Sarah
In June 2018, Markus and I spent over one month in the Philippines, exploring both Palawan, Cebu and the Visayas. After the closure of Boracay in 2018 (Update: it’s open again!), lots of travelers are seeking for alternatives in the Philippines. And luckily there is an overwhelming amount of beautiful and interesting islands available!
Bohol is rather on the less traveled path – but let me tell you – it should be on your next itinerary!
Read: Best places in the Philippines you need to visit this year!
We actually ended up on Bohol rather by accident as we intended to spend our last days in the Philippines on Siquijor island. By the way Siquijor is also an awesome place too! Arriving on Siquijor island, we realized that the ferry time table we found online wasn’t recent any more. (Don’t trust any time tables in the Philippines!). Unfortunately that meant, that there was no direct ferry to Cebu the day our plane was going to leave. A new plan was needed!
If you are going to Siquijor, check this waterfall guide I prepared for you!
Read: The Secret Waterfalls Of Siquijor – A Complete Guide!
After some research we figured out, that the best idea would be to take a ferry to Bohol the day before and then head on to Cebu from there. Luckily, Tagbilaran Port on Bohol is a main port in the region and ferries go there numerous times every day in both directions. So essentially, our travel plan left us with a little over 24h on Bohol.
So we came up with the ultimate itinerary to Bohol in one day!
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Rent a scooter to explore Bohol in one day the easy way!
To make the most of Bohol in one day, the best idea is to rent a scooter!
Driving around the island on your own gives you much more flexibility and is so much fun! But don’t forget to wear a helmet!
Renting a scooter is super easy in Tagbilaran and also very cheap. Expect to pay around 400-500 Pesos for a full day rental. Your hotel can probably assist you. Otherwise, just walk around – scooters are everywhere!
So let’s start with the route – some of the stops are optional, while you should not miss the others! Plan to drive for at least 4 hours in total to do the whole itinerary as road conditions are not made for speeding. Even Bohol in one day takes a while!
Stop 1 - Baclayon Church/Blood Compact Monument
We started rather early around 7am with our one day itinerary to Bohol and went past the Blood Compact Monument. (This is really only interesting if you are the history kind of person) So we did the first stop on ourone day in Bohol itinerary at the Baclayon Church.
Unfortunately, it was closed due to independence day!
Normally, the inside is really pretty and it is actually the second oldest church in the Philippines (built by Jesuits in 1596). Anyway, it is definitely worth stopping there for a few minutes – and it is for free! 🙂
Stop 2 - Twin hanging bridge
Next stop on our itinerary to Bohol in one day was the Twin Hanging Bridge. It’s a little bit a touristy thing and you don’t need to plan to spend a lot of time there. There are some locals who will sell you fresh young coconut (don’t pay more than 40 pesos!).
“Entrance” to the bridge is 35 Pesos and then you can walk over the bridge which is almost entirely made of bamboo. On the other side you will find a few souvenir shops and then you can walk back on the other bridge (yes, this is a strict one-way system 🙂 )
Stop 3 - The chocolate hills
The next stop on our Bohol in one day itinerary is the one, that Bohol is most famous for: The Chocolate Hills!
They are even on the official flag of Bohol and were named a national geological monument! If you look at the picture and think (like I did when I saw them) “That’s green – why the heck are they called CHOCOLATE hills???” – here’s the answer: they are called this way, because in dry season, they really look like Hershey’s chocolate! I googled and found a few pictures – I think they look nicer in green though!
Another fun fact about them: Actually scientist still don’t agree on how those cone-shaped hill where sformed – but they are definitely cool to see!
At the Chocolate Hills Complex (that’s where all the tour buses head to) there is a nice viewing platform with 200 steps to walk up. Entry was moderately priced with 50 Pesos per person.
Another option is to book an ATV tour – if you are into that kind of thing, don’t worry abour prebooking – you WILL be approached by locals offering it. If you are a coward like me – politely decline and enjoy the view!
Stop 4 - The man-made forest
On your way back towards Tagbilaran you will pass by the man-made forest.
Actually you already drove through it during the way to the Chocolate Hills without realizing this is considered a sight. Or maybe you realized that something is supposed to be there because you saw a Chinese tour bus stop there. And because Chinese tourists were almost running in front of your scooter while taking photos of trees.
No, there were no monkeys. They were actually taking pictures of the trees.
To me, it pretty much looked like any western forest – but that’s the point: it doesn’t look like rain forest as it was planted by humans (thus, completely surprising, the name!)
