Bohol Island ,located in the south of the Philippines , is a very impressive island with its lush nature, Chocolate Hills, beaches and activities. Bohol, which is included in the Visayas Archipelago along with the popular destinations of the Philippines such as Boracay and Cebu, is the tenth largest island in the Philippines.
Bohol is an important destination not only for its sister island, Panglao , which is connected to it by a bridge , but also for its magnificent beaches, but also for those seeking different travel experiences and activities, not just those seeking beautiful beaches.
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Bohol Island Travel Guide
Chocolate Hills lined up and resembling giant chocolate balls, the Philippine Tarsier with huge eyes, the world's smallest primate, the extraordinary beaches of Panglao Island connected to Bohol Island by a thin bridge and diving opportunities in the surrounding reefs, Bohol Island' It promises an unforgettable travel experience for its visitors.
Although Bohol Island is quite a large island, it can be visited in one day using daily tours, as most sights are close to each other.
Daily tours from Bohol or Panglao Island, which is 40 minutes away, include Chocolate Hills, Tarsier Sanctuary, Loboc River, Butterfly Garden, Python Snake Viewpoint, Bamboo Suspension Bridges and Loboc Eco-Tourism Adventure Park where 'zipline' activity can be done.
Bohol Island Attractions
1. Chocolate Hills
Chocolate Hills is one of the most special spots of Bohol. More than 1700 Chocolate Hills are interesting natural formations lined up in a wide area. These hills, covered with lush trees, were named 'Chocolate Hills' because the foliage on them turns brown in the dry season and looks like chocolate. The hills, which offer a 'delicious' landscape, were used in the shooting of my Harry Potter movie.
The Chocolate Hills can be seen best from the observation hill in the interior of Bohol Island, reached by climbing over 200 steps. When you go to the viewing point, you can watch large and small round hills sprinkled by nature into the valley covered with lush rice fields and palm trees. It costs 50 Pesos (3TL) to watch Chocolate Hills, which makes you feel like you are on a movie set.
2. Tarsier Sanctuary
Another highlight of Bohol Island is the Tarsier Sanctuary (Philippine Tarsier Reserve). The Philippine Tarsieri is a protected primate that, despite being the size of a palm, has eyes 150 times the size of human eyes compared to its body.
Observed in its natural habitat in the Reserve, this cute animal looks like a mix of mice and monkeys and lives by clinging to trees like koalas. When visiting Tarsiers, who spend most of their time sleeping during the day, it is important to be quiet and not disturb them. They are extremely sensitive to sound and light and can commit suicide when disturbed.
In the conservation area, the guides direct the visitors by pointing to the tree and branch where the Tarsiers are at that moment. It is a very exciting experience to catch eyes with a primate, an animal that can only be seen in documentaries, among its branches. The conservation area can be visited 7 days a week between 08:30 and 16:00. Tarsier Sanctuary entrance fee is 80 pesos.
3. Loboc River
Tours stop on a floating boat on the Loboc River for lunch. The buffet meal costs 450 Pesos, where you can listen to live music while sailing on the green waters of Loboc River for 1.5 hours.
4. Zipline
Loboc Eco-Tourism Adventure Park is another activity point on Bohol Island that can be visited with tours. In this adventure park, an adrenaline-filled activity called zipline, pulled between two hills and hundreds of meters above the ground, is tied to the back of special clothes and an iron bug is an adrenaline-filled activity that provides the experience of flying from one hill to the other.
As you fly 120 meters above the Loboc River on Bohol Island, 600 meters long, with your back tied up, prone and arms free, you watch the exquisite view of the river and hills below.
Although the flight experience takes less than a minute, it provides a great adrenaline. Those who want to observe the scenery calmly instead of adrenaline can also take the cable car on the same line or choose a one-way zipline or a cable car on the way back.
On the way back to Bohol, the tour will take you to the Butterfly Garden (Entry fee 20 Pesos), where over 1000 colorful butterfly species can be seen, and the Python Snake Observation Point (which is open 7 days a week between 07.30 and 17.00) and where not only pythons but also many different bird species can be seen. It is open to visitors 7 days a week between 08.30-17.00 and the entrance fee is 45 Pesos) and drops all participants back to their hotels.
How to get to Bohol
The airport, located in Taglibaran, the capital of Bohol Island, has flights from Manila, the capital of the Philippines, and Puerto Princesa, the capital of Palawan Island.
Getting to Bohol in two hours by ferry from Cebu is more affordable, with a 500 pesos ferry fee and 50 pesos tax.