11 BEST PLACES TO VISIT | BOHOL TOURISTS SPOTS

Bohol Tourist Spots | Best Places to Visit

11 BEST PLACES | BOHOL TOURISTS SPOTS

The beautiful Island of Bohol is relatively small and visiting its favorite sites in 1 to 2 days is possible. Of course, you have to take into consideration some preparations, research and booking to make your trip more enjoyable.

Take these few points:

1. Book in advance to a hotel or Resort where you choose to stay. Most of these hotels have free pick service from the airport or seaport. If you decide to stay in Panglao, try to book ahead even if you plan to explore other sites in Bohol.
2. I suggest upon arrival you explore first the tourist spots in Bohol then make Panglao your last destination. You can arrange from most of the hotels any car or van rentals. I acknowledge that most rates are similar.
3. Hire a car if you can, this will make the trip comfortable and indulging. They have a tricycle, habal-habal, sedan or van. In Bohol, It would be cheaper if you travel as a   group lets say 4-6. If the group is too large, you will be forced to get a bigger vehicle which would cost you more.
4. Arrive at Bohol the earliest possible time so that you can start your tour early too. Research from the Airlines of their earliest flight so that straight from the airport you can go directly to the trips. Else you can arrive one day before so you can bug out early, let’s say 7:30 in the morning.
5. You can bring your snacks and water to eat, but food and souvenir shops are everywhere in Bohol.

Now that your preparations are complete, here’s “Top on My Lists” 11 Best Places to visit in Bohol (Bohol Tourist Attractions). Most of these places are in one direction, any driver In  Bohol know where to start.

Bohol Tourist Spots to Visit

 

Bohol Tourist Spots | Best Places to Visit

1. LOBOC CHURCH

Maybe the best first step is to see the Loboc Church. As of this writing, the monumental  Loboc Church is yet in ruins brought about the quake which hit the Visayas in 2013. While still in ruins I believe that it’s always nice to visit the church even before its reconstruction.  The Loboc church lies adjacent to the Loboc River.

Bohol Tourist Spots | Best Places to Visit

2. CRUISE LOBOC RIVER

Near the church is also the landing place of the floating restaurants. As of this part of your trip, you need not go on a cruise yet.  You can ask the driver to make sure that you can come back during lunchtime so you will have your lunch while cruising.

On the cruise, you will be riding on a floating restaurant atop the two banka-hulls, over which a large wooden platform is placed. On this platform, numerous tables are set, and a band plays music. Different boats play different styles of music, so, if you construct a careful choice, you can dine with your favorite music.

The buffet begins as the boat takes off. On the buffet table, all kinds of Philippine delicacies are presented. At a certain point, while cruising, you will be seeing daring kids climbing a large coconut tree overhanging the river and jump in the water very close to the floating restaurant.

Bohol Tourist Spots | Best Places to Visit

3. LOBOC AND BILAR MAN-MADE FOREST

On your way to the farthest destination which is the Bohol Chocolate Hills. You will pass by the man-made forest with hardwood trees stretching in a two-kilometer of densely planted Mahogany trees located on the border of Loboc and Bilar towns. Before and after this man-made forest are the naturally grown forests of Loboc and Bilar which are thick with a kaleidoscope of green foliage, different species of trees and giant ferns lining the route.

The human-made forest stands out because of the uniformity in the height of the big trees, the spread of its branches, thickness, and shape of leaves. Seedlings abound around the older trees. Some trees have thicker trunks, while others just a few months old, grow resplendently straight up towards the sky which is obscured by the branches and the thick leaves. You can stop in a few minutes for some photo op.

Bohol Tourist Spots | Best Places to Visit

4. BOHOL CHOCOLATE HILLS

Of course, visiting Bohol without seeing the Bohol Chocolate Hills will never be complete. Bohol was known even before Panglao became very popular because these world’s wonders – 1,268 hills which, during the dry season, turns into brown and thus called the chocolate hills.

Click here for the Happy Trip’s experience of Bohol Chocolate Hills

Bohol Tourist Spots | Best Places to Visit

5. BOHOL OUTDOOR ADVENTURE PARK

After the chocolate Hills, your direction now will be going back to where came from the start of the tour.

At this juncture, you can pass by one of the latest attractions in Bohol – Chocolate Hills Adventure Park (CHAP). The Chocolate Adventure Park offers outdoor attractions such as a zip line, canopy walk, hiking trail, various treetop adventures like monkey bridge, pipe dreams, a bike zip– a 275-meter zip line using a mountain bike to cross from one chocolate to another. The zip line is rising 150 feet above the ground.

