# Bohol: map, what to do and when to go

Limestone hills, tarsiers, coral-stone churches, and reefs off Panglao, in Central Visayas, Philippines.

Canonical: https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/bohol/
Language: en. Extended author commentary and itinerary notes may remain in Portuguese. Dates below belong to individual sources; this is not live availability.

## Direct answer
- **Bohol: how do I get from the airport to Alona Beach?** Bohol-Panglao International Airport (TAG) is on Panglao Island, about 2 km from Alona Beach.
- **Bohol: how do I get there from Cebu?** From Cebu, the most common connection is the fast ferry to the port of Tagbilaran, about two hours' travel with several departures a day (OceanJet and other companies).
- **Bohol: what do I need to enter the Philippines?** Those arriving in the Philippines from abroad complete the free registration in the government's eTravel system (etravel.gov.ph).

## The interior: tarsiers, the Loboc River, and the Chocolate Hills
Leave early from Panglao or Tagbilaran with a car and driver hired the day before.
- Chocolate Hills
- Philippine Tarsier Sanctuary

## The sea: Pamilacan and Balicasag
The day before, book a boat at Alona Beach that combines dolphin watching off Pamilacan with the stop at Balicasag. Pamilacan lies in a different direction, and combining the two in the same outing leaves less time on the reef, according to the regional guide bohol-philippines.com; check the sea forecast before setting out.
- Loboc River
- Balicasag Island
- Pamilacan Island
- Alona Beach
- Virgin Island

## Tagbilaran and Panglao on land
In the morning, go to Bool, in Tagbilaran, to see the blood compact monument, and continue along the coast to the Baclayon church and convent museum, about 7 km from Tagbilaran, if they did not fit on the first day. Try the broas from the bakery behind the convent.
- Hinagdanan Cave
- Dauis Church

