers a nice view over the Bohol sea, with Panglao island to the right and Pamilacan island a bit farther away to the left.
Leaving Tagbilaran in the southern direction, we can cross a bridge to Panglao island.
Panglao
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| Alona Beach from the air |
Panglao is both the name of the island south of Bohol, as of the southernmost of the two municipalities on this island, the other being Dauis. The municipality of Panglao is home to some of the best known beaches of Bohol, including Dumaluan beach and Alona beach, and thus has numerous beach resorts. For those curious enough to take a short ride to the town proper - easily done on a morning or afternoon, Panglao still preserves the traditional layout of a Philippine rural town: A large town-square, covered with grass, with on one side the Church, another the town hall, and on a third the local school. Add to this the remnants of an older church (of which only one stone wall remains, the remainder of this building was previously made of bamboo), and a massive hexagonal watchtower, the largest on Bohol.
From most of the resorts, you can arrange whale or dolphin watching tours, island hopping and excursions to the most well tourist destinations. The more adventurous inclined can rent motorcycles here, and explore the island at their own pace. The many diving schools and diving boats near the beach will be hard to miss. Around Panglao and the nearby islet Balicasag are some of the best diving spots in the Philippines.
Dauis
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| Dauis Church |
Dauis is the other municipality on Panglao island, and its entrance through two bridges to the mainland, also has a church that is worth visiting - don't forget to walk to the back and watch the watchtower and convento, - and is the home of Hinagdanan cave, a small underground lake surrounded by stalactites. This cave is one of the tourist destinations in Bohol.
To the North-east of Tagbilaran, we can follow the route most tourist tours make:
Baclayon
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| The Pier of Baclayon |
Baclayon town is not far to the east of Tagbilaran. Its monumental Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, opposite the pier, is well worth a visit. This church also has a small museum, with some old church relics on display. When you visit here, also take a look at some of the traditional houses here, with their wooden floors, often massive logs of teak, and sliding windows made of capiz (shells). Some of the owners, organized in the Association of Baclayon Ancestral Homes, allow guests to stay here overnight. For Filipino movie buffs: this is also the home-town of Boholano movie star Cesar Montano, that is, when he is not busy on the set.
Baclayon is also the base for some of the dolphin watching tours - often operated by fishermen from the nearby Pamilacan island that belongs to this municipalities - but they are just as willing to pick you up at the beach in front of your resort on Alona beach or elsewhere on Panglao. If you want to go dolphin watching, you will need to wake up early. You're best changes to meet with those aquatic mammals is in the early morning, when they hunt for their breakfast. If you per change encounter a whale, you should consider yourself lucky, as, although not uncommon, they are not seen every day. After your dolphin watching tour, you can also visit Pamilacan island itself, where they can prepare you a lavish meal of seafood, and you can find yet another Spanish era watchtower. Just wandering around in the tranquility of this tiny island, without cars, makes it easy to doze away and transport yourself back in time...
Baclayon is included in most daily tours.
Loboc
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| Mural in Loboc Church |
Loboc is an inland town 24 km to the east of Tagbilaran. According to Filipino historian Fr. Horacio de la Costa, Loboc was founded by Fr. Juan de Torres who succeeded in persuading the local population to settle their barangays in this site in 1602. This makes Loboc one of the oldest towns of Bohol. Loboc is also the site of an historic Spanish period church, Saint Peter the Apostle Parish with a small museum in its large convento and a separate bell tower. Witness also one of the biggest planning blunders in Bohol: a partly completed bridge, which, if it where to be completed would require the monumental church to be destroyed. A few kilometers down the road, you can come across a traditional hanging bridge, and try your nerves crossing it.
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| Children Jumping into Loboc River |
Loboc is the hometown of the famous Loboc Children Choir who have been traveling to many countries in Asia, Europe, and the U.S.A to share their angelic voice with the world. Loboc is also well-known for its floating restaurants that cruise on the Loboc river and where you can eat Filipino food as much as you can eat and enjoy the live band or watch the Filipino folk dances being performed by the local dancers. The tour will end at Busay falls and then will return to its origin.
A visit to Loboc and its interesting church is included in most local tours. For a trip with the floating restaurants or attending a performance - or even just a rehearsal - of the Loboc choir, you will need to make separate arrangements.
