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For the easiest mix of beach, countryside and wildlife in the Philippines, with very short transfers.
Add Bohol to my journeyBohol is the island we send people to when they want a bit of everything without long transfers. The Chocolate Hills — more than a thousand grassy domes that brown in the dry season — are an hour and a half from the beaches of Panglao. The Philippine tarsier, a palm-sized primate with enormous eyes, lives in protected forest in Corella. The Loboc River slides through jungle under a canopy of nipa palms. And Spanish-era stone churches, many rebuilt after the 2013 earthquake, mark almost every town.
Most visitors base themselves on Panglao, a smaller island joined to Bohol by bridges, and do the countryside as a day trip. That works. But if you have time, a night or two inland or on the quieter east coast at Anda changes the feel of the trip completely.
Bohol is the Philippines at a manageable scale. In three or four days you can see a geological oddity, a rare primate, a river cruise and some of the easiest diving in the Visayas, and still spend afternoons by the pool.
It's also well organised. Roads are good by island standards, the airport is close to the beaches, and the ferry to Cebu makes it easy to combine with other islands.
Panglao is the default; Anda and the countryside are the alternatives that reward more time.
A classic countryside day covers the highlights in a loop from Panglao. With a private driver you can do it in the right order: hills early, tarsiers mid-morning, river at lunch.
Panglao has good beaches but not empty ones. For quieter sand, take a boat to the islands offshore or drive east to Anda.
Balicasag Island, around 30–45 minutes by boat from Panglao, is a marine sanctuary with walls, turtles and big schools of jacks. Snorkellers can see a lot from the surface; divers get some of the easiest wall dives in the region. Pamilacan Island, further out, is known for dolphin sightings on early-morning trips.
The classic morning: leave around 6am for dolphins near Pamilacan, snorkel at Balicasag, and stop at the Virgin Island sandbar on the way back.
Boholano food is home cooking: grilled fish, pork, rice and seasonal vegetables. Look for calamay, a sweet sticky treat of coconut and sugar packed in coconut shells, and peanut kisses, small peanut cookies shaped like the Chocolate Hills. Panglao has a broad range of restaurants around Alona and the main road; in the countryside, eat at small local places along the river.
Insider notes
14 days · Essential / Boutique / Premium / Signature
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From €1,100per person ·
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From €1,600per person ·
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View journey →Use this journey as inspiration. Change the islands, hotels, pace, activities or number of nights.
Add Bohol to my journeyBy fast ferry from Cebu City to Tagbilaran, around 2 hours, several times a day.
Yes. A countryside loop from Panglao covers the hills, tarsiers and river in one long day.
It's one of the best islands for families: short drives, gentle beaches and lots to see.
Towards the end of the dry season, usually around March to May. They're green for much of the rest of the year.
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The country's oldest city and the busiest hub in the Visayas, with the best lechon in the Philippines and waterfalls, whale sharks and reefs a few hours south.
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A small island with an outsized reputation for folk healers, plus turquoise waterfalls, a quiet ring road and sunsets over empty beaches.
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A small, round volcanic island off northern Mindanao with seven volcanoes, hot and cold springs, waterfalls and a white sandbar facing the peaks.
Tell us when you're coming. We'll help design the rest.