Bohol Travel Guide

Bohol is the main island of Bohol Province together with 75 minor surrounding islands. The island lies southeast from Cebu Island and southwest of Leyte Island in Central Visayas region. This oval-shaped island is the tenth largest of the Philippine archipelago.

Another gem of the Visayas, Bohol is a tropical haven of natural beauty. The coastline of the island is skimmed by gentle coves and white sand beaches. Bohol is not as internationally famous as nearby Boracay, but is well-known locally as a paradise for divers and snorkelers. Dolphin watching and whale watching tours are popular with both residents and visiting tourists. The best season is from March to June, but dolphins can be seen year-round. In addition to white sand beaches and dive spots, Bohol is famous among others, for its Chocolate Hills, the Tarsier – arguably the world’s smallest primate, heritage sites and old stone churches.

How to get to Bohol?

One can travel to Bohol by air, land, and sea.

By plane

At the moment, Bohol’s city airport in Tagbilaran services daily Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airline flights from Manila.

It is undergoing renovation to accommodate the B-737s of Philippine Airlines. Ramp area improvement and the construction of a modernized airport building will soon ensure bigger aircraft will allow direct flight into Bohol.

Most guests to Bohol enter the island either by land or sea via its island neighbor, Cebu.
One of the fast ferry that serve Cebu to Bohol and vice-versa

By boat

The Tagbilaran City Tourist Pier handles more than 4,000 travelers on a daily basis. Nine daily ship calls from Cebu are processed efficiently, with other ships from Manila, Cagayan de Oro City, Dumaguete, Dipolog, Iligan City, Larena, Plaridel and Ozamiz City also welcomed on a regular basis. Another four port terminals cater specifically to Cebu and northern Mindanao routes. Additional berthing space for fastcraft ferries is currently under construction.

Things You Need To Know

Bohol Island is a easily accessible by bus, private cars, taxi and rental cars. Many of the towns in Bohol have a bus terminal where one can get a ride to other towns. Tagbilaran City, the capital city of Bohol has an integrated bus terminal located in Dao, where you can get a bus ride to get in most towns in Bohol. Most bus lines operate follows daily schedules. To go the the Chocolate Hills, one had to take the interior-route like Carmen-Sierra Bullones.

Other ways, to get to different places in Bohol is to rent a car. There are several different transportation companies in Tagbilaran City where you can make arrangements to rent a car or van or jeepney. Taxis are also available, but usually you have to pay in pre-negotiated fare called Pakyaw

Places of interest

Chocolate Hills of Bohol: World renowned tourist attraction in Bohol. The most famous tourist destination that tourist and local came to see the 1,268 perfectly cone-shaped hills. The shape of the hill are almost look uniform and their height ranges from 30-50 meters. The color of the hills are chocolate in the dry season.

The Loboc River is a river on Bohol Island, the Philippines. It is one of the major tourist destinations of Bohol, local and foreigners alike. The winding river plays host to cruises on board of small bancas or floating restaurants. Visitors are treated to a vista of lush tropical vegetation such as nipa palms, coconut trees, banana groves, and bushes.

The Tarsier Sanctuary: The Philippine tarsier (Tarsius syrichta) is the oldest known mammal to walk the earth. The tarsiers are the rarest and one of the endangered wildlife on the earth. Tarsiers are known as the “midget monkey of the Philippines”.

Balicasag Island: Is one of the popular diving spots in Bohol. The island can be reach by boat from Panglao island or from Bohol itself.

Anda: A Little community in the Southeast of Bohol where. Lonely bays, quiet white sand beaches and crystal-clear water lure visitor to stay longer. Attractive and enchanting scenery begins outside Guindulman in along wide white sand beach. The area is best explore by boat.

Baclayon Museum: Situated inside the oldest church in the Philippines Baclayon Church. Located in Baclayon town - 7 km from Tagbilaran City. Collection of religious artifacts, ecclesiastical vestments, librettos of church music in Latin printed on animal skins and other priceless relics and artifacts dating back to the

Bohol Museum: Was once the home of the late President Carlos P. Garcia and his family. This museum is located in Tagbilaran City. The late President’s memorabilia together with his family’s bric-brac are displayed here.

