Ten things our kids enjoyed in Bohol during our 2 days tour

Bohol is one of the wonderful places in the Philippines that has lots to offer and that is distinct to other tourist spots in the country.  Bohol is located in the West Visayas region of the Philippines. 

Bohol is an island with lots of lush greenery that would capture your heart for your love of nature. Aside from its plentiful nature to boast of, Bohol has also its share of important history in the Philippines that is reminiscent of the Philippines historic past that is being preserved through the iconic historic sites that are also held as Bohol’s tourists' spots.

From our trip to Cebu, we embarked on a Cebu-Bohol Oceanjet ferry that took us 2 hours to the port of Bohol in Tagbilaran, its provincial capital.  Outside the terminal are different modes of land transportation that are available to be hired to any of your destinations.  We took a van that would fit our big family of 7 that includes my 2 kids.

Most of the activities on our first day in Bohol are on a road trip, the second day was Island hopping.  We hired a local tour operator with van inclusive of local tour guide that took us to these destinations that kids loved and enjoyed so much

1.    Encounter with Tarsiers

  

    It was daytime when we visited this place and these cute little primates were sleeping.  These creatures are known to be nocturnal and sensitive to be touched on the head.  We were told not to touch it, as any human touch, especially on their head is detrimental. 

These species can be seen only in Bohol so it should be a must to visit and look at them and remember not to touch them, just take lots of photos with them would be all right.

2.    Chocolate Hills

The view of this chocolate like kisses is awesome when we reached the top of the Tower view. The 360 degrees of exhilarating view of hundred cone-shaped hills can be appreciated once you take a hundred steps above, but the hardship of going to the top to see the magnificent view will perish.  The kids didn’t mind after all, as they were so excited to reach the top and watch the hills in full view.

3.     Loboc River Cruise

The festive mood, the wide array of Filipino food served on a buffet while on a cruise, the lush greenery that can be viewed on the side and the quaint atmosphere that makes this Loboc River Cruise experience appealed to us and our kids.

Klook.com

4.    Man-made forest

The two-kilometer stretch of Loboc-Bilar road is a picture-perfect backdrop for a picture taking or even a selfie shot.  We stopped over somewhere on the road and have our group photo.  We could admire the tall Mahogany trees, even so, when we had our stop.  The cool temperature made the atmosphere relaxing.

5.    Baclayon church

The fascinating interior of the church altar captured the kids' curiosities and they were baffled with amazement

6.    Blood compact shrine

The life-size statues of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, Datu Sikatuna, a priest, a Spaniard and a local person, these people in statue who made this symbolic blood compact in history as their mark of friendship for these two nationality brought has captivate my kids eagerness to learn more about what happened during those times in history.

7.    Swimming at the Resort After our day tour, we went back to our hotel, and there’s still time for the kids to enjoy the pool.  We chose to stay at Bohol Diver’s Resort because they have swimming pools and located near the beach.  The resort has 2 swimming pools. The bigger one is perfect for kids because the deepest part is only 4 feet.  The other pool is 10 feet deep.  

8.    Whale watching
Klook.com

    The following morning at around 7 in the morning, we took a boat going to Balicasag Island.  While we were sailing we witnessed the whales swimming in the beach.

9.    Balicasag Island

The white sand beach and clear waters are so enticing not to dip and swim. We also snorkeled in the fish sanctuary. There are boats for rent that took us there where we experienced swimming with the fish.

10.Island hop at Virgin Island

  

We stopped at this marvelous Virgin Island before headed to our hotel in Panglao. Its beauty is really beyond compare, we had nothing to say but admire its magnificent shape with powdery white sand and crystal clear waters that sprawled around this islet.

TWO DAYS ITINERARY GUIDE FROM CEBU TO BOHOL 

Day 1

·     From Cebu Port terminal to Bohol Port Terminal via Ferry boat

·     Bohol Port Terminal to Hotel

·     Visit Tarsier 

·     Chocolate Hills

·     Loboc River cruise with lunch

·     Bilar man-made forest

·     Baclayon Church

·     Blood compact shrine

·     Shopping 

·     Back to the hotel for other activities like swimming, spa, dinner or indoor activities.

