This is the second part of my vacation from May 10. You can find my blog about Cebu here. For this piece, we’ll walk over our Bohol tour where you can find the best Bohol tourist spots and attractions.
Honestly, I find Bohol much more accommodating than Cebu. Its countryside vibe, caves, culture, and beach ambiance suit me.
The next time I’m in Cebu, I’ll dart right away to Bohol. I haven’t finished most of my tour in Panglao! It wasn’t in my itinerary, but I was planning to go to Balicasag and dive with the dolphins (if possible).
I stayed in Bohol for 24 hours before heading back to Cebu.
Note: This is my first time to visit Bohol, and as such, I can’t give out a Bohol budget travel tour since I’m not familiar with the surroundings. I usually splurge and experience everything I can during my first visits to capture the landscape, ambiance, and directions.
Bohol tour itinerary I Table of Contents
We start our journey from the time I stepped on Tagbilaran Port – May 12.
Clicking on the Cebu tours and attractions will take you to my Cebu article.
MAY 10
| TIME | ACTIVITY | Notes | Attractions I partially visited |
| 6AM | Leave for airport | 1. Fort San Pedro 2. BPI Museum | |
| 7:35AM to 8:35AM | Flight to Cebu | 8 hours – Php3,300 -PAID | |
| 8:45AM | Mactan Shrine | Airport to Shrine > 17 mins | |
| CCLEX | |||
| OPTION TO GO VICE VERSA | |||
| 10:30AM-11AM | Sirao Flower Garden | Php100 | Attractions I did not visit: |
| 11:30AM-12PM | Temple of Leah | Php150 | 1. Halad Museum 2. Archdiocesan Museum of Cebu 3. Sugbu Chinese Heritage Museum 4. School museums 5. Tops Lookout 10,000 Roses |
| — | Sachiko’s Little Kyoto | This was not in my initial itinerary | |
| 12:30PM-1PM | Taoist Temple | free | |
| 1:15PM | House of Lechon | ||
| 2PM-2:30PM | Museo Sugbo | Php50 | |
| 2:35PM to 3PM | Casa Gorordo | Casa Gorordo: Php150 Yap-San Diego Ancestral House: Php50 | |
| Yap-San Diego Ancestral House | |||
| 1730 Jesuit Museum | |||
| Heritage of Cebu Monument | |||
| Fort San Pedro | |||
| Basilica Minore del Santo Niño de Cebu | |||
| Magellan’s Cross | |||
| Uncle Tom’s Cabin | |||
| Sleep Early | |||
MAY 11
| TIME | ACTIVITY | Notes |
| 1:30AM | Wake up, get ready for Oslob | Taxi: Php60+ |
| 2:30AM | Hotel to Cebu South Terminal | Aircon bus is Php295, non-stop |
| 3AM | To Oslob | Swimming with photos is Php1,200 |
| 6AM-7:30AM | Oslob Whale Swimming | Estimated time, if before 7AM, swim with sharks before breakfast |
| Oslob to Cuartel | Php60.00, habal-habal | |
| 9:30AM | End of activity + breakfast | |
| 9:30AM | Go to Moalboal | 2 hrs and 30 Mins travel time – Php120.00 bus or Php2,000 habal-habal |
| 12PM | Panagsama Beach Resort, Moalboal | Light lunch, even in arrived before time, then contact diving |
| If earlier, better, dive with turtles and sardine run | Php600+ | |
| Beach diving ends at 3PM | ||
| Bus from Moalboal to Cebu Southbound | Est time: 3 hrs and 30 Mins – Php250 | |
| 7PM | Hotel and Dinner | Budget: Php300.00 |
MAY 12
| TIME | ACTIVITY | Notes |
| 3:30AM | Wake up and get ready | Check out |
| 4:30 AM | Check out hotel | |
| 5:10AM / 6AM | Cebu Pier 1 – Tagbilaran Port | 2 hour-ride – If arrived before 8:30AM, find breakfast in restaurants and wait for driver/guide. / 8 hours – Php3,200 -PAID / Php850 for ticket |
| 8:30AM | Blood Pact Shrine | Free |
| 9:30AM | Baclayon Church | Church: Free Museum: Php50 |
| 10AM to 11:30AM | Tan Inong Asinan, Asin Tibuok | Interview |
| 12PM to 1:30PM | Loboc River Cruise | Lunch here at Php850.00 |
| Manmade Forest | free | |
| Bohol Tarsier Conservation Area | Entrance fee: Php80 | |
| Chocolate Hills Complex | Php50.00 | |