Click for the Happy Trips experience to  the Chocolate Hills Adventure Park

 

Bohol Tourist Spots | Best Places to Visit

6. TARSIER

Another experience which only  Bohol offers is an encounter with the Tarsiers. The Bohol Tarsiers (Tarsius Syrichta) measures 4 to 5 inches and is considered as the world’s smallest primate. Its size is no longer than an adult man’s hand and weighs only about 113 to 142 grams or four to five ounces. The primate belongs to the more primitive suborder Prosimii or prosimian that date back 45 million years.

Bohol Tourist Spots | Best Places to Visit

7. HANGING BRIDGE

Usually not part of many itineraries offered by some tour guides, but I was happy that I was brought here by my tour guide (driver of the rented van). The Hanging Bridge made of bamboo connects two barangays in Sevilla, Bohol a town north of the Municipality of Loboc. These two barangays are separated by the Sipatan River which also connects to the Loboc River. The Hanging Bridge is laid over 20 to 25 meters high above and spans 40 meters long of woven bamboo slats with steel cable wires as handrails. There used to be just one bridge, but they created an additional built to efficiently separate ongoing and outgoing foot traffic. Before steel wires were made into handrails, the locals had used ropes before. So you can imagine the thrill it has made for tourists, but safety is a priority that is why steel cable wires are integrated into the design, which added stability to the bridge. Pretty exciting when you cross the bridge because it tends to sway forward and backward and swings sideways too, as some tourists would play while crossing. It is advisable to hold steadfastly, so you don’t get thrown off.  Don’t get scared when you see some parts of the bamboo slats might appear broken. Bamboos are sturdy enough to step on. A major consideration if you have children, you must wait until the traffic clears a little bit as the bridge swings even further out if it carries multiple passers-by. Please do use your sound judgment on this. There is a small fee that locals ask for, so they can use the collected money for the maintenance of the bridges.

Bohol Tourist Spots | Best Places to Visit

8. BACLAYON CHURCH

Never conclude your tour without passing by the Baclayon Church. On my last visit,  a portion of the church was still closed due to some distractions brought about by the quake.

The Church of Immaculate Concepcion in Baclayon is considered to be one of the oldest in the Philippines. Construction began in 1717 where some 200 natives forced laborers (Obras Pias) cut and dragged coral blocks from the sea, using only bamboos in moving and lifting the stones in position. Millions of white eggs were said to have been used as cement. The current building was completed in 1727.

In the 19th century, the Augustinian Recollects added a new facade and some stone buildings that now surround the church. The construction was started by the Jesuits in 1596. The church is still undergoing a major repair after the earthquake in 2013.

The church has its museum which houses hundreds of old religious items. They are collecting a fee from the entrance as part of their fundraising campaign for the rehabilitation of the church.

Must read: Amazing fact About Baclayon Church

 

Bohol Tourist Spots | Best Places to Visit

9. BLOOD COMPACT SITE

Maybe your last stop for this tour is a short stop at the compact blood site- for a photo op.

Located in Barangay Bool, Tagbilaran City, Bohol, Philippine, the  Bohol Blood Compact Site was made in honor of a significant event in the Philippine history done between Miguel Lopez de Legazpi of Spain and Rajah Sikatuna of Bohol.

This Sikatuna-Legaspi blood compact is considered as the First Treaty of Friendship between two different races, religions, cultures and civilizations. It was a treaty of friendship based on respect and equality. This event is commonly known and celebrated today as “Sandugo.”

The Bohol Blood Compact sculpture was made by the National Artist, Napoleon Abueva, a Boholano himself. It is placed on an open and raised dais portraying five (5) life-sized images of men gathered around a table with Legazpi and Sikatuna supposedly making a toast. Standing on the dais, visitors are treated to a good view of the Bohol Sea and the contour of that particular side of the Island of Bohol.

 

Panglao | Bohol Tourist Attractions

 10.PANGLAO BEACH

Now that you ’re done with a day tour trip around Bohol, time to go to another adventure –the Panglao Island.

Panglao Island is now the favorite destination of tourists, local and foreign alike. They are lured to Panglao because of the white sand, the calm crystal blue waters, the world-famous surrounding dive sites, and to top it all, the tranquil ambiance of the place. Panglao is now fast becoming like Boracay with parties in most resorts.

 

Bohol Tourist Spots | Best Places to Visit

11. ANDA BOHOL

Apart from Panglao, Anda, another municipality in Bohol offers excellent seascape and a long stretch of powdery white sand beach. It is still not so famous, so it would be best to visit the place now.

Enjoy your Trip in Bohol and feel free to share with us your experience.

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