Exploring Bohol's Islands
We maximized every minute during our visit in Bohol. We visited the main island, Panglao island, Balicasag island, and the Virgin islands.
Day 1 | MAIN ISLAND
As soon as we reached Roberto's Place, we rented a motorcycle and started our land trip around the main island. It was our first time to travel by motorcycle and we definitely recommend it to young couples. It's an easy and affordable way to get around a place.
Our first stop was the Tarsier sanctuary. I had seen the tarsier before but I wanted Lubos to see this peaceful creature.
We had a quick stopover at the Manmade Forest and then headed to the Chocolate Hills viewing deck. The breeze cools down when you reach the forest and it was a welcomed feeling given the long hot ride on the motorbike.
We had to ask a few locals and climbed a flight of stairs to get to the hills, but all the effort was worth it.
On our way back to Panglao island, we had a quick stopover at the Loboc town for a late lunch in a local carenderia. It was quite saddening to see the remains of the Loboc church post-earthquake in 2013.
With still some energy to spare, we decided to squeeze in a visit at the Hinagdanan Cave. We had a funny young lad as a guide (which I think was not necessary since the cave was small).
With a few minutes to spare, we tried to catch the sunset at one of the small ports. With the pastel-colored sky, the calm sea and a few fishing boats, the view was perfect to end our first day in Bohol.
DAY 2 | BALICASAG and VIRGIN ISLANDS
Ever since we were young, my dad always wanted to bring us with our grandfather to Balicasag island so I was extra excited to see this place with Lubos.
Jonathan and Mhai from Roberto's Place helped to arrange the boat trip. Our boatman was Larry who is nice and accommodating.
Balicasag is definitely the best place to visit and we wanted to do it our way - avoid crowds, walk and swim our way to see all and then say.. when know the place. We headed out at 6am to make sure we catch a glimpse of the dolphins. We among other boats were literally chasing the dolphin pod.
We asked Larry to drop us off anywhere we do not need to pay for the tourist fee on the Balicasag Public Beach Resort. We snorkeled around all the way to Balicasag Island Dive Resort and then crossed the island walking back to public beach to eat. We tried to go to Turtle Point to swim, but the waves were big so we decided to go back to Larry's boat. On the way to Virgin Island we still say the turtles from the boat.
We continued to Virgin Islands, out of which the Pontod island ( St. Francis'Island) is the biggest and most frequented one. When you get there late, after 3p.m., water descends and you can easily walk 300 meters to the adjacent sand bar which is even more amazing for picture taking. It is like in the paradise postcards.
DAY 3 | PANGLAO ISLAND
We wanted to go scuba diving but due to "bad" weather, all sea travel has been suspended by the coast guard. In fact, the weather was pleasant so we decided to explore the different beaches of Panglao island.
We visited Bikini Beach, Dumaluan Beach, and Doljo Beach.
Bikini Beach is a favorite nook among locals. When we reached the place, there were mostly children playing and swimming. Given the calm waters, we decided to go snorkeling and found a couple sea snakes and jelly fish.
Doljo Beach is special because we had to 'trespass' to reach the beach area. Luckily, the security guard, Edu was friendly and chatted with us when he spotted us. Apparently, the lot was bought by a Chinese entrepreneur a few years back but until now, the construction of the resort has not started.
On the morning before our flight, we went back to Doljo beach. Lubos went snorkeling and he claims it was one of the best spots that he has seen.
We will definitely be back.
Day 1 | MAIN ISLAND
As soon as we reached Roberto's Place, we rented a motorcycle and started our land trip around the main island. It was our first time to travel by motorcycle and we definitely recommend it to young couples. It's an easy and affordable way to get around a place.
Our first stop was the Tarsier sanctuary. I had seen the tarsier before but I wanted Lubos to see this peaceful creature.
We had a quick stopover at the Manmade Forest and then headed to the Chocolate Hills viewing deck. The breeze cools down when you reach the forest and it was a welcomed feeling given the long hot ride on the motorbike.
We had to ask a few locals and climbed a flight of stairs to get to the hills, but all the effort was worth it.
On our way back to Panglao island, we had a quick stopover at the Loboc town for a late lunch in a local carenderia. It was quite saddening to see the remains of the Loboc church post-earthquake in 2013.
With still some energy to spare, we decided to squeeze in a visit at the Hinagdanan Cave. We had a funny young lad as a guide (which I think was not necessary since the cave was small).
With a few minutes to spare, we tried to catch the sunset at one of the small ports. With the pastel-colored sky, the calm sea and a few fishing boats, the view was perfect to end our first day in Bohol.
DAY 2 | BALICASAG and VIRGIN ISLANDS
Ever since we were young, my dad always wanted to bring us with our grandfather to Balicasag island so I was extra excited to see this place with Lubos.
Jonathan and Mhai from Roberto's Place helped to arrange the boat trip. Our boatman was Larry who is nice and accommodating.
Balicasag is definitely the best place to visit and we wanted to do it our way - avoid crowds, walk and swim our way to see all and then say.. when know the place. We headed out at 6am to make sure we catch a glimpse of the dolphins. We among other boats were literally chasing the dolphin pod.
We asked Larry to drop us off anywhere we do not need to pay for the tourist fee on the Balicasag Public Beach Resort. We snorkeled around all the way to Balicasag Island Dive Resort and then crossed the island walking back to public beach to eat. We tried to go to Turtle Point to swim, but the waves were big so we decided to go back to Larry's boat. On the way to Virgin Island we still say the turtles from the boat.
We continued to Virgin Islands, out of which the Pontod island ( St. Francis'Island) is the biggest and most frequented one. When you get there late, after 3p.m., water descends and you can easily walk 300 meters to the adjacent sand bar which is even more amazing for picture taking. It is like in the paradise postcards.
DAY 3 | PANGLAO ISLAND
We wanted to go scuba diving but due to "bad" weather, all sea travel has been suspended by the coast guard. In fact, the weather was pleasant so we decided to explore the different beaches of Panglao island.
We visited Bikini Beach, Dumaluan Beach, and Doljo Beach.
Bikini Beach is a favorite nook among locals. When we reached the place, there were mostly children playing and swimming. Given the calm waters, we decided to go snorkeling and found a couple sea snakes and jelly fish.
Dumaluan Beach is a long stretch of white sand, where a few resorts are located.
Doljo Beach is special because we had to 'trespass' to reach the beach area. Luckily, the security guard, Edu was friendly and chatted with us when he spotted us. Apparently, the lot was bought by a Chinese entrepreneur a few years back but until now, the construction of the resort has not started.
On the morning before our flight, we went back to Doljo beach. Lubos went snorkeling and he claims it was one of the best spots that he has seen.
We will definitely be back.