Tours and Attractions in Bohol
Philippines articles:
Philippines Destinations |
Manila |
El Nido |
Boracay Island |
Puerto Princesa |
Bohol |
Cebu Island |Iloilo
General Information
Bohol Island is one of the most attractive destinations in the Philippines. It has plenty to see and do. It is recommended to dedicate 3-4 nights to this location, allowing enough time to both tour and relax.
Getting There
You can reach Bohol by ferry from Cebu City on a sailing of about two hours to Tagbilaran Port. There are other ferries to additional places in Bohol, but Cebu City is a primary destination in travel itineraries in the Philippines.
Another option is flying to the international airport on the adjacent Panglao Island (connected to Bohol by two bridges).
Vacation and Recommended Hotels in Bohol
Bohol Island in the Philippines is not only a destination for nature, landscapes, and wildlife tours, but also a wonderful island for a vacation. At its edge, connected by two short bridges, lies an island named Panglao, at the tip of which the finest resorts are located on the most beautiful beaches.
The Bellevue Resort
A successful 5-star hotel at an attractive price. A spa hotel on a nice beach with a pool right by the beach, two successful restaurants, and an abundance of ponds with chubby goldfish. The spa prices are extremely attractive: around $22 per hour for a massage in a 5-star hotel (special offer rate when purchasing two hours).
Oceanica Resort
On another wonderful, long, palm-lined beach, in a different area of the island (about a 15-minute drive from there), there are several 5-star resorts. Particularly successful: Oceanica Resort - Formerly South Palms
It features luxurious cabins of various sizes, some right on the water, two pools, and plenty of sun loungers and lounge chairs.
The beach at Oceanica Hotel:
One of the pools:
Beachfront villa at Oceanica Hotel:
Guided Tours in Bohol
Booking Recommended Tours in Bohol (via Viator):
Guided Day Tour in Bohol
A successful and diverse guided day tour in Bohol is called Bohol Countryside, and it includes:
Chocolate Hills
The most famous attraction on this tour is the Chocolate Hills. The island has 1,268 rounded hills covered in vegetation, which turn from green to brown during the dry season, hence their name. There is an impressive viewpoint near the visitor center, reached by climbing about 200 steps. If you are looking for action, you can ride ATVs between the hills, located right next to the viewpoint.
Additional Attractions on This Tour
Along the tour route, you visit Busai Dream Falls along the way:
Walk over the river on hanging twin bridges,
Visit a small stalactite cave with an underground lake where you can swim, stop at a place specializing in producing egg-shaped salt blocks, and another town specializing in knife-making, drive through a man-made mahogany forest, tour the tarsier sanctuary, and enjoy lunch during a raft cruise along a green, tropical river complete with songs in English and Tagalog as well as a short, cute dance performance on a fixed raft to which you tie up briefly.
Among other things, you also visit an ancient church dating back to the Spanish era.
Boat Tours from Bohol
You can set out on an island-hopping boat trip about an hour's sail away to watch dolphins and swim among fish, corals, and sea turtles.
There is also a longer boat trip of about two hours to Cebu Island to a location called Oslob to swim with (vegetarian) Whale Sharks.
On the small island of Panglao near Bohol, you can snorkel close to the shore among schools of sardines.
In the evening, you can go on a firefly boat tour in Bohol: a guided cruise of about half an hour among mangroves with thousands of sparkling fireflies.
Tarsier Sanctuary
On Bohol Island, I encountered one of the smallest mammals in the world for the first time: the Tarsier.
A cool creature with huge eyes (larger than its brain) that also lives in other areas of the Philippines and Indonesia, but Bohol Island is the best place to see it up close thanks to nature and conservation sanctuaries where they live.
Tarsiers are nocturnal and spend the daytime sleeping and resting, but despite this, some of the cute tiny animals we met were awake with eyes open and even moved slightly.
We saw them at a sanctuary named Bohol Tarsier Conservation Area, located near the island's most famous attraction: the Chocolate Hills.
There is another sanctuary that is larger and further away, and night tours can also be conducted at a different sanctuary when they are more active. The tarsier is the size of a fist and weighs between 80-160 grams. It lacks eye sockets, so it cannot move its eyes and must rotate its head to look sideways. It is a territorial animal, so they do not move from their spots in the trees unless they sense danger or disturbance. They are solitary—meaning they do not live in packs or groups, so each lives in a different tree. Their gestation period lasts about six months, and only one baby is born at a time, remaining with its mother and nursing for about 8 months. Their mating season runs from October to January. They have a long, thin tail like a rat and can jump a distance of 3-5 meters. They feed mainly on insects (worms and grasshoppers).
The sanctuary tour is self-guided along a forest trail, and on some of the trees inside a large leaf, you can see a tarsier curled up like a fetus, sleeping or resting. Silence must be maintained during the visit. Highly recommended for animal lovers.