Tourist Spots In Bohol

Tourists Spots in Bohol

Out of the 7,107 islands in the Philippines, there is one island that has earned the reputation as the complete travel destination—the island province of Bohol.. Considered as the 10th largest island in the archipelago, this oval shaped island province is located in the heart of the Visayas region. It lies between the provinces of Cebu and Leyte to the northwest and to the northeast respectively.

Recently, the island of Bohol, has been recognized as the number one tourist destination for a lot of local and foreign tourists in the past five years. This reputation has been gained through the ongoing successful development of varying tourist destination sites by the government; thus, boosting its tourism industry. But even in the previous decades, Bohol has already gained the attention of tourists through the world-famous Chocolate Hills and as well as its white-sand beaches.

What made Bohol become more interesting destination and a memorable experience are its hidden “treasures”. Those who already have savoured the beauty of the island not only once but for several addictive times, would consider Bohol as “God’s Little Paradise,” because of its natural wonders. This website will present categorically a wide variety of choices of tourist spots that tourists can experience: Unique landmarks of history (e.g. Birthmarks of Christianity), amazing landscapes, man-made attractions, cool waterscapes, and interesting tour activities. Also, this site can provide information on what activities tourists can engage if they make Bohol a priority in their list of travel destinations in the Philippines anytime of the year. Other than that, there are valuable links that can also aid in your safety when travelling.

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BARKADAHAN SA BOHOL

Barkadahan Bohol Package

( FAMILY/ minimum of 6 Persons)

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Choose from the below beachfront resorts:
Resort Option 1: TIERRA AZUL RESORT…….Php 4,300/person
Resort Option 2: SEA CORAL RESORT ………Php 4,500/person
Resort Option 3: DUMALUAN 2 RESORT…….Php 4,750/person
Resort Option 4: LOST HORIZON RESORT ..Php 5,000/person

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INCLUSIONS:
* 3days/ 2 nights accommodation triple / quad sharing ( standard room)
– room is fully aircon, cable tv, h/c shower
* Daily breakfast for 6 people
* Roundtrip transfers (airport-resort-airport)
* Bohol Countryside Tour ( with buffet Lunch while crusing Loboc River)
* Panglao Island Tour with Bohol Bee Farm ( with Lunch)
* Taxes and service charge
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YOUR ITINERARY:
DAY1: BOHOL COUNTRYSIDE TOURS (7-8 hours)
Arriving in the morning from the airport or seaport, we welcome you and proceed to the countryside showcasing natural beauty of Bohol.Sites are as follows:
* Blood Compact Shrine
* Baclayon Church & Museum
* Loay Backyard Industry
* Loay/Loboc River Cruise ( buffet lunch while cruising loboc river)
* Tarsier Encounter
* Bilar Man-made Forest
* Chocolate Hills
* Python biggest in captivity
* Souvenir Shop

DAY2: PANGLAO ISLAND TOUR
9am pick up at your resort and visit the places:
Panglao Church,
Sea Shell Museum,
Hinagdanan Cave,
Dauis Church,
Bohol Bee Farm- farm tour to organic farming and buffet lunch.

DAY3:
Breakfast at the resort
Spend the day for your leisure
Checking out
Transfers resort to airport/ seaport
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FOR BOOKING/ INQUIRY:

EMAIL at : villamortour@gmail.com

Villamor Tour Operator

Tamblot st. 348, Tagbilaran city, Bohol, Philippines

Tel: 02-697-3502

Cell: +639219752463

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TERMS AND CONDITIONS:
1. Above price is net But subject for your resort’s choice availability.
2. To confirm your booking, we require 20% deposit and full payment upon arrival. ( deposit is non refundable) We will the release the hotel/ resort voucher
3. All Rates are subject to change without prior notice

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Sample Trip

Here’s a quick summary of our Bohol budgetfor a group of 5 pax.
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Total for 5 pax: Php 22, 250

