by Stefan Kendrew
...Our next destination was Bohol, famous for the Chocolate Hills. We arrived there after a flight from Caticlan to Cebu, one night in Cebu, a boat ride to Tubigon and a bus ride from there to Carmen. We planned on checking out the Chocolate Hills, exploring the island a bit and staying for a few days at the Nuts Huts after which we would get some more time on the beach on Panglao.
Upon reaching Carmen (the town closest to the Chocolate Hills complex) we were surrounded by locals offering us a ride to the Chocolate Hills. We chose Victor (who is apparently mentioned in an old Lonely Planet) and two of his friends to take us there on the back of their dirt bikes, luggage and all.
Sure enough, the Chocolate Hills are everything they are made up to be: beautiful, eerie, nicest when the sun comes up and somewhat boring after a day or two. At the top of the tallest hill is a resort with a pool where the rooms have balconies looking over the Hills. The staff was bored out of their minds.
There is a tall staircase which brings you really high up, from where you get stunning views over the Chocolate Hills as the sun is coming up, lighting up the misty Hills with its rays.
We took a motorbike ride with Victor and his friends all over the surrounding area which was nice ...
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The island province lies southeast of Cebu in Central Philippines and is approximately one hour and fifty minutes from Manila. Apart from its world-famous
Chocolate Hills as its attraction, Bohol's beauty lies in its unpolluted waters which are rated among the best diving havens in the world and being the home of the world's rarest shells such as the "Gloria maris" and the Golden Cowrie. The islands of Panglao, Balicasag and Pamilacan are
superb diving spots of the province. In Panglao Island, a popular destination is the Hinagdanan Cave where you will find underground springs. Bohol is also the home of the
tarsier, the big-eyed insect-eating monkey whose size is smaller than a boy's fist. Scientists regard the tarsier as the oldest mammal now inhabiting the earth.
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Bohol Travel Information
With its rolling hills and plateaus, crystal springs and beaches, the province of Bohol is a picturesque province replete with ancestral homes and centuries-old churches. The country's tenth largest island, Bohol is situated at the heart of Visayas. West of Bohol is Cebu, and to the east is Leyte. Along its coastline are the numerous isles of Panglao, Pamilacan, Cabilao, Jao, Mahanay and Lapinin, which are excellent dive spots.
However, beneath the rustic charms of Bohol lies a thousand and one adventures just waiting to unfold. The site of the 1565 blood compact between Rajah Sikatuna and Miguel Lopez de Legaspi, Bohol's historicity is evident in the province's relaxed, laid-back pace. Excavations in ancient burial grounds reveal artifacts dating back to China's Tang dynasty. Indeed, the province already had strong trading ties with the Chinese long before the Spanish set foot in the country. Every year, the compact between the Muslim chief and the Spanish conqueror is celebrated through the Sandugo Festival in June. All year-round, the province's museums and churches attest to the province's rich heritage and culture.
The Chocolate Hills is but one of the many natural wonders to be found in Bohol. The province is the home of the world's smallest monkey, the tarsier. The size of a fist, the tarsier lives on hills of Corella, some ten kilometers from Tagbilaran. Other exotic flora and fauna can be found amongst the ...
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BOHOL TRAVEL TIPSBohol travel guide!
Bohol is a very nice place: excellent combination of culture, nature and people. It is easy to get around because you can rent vans or cars for a day and be able to visit several tourist destinations among them: Chocolate Hills, Baclayon Church and Museum, Loboc Church and Museum, lunch and river cruise at Loboc River, a place where you can see tarsiers and take photos with this wonderful creatures.
The drivers/owners of the vans/cars that we rented were very helpful in telling us about the places that we can go to. They were sensitive to cater to what kind of places that we wanted to go. They would even encourage you to go to many places as possible, and they were also very effective guides because they have information and side stories of the places the we visit. You can have a van rental - good for the whole day at ...
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Diving Sites around BoholPanglao Island
Panglao Island is a small coralline and limestone island, located off the southwestern tip of Bohol. It is connected to Bohol by two bridges. It has an area of square kilometers, divided between two municpalities, Panglao in the southwest, and Dauis in the northeast.
Most divers, will probably select the white-sand Alona beach as their base and starting point for diving tours.
Kalipayan
| Kalipayan at a Glance |
| Rating |
|
| Difficulty | easy |
| Where | Just off Alona Beach. |
| How to get there | 6 minutes by banca from Alona Beach. |
| Average depth | 10m |
| Maximum depth | 20m |
Kalipayan is the house reef of Alona beach, also known as the "Happy Wall". You can go there by banca, but it is just as easy to swim there from the beach. The conditions are normally calm, without currents, and a visibility of upto 25m. The wall starts at about 3m, and drops down to about 20m, and has soft and colorful coral heads, sea fans, small groupers and juvenile barracudas.
