Find adventure – Day trip on Bohol – The Philippines – 7x What to do in Bohol

Are you also looking for adventure during your day trip on Bohol? The island of Bohol is well worth a visit. Consider the so-called Chocolate Hills, visit the Tarsir monkey and do the zipline adventure! I only had one day to spend on this beautiful island and thoroughly enjoyed it!

The Philippines is a really great holiday country. You can go diving and enjoy the sun, sea and beaches but it is also a country brimming with history. I love that combination immensely, so after a few days of relaxing in the coastal town of Malapascua, I headed to Cebu city to check out some history and nature from there. From Cebu city, I could easily book a day trip on Bohol.

Find adventure During a day trip on Bohol

Where is Bohol?

East of the island of Cebu, in the Visayas Central archipelago, lies the island of Bohol. From Cebu city, I went to the island of Bohol by boat early in the morning. It is a small island and thus very suitable for a day trip. The island has almost 200 km of beaches and a huge amount to offer such as jungle, rice fields and coconut palms, fringed by mangroves and pearly white beaches.

If you ask Filipinos about the most beautiful island, they mention Bohol. Unfortunately, I only spent one day there but still thoroughly enjoyed it! I took the 6am ferry, it takes you about 3 hours and so that early is necessary for a full-day trip. On the boat, I did close my eyes for a while 🙂

 The Tarsier Monkey – Bohol

When we got to the island I saw several guides standing on the parking lot to offer trips to all the tourist from the  ferry. I didn’t see a group where I wanted to share with, most of them were young and in a big group. So I booked my own trip with a guide and we went off. The first stop was at a forest with the Tarsier monkey in Corella.

It’s a really small monkey with a strange appearance, they also call it ghostmonkeys. I can imagines how they came up with that name. It has big eyes and has long boney fingers 🙂

Check where the Tarsier Sanctuary is on Bohol – GPS Tarsier Sanctuary

Note. The sanctuary is an eco tourism place that actually fights for the survival of the tarsier. Always keep a close watch and judge how animals are treated. If you think rules and laws are being broken, report it.

Man-Made Forest – Bohol

After we continued, we drove through the Bilar ‘man-made forest’. Through the forest is a nice 2 km long road (Loay Interior Road) that takes you through the forest. As you would expect from most forests in the Netherlands, it is a forest that is man-made and so the trees line up nicely. This man-made forest is named as an extra point on the day trip Bohol. With us in the Netherlands, we no longer have a natural forest and everything is man-made. Here it is a tourist attraction.

You could do a hike here if you stay longer then a day trip on Bohol or ride a scooter through it on your own.

Check where the Man-Made Forest is on Bohol – GPS Man-Made Forest

Chocolate Hills – Carmen, Bohol

Then we soon entered a landscape with humps that resembled the one the area is named after. The Chocolate Hills near the town of Carmen are round hills protruding from the landscape. Very unusual to see. Among the rice fields, I could already see these round hills.

After a while, we came to an area which was full of these hills. I was brought to a highest hill and after climbing 250 steps, we could look over the area.

And yes, they will be like the name says, Chocolate Hills.

I was early in the year so the hills were still green but if you come in summer or after, they are brown and so look like what the name suggests….bonbons! I can imagine everything about it. These hills used to be in the sea and so they are made of karst and sandstone. There is only a thin layer of soil over them so some of it has grown up but also gets dry and barren quickly when it is summer. There was a recount a few years ago and it turns out to be 1776 conical or dome-shaped grass hills.

Even at this viewpoint, I could still clearly see that typhoon Haiyan had caused quite a lot of damage in 2013. In fact, I was here in the first half of 2014. The plateau had partly slid off the hill and a fence had been erected for that part.

In the distance, I saw some hills whose tops had shifted and no longer looked so nicely rounded, this was also due to the typhoon that swept over it in 2013 and destroyed a lot. So again, I’m curious to what extent nature recovers itself and what people also recover over time.

