The best things to do in Bohol

Bohol, in the Central Visayas in the Philippines, is a beautiful tropical island offering visitors a fabulous mix of adventure and chill. Don’t miss out on the best things to do in Bohol like the Loboc River jungle cruise, spotting tiny tarsiers, visiting the Chocolate Hills, firefly cruising, island hopping, lazing on Alona Beach and snorkelling. Bohol’s tourists spots are easy to reach and so diverse, you’ll love every bit of this beautiful island.

Here is our guide to what to do in Bohol, but first a bit of housekeeping.

Before you go to Bohol:

Many beaches in the Philippines have urchins so it’s best to pack watershoes – you can read about what else you need here in our packing guide for the Philippines.

You should also get a VPN before you go to protect your data and give you access to all the sites you usually use from home. We use Express VPN (this link gives you three months free) and you can read why you should use a VPN here.  I also have an unlocked phone so I get local SIMs as we go. This means I have a local number and can use the cheap internet. Guesthouses and hotels all have wifi though, as do most restaurants and bars.

Of course it’s nuts to travel without insurance. We use Covermore and you can read why here – I’ve used them for more than 20 years.

You may like to travel with a guide book – when I use guides I choose the Lonely Planet.

You can also find a selection of activities in Bohol on Klook. It can take the hassle out of organising trips yourself and generally has a nice discount too. We just found random drivers to take us around Bohol as I’ll share in the info below – with their phone numbers where possible. We found very single person in Bohol to be fair and friendly.

Getting to Bohol:

Bohol now has an international airport with flights from major Asian hubs. You can also fly in from Cebu and Manila.

We used the simple ferry network to get around. Ferries come from all over into Bohol, including Cebu,Dumaguete and Siquijor – you can buy your ferry tickets here. OceanJet is our favourite company.

Getting around Bohol:

Tricycles (like tuk tuks) are everywhere and cheap to hire  – check with your guesthouse for how much a trip should be and negotiate from there. For longer trips I suggest hiring a car or van depending on the number of people. It’s too far to be sitting in a tricycyle for hours and the kids will need the comfort of a car (mum and dad will too).

We used a van for our trip around Bohol – it is good for more than five people contact Rey via text message on 0936 616 0373. He is a good bloke and his English is reasonably good. We paid 3000 pesos (less than $100 AUD) for all of us including petrol and went to the Chocolate Hills, the tarsier sanctuary, the bamboo bridge, the Loboc River Cruise and we could have stopped but decided against the snake park or butterfly park. I’ll go through each one below.

Akil has an awesome large family car that fits five people, and drove us around a bit too. His English is excellent and he is also super nice. His number is 0910 269 3136

Where to stay in Bohol:

Most people stay on Panglao, it’s a small drop shaped island just south of Taglibaran and home to the famous Alona Beach – a stretch of white sand beach with shallow blue water,  lined with palm trees and bars and restaurants. If you want to stay close to Alona I’ve heard good things about the Tamarind Hotel (around $65 AUD per night) and the food and pool is awesome at the Alona Vida Beach Resort  – it’s right on the beach so a little more expensive at $140 AUD per night, we ate at its restaurant a lot, the food is GOOD. You can check out more properties in Pangalao here.

We stayed further away from Alona in a beautiful resort called Zen Rooms at Hidden Coral. It’s in Panglao near the amazing caves and very convenient for heading off into the interior. It has a lovely pool, good food and big rooms with comfy beds. The only inconvenience is that it is not near restaurants so you can’t just walk out. Still it’s easy enough to grab a tricycle or car and head out.

Staying in jungle on the Loboc River is a great idea – your close to energetic activities on the river and mountain biking, as well as swimming and hanging out n the jungle. I wish we had done it. Check out Fox and the Firefly Cottages and Loboc River Resort (they both look amazing and we will be there if we return).

You can check out more Loboc accommodation here.

What to do in Bohol:

There are so many Bohol attractions to enjoy I reckon you need around five days to explore, and more if you can. These are our favourite things to do in Bohol:

Visit Alona Beach

It may be a little more crowded but Alona Beach is still beautiful, with white sand, soft waves, palm trees and hovering banca boats. Restarants and bars line the sandy pedestrian pathways that runs along the beach and you can buy anything you need from foot vendors like sunglasses, hats and jewellery. It’s easy to spend hours here just swimming and eating. Either walk down from your accommodation or hire a tricycle or car. Everyone knows where Alona is.

 

Please note that lots of children move from tourist to tourist asking for money or singing for money. Please don’t give them money – it’s not helpful and keeps them out of school. Instead look up ChildSafe and check out how else you can help and support responsible tourism.

Massage and hair braiding

Massage ladies set up on fold up sun loungers along the beach and offer massage and hair braiding. Their first price is generally twice what you will pay – we were offered 1000 pesos for a one hour massage and paid 500. The massages are good and the ladies are really nice. Getting a massage on the beach is not a bad way to spend an hour.

Island hopping

There’s a fairly standard island hopping tour in Panglao. Locals at Alona beach will offer it to you and the standard price is around 2,500 for the trip on a private boat. The boat is a banca – the local style with a narrow body with seats and outrigger on either side. It’s safe, and simple.

 

The tour generally starts with dolphin watching (which is more like dolphin chasing) then snorkelling at Balicasag  Island and a stop at the Virgin Sandbar which rises at low tide. Locals then boat over and cook up seafood on coals, crack coconuts and sell beers too. It’s a great spot to sit and enjoy some food and a beer.

If you book a private trip just talk to your captain you can rearrange your tour. We don’t do the dolphin chasing, and unfortunately Balicasag is now super crowded and the snorkelling is not as great as it once was. Your Captain will be able to take you to some other spots to snorkel, although Balicasag is a nice spot, and my parents enjoyed a beer and meeting locals selling food and drinks.