Dauis Church: Is one of the most attractive and beautiful church in the Philippines. The church is located in Dauis town 3 km from Tagbilaran. Because of its Spanish architecture in which it describes Bohol’s past culture. The most interesting in this church and makes it unique is the well that is found inside and near the altar.

Hinagdanan Cave: The cave is found in Dauis town 6 km from Tagbilaran. Flash light is needed when visiting this uncanny underworld of stalactites and stalagmites with a bathing pool inside the actual cave.

Pamilacan Island: Is one of the country’s world renowned and richest scuba diving sites. Huge whales called “Sanga” can be seenin this location.

Panglao Island: Home of the worlds best white sand beach resort with pristine waters and spectacular diving locations which shows off the fabulous underwater marine life. Three major beach strips in Panglao: Bolod, Tawala and Doljo. Resorts of varied facilities exist along these strips.

Punta Cruz Watch Tower: This ancient watch tower serve as a lookout for raiding and vicious incoming pirates. The wooden cross of the was planted by the Spaniards in 1767. The Tower offers awesome views of Cebu, Siquijor, and Mindanao and is a famous picnic spot in Bohol.

Magellan’s Cross

Cebu Travel Guide

Cebu is a city on Cebu Island in the Philippines. It is known as the Queen City of the South. It is one of the most popular destinations in all of the Philippines for foreign tourists. It is the largest sea port in the nation, the second largest Air hub and the second largest city in the country.

it boasts of natural resources like countless of white sand beaches (both commercial and untouched), as well as historical sites that reflect its cosmopolitan past: from the birth of Christianity in Asia, to early commercial trade with Mexico and China, to vestiges of the American colonization of the Philippines.

How to get to Tagaytay?
By plane

Mactan-Cebu International Airport (IATA: CEB) (ICAO: RPVM), [1]. This international and domestic airport is a modern alternative to the congested Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila. There are numerous direct daily flights to and from Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong and scheduled flights to Japan, Qatar, Malaysia, Taiwan, and China. Aside from this, the airport serves several seasonal charter flights to Russia, China, the United States, and other nations.

Mactan Cebu International is also the main domestic hub outside Manila with a variety of flights around the Philippine archipelago such as Manila, Kalibo, Puerto Princesa, Boracay, Clark (just near Angeles City), Siargao (Surigao), Zamboanga, Davao, Bacolod, Iloilo, Cagayan de Oro, Cotabato, Camiguin, General Santos, and Tacloban, among others.

Passport control and baggage handling is fairly fast and efficient. The airport is on Mactan Island in Lapu-Lapu city. It takes about 20-30 minutes to get to the actual city of Cebu. From the Airport you will need to hire a taxi. If you are staying at one of the nicer hotels they usually can send a free van to pick you up at airport. If you forgot to ask for this you may find that the van of your hotel is there to pick someone else up and you can hitch a ride if there is room. Facilities and amenities at the airport include a shopping center, duty-free shop, souvenir shops, cafés, business centers, food shops, communication facilities, banking facilities, car rentals, hotel and resort reservations, and beauty and health services.

Visitors from North America, Europe, Middle East, and the rest of the world may fly first to Singapore or Hong Kong or Seoul or Kuala Lumpur or Doha to catch a flight to Cebu. If you don’t mind braving the horrendous traffic and the cacophonic noise of Manila, you will get a faster connection to Cebu, for there are more than 20 flights daily between the two cities or almost two flights every hour. There are also flights to Cebu from Clark International airport, from which there are further flights on discount airlines to Macau, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Singapore and other points.
By boat

Cebu City’s domestic port is the country’s busiest. Cebu City is home to almost 80 percent of the country’s passenger vessels. The country’s largest shipping lines, namely WG&A, Sulpicio Lines, Trans-Asia, George & Peter Lines and Lorenzo Shipping Lines, are headquartered in Cebu.
Large passenger ferries with a capacity of 2,000 to 4,000 passengers ply the more distant routes such as Manila, Davao, Butuan City, Zamboanga and Cagayan de Oro. Medium-sized vessels such as the roll-on/roll-off (roro) types ply nearer destinations while fast ferries transport passengers to and from neighboring islands in two hours or less depending on the destination.