Per pax 4,450php x 5 pax

Here’s our planned itinerary:
Day 1 –
8am to 9am – Depart from Manila to Tagbilaran
9am onwards – Day Tour starts upon arrival – includes blood compact, Baclayon church and museum, biggest python, Tarsier, Loboc river, hanging bridge, man made forest, butterflies, Chocolate hills,
Actual Itinerary:
9.30am to 11.30am – Visited blood compact, Baclayon church and museum, and Tarsier.
11.30am to 1.00pm – Lunch at Loboc river
1.00pm to 5.00pm – Chocolate hills, butterfly, man made forest, hanging bridge, biggest python and souvenir shop.
6.00pm to 7.00pm – Travelled to our selected resort Tierra Azul
8.00pm onwards – ‘Paluto’ dinner by the beach, inuman and sleeping time

Day 2 –
5.30am onwards – Start of sea tour – includes dolphin watching, Balicasag island and Virgin island
Afternoon – Free time
Actual Itinerary:
6.30am – Boat ride started; of course we had delays (typical pinoy  ), too much time eating our breakfast and getting ourselves ready…
8.00am – In the middle of nowhere, haha, waiting and watching the dolphins… It was fun, they didn’t disappoint us and we saw quite a number of dolphins in action.
9.00am – Arrived in Balicasag Island, known for the snorkelling spot but we didn’t avail of it, but if you are interested they offer snorkelling gears and mini boat ride for extra charges
9.00am to 10.30am – We walked around the island and stumbled on a pleasant looking and I think the only resort on the island – Balicasag Island Dive Resort. Had some of our photos taken in the beautiful island with clean water, and relaxing scenery.
11.00am to 12.30pm – Satisfying lunch on the island
There’s a ‘paluto’ on the island, where you can buy seafoods (fish, squid, shrimps, etc.) and have them cook any style you want – have it fried, with soup, grilled, etc. We bought one big fish, forgot the name, we had it grilled and sinigang; and bought squid and made it calamares.  It was delicious and this is the meal we most enjoyed.

12.30pm to 1.30pm – Visited Virgin island, which has the sand bar, and is definitely a very beautiful spot to simply relax, enjoy the island view and take wonderful shots.
1.30pm to 2.30pm – Travelled back to Panglao on a bit rough and scary boat ride due to big, big waves….
3.00pm to 5.00pm – Rest time, played cards in our room.
5.00pm onwards – Walked by the beach to take some shots and find a place for our dinner.

Day 3 –
6.00am – 12:00 noon:
11:00 am – Travelled to Tagbilaran airport. And flight back to Manila
We all had a great time exploring Tagbilaran, Bohol and Panglao Island. Had fun bonding moments, took great snap shots, and will forever remember this adventurous experience in Bohol.

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The Loboc River

Around 11.30am, we were already on our way to our next stop, the Loboc River Cruise to have our first meal and lunch in Bohol.  As we arrived there were booths (see above picture) where you can check out menus and decide which floating restaurant to dine in.

As we got in the floating restaurant, buffet table was ready and people started to get food. Below is a shot of the buffet table located in the middle part of the boat.  Few minutes later, the cruise started and we were enjoying our meal at the same time the scenic view of Loboc River.

Just on the other end of the boat, the musical band was situated and played Tagalog and English love songs while we were on cruise the Loboc River. On our way back, the boat stopped on one point so we can watch the Loboc Pink Dancers as they entertained us with a lively song and dance number. Which was actually good and a lot have donated money for this dance group as part of the Loboc community livelihood program. (See 3rd picture below)

The duration of the Loboc River Cruise took almost 1.5 hours. For me, the food served was just fine but I was expecting more from it, more exotic cuisines, more seafoods and more appetizing foods. It is a good thing that the calm scenery and relaxing feeling of the river cruise made the tour much favourable. I must say that this is a great spot to be with your special someone and simply enjoy the moment together with the breeze and green surroundings.