Sevilla
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| Tension bridge in Sevilla |
Sevilla is 36 km to the east of Tagbilaran. The famous bamboo hanging bridge can be found crossing the Sipatan River in Sevilla, Bohol. This hanging bridge has become a tourist attraction in Bohol because crossing it is quite different from crossing a concrete or wooden bridge. While crossing the bridge, you can feel that the bridge that is swaying and bouncing a little bit on every step, especially if there are several people crossing the bridge at the same time. For some people, letting go of the railing is quite scary, which can give problems when you have to pass somebody crossing in the other direction, luckily there are two bridges, one for each direction. The entrance fee for tourists is P 10.00 to cross the bridge.
Bilar
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| The Man Made Forest |
Bilar is some 40 km to the North-east of Tagbilaran. When getting closer to the town, the road will make many hair-pin bends, as you are ascending to the higher part of the island. Locals jestingly call this road the "tina-i sa manok", chicken-intestines.
Bilar is best known for its Mahogany man-made forest, a dark area of thickly reforested land on the way from Tagbilaran to the Chocolate Hills. Most Bohol tours stop here for a short while.
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| Caterpillar |
However, Bilar has far more to offer. It is currently being developed as an eco-tourism destination, and rightly so, as within its borders is the Raja Sikatuna National Park, which is the a 9000 hectare nature reserve that offers great tours for trekking, curious and interesting lime-rock formations, some of the last remaining primary forest on Bohol, caves, and great opportunities for observing animals and bird watching. To get here, you can to go to Logarita, where you can find a large swimming pool, fed by a natural spring. Although the water is sometimes moss-green, it is clean, as it is constantly refreshed. This place makes an excellent starting points for treks into the park.
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| Butterfly |
| Simply Butterflies Conservation Center Address: Bilar, Bohol, Philippines Email: simplybutterflies@gmail.com Website: http://simplybutterfliesproject.com/ |
Also in Bilar, you can visit the Simply Butterflies Conservation Center, where you can see many types of native butterflies, hand grown in the center.
Carmen
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| Chocolate Hills |
Carmen is best known as the center of the Chocolate Hills. Here you can find the Chocolate Hills Complex, a government-run hotel and restaurant. To enjoy the scenery, you'll have to first climb the stairs on one of the hills for a magnificent view. This is probably the best spot to enjoy the eyrie landscape of the famous Chocolate Hills. Carmen is 59 km to the north-east of Tagbilaran. This complex is included in virtually all tours of Bohol.
Returning to Tagbilaran, we can also make an excursion to the North-west. Doing so, you will first pass Cortes, and then Maribojoc.
Maribojoc
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| Punta Cruz Watchtower |
Maribojoc is located in the coastline of Bohol and is 14 kilometers north from Tagbilaran. At the south-western most tip of Bohol, you can find an old triangular Spanish watch tower built in 1796, the Punta Cruz Watch tower.
Tubigon
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| Tubigon Church |
Tubigon is 54 km to the north of Tagbilaran. Being much closer to Cebu, Tubigon makes a good alternative port of entrance to Bohol. Several ferries cross the Cebu straight every day, including Roro ferries, if you want to bring a car, and fast craft. Even when you are going to Tagbilaran, this might be faster and cheaper, as you can take a bus or Vhire ("van for hire", minivans with air-con used for passenger transport, filling the gap between buses and taxis) to Tagbilaran city. This route, following the coastal ring-road, is quite interesting because you can enjoy the landscape, will cross several rivers, have some nice sea views, and pass through a number of historical towns.
There are some pension houses in Tubigon if you would like to stay in Tubigon.
Sagbayan
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| Sagbayan Peak |
| Sagbayan Peak Address: 6331 Sagbayan, Bohol, Philippines Phone: +63 38 5111 9167 Phone: +63 921 3230 866 Email: info@sagbayanpeak.com Website: http://www.sagbayanpeak.com.ph/ |
Sagbayan is a mostly rural municipality, but here you can also find Sagbayan Peak. Sagbayan Peak offers a number of facilities such as a restaurant, well maintained gardens with some Disney-like statues, a butterfly dome, swimming pool and a view point where visitors can enjoy a panoramic view of Chocolate Hills. Sagbayan is 76 km to the north-east of Tagbilaran.
