If you made it all the way to Cebu to swim with the sharks, it would be a shame not to visit Bohol. It’s a neighboring island with chocolate hills (not kidding). It’s my 3th stop on my 6 flights in 9 days trip.
At the bottom of this post you can find a summary of all the places I visited, costs and hotels deals 😉
Before i make my way to the ferry terminal in Cebu I figure it’s best to answer my growling stomach. Tocilog seems like a breakfast for champions, can’t go wrong with sweet pork egg and rice!
My tummy is happy and a taxi brings me to the ferry terminal.
After I figure out which counter sells trips to Bohol, I pay for ticket, terminal fee and a luggage fee, all at different counters. A bit confusing but I manage to board the Jetstar ferry in the end.
My ticket grants me access to the Air conditioned seating area. Not sure what is going on but if feels like they want to make it snow inside 😀 Luckily I always carry a hoody to prevent me from freezing in situations like this. Probably the dance music and head nodding helped to keep warm as well. If it’s not raining I suggest you take a ticket for the outside area.
The trip is cold but peaceful at first … then it quickly turns into a wild wadi adventure 😀 A curtain of water surrounds the boat whenever we jump to the next wave.
Relieved that I don’t feel sick (my stomach is grateful for the tocilog breakfast) I actually enjoy the rough waters. Finally, after 2 hours we enter the port of Bohol.
Tricycle, motorcycle and taxi drivers shout their best price and after negotiating a bit I jump on a tricycle to South Palms Resort.
Usually I try to book cheap accommodations to save money but it’s a holiday after all so I treat myself to paradise for 2 days.
White private beaches, infinity pools, blue water, you get the picture, the things you crave when winter hits you in Europe :-p
In my room there is a personal message, carried by a dog on my bed (next level towel art, in case you are worried about animals in your room). Besides the nice note there is also a pack of Peanut kisses, a local sweet delicacy made of coconut milk, brown sugar and ground glutinous rice.
A breeze of fresh ocean air surrounds me while I am wandering around the resort, infinity pool, private beach, a deserted old fisher boat, this is awesome, paradises do exist. So what does this fancy stay cost? Well I stayed 2 nights and paid 100 USD per night, you can’t even book a Holiday Inn for that price in London. So if you want to treat yourself: do it in Asia you will get so much more value for money.
After a good night of sleep in paradise it’s time to explore the most interesting things Bohol has to offer. First stop is a place where the blood compact between the Filipino and Spanish was completed. Some drops of blood mixed with wine, an old ritual to seal a friendship or treaty. Cheers! I continue my journey and pass by some churches made out of coral and egg white, yes I also had to ask my guide twice, egg white is your friend when you want to keep coral together.
Next on our planning are the tarsiers. Funny little animals. Yoda was actually inspired by a tarsier. These night animals are super laid back during the day which is perfect if you want to observe them. Except for their big eyes I also remember what my guide said: they are suicidal animals, if they are not happy they will kill themselves. (sad face with a tear)
Time to grab lunch … on a boat! A local Filipino buffet awaits me while our feast boat follows the Loboc River. As I am traveling solo the crew assigns me a separate table.
Luckily I get company from a local solo traveler a few minutes later!
Lyka works in Manila and she needs a break in paradise as well. I can practice my Tagalog and Lyka explains me what I am actually eating.
As you can see you are not alone for a long time when traveling solo! The boat continues its way on the Loboc river and we enjoy a local dance performance and wonderful scenery.
Cool ziplines is one of the reasons I came to Bohol! The zipline I survived last year in El Nido between 2 islands was so cool that I want to add a few others to my list. Lyka is a thrill seeker too and after a short climb on a hill in Loboc Eco-Tourism Adventure Park we are hanging like superman on a cable.
3 .. 2 .. 1 .. This feels like flying, first over the forest, river and waterfall, dazzling views! If you are afraid of heights this must be scary as hell but for me its pure enjoyment 😀
And it’s not over yet, there is another zipline to go all the way down!
The adventure just started. It’s time to explore the famous chocolate hills! We choose to hire quads and have a closer look.
So why are they called chocolate hills? Well now the hills are still green but as the dry season continues they will color brownish and that’s how they got their nickname!
The last stop of the day is another thrill: Chocolate Hills Adventure Park or CHAP. If you think a superman zipline is crazy then check out all the attractions they have here, you can easily spend half a day here feeding your adrenaline rush! I will make another post with more videos!
Summary of all the activities hotel and costs
South Palms Resort – 100 USD per night info and booking of this magnificent resort
Looking for another type of hotel? Plenty of options!
Loboc river cruise – 450 PHP (peso)
Loboc Eco-Tourism Adventure Park – Superman zipline return ticket – 350 PHP
Quad driving Chocolate hills – 450 PHP – 30 minutes; 850 PHP – 1 hour
Rent a driver/guide for a day with Bohol Life, all entry fees included (except ziplines and quad/ATV) 10.525 PHP
BOHOL DAY TOUR INCLUSIONS:
• PICK-UP & DROP-OFF SOUTH PALMS RESORT HOTEL
• PRIVATE AIR CONDITIONED TRANSPORTATION
• DRIVER WILL ACT AS GUIDE
• RIVER CRUISE WITH LUNCH [FLOATING RESTAURANT] LOAY OR LOBOC
• ALL ENTRANCE FEES (EXCLUDING BACLAYON CHURCH & MUSEUM P 50 / PERSON)
• VISIT CHAPS & LOBOC ECO TOURISM PARK
• TOUR DURATION APPROX 7-8 HOURS MAX
PLACES VISITED:
1. CHOCOLATE HILLS COMPLEX VIEWING DECK
2. CHAPS (CHOCOLATE HILLS ADVENTURE PARK)
3. LOBOC ECO TOURISM PARK
4. RIVER CRUISE WITH LUNCH
5. TARSIER CONSERVATION AREA
6. BAMBOO HANGING BRIDGE
7. BLOOD COMPACT MARKER
8. BACLAYON CHURCH & MUSEUM (CHURCH AND MUESUM P 50 / PERSON TO ENTER)
9. BILAR MAN MADE FOREST
10. SIMPLY BUTTERFLIES
11. APRONIANA SOUVENIR SHOP
12. DAUIS CHURCH (VIEW DAMAGE) + CAFE LAWIS
Besides the bike zipline, CHAP also offers forest rope courses for both children and adults, as well as educational experiences at their serpentarium, where they showcase snakes and reptiles. A restaurant, cafe, snack bar and souvenir stands are found near the entrance to complete your park experience.
Seeing the smallest monkey in the world and those lovely chocolate hills was the highlight of my Phiilppine vacation. I love Bohol and will be coming back again early next year.