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The Tarsiers

Bohol Tarsier

After almost an hour of reminiscing  Bohol’s history, it was time to meet Bohol’s popular attraction, the Tarsiers. Our van suddenly parked on one side street  and our driver told us that we were already in the Bohol Tarsier spot. Being a tourist, I didn’t imagined that this would just be the spot for these Bohol Tarsiers, I was then imagining that we would be meeting these Tarsiers in a somewhat forest like and would need to do some trekking to get to the place.

We went inside, passed through a few stalls that sell Tarsier souvenirs like key chains, purses, mini-dolls, packed peanut kisses and a lot more. There were bunch of trees in one part of the area where we saw these Tarsiers clinging on the branches. They were so small with big eyes and long tail.  They look cute but personally I was a bit scared to go near it… hehe. Taking pictures is okay but without flash and they are not allowed to be touched. Which now I know why, because my friend tried touching one Tarsier’s back and it quickly jumped and I was a bit shocked that I think added to my uneasiness with these Tarsiers. lol.

Quick facts:

Bohol Tarsier measures about 3.35 to 6.30 inches in height and considered as one of the smallest primates. Their big eyes are fixed in its skull; they can’t turn in their sockets but their neck allows its head to be rotated 180 degrees. As for their fur, they are thick and silky which is colored gray to dark brown. They have thin tail which is used for balance and about twice the body length.

The name Tarsier came from its elongated “tarsus” or ankle bone which allows it to jump at least three meters from tree to tree without having to touch the ground.

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The Butterflies

Simply Butterflies Conservation Center

Early this year, I had a chance to visit a butterfly sanctuary in the own home of Prof. Jumalon, a notable butterfly enthusiast in Cebu. Simply Butterflies Conservation Center is the extended sanctuary of it in Bohol.  The place can be considered as more established tourist spot because of its well maintained place and facilities compared with  Jumalon butterfly sanctuary which is just a simple home of the Jumalons converted to a museum-like but with very informative tour guides.

We arrived late afternoon and this was our 3rd to the last stop for our day tour. Entrance fee is 20php per person.

As you can see in the first image above, this is the lobby where they had a mini souvenir shop and snack bar. And will definitely remember their yummy home-made ice candies we bought for only 20php; I had the buko pandan flavor, it was just like a delicious salad, frozen and in plastic. We had a tour guide the “Kuya” in flowery polo who briefed us with quick facts on the butterflies we saw and other displays in the area.

I’ll be honest, I did not really joined the group tour and did not listen that much to our “Kuya” tour guide because I was so impatient and eager to move around to take pictures of butterflies and the place. And thought that I already learned much about butterflies in my visit in Cebu from Ms. Jumalon’s very, very detailed and educational tour.

Though, I was struck by these mating butterflies, it was my first time to see something like this and we were also lucky that these butterflies were in real action. Haha.  According to “Kuya” tour guide, mating of butterflies can last for 24 hours or more and I have a proof that no one can disturb them because they were still intact even if they were placed on my arm or anywhere you want to put them. Interesting, ah?

Mating Butterflies

Yes, you can put the butterflies anywhere you want, just like this photo. Butterflies all over me… ;P 2 on my head and 2 on my arms, nice, ah!  It was fun, their feet were a bit tickling but manageable for a quick photo shoot. Also, I remembered a fact from Ms. Jumalon that butterflies will come and stay on you if they smell something pleasant but I guess this scenario is contradicting because I can assure you that I was 99% fragrant-less.

Our butterfly invasion was worthwhile. We had lots of fun in taking pictures and mingling with Bohol butterflies.

Butterflies in Action

Butterflies in Bohol

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Bohol Chocolate Hills

Stairway to the Top

After our relaxing break by the Loboc River, day trip continued and next stop was Bohol Chocolate Hills. It was a long drive compared to the stops we had in the morning and so we had some time to snooze.  Finally, we arrived after almost an hour drive, there was a gate and a road going up where we passed through and paid the entrance fee of 10php each.