Our trip with Captain Rene and his partner Ben was awesome. Both men were absolute gems, and they looked after my parents, took us to lovely uncrowded beautiful snorkelling spots and dropped us back at Alona. You can find Rene on facebook here and send him a message or text him on 0999 671 9080.

You can also book this island hopping trip on Klook which will take you to see the dauphins, to Balicasag and Virgin Island sandbar.

Hinagdanan Cave

This cave is so amazing and super easy to get to – it’s on Panglao, down the mainland end in Dauis – if you add it into your google maps it will come up, and every driver will know how to get there too. The story goes that the cave was discovered by a farmer who found two holes, dropped a stone in and heard a splash. He then found a way in and now there are stairs and a pathway with a railing. Locals use the caves to hide from the Japanese army in the second World War but were sadly discovered.

 

You’ll pay 50 pesos entry plus 250 pesos to swim. Just climb down the stairs and you’re there, an amazing cavern filled with salt water to swim in and lit by sunlight coming through holes in the rocks.

 

Loboc Ecotourism Adventure Park

If you’re feeling adventurous head out for some ziplining here. It’s an amazing ride over the Loboc River for around 450 pesos both ways.

We’ve previously been on the zipline here and it is a thrill that’s for sure as you fly over the valley and Loboc river below. When you take the Loboc River lunch cruise the boat will stop up near the zipine so you can watch people flying overhead. It’s so good!

You can also take a kind of cable car across the river too.

Tarsiers

Everyone will love these cute (yet vicious) little monkeys that are seemingly strategically placed around the walkway. Entry fee here is 80 pesos and includes a short talk by a ranger about the tarsiers.

Then you follow a pathway through the grounds to see five or six little monkeys, at each point with a ranger close by to point them out to you and make sure no one gets too close. No ;oud noise, flash or selfie sticks are allowed here.

Every single person leaves with a huge smile on their face. You can get pics with the giant tarsier statues and the I love Bohol letters here too.

Bohol’s Chocolate Hills

Bohol is well-known for its Chocolate Hills – there are between 1200 – 1700 of the little grass covered domes that turn brown in summer. It’s super easy to see them and its very well organised. Your driver will drop you at the top and will park in the parking lot at the bottom of the lookout. Make note of your rego number, and when youre done, the information desk will call the car park who will let your driver know to come and pick up you. If you’re on a bike you can park at the top.

 

From here walk up to the top of the lookout. It’s a short walk up but is quite steep (there’s a handrail). The top has fabulous views out over the Chocolate Hills andthere are two viewing platforms.

Note: Drones are not allowed in the area after 8am.

Chocolate Hills Adventure Park

Nearby is the Chocolate Hills Adventure Park where you can zipline, do obstacle courses, ride  the bike zillion and go on tree top rope courses. This priority entry ticket from Klook will get you straight in to then purchase on tickets on the rides.

Loboc River Cruise

This cruise was super fun and a must-do when you’re in Bohol. It’s an hour long hour lunch cruise up the beautiful Loboc River with a performance by local dancers, plus entertainment and a really yummy buffet. Your driver will know how to get there or use google maps to find Loboc Town.

We had to queue and wait a little to book and then board, but it’s all so well organised it was fine. We loved the food, the music, the beautiful river – just watching it go by is so relaxing and passing other boats is fun. The dance performance by locals was unreal. We loved this experience in Bohol.

I suggest booking through Klook for discounted priority tickets so you won’t have to wait and you can book private transfers as well.

Stand up paddle on Loboc River

If we’d stayed in the jungle I would have for sure booked a kayak or SUP tour up the river. Its such a beautiful palm and jungle lined river that an early morning paddle would be perfectThis tour looks amazing and includes a professional instructor, and if you go at night time you’ll see the fireflies.

Check out the tour here.

Mountain biking through the countryside.

This is another tour that’s on my list for when we return – in fact I reckon we will spend a week in the country and explore. This mountain biking trip takes you through the jungle and green hills, past two ancient churches and includes complimentary water and coconut.

 

Bamboo Bridge

These two bamboo bridges cross the Loboc River and are fun to walk across as they wobble a bit and give lovely views down the river. Crossing costs 50 pesos per person. There is a professional photographer who will take photos for you to buy if you wish.

 

Take a tour to the best spots

This tour from Klook really hits all the top spots including the Higandanan Cave, the Chocolate Hills, Tarsier Sanctuary, the Loboc River lunch cruise and the Diaus and Baclyon churches – two of the oldest in the Philippines. It’s 10% off here.

Or you can take the Bohol Countryside Tour here. 

Bohol Bee Farm

The Bohol Bee Farm is a fabulous restaurant, bar and garden in Panglao. It’s also a resort and has a nice beach and swimming pools. You can check it our here.

The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner and serves organic food – it’s also where we found a bottle of Tatchilla sauvignon blanc which was a nice change from the sweet wine we’d found elsewhere!

You can take a tour of the organic gardens here, eat lunch overlooking the ocean and finish it off with an all natural ice cream (my fave was the spicy ginger omg divine). I really enjoyed my lunch especially the organic salad with edible flowers.

It can get busy so arrive by midday or make a reservation. You can check out the accommodation here.

There are also Buzz Cafes located all around Bohol, and ice cream shops so you can get your fix. It’s delicious!

Where else do we love in the Philippines?

Coron is one of our favourite places, especially for island hopping. It has a fabulous waterfall and hot springs.

For waterfalls we love Cebu and especially staying in Moalboal.

Siquior and the amazing Coco Grove Resort is a favourite of ours.

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