If you manage to draw your attention away from this incredible sight (/irony), here comes THE highlight of your trip!
Stop 5 - The Tarsier Sanctuary in Corella
Tarsiers are actually the smallest monkeys on the planet – and they have huge eyes! But before I tell you more about the cutest monkey on earth, let me give you a warning:
Don’t accidentally go to the Tarsier Conservation Area in Loboc!
They might sound similar and you will see a lot of the tour buses stop there – but the “Tarsier Conservation Area” is actually less about conservation than about making money from exposing the Tarsiers to humans without really caring about them.
And that’s a big problem as those tiny monkeys (they weight around 100g and are 10-15cm big!) do tend to show suicidal tendencies when they have to live in captivity!
Luckily I read another blog before about the difference! If you travel to Bohol, please spread the word and help protecting the endangered Tarsier!
The difference of the Tarsier sanctuary
The Tarsier Sanctuary in Corella is officially recognized by the Philippine Tarsier Foundation – the main non-profit organization caring for the endangered Tarsiers in the Visayas.
As Tarsiers are nocturnal creatures, they are usually sleeping during the day and you have to be very quiet when visiting the sanctuary. Entrance is 60 Pesos and there is a short path that you can walk along to see the Tarsiers (plan something like 15min for the visit).
There are volunteers along the path that show you where they spotted some Tarsiers – otherwise you won’t have a good chance of spotting them yourself!
Can you spot the Tarsier next to me? This time its eyes are open 🙂
Of course you can’t touch the Tarsiers – but if you are lucky, you can still snap a shot with them. 🙂 Most of them will sleep – but some might show you their beautiful big eyes – they actually have the largest eye-to-body-ratio in all mammals!
Once you have enough of the cuteness of the Tarsiers, it is time to head back to Tagbilaran! Even a one day itinerary to Bohol has to end sometime!
Heading back to Tagbilaran
If you didn’t have lunch yet somewhere on the route, there is a few decent places in the city center (e.g. Just sizzling).
Other than the port, Tagbilaran City alone doesn’t really offer anything!
Or, you could hop on to Panglao Island and spend the afternoon and evening at one of their beaches!
Where to stay in Bohol
As we only had one day in Bohol (and one night), we stayed in Tagbilaran city. Tagbilaran city isn’t really pretty. I would recommend going to Panglao if you decide to stay more than one day in Bohol. You could simply split up this one-day itinerary to Bohol into multiple parts!
A really good (but pricey) resort on Panglao Island is the South Palms Resort.
If you are looking for a budget place close to the Beach, the Royal Paradise Guesthouse is a good bet for you! (Another traveler we met on Siquijor spent almost two weeks there because he loved Panglao that much!)
And if you are looking for a unique backpacker place – check out this review about Bohol Coco Farm!
Where to next?
From Bohol you can easily catch a ferry to Siquijor or to Cebu! Siquijor is an amazing small island that is still very original (I should probably write an article about Siquijor soon as we found some really cool spots like waterfalls that ar not even on Google Maps!)
Read: The Secret Waterfalls Of Siquijor – A Complete Guide!
If you go to Cebu, think about staying in Moalboal and visit the beautiful Kawasan Falls! (Thinking about, I should also write an article about the Kawasan Falls soon…too many idea! Leave a comment what you want to read next!)
Read: Instaworthy Kawasan Falls – how to make the most of your visit
This is my favorite pic from the Kawasan Falls – if not from the whole Philippines!
Or you take a flight from Cebu and visit Palawan next! Palawan is probably now the most busiest island as Boracay is closed – but it has soooo much to offer! In this case, I already crafted an article with my perfect itinerary there!
Read: Palawan in three weeks – the ultimate itinerary
And you could of course go on a five day sailing expedition with Tao Philippines!
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Great blog! Really helpful ☺️ But can I just point out that Tarsiers are not part of the monkey family! They are not small monkeys 😊 the Tarsier conservation in Corella strongly make this point. Cheers!
Hi Jen – glad that you liked the blog! 🙂 I read that Tarsiers are categorized between monkeys and lemurs – but hey, as long as people don’t go to the wrong place to see them, I am fine with both! 🙂
Hi Sarah,
Many thanks for this article. I read it with interest as I am planning my visit in Philippines and was looking for someone who travelled in Bohol by motorbike. You mentioned that you started at 7am, what time were you done with your tour? We are thinking of going to Bohol from Cebu by ferry and then jump on a scooter, but I’m afraid we might not have enough time to go on the same route as you and then back to Cebu. Thanks.