Day 2

·     Whale and shark watching

·     Swimming & snorkel at Balicasag Island

·     Virgin Island

·     Back to hotel and check-out in the afternoon

Visiting the Legendary Hero at Mactan Shrine

Lapu-Lapu

     While Manila has Rizal park with Dr. Jose Rizal’s statue holding a book, in Cebu they have Lapu-Lapu shrine.  Both are iconic monument which represents a significant mark in the history of the Philippines.  If you are a first time visitor in Cebu City the first thing a tourist guide would tell you is about the history of Lapu-Lapu, the mighty Filipino warrior who fought for freedom from Portuguese colonizer headed then by Ferdinand Magellan, who died in battle from Lapu-Lapu’s sword.  So there, at Mactan shrine the Cebuanos, locals of Cebu, made a replica of him by building a bronze statue of Lapu-Lapu years ago,  which I guess twice his size, wearing necklace made of wild animals fangs, round gold earrings, and a ‘bahag’ male lower garment and holding his battle sword and shield which symbolizes his bravery.

Dive Point Alcoy: Best Resort Near Oslob Whale Shark Watching

 

Swimming with the sharks in Oslob

    The once sleepy seaside town in southern Cebu has awakened in recent years. What used to be a secret among travelers and a weekend escape for some has now attracted many visitors both locally and internationally. Southern Cebu has a rich natural beauty specifically its beaches, diving and colonial churches. Perhaps, the most famous is whale shark watching in the town of Oslob.

Our pleasant stay in RB Lodge Kalibo

          This is where our first stop over where we spent our night when we had our scheduled business trip to a nearby town.  RB Lodge was our choice, then because it suited our budget, near bus and FX terminals going to Caticlan, Iloilo, Roxas and it is near the Kalibo airport, a 15-minute tricycle traveler had brought us there instantly.

One night stay in Alla Luna Rossa Resort Boracay

Photo credit to Agoda

           As I have mentioned in my previous post that I was on a business trip and our stay here in Boracay was just a result of a postponement of a scheduled business endeavor in the nearby town of Caticlan which led us to have a short visit in Boracay and booked the resort that could accommodate us because I just had this booking a night prior. There were also available resorts, but we wanted a front line beach resort in station 2 that would fit our budget. And that time Alla Luna Rossa Resort fitted in what we are looking for.

Sidetrip to Boracay on a business trip

The famous white sand of Boracay

            Whenever there’s a possibility for me to combine work and travel I would definitely pinch in my desire to travel, especially if my assignment would be out of town.  There was this instance, that I was able to have a glimpse of Boracay and indulge in its pristine clear waters when I had a project in Culasi, Antique which is nearby Caticlan, where the Boracay Island is located.

5 days itinerary Cebu and Bohol trip

A guide on what to do in Cebu and Bohol

Lapu Lapu Shrine, Cebu and Chocolate Hills, Bohol

     Here's the details of our 5 day itinerary on our tour to Cebu and Bohol, Philippines which could help you on your plan to visit these two tourist spots in the country.

Digyo Island, a hidden paradise

One of the four islands of Cuatro Islas in Inopacan, Leyte which is the smallest and farthest among the four islands.

    

      After a day's tour in Baybay town and nearby beaches, we are still clamoring to see more of Leyte's beauty. We were told that Cuatro Islas at Inopacan, a nearby town after Baybay has this beautiful island called Digyo which is not so well known to tourists.

The beauty of Baybay Leyte

   "Seaside" is the meaning of Baybay, which the name of this small town in Leyte was named merely because of its location beside the sea.

 

  The town plaza is clean and few bystanders can be seen in the area during daytime, people usually come around late in the afternoon until late at night because the weather is cooler and it's nice to see the glimmering lights when they are all switched on.