You can do Bohol as a day trip from Cebu City but we decided to do it as a stand-alone trip and spend a couple of days there. It was the first stop on our month-long trip to the Philippines and we knew we’d be moving around a lot, and so we didn’t want to overdo it.
In two days we managed an inland tour – hitting up all of the main sites. Then, on our second day we explored some of the island’s beaches and caves.
Saturday 14th
We were in a Grab by 0500 and at the airport by half past. It cost us 316PHP or $8.50, a bit cheaper than our first trip in a taxi.
Check in was a breeze and it wasn’t long before we were waiting at the gate for our 0725 AirAsia (Z2 350) to Tagbilaran (Bohol). The flight cost us about $172 for the two of us, or 6326PHP.
We arrived at 0855 and had a driver collect us from the airport.
I can’t remember exactly where I found the driver – I think in a Trip Advisor forum. I got his number and text him on Whatsapp. He was attentive and offered a reasonable price (2500PHP/$68)
He collected us from the airport and then took us sightseeing before dropping us off at the hotel.
We had him all day and he took us to the Chocolate Hills, Man Made Forest, Tasier Sanctuary. Bohol Butterfly and Lemur Park, the Blood compact, Baclayon church and Loboc floating restaurant.
Our first stop on the tour was the Blood Pact Shrine which Wikipedia will tell you is a historically significant place where Miguel Lopez de Legaspi and Rajah Sikatuna performed a blood compact on March 16, 1565. This gesture supposedly signified peace and friendship between the foreigners and the natives of Bohol.
It’s just a statue and a photo op and not really anything special, but it’s on the way, so why not.
Ten minutes down the road we came to the Baclayon Church. It’s not much to look at from the outside, but inside (if you pay the 150PHP/$4 entry fee) is an OK museum and, more impressive – the beautiful frescoed ceilings of the church. We only zipped through, but I think it was worth it.
Next up was the Bohol Lemur and Butterfly Park. It’s sort of random and not super interesting for us, but again, it’s on the way and so why not.
It was only 100PHP or about $2.70 to enter.
Next up we were supposed to go to the Loboc River and have lunch on a floating restaurant, but apparently there’d been a lot of rain and the rivers were swollen and so the restaurants were closed.
Instead we headed north to the Tasier Sanctuary with a quick stop off in the Bilar man made Forest.
That’s a two two kilometre-long dense Mahogany Forest. It’s apparently the result of a reforestation project which started 50 years ago. Again, it’s interesting to experience the quick change in temperature and to see the trees but it’s nothing special.
Next up was the Tasier Sanctuary.
I think that was the highlight of the day. It was 140PHP or about $3.81 each to enter, plus we paid a little bit more in tips to get some epic pictures of the little critters. Definitely worth the effort.
About 40 minutes further north, we arrived at the Chocolate Hills. The weather was pretty average, but we still climbed up the highest hill and got some OK shots.
Entry to the site was 100PHP or about $2.70. There are also extras like quad biking and ziplining etc but we weren’t really interested in any of that.
Also got my drone out for a big of a play.
We had a quick snack there, before the long journey back to Panglao Island, to find our hotel.
We decided to stay at La Sirenita, which was just a run of the mill “dive hotel” but did the trick.
It was clean and comfortable and right on the beach.
It was already 1530 by the time we arrived at the hotel and it had been a long day, so we had a bit of a chilled afternoon before walking along the beach to find something to eat.
We went to Pyramid for a seaside, sunset cocktail and ended up staying for dinner.
Saturday 14th
After a long, busy Friday, we decided to have a low key Saturday.
We got up and decided to venture up to the main road for breakfast.
One of the places that kept getting a mention was Shaka and so we decided to give that a go. It wasn’t cheap – 1220PHP or about $33 for breakfast but it wasn’t didn’t break the budget, either.
It was about midday before we decided to hit the road – crossing Panglao Island for Hinagdanan Cave.
We took a Tuktuk about 20 minutes and it cost us 250PHP or about $7.
Entry to the cave was the same. So about $3.50 each.
When you get there it’s somewhere between cool and scary. There’s a steep, wet set of stairs that disappear deep, down into the darkness.
Mind the bats as you descend deep into the ground, until the tunnel opens up into a big cave.
We spent an hour or so swimming and carrying on before heading back up into the world.
We found another TukTuk and made a Bee-Line (see what I did there) to the Bohol Bee Farm.
It’s sort of a resort and a restaurant right on the water with fab views.
We just wanted to have a bit of lunch and to relax.
It wasn’t cheap – lunch cost us 1628PHP or about $45 – but the setting and atmosphere was great.
Finally, around 1530, we decided to call it a day and head back to the La Sirenita.
We wanted a bit of time to head down the beach and have a swim and enjoy the dying hours of the day.
We hadn’t yet realised, but Bohol is (in)famous for its starfish. Hundreds of them. Right there, about waist-deep in the water.
We had spent a bit of time inspecting them, and wandering up and down the beach, before heading home to get ready for dinner.
We decided to check out Garadas – which was a bit of a way out, but the food was decent. The atmosphere was a bit lacking. It’s a big wedding venue-esque place about 15 minutes from the town. It was pretty empty when we went there – so a bit quiet, but it was fine.
Dinner cost us 1310PHPP or about $36.
When we left, we couldn’t find a taxi, or Tuktuk back to civilisation, so one of the guys from the restaurant was kind enough to take us back into town. When we tried to offer him money he refused which we thought was pretty nice.
We grabbed a quick shaved ice and mango dessert at Cafe Snow Park before heading home to bed.
Sunday 15th
We were up early for a long day of travel today.
We grabbed a quick breakfast back at Pyramid before jumping into a taxi for Tagbilaran ferry port. The hotel orgainsed the taxi and it ended up being 800PHP or around $22.
We arrived around 0930 giving us plenty of time to check in for our 1040 ferry to Cebu City. We booked through 12GO and ended up going with OceanJet – for no other reason than the timing was good. It cost us $51.40 for the two of us. We also had to pay a port fee which was 60PHP or about $1.65 for the two of us.
We also had to pay 200PHP or about $5.50 for our bags.
About two hours later we were sailing into Cebu Pier.
We’d heard (and experienced) a lot about the terrible traffic in the Philippines so I decided to organise a driver to meet us at the pier seeing as though we only had a couple of hours before our flight to Siargao.
We sorted the car with Klook. It cost us $20. The driver was waiting for us and I think we were at Mactan Airport in about 30 minutes.
We arrived around 1330 giving us plenty of time to try out Jollibee for lunch.
We were back on Philippine Airlines flight PR2382 for our 1530 flight to Sayak Airport in Siargao.
The flight was 4698PHP for the two of us, or about $129.