| Dauis Church | free | |
| Hinagdanan Cave | Php25 entrance / Php100 swimming | |
| Panglao Church Watch Tower | free | |
| Bohol Bee Farm | Depends on snacks, budget Php300 | |
| Dao Diamond Hotel | Check in – Php2,070 – Paid |
MAY 13
| TIME | ACTIVITY | Notes |
| Stay in Dao Diamond and rest | Or visit other places, if not finished | |
| 11:30PM | Lunch then checkout | |
| 1PM | Tagbilaran Port | |
| 1PM to 3PM | Tagbilaran to Cebu | Php850 |
| 3:30PM | Unfinished Cebu tour | |
| 6PM | Dinner Cebu Ocean Park | Read my blog about Copaquadining |
MAY 14
| TIME | ACTIVITY | Notes |
| 4:30AM | Check in Cebu Mactan Airport | |
| 5:45AM to 6:50AM | Cebu to Iloilo |
May 12
Tagbilaran Port, Southwest Tours, and Breakfast
Upon reaching the port, Southwest Tours picked me up again, and we went out to find breakfast. Note, I hired a private charter for 8 hours and a customized itinerary.
That morning, I ended up having breakfast at Jollibee (drinking my antihistamine). After that, it was smooth sailing to the Blood Compact Shrine.
Note: Taxis and other vehicles are hard to find in Bohol, so, you can hire a trike starting from Php1,500 for a Bohol countryside tour. Higher rates mean more places to cover.
Blood Compact Shrine
- Entrance fee: Free
- Hours: 24 hours
- Location: Tagbilaran East Road, Tagbilaran, Bohol
Accordingly, the spot is where Miguel Lopez de Legazpi had a blood compact on March 1565 with Rajah Sikatuna. The pact was to signify peace among the Spaniards and Boholanos.
Anyone can view the Blood Compact Shrine – It’s by the roadside. Before, there weren’t any gates and a lot of vendors around the area. Now that it’s a tourist attraction (and a resort built beside it), you can barely make it through the shrine and had your photo taken.
There are lots of people lining up in the shrine to have their photo taken. However, I just rolled the windows and took a photo.
Not far away from the shrine was another stone obelisk telling the story of the blood compact. I wasn’t able to take photos of the area, so any leads would be helpful.
Baclayon Church and Museum
- Entrance fee: Free; Museum – Php50
- Hours: Dawn to 7PM (church); 8AM to 5PM (museum)
- Location: Bohol Circumferential Road, Baclayon, Bohol
One of the oldest churches in the Philippines (built in 1727). The museum was pretty cool – lots of religious artifacts to see. There’s a gift shop at the end of the tour where you can buy religious statues, memorabilia, prayer books, rosaries, etc.
Initial visit to Tan Inong’s Asin Tibuok
Asin Tibuok is a traditional artisanal salt found in Bohol – and, it’s quite a real culinary gem. This kind of salt, created by the process where seawater is filtered through the ash, has a crisp, smoky note.
You can savor Asin Tibuok by lightly dusting (by grating) over any dish to make it even more delicious. Its name which in Bisaya means “unbroken salt,” demonstrates the fact that a lot of effort and hard work was put in the making of it.
Asin Tibuok is a process where coconut shells which have been soaked in seawater for few months and then burned to ashes during a week. The ashes are used to produce salt from seawater by the traditional way of bamboo filtering that eventually turns to brine, or commonly known as tasik.
After that, the tasik is boiled in clay pots that are hanged in a special furnace, which is what eventually leads to the formation of solidified salt. The salt is a particular attraction for people and is commonly sold together with the domed pots used for making it. This is exactly the meaning why salt is nicknamed the “dinosaur egg.
I will be making a separate article for this.