## Chocolate Hills
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/bohol/#g-lugar-chocolate-hills
Bohol · One to two hours
A field of conical limestone hills covered in grass, mostly between 30 and 50 m high, which turn brown in the dry season. The count varies by source, from 1,268 (the figure UNESCO cites) to 1,776. The government viewpoint, the Chocolate Hills Complex, is in Carmen, about 55 km from Tagbilaran, and is reached by a staircase of more than 200 steps. The entrance fee is set by the municipality: the schedule that took effect on October 1, 2025 charges ₱150 for adults who are not Bohol residents, according to the regional guide bohol-philippines.com, and the provincial government asked for it to be reviewed, so check at the counter. Sagbayan Peak, 18 km away, is the other viewpoint.
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## Philippine Tarsier Sanctuary
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/bohol/#g-lugar-philippine-tarsier-sanctuary
Up to half an hour
The sanctuary of the Philippine Tarsier Foundation, created in 1996, is in Corella, about 30 minutes from Tagbilaran. The Philippine tarsier, one of the smallest primates in the world, is nocturnal and spends the day asleep, clinging to branches; the visit, guided along a forest trail, calls for silence and no flash. Hours and fee vary among unofficial sources, so confirm on arrival.
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## Loboc River
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/bohol/#g-lugar-loboc-river
Bohol · One to two hours
The river that runs from the interior to the south coast is traveled by restaurant barges with a buffet lunch and music, between the forest, the Loboc spring, and the Busay falls. The price varies by operator, and in high season the wait at the boarding point can reach two hours, according to operators. If you don't want the lunch, you can see the river from the bridges and the bank.
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## Loboc Church
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/bohol/#g-lugar-loboc-church
Up to half an hour
The Loboc church, of Jesuit origin, is the seat of the oldest parish in Bohol, created in 1602. The 2013 earthquake destroyed much of it; restored under the supervision of the National Museum, it reopened on May 16, 2021. Inside are altarpieces from the Jesuit and Recollect periods and ceiling paintings from the 1920s.
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## Baclayon Church
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/bohol/#g-lugar-baclayon-church
Baclayon · Up to half an hour
The Church of the Immaculate Conception, completed in 1727 with coral blocks, is a National Cultural Treasure. It lost its portico and tower in the 2013 earthquake and reopened restored on February 27, 2018. The adjoining convent works as a museum of religious art, and behind it a bakery makes broas, a cookie tied to the use of the yolks left over when egg white went into the mortar of the buildings.
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## Blood Compact Shrine
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/bohol/#g-lugar-blood-compact-shrine
Up to half an hour
A monument in Bool, Tagbilaran, depicting the 1565 blood compact between Legazpi and Sikatuna, facing the sea. It is a short stop along the east coast road. The exact site of the compact is disputed: a marker installed in 2006 by the National Historical Institute, at Hinawanan Bay in Loay, places the ceremony aboard the ship San Pedro.
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## Bilar Man-Made Forest
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/bohol/#g-lugar-bilar-man-made-forest
Up to half an hour
A stretch of the road between Loboc and Bilar lined with mahogany trees planted in a reforestation project. Mahogany is not native, and the forest shelters little local wildlife. Many people stop in the middle of the road to take photos; if you stop, stay on the shoulder.
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## Balicasag Island
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/bohol/#g-lugar-balicasag-island
Poblacion · Half a day or more
A small island off Panglao, about 8 km from Alona Beach, with a marine sanctuary, a shallow reef for snorkeling, and a wall for scuba diving, where turtles appear. It is part of the Bohol Marine Triangle. According to operators, there is a municipal environmental fee and a daily visitor limit; confirm when booking the boat.
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## Pamilacan Island
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/bohol/#g-lugar-pamilacan-island
Pamilacan · One to two hours
An island in the municipality of Baclayon, 12.5 km south of Bohol, whose residents traded hunting dolphins, whales, and rays for watching tours. Dolphins appear in the surrounding sea, and the island has a Spanish watch fort and white-sand beaches. The guidelines of the province's Tourism Office recommend at most 20 minutes near the animals and ask that no one swim with them, touch them, or feed them.
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## Alona Beach
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/bohol/#g-lugar-alona-beach
One to two hours
The most developed beach on Panglao, with less than 1 km of white sand between low cliffs, a reef close to shore, and boat departures for diving and for the islands. It is practical for those staying a few days; those looking for quiet prefer the beaches on the west of the island.
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## Hinagdanan Cave
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/bohol/#g-lugar-hinagdanan-cave
Dauis · Up to half an hour
A limestone cave in Dauis, lit by light coming in through holes in the roof, with stalactites and an inner lagoon. You go down slippery steps with a guide rope. Swimming in the lagoon is no longer recommended because of pollutants seeping down through the karst soil.
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## Dauis Church
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/bohol/#g-lugar-dauis-church
Dauis · Up to half an hour
The Church of the Assumption, founded by the Jesuits in 1697, got its stone structure from 1863 on. Damaged in 2013, it was rebuilt from 2015 to 2017. It is a National Cultural Treasure and known for the well inside the church.
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## Panglao Church
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/bohol/#g-lugar-panglao-church
Poblacion · Up to half an hour
The Church of St. Augustine, near the sea in the town of Panglao, is a National Cultural Treasure. Beside it stands the five-story octagonal watchtower of 1851, part of the group of Bohol watchtowers.
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## Virgin Island
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/bohol/#g-lugar-virgin-island
Up to half an hour
A crescent-shaped sandbar west of Panglao, whose center lies under about 15 cm of water even at low tide. It is part of many boat tours along with Balicasag.
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**Bohol: how do I get from the airport to Alona Beach?**
Bohol-Panglao International Airport (TAG) is on Panglao Island, about 2 km from Alona Beach. At the exit there are private drivers and hotel transfers; confirm the price of the car before getting in. For the 2 km to Alona, a tricycle will do, and the buses between the Tagbilaran terminal and Alona pass by the airport, according to Wikivoyage.

**Bohol: how do I get there from Cebu?**
From Cebu, the most common connection is the fast ferry to the port of Tagbilaran, about two hours' travel with several departures a day (OceanJet and other companies). OceanJet asks you to arrive for check-in 30 minutes ahead and to carry ID with the same name as the ticket. Other ports on the island also have regular lines: Tubigon receives boats from Cebu.

**Bohol: what do I need to enter the Philippines?**
Those arriving in the Philippines from abroad complete the free registration in the government's eTravel system (etravel.gov.ph). Visa rules depend on the passport; check with the consulate before buying the ticket.

