Best of Bohol 1: Countryside Tour
- Admin
- Dec 6, 2017
- 6 min read
Hello Nookfinders!
It’s about time to add a travel blog post don’t you think? As promised, I will carry on with my family’s Cebu-Bohol adventure last March 2017. If you want to know more about the Cebu escapade and this tour package rate plus inclusions, check it out here.
From our quick day-tour in Cebu, we traveled for 2 hours the next day via Ocean Jet to reach the seaport of the beautiful island of Bohol. Thirst and hunger won’t be a problem since food and drinks are available for purchase. Luggage is also safely handled based on personal experience.
Here’s the list of boat ticket prices for the Ocean Jet Cebu-Tagbilaran route:
My quick selfie during the 2 hour ride. The girl obviously can't contain her excitement but was constantly keeping an eye on the life vests haha!
A single post will be too extensive to cover the highlight of our 3 days Bohol trip so I am going to start off with our Country side tour.
QUICK INTRO TO BOHOL
Bohol in its simplest sense is majestic. It‘s a 1st class province having Tagbilaran as its Capital City. It’s part of Central Visaya and it boasts of stunning tourist spots and resorts within the mainland and 75 surrounding islands.
Without much adieu, let’s take a look at our Bohol Countryside tour.
DID WE JUST STEAL ANOTHER FAMILY’S TOUR?
Upon arrival in the seaport, something hilarious happened. We waited in vain for the driver/ tour-guide but it turned out that he was already there the entire time. He was just holding a welcome card with the wrong family name. We went on to eat at Loboc but due to that, I was so scared we stole another family’s guide so I had to check with the travel agency. Fortunately, he was the real deal.
TAGBILARAN SEAPORT
The first thing that I noticed was the blue waters and continuous flow of foreign tourists. I was so excited to discover what’s in-store for us.
LOBOC FLOATING RIVER CRUISE
We arrived at Loboc with our hungry stomachs. We insisted that our tour guide join us for lunch but he refused. The buffet lunch is already part of the package so no personal expenses for that.
Incase you wanna do a DIY:
Buffet price = 350 PHP / head
Mainenance, Safety and security charges= 100 PHP/ head
As you munch on mostly seafood in this renowned floating restaurant, a band will serenade you to elevate the experience.
The length of the boat trip is enough to enjoy your lunch and the fantastic scenery.
By the near end before the boat starts its return to dock, a smaller boat will be attached on the side carrying an assembly of kids, middle aged and elderly women who will entertain you with their costumes, songs of hope, ukuleles and dance. It’s not obligatory to donate but damn, I was so pleased at that moment seeing the foreigners so entertained that I had to give a tip.
At one point I even went down to play and dance Tinikling. It was a joyous experience.
Upon docking, you can have your restroom break and then check out souvenir stalls.
I had to buy this crunchy worm pack for my officemates. Challenged each to eat one so they could claim their pasalubongs from me haha! 80 PHP is not bad for such fun.
LOBOC ZIPLINE
This was a short visit , We only wanted to see how high it was and upon seeing the height of this zipline, we never mustered the courage to even try and our main excuse was, “we just ate.” haha. Of course Foreign tourists are always eager to try this extreme zipline.
This is located at Loboc Ecotourism Adventure Park. Honestly, I regret not trying at all. When I come back, I’ll surely give it a shot.
DIY Prices Zipline : PhP 350/pax Cable Car : Php 250/pax All Ride(zipline & cable car) : Php 550/pax Combo ride : Php 350/pax (one-way each for zipline & cable car) Soft copy of souvenir photos + 1 printed photo: P250
BILAR MAN-MADE FOREST
A part of a reforestation program due to the alarming issues of Kaingin in Bohol, who would have known that this forest is man-made? It’s so amazing to see in pictures from various travelers but it is even more awesome to view in person.
Photo ops could be a little tricky due to the speed of cars passing by so be careful!
TARSIER CONSERVATION AREA
This place is just a winner. I get to see Tarsiers for the first time and take photos of them.
They’re just so little and cute, sometimes when you wanna take a photo of them, they turn their heads around in slow-mo’ telling that you just got rejected. I turned off my camera’s flash so I won’t disorient the tarsiers and followed the ‘’NO TOUCH" rule.
Did you know that tarsiers are the smallest primates and are suicidal when distressed? They are nocturnal mammals so their exposure to tourists during daytime can be stressful for them. They can smash their heads to hard objects so I highly encourage tourists to respect the rules, to zip their mouths and just appreciate from afar. I am ever thankful that Bohol is doing its best to protect them. They are uniquely beautiful creatures!
The conservation area is also the perfect place to buy Bohol’s well known peanut kisses at the cheapest cost. Bohol’s pride is a bite-sized, flour-less cookie made of roasted and locally-sourced peanuts, sugar, and egg white. You could buy it anywhere in Bohol at a price ranging from 20-200 PHP.
Entrance fee: 60 PHP
BOHOL CHOCOLATE HILLS
This experience was my favorite! Instead of the view deck, we rode ATVs to go to the chocolate hills for an hour while our guide agreed to bring our parents to the view deck. The cost for the ATV is not part of the package.
Price for 30 Minutes ATV ride: 450 PHP per head
Price for 1 hour: 1000 PHP per head.
It was my first time to ride an ATV so I had to adjust and learn quickly. It was easy!
Chocoloate hills is without a doubt, Bohol’s number one tourist spot. There are atleast 1226 hills but the count may climb up to 1776 spread on a 50 square kilometers area of land.
Meanwhile, our parents had fun climbing the viewdeck and according to them, the view was astonishing. The hills at the time we visited were still green but they turn brown during very dry season, hence the name.
SIPATAN TWIN HANGING BRIDGE
Found at Ewon Sevilla Bohol, it consists of two bamboo bridges that hang alongside each other. At the other side of the bridge there are small souvenir shops and a nook where you could claim and buy a hard copy of your photo like what i have below. No entrance fee.
BILAR BUTTERFLY GARDEN
To end the tour, we went to Poblacion, Bilar’s butterfly garden. Owned by Simply Butterflies Conservation Center, we were well entertained by their comical tour guide and did some photo ops. Entrance fee is 30 PHP per head.
It was already late in the afternoon so we were lucky enough to still see a few of the many butterflies flying around.
What we missed in the tour was the blood compact shrine and python viewing. We took some time with the ATV so it’s not something to regret and at least, we still have reasons to go back.
Over all, the kind tour guide definitely made things great. He was always willing to wait and adjust for our parents. He was the head of their operations in Bohol thus, the excellent service provided.
TRAVEL AGENCY AND TOUR PACKAGE PRICES:
If you want to know what agency fixed our tour and the whole package rate for our 4 days, 3 nights Cebu-Bohol escapade, click here.
ACCOMODATION:
Our accommodation was Arrabelle Suites Hotel. It’s a new hotel with it’s own swimming pool and resto. Check them out through these links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ArabelleSuites/
loved how fresh our rooms were specially that of our parents. We had 3 rooms, with hot baths. The only downside is that there was no lift so you have to carry your luggage through the stairs. It was okay because attendants are there and our rooms were just at the 2nd floor.
The Countryside tour in Bohol is such a "Sulit" experience. Scratch it off your list by contacting your tour agency, hotel or do your own diy tours via rented vans or habal–habal.
WANT MORE OF BOHOL? Get to know more about our 4 day Cebu-Bohol escapade through these Links:
CEBU TWIN CITY TOUR- inclusive of tour rates and tour inclusions
PANGLAO ISLAND TOUR- Publishing soon!
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