Loboc River Cruise
- Entrance fee and lunch: Php850
- Hours: 9:30AM to 2:30PM
- Location: Poblacion Sawang, Loboc Municipality, Bohol
While waiting for the documentation again by 1PM at Albur. I headed to Loboc to have lunch here. The cruise starts at 10:30am and will end at 2:30pm. I hope they have a merienda session kind of ride, because that’s the vibe I get here. It’s a really cool way to beat the heat of Bohol. Not chilly, just cool ~ because of how the wind goes from here, the trees, and the waters ~
Lunch is your casual Filipino dining. No frou-frous! The cruise personnel let me sit by the boat’s bow (front). That’s why you get to see me right there!
You get to bank by the river to see the performance of the Loboc Dance Group, before making way again to the end of the cruise (then turn around and get back to the docks).
This experience lasts around 45 minutes to an hour ~ depending on the number of people you’re waiting by the boat’s entrance. Because, they need to fill the boat in with people before sailing away.
Back to Tan Inong’s Asin Tibuok
Manmade Forest
- Entrance fee: Free
- Hours: Open daily
- Location: Loay Interior Road, Bilar, Bohol
The Manmade Forest is a 2-km-long stretch from Bilar to Loboc. It is made of rows of majestic mahogany trees planted by the local community as a reforestation project in the 1960s. The project was designed to bring back the “ecological balance” of the place destroyed by deforestation, illegal logging, and slash-and-burn farming.
While, the result of the project was a beautiful and cool landscape another thing that was overlooked was the fact that it’s also called a “dead forest.” You don’t get to see other plants growing, birds humming, or other animal sounds that much. That’s because mahogany trees are invasive species.
It may result in the alienation of native flora and fauna, as well as the decline of biodiversity. Besides, mahogany trees consume a lot of water and nutrients, which can cause soil depletion and nutrient deficiencies for other plant species in the area.
Bohol Tarsier Conservation Area
I came to see the tarsiers here since it’ll be my first time encountering them. And, since I only read about the sanctuary in articles, news, and feature portals (not to mention, travel agencies). I thought that it’s devoted to the protection and preservation of the endangered Philippine tarsier, one of the smallest primates in the world.
One of the things I noticed is that the tarsiers in this area are “round-the-clock monitored and cared for by professionals” to make sure their safety and also their survival.
However, I’ve read that the Bohol Tarsier Conservation Area is not an official tarsier sanctuary. I wish to have done more research prior to the trip. Onward, I will be careful in selecting which places to visit such as Tarsier Conservation Area in Tagbilaran and Corella, Bohol.
Chocolate Hills Complex
- Entrance fee: Php50.00
- Location: Carmen, Bohol
I got injured here already. That’s why I wasn’t able to climb up the 214 steps to the Chocolate Hills Observation Deck.
The Chocolate Hills is one of the most visited tourist spots in Carmen, Bohol. It’s home to over 1,200 cone-shaped limestone hills that turn brown during the dry season, which look like brown chocolate kisses. The hills vary from 30-50 meters in height. People visiting the complex can see the all the goodie panoramic views there.
Within the complex, there’s also a viewing deck and a shop area has been built in where people can purchase souvenirs and other local products. Likewise, you can join a number of activities such as zip-lining, ATV, and horseback riding – depending on your tour package, that is.
Dao Diamond Hotel
I regret staying at Dao Diamond Hotel for one night only! I love how my room was pretty spacious with great bathroom amenities. The room also came with an outdoor patio where I could have breakfast al fresco style. The compound of Dao Diamond is quite wide – consisting of a courtyard, outdoor pool, garden, NGO offices, and medical clinics among many others.
The hotel’s restaurant, Kahiki Cafe, takes its inspiration from Hawaii, Caribbean Seas, and Polynesia. Expect dishes like the Tahiti Moa Sandwich which I ordered for Php160. I suggest you guys order the Kilauea Lava Burger which was a filling dish! Other than that, I have shrimp rice toppings.
What I love about the hotel is its support to the deaf community. Personally, I only know basic ASL, and that’s the only ones I could communicate with their staff. It’s usually, “Good morning,” and, “Thank you.”
