Your Bohol Island day trip begins with pickup from your hotel by air-conditioned coach. With your knowledgeable guide, tour Bohol’s scenic countryside, starting from the island’s capital city of Tagbilaran.
This tour takes in many sights, including the bronze statue known as the Blood Compact Monument, a landmark commemorating the first treaty of friendship between the Spanish and Filipinos. Visit the Baclayon Church, built in 1595, and admire its traditional Spanish colonial architecture. Explore its neighboring museum with your guide to see relics dating back to the 16th century.
Next, drive under the lush foliage of mahogany trees in a man-made forest prized for its timber, and pass green farmland and villages surrounded by local nipa palms. When you reach Bilar, your guide accompanies you to a butterfly conservation center that showcases a variety of Philippine butterflies, including about half of the 300 species found on Bohol.
Marvel at these colorful creatures as they roam freely over 7 acres (3 hectares) of butterfly habitat and feast on nectar-rich flowers. From a viewing deck above, take note of the cone-shaped Chocolate Hills in the distance.
You’ll get up close to the thousand or so limestone mounds after a scenic driving tour through the island’s interior to Carmen. Then enjoy more fabulous views over Bohol from the Chocolate Hills viewpoint. To remember this magnificent panorama, get creative and take an off-the-wall snapshot of yourself with the hills as a backdrop.
Continue by coach to Loboc and board a catamaran for a 50-minute cruise on the Loboc River, and enjoy an authentic lunch of Filipino specialties served on board the boat, buffet-style. Relax as you view nature’s splendor, including graceful rolling hills, coconut trees and green nipa palms lining the riverbanks. Your guide can help you spot tiny Philippine tarsiers playing on the riverbank ─ with a gentle demeanor and large, bulbous eyes, the world’s second-smallest primate isn’t easy to find.
Afterward, make a brief stop in the coastal town of Loay to observe several backyard industries of the former fishing village. See the making of bolo hatchets, used for farming and woodcutting, and learn about the manual construction of nipa palm roofing materials.
Your Bohol tour ends with the return drive to Tagbilaran and drop-off at your selected Bohol hotel.