Get Out: Exploring Bohol Island in the Philippines

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You might have heard of the world-famous Boracay tourist island in the Philippines, which, at the time of writing, has been closed by the government for rehabilitation. Fret not if that was your target for your next beach adventure this summer, because the country has a bunch of other destinations. Island hopping has never been so fun as when you do it in the Philippines!

I recently went back to my home country and checked out three of the many destinations that make the country Asia’s center of fun. We begin our (Island) Hop Till You Drop series with Bohol Island.

Bohol Island

Overall fun rating: ★★★★☆

The Chocolate Hills tops the list of natural parks that you can visit in Bohol, one of the island provinces in central Philippines. From a viewing deck atop one of these limestone hills in the town of Carmen, you can see about a hundred more peaks – but there are about 1,000 others spread over an area of 50 sqkm.

Make it an adventure when you visit the Chocolate Hills and try trekking with a quad bike.

Rush in the Lush
The grass covering the hills turns to brown during summer, which gives it a chocolatey look. There’s nothing much to do after you arrive atop the viewing deck (PHP 50 entrance fee), but a few minutes’ drive via a habal-habal (passenger motorcycle) or a tuk-tuk will bring you to several tourist hubs that offer quadbike rides (pictured above, PHP 900 per hour). The ride can be done by kids as young as 8, and comes in with safety gear and a guide who can take a video of your adventure a la Lara Croft or Super Mario with the Chocolate Hills in the backdrop.

The tarsier is the world’s smallest primate.

All Eyes Are Open for the Wide-Eyed Tarsier
A mere 1.5hr-drive from Carmen brings you to the town of Bilar, home of the world’s smallest primate, the tarsier. These wide-eyed tiny mammals are nocturnal, so you will see them sleeping when you visit the Tarsier Conservation Area in the town. Although it’s a little bit touristy, it’s nice to know that the proceeds from the entrance fee (PHP 10) go to conservation and breeding projects for these endangered species.

Visita Iglesia
Old Spanish-style Catholic churches used to dot the island, but sadly many of them were damaged or destroyed during a strong earthquake in 2013. Five years on and reconstruction of the many surviving churches is still underway, including the nearly three-century-old Baclayon Church, mostly made up of coral stones. The church’s convent has been converted into an ecclesiastical museum (PHP 50 entrance fee) which exhibits centuries-old images, vestments, and other religious items. You can do a Visita Iglesia (church visit) tour, though the churches in the towns of Loboc and Loon collapsed after the earthquake.

Alona Beach is Bohol’s answer to the pristine white-sand beach found on Boracay Island.

Beauty and the Beach
The beach island of Panglao is Bohol’s answer to Boracay. Once you exhausted your body swimming along the stretch of Alona Beach, take a light boat to equally gorgeous nearby Balicasag Island where you can swim with sea turtles and snorkel above a marine sanctuary full of vibrant sea life. A 30-min boat ride brings you to the Virgin Beach sandbar that appears in low tide. There, you can indulge in seafood and grilled delights during lunch.

Suggested itinerary: After arriving at Tagbilaran City, take a taxi and go to Panglao island (1.5 hours away). Make the island your base for island hopping trips during your first few days. Before leaving the province from Tagbilaran, take countryside trips to Carmen and Bilar (and Danao town where you can try extreme activities like a zip line on an incline cliff, and bungee jumping).

Where to stay

Bohol Tropics Resort (Tagbilaran City)
From PHP 2,950 (poolside room for two) to PHP 18,550 (two-bedroom suite for four people) www.boholtropics.ph ([phone], [e-mail])

Amorita Resort (Panglao Island)
From PHP 9,000 per night (deluxe room for two adults) or PHP 26,000 per night (sea view pool villa). www.amoritaresort.com ([phone], [e-mail])

Henann Resort Alona Beach (Panglao Island)
From PHP 9,600 per night (deluxe room for two adults) or PHP 13,500 per night (family room for four). www.henann.com/bohol/henannalonabeach ([phone], [e-mail]) 

Rosa’s Cottage (Balicasag Island)
From PHP 1,000 per night (breakfast included), with a restaurant serving a variety of food prepared to visitors’ request. Owner Rose Mijares can also arrange a boat from Panglao Island to Balicasag Island (PHP 1,500 for a 5-person boat, PHP 1,800 for a 10-person boat). A package deal for 2 or more people is available and including meals, a private room, a guided scuba diving at the marine reserve, and a guided snorkeling trip is worth PHP 5,000. ([phone])

Recommended tour agents

U-Go Travel Services

Manager Charlot Pinat offers tour information and car rental services and ferry bookings. ([phone], [e-mail])

Graham ATV and Bug Car Rental 

Paterno Maisa, marketing manager, [phone], [e-mail]

Maimai Tour Services 

Mai Mai, tour organizer: [phone], [phone])

*PHP 8.16 = RMB 1.00 (as of May 2018)

With additional reporting from Greg of Young Adventure Photography. 

This is an edited version of an article that appeared on p20-23 of beijingkids June 2018 issue

Photos: Andy Penafuerte III; Kullez, Jaya via Flickr; courtesy of Young Adventure Photography (featured photo)

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