Adventurous Day Trip on Bohol – Chocolate Hills

Where can you find the Chocolate Hills? GPS Chocolate Hills

Butterfly Farm – Bohol

On our way back my guide brought me to a butterfly-farm. It wasn’t the season for butterflies but I did see some nice ones. And also to see how they work with the butterflies and the flowergarden was nice!

Zipline Adventure – Bohol

After this visit, he told us about a zipline adventure camp we would pass, the Loboc Ecotourism Adventure Camp. I gave it no further thought and was immediately excited!

I’ve wanted that for a while! How cool that seemed to me!

So we went there and I booked a trip down the beautiful bright blue Loboc River. They showed me the way where to go up, I was strapped in and soon I was hanging there.

I was barely prepared for the trip I was about to take. They asked if I was ready…yes…I was…I thought…. And there I went! I had my camera in my hand so I could take some pictures. Whether I can recommend that to everyone I don’t know. Of course, I had put the loop around my wrist and held the camera securely.

I looked ahead…I looked down and my breath stopped for a moment.

I was flying tremendously high and it was going really fast! At that moment I couldn’t think for a moment, I was speechless…. I couldn’t think properly …. What an experience! I found it scary but at the same time I enjoyed the speed, the view and the thrill!

During this first zipline photo, you can see that I can only look…. mouth open….and luckily I pressed the button on my camera a few more times….haha! A little after this, I just stopped taking photos and just held the camera tightly and looked around. Full enjoyment!

Adventurous Daytrip on Bohol

They unzipped me on the other side and showed me to walk up the hill. There was the second starting point! They zipped me in again to go again. This time I was prepared for the rush and could look around me while zipping over the river. What a wonderful and strange feeling! I really loved the experience!

The first zipline was 520 metres and the second was 460 metres, they were 120 metres high and going down to 100 metres.

Would you like to do that zipline trip too at Loboc Ecotourism Adventure Park? GPS Ecotourism Park

Lunch on the Loboc River – Bohol

After this amazing experience, I was dropped off at a boat cruising the Loboc River while we had a nice lunch. I sat at a table with a couple of Dutch people so we had a nice chat and enjoyed the scenery. Halfway through, we were shown another traditional dance on the waterfront where we stopped for a while.

After lunch, I was taken back to the port. Meanwhile, I visited another church. This church was also partly destroyed by typhoon Haiyan but could still be visited. There was part free entry and part museum about the history of this church.

When I was in Malapascua on Cebu, I saw that they were busy recovering from Haiyan. There were lots of goods lying everywhere from the Red Cross.

This church near the river Loboc, also destroyed by the Typhoon.

The church I visited on my way back. partly ruined by the typhoon, they were busy working on recovery. The church itself was standing but its tower needed some repairworks.

Sandugo Shrine – Blood Pact

Legazpi, the founder of Manila, arrives on Bohol in 1563. The most powerful ruler at the time is Sikatuna, a man already legendary in life who is said to be able to make himself invisible. As soon as hostile pirates land on the island, he emerges as an avenging fury.

So the task is to win over this important man. Legazpi enters into a blood pact with him. You can see how this must have worked just outside the island capital Tagbilaran: the helmeted ruler and the Spaniard raise a cup containing each other’s blood. Three Spaniards from Legazpi’s retinue look on.

Want to see this statue? GPS Bloodpact Shrine

What will you do on the adventurous island of Bohol?

I had a wonderfully adventurous day trip on Bohol. If I were in Bohol again now, I think I would spend several days on the island. In 2014, I travelled even faster and if you are short on time then this Bohol adventure day trip is super! You will see the highlights and unmissable spots of Bohol.

Would you also like to take a look at what trips you can book on Bohol island? You can do plenty there, go on an adventurous day trip Bohol like me or also book an overnight stay on Bohol so you have a bit more rest to see it at your leisure.

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Want to read more about my Philippines travels?

Hiking to the Summit of Mt Pulag

Things to do in Summer Capital Baguio

Island Hopping in El Nido

Hiking to Osmena Peak – Cebu

Ancient Rice Terraces of Banaue / Hapao

Or go diving at Sipadan Malaysia!

Diving at Sipadan #1 Spot to Dive in the World