Danao
| E.A.T Danao Address: 6344 Danao, Bohol, Phililippines Phone: +63 917 3021 701 Phone: +63 921 7594 403 Email: eatdanao@ymail.com Website: http://www.eatdanao.com/ |
Danao is 92 km north-east of Tagbilaran. For those you likes adventures, the Extreme Adventure Tour or E.A.T. Danao is really it. E.A.T. Danao offers ziplet, sky ride, plunge, suislide, river trekking, river tubing, river kayaking, wall climbing, village tour, organic farm visitation, camping, rappelling, root climbing and caving. For more information, you can visit their website.
If, instead of following the coastal road up north, we make some inland detours North of Tagbilaran, we can turn right just before Maribojoc, and go to Antequera.
Antequera
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| Mag-Aso Falls |
Antequera is an interior town some 19 kilometers to the north of Tagbilaran City and northeast of Maribojoc. The well known Mag-Aso falls can be found a few kilometers from the Poblacion - the road towards it makes a good walk. Antequera is also well known for its native products such as native baskets and furniture, and on Sunday mornings, you can still buy those products directly from the producers on the weekly basket market. If you want to visit this market, make sure to arrive on Sunday morning before noon.
Corella
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| Philippine Tarsier |
Corella is another inland town, some 10 km north of Tagbilaran. In Corella, you can visit the Tarsier Sanctuary where tarsiers are observed, protected and are freely living on its natural habitat. In the sanctuary you can find trails and pathways (with tour guide) where you can observe the tarsiers in its natural habitat. If you are lucky you can see tarsiers jumping from trees to trees. If you really want to learn something about tarsiers, we strongly advise you to go here, and avoid the overcrowded cages near Loboc river. You are not allowed to touch the animals here, but that is only for the good of those shy nocturnal creatures.
Balilihan
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| Kawasan Waterfall |
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| Balilihan Spanish Belfry |
Balilihan is 22 km. North of Tagbilaran. Balilihan can boast of its large number of waterfalls, including the Kawasan falls and Camugao falls. Camugao falls is located in barangay San Isidro, and Kawasan falls is some 5 kilometers from the center of Balilihan town. On top of Carmen hill, you can find yet another Spanish belfry, built in 1836 and inaugurated in 1846. This tower was also used as a watchtower to be able to give the villagers an early warning for marauders and other unwanted intruders.
Finally, we can leave Tagbilaran in the eastern direction, following the coastal ring-road counter-clockwise, we pass a number of towns.
Jagna
Jagna is 63 km to the east of from Tagbilaran. Jagna has sea port where you can find shipping companies that offers connections to Mindanao, such as Butuan, Cagayan and Nasipit. Jagna is also famous as the home of one of Bohol's best known delicacies, Kalamay (Kalamay hati), a sticky and very sweet paste of sticky-rice flour and coconut milk, packed in a coconut shell, sealed with a characteristic red tape.
Anda
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| Anda Beach |
Anda is located on a small peninsula with the same name on the eastern end of Bohol, almost 100 km from Tagbilaran. In spite of the distance, this town is certainly worth a visit, and, since several resorts have been opened here, you can also stay here if you have more time at hand. You won't regret it, as Anda has much to offer: long unspoiled stretches of white beach, curious lime-stone rock formations and cliffs, countless caves, and some of the nicest and best preserved ceiling paintings of Bohol in its local church. Also for scuba-divers this place has a lot to offer.
Rodelyn Gallo Hellingman
What readers think...
| Yvonne wrote: |
| Friday, 17 February 2012 19:50:42 PHT |
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| Loren wrote: |
| Thursday, 16 February 2012 12:53:43 PHT |
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| miles wrote: |
| Tuesday, 14 February 2012 10:42:44 PHT |
| hi,is it possible to visit bohol in just 1 day? what are the best-must-see spots in there? were going there this august hope you can help us..thanks a lot |
| Destiny wrote: |
| Monday, 6 February 2012 15:09:13 PHT |
| My husband and I are planning for a Bohol get-away, and that we're coming from Cebu. I'm looking for some help re: accomodation in Bohol, Bohol tour packages and transportation to and from Cebu. We'll be checking-out from our hotel in Cebu at 12noon of Feb25, and need to be back in Cebu by 2PM of Feb28. Kindly e-mail me @ charlyn.faith@yahoo.com. Thanks! |
| Yvonne wrote: |
| Sunday, 18 December 2011 18:54:04 PHT |
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