Kuya Roy (tour driver) just dropped us because he had to park somewhere else and we would just ask the management to call him once we were done.  To reach the top and get a sight of the Chocolate Hills, we went up a flight of stairs with mini steps that made it a bit hard to go up and tiring. (See above photo)

Once you reached the top, this is the breath-taking view of the Chocolate Hills. (See below photos) There were a lot of tourists at that time so we had a hard time taking our pictures without anyone on the background. Hehe.  Also, there was a booth which handled all souvenir pictures; you can have a shot flying on top of the hills, touching a hill with your finger or whatever funny pose you like to do.  Their prices were reasonable and you can even have it printed on shirts.

Nothing much to do in this spot but AA sight, shot and savour the wonderful Bohol Chocolate Hills.

Chocolate Hills

Chocolate Hills 2

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The Chocolate Hills

Welcome to Chocolate Hills

Welcome to the world-famous Chocolate Hills located in Carmen Bohol Philippines. The Chocolate Hills is considered one of the natural Wonders of the World, composed of 1,247 cone-shaped hills. The origin of its name comes from the fact that the hills turns brown in the hot summer days that they look like Hersheys Chocolate Kisses. The Chocolate Hills COMPLEX is the main destination for best viewing of the Chocolate Hills. It located in Barangay Buenos Aires, Carmen Bohol. The complex is composed of two chocolate hills developed years and years ago and transformed into a complex complete with cemented road going up, restaurant, conference room, swimming pool, activity area with water fountain, 200+ steps with covered deck rest stops along the way and metal railing to aide your climb way up to the 360 degress Observation Deck, Virgin Mary Grotto, beautiful and tall pine trees to shade the steps. The Chocolate Hills Complex also developed new building structures with different accomodations to cater visitors that wish to stay overnight in the middle of the Chocolate Hills.

The Origin and Myths

There are several myths and believes thats been spreading around as to how the Chocolate Hills came into existence. One myth is that of two giants fighting throwing dirt balls against each other, thats why the chocolate hills are uniformaly shape that transformed into cone-shape hills after several rains. Another myth is that of a giant sobbing tears into the ground creating the hills formation. The main origin is that the Chocolate Hills is originally undersea that got drain, thats why the hills main component is made of limestone.

The Sunsets

The Chocolate Hills being one-of-its-kind can produce a unique beautiful sunset view! Best viewed at the Chocolate Hills Observation Deck, you have the 360 degree viewing platform to enjoy the sunset as it slowly sleeps down, transforming the sky into a colorful display.

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Best time to Visit

Best time to visit Bohol

The only time to avoid is Easter, this is when most of the Filipinos return from Metro Manila where they work to spend the Easter holiday with their relatives. It gets very busy and all means of transport are fully booked or overcrowded.

The month of May is fiesta month on Bohol, just about every day there is a fiesta at one of the towns across the province so again it can be busy but it is also very colourful.

If you want to combine your trip to Bohol with the amazing spectacle of a Philippine festival the best time to come is ether in July to see the Sandugo festival in Tagbilaran or in January to see the Sinulog festival in Cebu (it’s less than 2 hours by ferry) The Sinulog festival takes place o the third weekend in January every year.

The hottest months are March to June when temperatures can reach 38ºC or higher, the wet season is from July to November.

Typhoons! – don’t be too concerned with typhoons here, most of them strike further north in Luzon. The other advantage with Bohol is that it is sheltered to the east by Samar and Leyte.

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Boating

Aside from scuba diving, snorkling, and swimming, Bohol also offers opportunities to go fishing and boating. There are many local fishermen in Bohol, making fishing as a means to support their family. For island visitors, a sort of fun. Either you paddle the boat yourself or take a boatman, its up to you. Above all, there is a big opportunity to do this activity. Go boating and explore the beachside and enjoy the island’s clear crystal blue waters.

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