Bohol province has beautiful beaches, exotic wildlife, the Chocolate Hills, and amazing food and the hospitable atmosphere and as such is one of the premier tourism destinations in the Philippines. Places like Panglao, Pamilacan and Tagbilaran made the province an ideal destination for tourists and a few days around the province will certainly rejuvenate your mind and body.

How to Get to Bohol

The island is one of the rice, vegetable and fruit baskets of Visayas and has recently become a world-class tourist destination due to the efforts of the local government and the entrepreneurial residents. You have two options to get to Bohol: by boat or by plane.

Bohol has an airport in the provincial capital, Tagbilaran and the three local carriers have regular flights to Bohol. Philippine Airlines has 3 daily flights between Manila and Bohol with economy rates at P1,864.00++. Cebu Pacific flights usually cost around P1,400.00. Lastly, Zest Airways also has a daily flight to Bohol, usually at P1,500++.

If you’re coming from Cebu, you can also take a fast water craft to Tagbilaran, Bohol for P500.00. Just make sure that the weather isn’t stormy or else you’ll be in for a rough ride.

Where to Stay in Bohol

Once in Bohol, you can visit the provincial capital, Tagbilaran, where you can find a number of excellent hotels, hostels, and inns which will suit your preference and budget. If you’re looking for resorts then Panglao Island is your destination.

If you’re on a budget and just need a room for sleeping since you intend to spend most of the day traveling around the province, the city has enough traveler’s inns and pension houses to fit your budget. You can try Nisa Traveler’s Inn located in Tagbilaran where rooms cost anywhere between P900.00-P1,200.00 a night. Nisa doesn’t have the best facilities or amenities but their rooms have aircon, showers and a television, plus they can help you arrange transportation for your trip around the province.

One of the best places you can stay at in Tagbilaran is the Bohol Tropics, it’s really more of a resort with good rooms and amenities. Room rates are somewhere around P2,150.00 to P05,350.00 per night.

If you’re looking for just a real hotel type of place that’s in-between the travellers’ inn and the resort then MetroCentre Hotel is your pick. It is located at the heart of Tagbilaran with complete amenities. The rooms are between P1,400.00 to P7,950.00 and include continental breakfast.

Bohol Wildlife

When you’re in Bohol, you can’t miss the Philippine Tarsier, recognized as one of the symbols of Bohol Province. These large-eyed primates can be found only in the island of Bohol and are now mostly kept safe in wildlife sanctuaries.

Bohol Churches

Bohol is the sight of a number of churches which go back some two-hundred years, during the Spanish Colonization of the Philippine Archipelago. The places like Baclayan, Panglao, Talibon and Duero have some of the old churches in the province. The churches were made with local materials and stand as a testament to the influence of the Spanish and the religious nature of the Boholanos. Visiting the churches feels like going back to a different time, with its centuries-old saints and stone structures, and museums of religious relics and artifacts. Some of the museums don’t allow photos so keep your cameras covered.

Chocolate Hills

One of Bohol’s most famous tourist attractions is the famed Chocolate Hills. A cluster of brown colored hills (well during the dry season they’re brown, during the rainy season they turn a lush green). There is a viewing deck which near the hills with a ridiculously long staircase but don’t give up just thinking about it because once you reach the top, you have an amazing 360-degree view of the surround areas and of course, of the Hills themselves. A trip to Bohol would not be the same without seeing the Hills so put it on your itinerary.

Bohol Food

If you get hungry, the province has a number of notable dining places but if you want something different, you can have lunch at the Loboc River on a bamboo barge. The buffet meal which costs around P300.00 can be taken as the barge flows calmly down the river and if you’re lucky, musicians will also be playing catchy natives tunes while you dine.

There are also a number of small restaurants and food places you might want to visit to experience native Boholano cuisine. But if you’re not into the sort of thing, Tagbilaran has a number of commercial fast-food establishments to suit your needs.

Bohol Beaches

Bohol’s primary tourist attraction is its amazing white-sand beaches in Panglao and Pamilacan Islands. Panglao is a medium size island now connected to Bohol via land bridge and it has it’s  fair shares of historic churches and sites but its beaches are the real crowd drawers because of its pristine white sand and blue waters. The area near Panglao also has a lot of dive sites, snorkeling areas and caves just waiting for explorers so get ready to spend a lot of time in the water.

One of the best places to stay in Panglao is the Bohol Beach Club, with prices for rooms ranging from US$ 77++ for single occupancy rooms to US$385 for large family rooms.

The months between April and July are great for whale watching and Bohol is located close to the Mindanao. If you’d want to catch a glimpse of these then the best place to go would be to Pamilacan Island. You can opt to just visit for a day trip by organizing a tour with the local guides or you can opt to stay for a day or two at Pamalican Island Paradise Resort for P6,000.00 per villa.  The resort also has packages for dolphin and whale watching out at sea.

Bohol Travel Tips

Since the Bohol has become such a destination for local and foreign tourists, a few bad apples are bound to come up. First of all, the food stalls in the Tagbilaran Pier are over-priced so be sure to ask for the prices before ordering anything. If you get the services of a driver and his van for a tour around the province, be sure to have the agreement written down on paper and have them sign it so they don’t jack up the prices last minute.

If you encounter any issues, you can call the Bohol Tourism Office.