Balm to the Soul: My Bohol Countryside Experience

Exciting countryside and trip hopping tour, as I take you on a journey to divulge some of the great wonders of Bohol.

As much as I want to explore all of the 7,000 tropical and beautiful islands in the Philippines, in this blog post, I will share to you one of my first time and favorite holiday destination in the country - the Bohol. Deemed as the 10th largest island, it may not be as internationally-famous as Boracay nor Palawan, however, Bohol holds implausible sights and destinations that can easily capture anyone's heart. I am happy and fortunate to have experience its beauty, albeit for a short time. 

Bohol offers an authentic Philippine experience, where you can enjoy the unique attractions that can't find anywhere in the Philippines. Some people call it, "God's little Paradise", and known to be very rich in bio-diversity. It is home of the smallest primate in the world, the Philippine Tarsiers, and the mysterious formation of hills that turn into a chocolate color during the dry season, the Chocolate Hills.


There are so many beautiful Bohol tourist spots, destinations and adventurous activities to enjoy that you can spend an entire week, packed with crazy adventures. Because of its countryside charm and beautiful landscape, Bohol is considered as one of the most visited province, and one of the top tourist destinations in the Philippines.


It is popular among foreign and local tourists because of its breathtaking sights, old and historic churches. However, during our day trip, we solely focused on exploring its interesting tourist attractions like the Chocolate Hills in Carmen, the tarsier sanctuary in Corella, hanging bridge in Tigbao, and the Loboc River.

From a two hour ferry ride from Cebu City to Tagbilaran City, we arranged for our own private car rental with driver to visit all the accessible sites for a day trip, since tourists attractions are spread out across the island - so I suggest to make an/or book a chauffeured tour that takes you all of the top sights in one day to makes it easy.

We started the tour in one of the most hyped premier attractions, the Chocolate Hills. Who would miss out this famous landmark? Not me. The chocolate hills is a unique geological formation comprised of unique cone-shaped hills that all look almost identical.  During summers, the dome-shaped hills covered with grass dries up and turns brown, which makes the area into seemingly endless rows of chocolate kisses.

Curious about the Tarsiers? Not anymore, as we embarked into its sanctuary in Corella, and excitedly meet and greet the cute little Bohol tarsier. Another popular icon in the province, it is locally known as Mamag, and is one of the smallest primates in the world, and considered to be the mammal with the biggest eyes.  Accordingly, over 100 of these territorial primates hang out in the immediate vicinity of the center, though only a few are in the viewing area. Please do note that you are not allowed to touch them and when you take pictures, you should turn off your camera's flash.

You like churches? Bohol has plenty. Considered to be as one of the oldest Catholic stone churches in the country, the Baclayon Church is dedicated to Our Lady of the Immaculate Concepcion. Next to the church is an old convent that houses a museum is found. The museum displays relics, religious antiques and artifacts that are indeed centuries old, since the collection dates back to the 16th century.

We also visited the Blood Compact Shrine in Tagbilaran City. This is the site where the Blood Compact happened between Sikatuna and Miguel Lopez de Legaspi. This act of trust, confidence , and friendly relations- it also symbolizes peace and friendship which took place on March 16, 1565. Blood Compact or "Sandugo" is traditional equivalent of what we know now as, "diplomatic relations", and is done by drawing blood into a small cut made in the arm of the two opposing and placed in cups in wine. The mixture is then equally divided between the two and drank to a finish in front of their subordinates. A visit to the shrine is usually included in all Bohol day tours, but can be visited also for free.

We never also missed the chance to cruise down Loboc River, and experience a sumptuous lunch to the floating restaurant where one can savor lush greens all around and breathtaking scenery that surrounds the clean flowing river. This is actually one of my favorite activities in Bohol Island due to the amazing natural beauty of the river, and surrounded by overhanging palm trees and local fishermen. At small riverside banks, you will enjoy the great folk music and dance from the band aboard the floating restaurant that adds tranquility to the ride.

Ready to face your fear? Yay! I also took the challenge of crossing the the Bamboo Hanging Bridge in Tigbao. It is one of the popular attraction visited by tourists in the Island, the hanging bridge was originally constructed using just bamboo rope. The rope is made of steel cables and bamboo flooring - giving added stability and safety. Walking onto the bridge is a little daunting at first as the bamboo deck flexes a little under your feet. Although it is made of cable steels, you will still experience some side to side sway and up and down bounce. This is definitely a must-try for the adventurous tourists.

Thats it for my day trip adventure at Bohol. Special thanks to my IAG family for bringing us all here. Aside from the mentioned itinerary, there are also a lot to explore in the Island, from trekking, beach tanning, underwater adventure, cliff diving, and beautiful beaches. Take note that there are various parts of the island to experience that you might need an extra day or two.

Thank you for reading!

Love,

Cotabatena Wanderer