Arco Point
| Arco Point at a Glance |
| Rating |
|
| Difficulty | easy |
| Where | At the center of the southeast side of Panglao Island. |
| How to get there | 12 minutes by banca from Alona Beach. |
| Average depth | 10m |
| Maximum depth | 25m |
Located near the exclusive Bohol Beach Club, Arco Point is also known as the "Hole in the Wall" because there is a vertical funnel which you can enter at 9m and exit at 18m. Along the short wall, you can come across small groupers, trigger fish, wrasse, butterfly fish, sea snakes and moray eels. The conditions are normally calm, with little or no current, and a visibility of upto 30m...
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Bohol-Island.Com
Welcome to BOHOL !
Bohol, in the heart of Central Visayas, is the 10th largest island in the country. Approximately
803 km south of Manila and 79 km southeast of Cebu, Bohol is the Heritage Province, the eco-cultural tourism destination of the new millenium.
Aside from its pristine white-sand beaches and the Chocolate Hills, Bohol's tourism assets also include centuries-old churches and towers, scuba diving havens, majestic falls and caves and historical landmarks as well as primitive and exotic fauna and flora. Different tourist destination
sites have been developed by the Government to boost this industry.
You can even get to see the best attractions of Bohol in a day. But to enjoy more the beauty of the island and the hospitality of its people, you need to stay at least a day in a relative's house or one of the island's resorts.
Here is a glimpse of what you will find to see and enjoy in Bohol.
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| Bohol's limestone mounds are a geological mystery | |
By DIANE SLAWYCH -- Special to Sun Media
Scenic lookout point in Bohol provides a panoramic view of the Chocolate Hills. -- Photos by Diane Slawych | |
One of the most popular attractions here is also one of the most unusual. The Chocolate Hills -- 1,268 limestone mounds that range in height from 40 to 120 metres, are found within a 50-square-km area in the centre of Bohol.
Their geological origin is a mystery.
Chocolate kisses
Less of a mystery is how they got their name. Eric Canete, a local guide tells me an American professor who visited in the 1940s, thought the shape and colour of the hills resembled chocolate kisses. That's how the Carmen Hills (the previous name) became the Chocolate Hills.
The prof had obviously visited during a dry spell when the giant mounds were brown in colour. Our visit coincides with the rainy season when everything has turned green.
You can explore the area by hiking between the hills or climbing to the top of one of the mounds which has 214 stairs built along one side. From the platform, there's a spectacular view of the conical hills that stretch as far as the eye can see.
Considering their status as a National Geological Monument, the Chocolate Hills don't get the tourist crowds you might expect. It seems Bohol, one of the prettiest of the Visayan Islands, is also one of the least visited.
Obviously word hasn't gotten out about the historic stone churches, the white-sand beaches of Panglao (home to the luxurious Alona Palm Beach Resort), and the island's easy accessibility. Bohol is a one-hour flight south of Manila or an hour-and-a-half ferry ride from its western neighbour, Cebu.
It's a peaceful island, says Canete, where about half the population of 1.1 million earn a living from fishing and agriculture, mainly copra, rice and root crops. Some of the locals we meet weave baskets, others sell jewelry made with local shells, or design furniture using recycled tires.
Tiny tarsiers cling to a branch. | |
In Loboc, the music capital of Bohol, and home to the renowned Loboc Children's Choir, we set out on a one-hour river cruise on a thatch-roofed bamboo raft.
Tasty seafood
The most memorable part of the trip is a tasty seafood lunch onboard and a stop at the tarsier sanctuary.
Billed as the "world's smallest mammal," the endangered tarsier is so tiny it could easily fit in the palm of your hand.
When we arrive, about a half dozen of the nocturnal animals are perched on the limbs of potted plants. None are in cages.
We're surprised to learn the tarsiers, distinguished by their large saucer-shaped eyes, have no peripheral vision. To compensate though, the animal is able to turn its head 180 degrees.
A pamphlet explains that the tarsier is the oldest surviving member of the primate group and that since 1996 the Philippine Tarsier Foundation has been studying the animal and working towards protecting its habitat.
Blood compact
One of the most historic moments in Bohol history took place on March 16, 1565, when Chief Sikatuna made a blood compact with Spanish explorer Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, which brought Bohol under Spanish rule. This was considered the first international treaty of friendship, and is commemorated in a life-size sculpture near Tagbilaran City.
According to my guide, a blood compact involves two or more people who wish to become friends or brothers. Each person draws blood, which is deposited into a silver cup, then mixed with wine and drunk simultaneously to solidify the new ...
Maayong pag abot sa Bohol!
Welcome to Bohol, one of the most attractive tourist destinations in the Philippines. We heartily invite you to come and visit Bohol yourself, and offer you...
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