Because of this, the Dao Diamond Hotel exemplifies their unique characteristic ~ their support for the deaf community and hard-of-hearing. The hotel actively trains and employs individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, providing them with valuable skills and opportunities for personal and professional growth.
Also, the hotel has a clinic that is devoted to the deaf and hard of hearing guests, offering medical care and support that enables a holistic approach to their health.
May 13
I wasn’t able to finish my Panglao tour yesterday, so, I woke up at 6AM and made a beeline for a trike hire by 8AM (after breakfast!). Also, I need to visit Nong Nestor and Nang Veronica for the final documentation on Asin Tibuok.
Dauis Church
- Entrance fee: Free
- Hours: Open daily
- Location: Assumption St, Poblacion, Dauis, Bohol
Beautiful church by the sea. Built in 1697 by Spanish missionaries. However, this was ruined during the 2013 Bohol 7.2-magnitude Earthquake. Nonetheless, the bell tower-turret stands!
Hinagdanan Cave
- Entrance fee: Php25 entrance / Php100 swimming
- Hours: Open daily, 8AM to 5PM
- Location: Bingag, Dauis, Bohol
Due to my knee injury, I wasn’t able to swim here. The waters are still shallow by the cave line or guide line. But it can go down as much as 15ft to 16ft by the center. I was also planning to go to Kangcaramel and Cabagnow caves, but my knee won’t have it.
Panglao Church Watch Tower
- Entrance fee: Free
- Hours: Open daily, 8AM to 5PM
- Location: San Agustin Church, Panglao, Bohol
A five-storey high watchtower boasted to be the highest at that time of Spanish rule. The Panglao Church Watch Tower functioned as a watchtower for Moro raiders. Its strategic location overlooking the seas provided the people of Panglao with a warning of impending attacks, and they were able to take precautionary measures to defend themselves.
The tower is composed of coral stones and adobe bricks, revealing the pprofessional builders’ architectural skill.
Bohol Bee Farm
- Entrance fee: No fee, depends on what you want to buy
- Hours: Open daily, 7AM to 10PM
- Location: Purok 1, Brgy. Dao, Dauis, Bohol
The Bohol Bee Farm is a charming eco-friendly resort and restaurant located in the beautiful island of Bohol in the Philippines. This unique establishment is dedicated to promoting sustainable agriculture and organic farming practices, with a focus on bees and honey production. The farm is home to a thriving community of bees that help pollinate the surrounding flowers and crops, resulting in delicious and high-quality honey products.
The resort offers a variety of accommodations, including cozy cottages and villas overlooking the crystal-clear waters of the Bohol Sea. Guests can also enjoy a range of activities, from guided farm tours to yoga classes and cooking workshops. The on-site restaurant serves delicious meals made from locally-sourced ingredients, many of which are grown right on the farm. Visitors can savor the flavors of the Philippines with dishes like fresh seafood, tropical fruits, and organic vegetables, all prepared in a traditional Filipino style.
In addition to its commitment to sustainable farming practices, the Bohol Bee Farm is also involved in community development projects. The resort provides employment opportunities for local residents and supports education initiatives in the surrounding villages. Guests can learn about the importance of environmental conservation and the benefits of organic farming through interactive programs and hands-on experiences.
This is your Charcoal and Salted Caramel Ice Cream on a crispy, wafer cone.
Check out of Dao Diamond Hotel
Tan Inong’s Asin Tibuok
Final documentation for Asin Tibuok!
Tagbilaran Port
By 2:30PM, I made my way back Tagbilaran Port to catch the 3PM boat ride. Once again, I already paid for it online via Klook, so, all I did was wait.
The good thing about the ride was that no one was sitting next to me!
Also, since you’re in Bohol waters, take a peek outside the window. Lest, you’ll miss catching ‘em dolphins jumping out of the waters!
If you want to know what happened after I reached Cebu, you can view my post here. I visited Cebu Ocean Park and had a scrumptious 5-course meal, all by myself.
One Thought to “Things to do in Bohol I My Bohol Tour Itinerary I Bohol Tourist Spots and Attractions”
[…] Blood Pact Shrine […]
Comments are closed.