**Bohol: how many days should I stay?**
I'd stay three days in Bohol, and at least two. The first is for the interior: tarsiers in Corella, the river and church at Loboc, the Bilar road, and the Chocolate Hills viewpoint, which together fill a full day by car. The second is for the sea, with dolphins off Pamilacan and the reef at Balicasag. With two days, I'd do only that and stay in Panglao, near the boats. The third day brings together Baclayon, the blood compact monument, Dauis, and Panglao on land, and also works as a reserve if the sea closes on the boat day. Those who want the quiet beaches of Anda or the east of the island should add nights there, and not squeeze them into a day trip.

**Bohol: when is the best time to go?**
February to April, which usually brings together the most settled weather of the year and less rain. From November to January heavy downpours are more likely, May to July is the hottest and most humid period, and from August to October the southwest monsoon alternates calm and rainy weeks; in the second half of the year the island can be hit by typhoons. Holy Week, Christmas, and New Year fill the hotels.

**Bohol: where should I stay, Panglao or Tagbilaran?**
Alona Beach, on Panglao, suits those staying a few days who want a beach, restaurants, dive shops, and boats to the islands within walking distance of the hotel; it lies about 2 km from the airport, but the strip of sand is short and crowded with boats and bars, and the interior is more than an hour away by car. On the west Panglao beaches (Danao, Doljo, Momo), the resorts are more spread out and the beaches less crowded than Alona, but restaurants and boat departures are farther away, and every trip calls for arranged transport. Tagbilaran is close to the port, the Dao bus terminal, the malls, and the hospitals, and is the shortest starting point for Corella and Loboc; it has no beach, and the islands require going to Panglao.

**Bohol: can I visit Anda as a day trip?**
Anda is the peninsula in the southeast, 98 km from Tagbilaran, with white-sand beaches and fewer people than Panglao. The road takes a good part of the day; I'd go with one or two nights there, and not as a tight day trip.

**Bohol: how can I see the dolphins without disturbing them?**
The boats to Pamilacan leave from Alona and other Panglao beaches. The guidelines of the province's Tourism Office ask that the boat slow down near whales, not cut through groups of dolphins, not chase mothers with calves, and stay at most 20 minutes near the animals, and that no one swim with them, touch them, or feed them. Before paying, ask the operator whether it follows these guidelines; if the boatman ignores them, ask him to back off. For dolphin watching, March to June is the best phase, though they appear all year.

**Bohol: do I need to carry cash?**
Resorts, malls, and dive shops usually accept cards, but tricycles, motorcycle taxis, stalls, and entrance fees call for cash, and the Tourism Office recommends carrying small bills because many drivers have no change. There are ATMs in Tagbilaran and at Alona Beach; Philippine banks usually charge a withdrawal fee on foreign cards. The advertised boat price usually covers only the boat and the boatman: the Balicasag sanctuary fee, the small transfer boat at the reef, and the Virgin Island fee are paid separately, according to the regional guide bohol-philippines.com.

**Bohol: how much is the entrance to the Chocolate Hills viewpoint?**
The government viewpoint, the Chocolate Hills Complex, is in Carmen, about 55 km from Tagbilaran, and is reached by a staircase of more than 200 steps. The entrance fee is set by the municipality: the schedule that took effect on October 1, 2025 charges ₱150 for adults who are not Bohol residents, according to the regional guide bohol-philippines.com, and the provincial government asked for it to be reviewed, so check at the counter.

**Bohol: what safety precautions should I take?**
Bohol has low crime rates, and the precautions are those of any busy tourist area: watch for pickpockets on Alona Beach and at terminals, and for price scams in unagreed transport. The most concrete risk is on the road and at sea. Motorbikes require a helmet and a license, and the police set up frequent checkpoints on the Panglao bridges. For boats, check the forecast and storm warnings from PAGASA, the Philippine weather agency, and do not board in rough seas; with a typhoon signal, boats may not sail. Dengue circulates on the island: the regional office of the Department of Health recorded 1,275 cases in Bohol between January 1 and June 14, 2025, so use repellent. The island lies in a seismic zone, as the 2013 earthquake showed; follow local instructions in case of a tremor.


## In the Nilo app
- Plan these 2 days on the map: https://nilopelomundo.com/en/app/guide/bohol/?utm_source=llm&utm_medium=markdown&utm_content=door-itinerary
- Mark your hotel on the map: https://nilopelomundo.com/en/app/map/bohol/?utm_source=llm&utm_medium=markdown&utm_content=door-stay

## Full editorial guide (Portuguese)
https://nilopelomundo.com/llm/bohol.md