The Island of Bohol is a wonder to behold. There is so much to see; the beauty is it can all be seen in one day! Since we were staying in Panglao, the smaller island attached to Bohol, we decided it made the most sense to do a day trip to Bohol. The tour we booked was exceptional, as it covered all the wonderful things to see & do in Bohol. Even though I was feeling a bit of a cold coming on with congestion, I wasn’t going to miss this day trip!

Our day began at 1030 when our private van picked us up from our hotel. It was definitely worth getting a private tour, this way all the activities could be done at our own pace. After a 30 minute drive from our hotel, we stopped at our first destination: Baclayon Church. This church was built in 1595 by Spanish settlers. It was a time capsule with exquisite painting across the entire ceiling. After taking a look inside & snapping some photos, we got back in our van to head to the Lombok River Cruise for lunch! This was something I had been very excited about, as we had read this was one of the best things to do while in Bohol.

We arrived & our driver took care of signing us in while we waited. This was a nice touch since people who did not book with a tour service had to get in a que & wait until their number was called. However, we were able to board a boat as soon as our driver checked us in!

Our river boat was adorned with Filipino decorations & there was a great buffet waiting for us! The buffet featured traditional Filipino food & it was absolutely delicious. The boat ride started down the river & the light breeze was much needed, cooling us off as we feasted on the buffet food. Not long after the boat set off down the river, we stopped for an authentic Filipino performance of song & dance. It was delightful & we were even able to go onto the adjacent platform to try out the dances for ourselves. Both Joseph & I gave it a try, which was a ton of fun!

The boat continued leisurely down the river amongst lush jungle vegetation on either side. We made sure to get a table at the front of the boat where our view of the river would be unobstructed. It made the experience even more enjoyable. We went 30 minutes up & 30 minutes back down the river, which was more than enough time to fully take in the pristine scenery. The entire time, there was live music. They played a ton of classics which the entire boat sang along to. The whole experience was extremely unique & peaceful.

Our driver was waiting for us as soon as we departed the boat, wasting no time getting us to our next stop! We drove down a windy mountain road through the Man Made Forest. The trees were extremely tall & evenly spaced out. The light leaking through the trees above was picturesque, so of course we stopped to snap a few photos!

Our next, & most anticipated destination was the Tarsier Sanctuary! Joseph & I had been excited to see these tiny primates ever since we learned of their existence in the Philippines. They are truly fascinating creatures; they almost don’t look real. Since they are nocturnal, it was important that we be quiet when viewing them during the day. Unfortunately, there were a lot of visitors that were not being respectful of this rule. Many tourists were talking loudly & generally being very disruptive. It was disappointing that people were so disrespectful of these tiny & endangered species. I was just happy there were only about five tarsiers in the small area that tourists are allowed to walk in for viewing. The rest of the sanctuary is off limits, which is truly a blessing. We were very quite, got the photos we wanted, & made a quick exit in about 20 minutes to try to do our part in not disturbing the tarsiers.

After some quiet viewing it was time for a more rambunctious activity! We booked the day tour that included an hour of ATV riding in the Bohol countryside. The terrain was very bumpy & unkempt, which made the ATV ride challenging for me. Of course Joseph had no problem at all, but I definitely struggled to keep up with him & our guide. It was a fun challenge to try & keep up with them as we road up small hills, took sharp corners & took in the beauty of the landscapes. We came to a stop halfway through where our guide took photos of us. Joseph took this opportunity to put his drone up in the air & get some great footage of me on the ATV. Our guide also told him this was a good chance to take footage of the Chocolate Hills. It was a good thing he mentioned this, since drones are not allowed at the Chocolate Hills viewing center.

Next, we went to the Chocolate Hills viewing point for sunset. The Chocolate Hills are a natural phenomenon that formed from the remnants of limestone. It was gorgeous viewing them at sunset. It was s short 5 minutes climb up a tall flight of stairs to get the the observation point on top of the hill. From there, the hills could be seen from every direction!

After a long day in the sun, we were glad the sun was finally setting & that our last experience would be afterdark. We drove about 30 minutes from the Chocolate Hills to a river for a firefly watching cruise. The cruise was quite short, lasting only 30 minutes, but it was more than enough time to see the amazing fireflies. Plus, we were pretty tired & ready to head back to our hotel for dinner. The tour took us to three different trees where the fireflies were known to congregate. At each tree we clapped, which caused the fireflies to miraculously light up! It was unbelievable that clapping brought out their lights. The tour guide told us tons of facts about fireflies, including that the females can’t fly. This is why they stay in certain trees & breed there, making it easy to find them every night. It was a beautiful night & the sky was clear, making it easy to spot the fireflies. Unfortunately, our cameras did have a tough time catching them, but if you look hard enough you can make them out!

Overall, it was a phenomenal day exploring the wonderful island of Bohol! By the time we got back to our hotel we were ready for dinner & an early bedtime. We both slept soundly that night.

If we are interested in booking this tour, click here!