At last it’s time to see the Beauty of Bohol!
Our service van fetched us at the hotel early in the morning since, Panglao and Bohol is located at the opposite ends of the Island. We started the morning with a full stomach from the breakfast buffet in The Bellevue Hotel.
First off! The famous Chocolate Hills!
- Chocolate Hills
The Chocolate hills are a geological formation in the Bohol province of the Philippines.There are at least 1,260 hills but there may be as many as 1,776 hills spread over an area of more than 50 square kilometers (20 sq mi). They are covered in green grass that turns brown (like chocolate) during the dry season, hence the name. More facts about this beautiful landscape: click here.
We were advised to try the ATV adventure to see the Chocolate hills up close, so we went to the first ATV rental that we can see. It’s not part of our plan to try the ATV, that’s why our outfits aren’t ready and it got messy! XD
BUT! NO REGRETS! It was an amazing experience! It was my first time to drive a vehicle, I’m a bit scared at first, but I loosen up when I already got how goes. The trail was actually exciting, we went uphill through the forest, it rained the night before so its’s a bit muddy and we went through a lot of puddle along the way.
We took a lot of pictures on every stop, our guide was so creative and it’s his Idea to take a panoramic shot of the hills.
After visiting the famous hills up-close, its time to witness them all together in a landscape view.
The sun is up, the sky is blue!
We visited Bohol in July, so it’s already rainy season, the hills were green but still beautiful and would make you wonder how it was made. If you want to witness the hills covered with chocolate, try to visit in during the summer / dry season 🙂
Next stop is to visit one of the most unique creature in the Philippines, and it can be only bee seen in Bohol.
2. The Tarsier/ Mamag
The Tarsier is a small type of primate that not many people are familiar with. It spends most of its time in the trees and they have long tails. They are nocturnal so they are mainly out at night, making it hard to see them. In some cultures the Tarsier is considered to be a good luck charm and highly regarded. They only weigh about 5 ounces when they are fully mature. More about it here 🙂
Seeing the Tarsiers and knowing that they are the only ones left in the world, made me feel a bit sad for them, at the same time feeling proud of the locals of doing their best to preserve and save the “mamag” from extinction. It only took us about 30 mins inside the tersier sanctuary, it was a quite interaction, since they are sensitive to load noises especially in the day.
It’s pass lunch time, and we are getting hungry, just the right time to have a buffet ❤
Our next stop was Loboc river!
We also took picture with the beautiful man-made forest along the way to loboc river.
3. Loboc River Cruise
We availed the pawikan Buffet, don’t worry there’s no pawikan in the menu, but the rather the boat was shaped like a pawikan 🙂
There pawikan buffet was one of the high-end buffet which includes crabs and shrimps.
High-end Adults: 500php
High-end Kids: 260php
Regular Adults: 392php
Regular Kids: 206php
The food was okay, but the serving will run out fast, but will also be replenished, so if you’re already hungry and can’t wait for the next serving, better be on the top of the line. First drinks (soft drinks only) were free and the next will be charged.
The view was amazing and relaxing, seeing the river makes me think of national geographic or the river monsters! haha!
We also saw the ATI tribe along the short cruise and was given 30min to check out the place.
4. Butterfly Garden
I did not expect much from the butterfly garden, but the guide made this experience special. We started the tour with brief discussion about the life cycle of a butterfly. I was able to touch a real caterpillar and it was so special. From there we saw the stages of cocoon, and the actual unwrapping of it showing some part of the butterfly’s wings uncovering from it’s cage.
There are different type of butterflies in the garden, even rare butterflies were being taking care of. We were also given a chance to touch a specific type of butterfly and learned how to determine it’s gender. It was a quick but satisfying tour around the garden.
5. Baclayon Church
This historical place was hit by a 7.2 magnitude earthquake around 2013, The church was already 2 centuries old at the time of destruction. It s one of the most important Catholic churches in Bohol and really represent the historical heritage of the Island.
The Baclayon Church was currently being reconstructed and it is almost finished when we saw it. The reconstruction truly kept the preservation of the historical site.
We went back back to Panglao to catch up some sunset by the beach, and experience kayak and paddle board activities.
It was a great Bohol experience indeed and all of these can be done in one day! ❤
I highly suggest you to see the beauty of Bohol ❤
I think this is one of the best part about traveling in Philippines, since we are separated by water, each Island has it’s own unique Beauty and Culture ❤
After our Relaxing stay in Panglao it’s time to say goodbye the next day and say Goodbye to the Island of Bohol.
Off to Manila we go!
Time to plan for another trip! Hope to see you on the next one! ❤
Thank you for making this far on the blog ❤ Also if your’e a new reader, Welcome! ❤
PS: Checkout our Travel Video featuring our fun times in Bohol🤗
XOXO – ELA ❤
Elaine Wanders 