The Best of Bohol and Panglao, Philippines

The Philippines is an incredible country that is packed full of breathtaking islands, friendly people, and amazing coral reefs! If you have ever seen photographs of the Philippines, yes, it really does look like that in person. There are over 7,000 islands that make up the Philippines, and Bohol and Panglao should be sure to make your trip itinerary!

While Bohol and Panglao islands aren’t quite in the rankings as the most beautiful islands in the Philippines, they are definitely worth making a trip to!

Bohol and Panglao are technically 2 separate islands connected by 2 bridges. This makes it quite easy to visit the sights on both islands in a couple days. While Panglao is home to beaches and resorts, Bohol boasts the famous Chocolate Hills and Tarsier Sanctuary.

We created this travel guide to outline some of the best things to do in Panglao and Bohol to help you get the most out of your trip to the Philippines!

Read: The Perfect Place to Begin your Philippines Vacation: Moalboal, Cebu

Where is Bohol Island

This Philippines map shows the location of Bohol and Panglao Islands. They are located in the central region, adjacent to Cebu Island. As you can see in the map, Panglao is a small island at the tip of Bohol.

How to Get to Bohol

Now to answer the big question, how do I get to Bohol Island? We decided to head to Bohol directly from Cebu, from where we found that Apekop runs a daily boat route between Oslob and Panglao, departing at 11:30. The ticket costs $1,000 php plus an additional fee for luggage.

The boat drops you off on Momo Beach in Panglao. This worked out for us, but it is definitely not for everyone!

First you load your luggage and yourself in a small wooden boat that then takes you over to the larger boat, against some choppy waves. You will have to get your feet wet to walk to the first boat.

Once in the boat, it was so choppy and rocky that if you are prone to sea sickness, this is definitely not a good option for you! I ended up closing my eyes and laying down for the entire ride, while also being splashed by waves coming through the window.

The journey ended up taking almost 3 hours due to the ocean waves and the size of the boat. We were happy to arrive, but it was not the best journey. The boat company does not recommend the trip for elderly, pregnant women, or parents with small children, as they are aware of the sometimes rough conditions.

I am not recommending that you take this option, but it is a cheaper option if you are feeling up for a bit of an adventure.

There are fast ferry options from Cebu to Bohol as well, which we did not use. However, I would say this is a better option for most people if you are in Cebu. You can check with Ocean Jet for routes and pricing.

Of course, the easiest way to get to Bohol is to fly into the Bohol-Panglao International Airport, which was designed to boost tourism in Bohol. Especially, if you are not coming from Cebu, this route is probably the best option, if not the only option.

Where to Stay

Most tourists choose to stay in Panglao, where you will find most of the beaches, resorts, and many restaurants. Use Booking.com to find an accommodation that fits your budget and needs.

How to Get Around

If you would like freedom to move around at your own pace, renting a motorbike is a great option. Bohol is a big island with many different things to do, so having a motorbike helps with the ease of visiting everything you have planned. We rented a motorbike from Bohol Bikes so we could do a little countryside tour of Bohol.

As with most Philippines islands, you can always rent a tuk-tuk driver to drive you from place to place, which is how we went to the airport after returning our motorbike.

Read: A Guide to El Nido Island Hopping & Beaches: A Philippines Gem

The Best Things to Do in Panglao

Alona Beach

No, I am not recommending the McDonald’s or Jollibee. Alona Beach is the main beach in Panglao, and one of the easiest ones to get to. It is also close to the main restaurant strip, and where most of the boat trips will leave from if you schedule a tour.

Unfortunately, the building up of resorts has made it more difficult to access a lot of the beaches in the area, however, it is not impossible.

Go to Danao Beach for Sunset

We found Danao Beach to be an amazing and quiet little beach to enjoy the sunset on. The water was so calm that it was like glass, and it was one of the best sunsets that we have seen. To make it even better, there were only a few local fisherman and families sharing the view with us.

Go Snorkeling

The Panglao reef flat is located right off the tip of Panglao and is one of the best places to go snorkeling. We opted to do an island-hopping trip where we snorkeled around Balicasag island, but there are many other snorkeling or diving options!

Visit the Bohol Bee Farm

The Bohol Bee Farm is a hotel, restaurant, and tourist shop all in one stop. While they no longer have the actual bee farm on site, they offer an organic restaurant with an ocean view, a delicious ice cream shop, and a store to buy homemade goods. It is worth a stop!

Take a Day Trip to Balicasag (Island Hopping)

One of the absolute best things to do in Panglao is to take an island-hopping day tour. The trip will take you to Balicasag Island (pictured above), which is a very small, almost completely round island that doesn’t even look real from above. There are actually around 1,400 people that call Balicasag home, which we were shocked to learn from our guide!

The people living on the island make their money from the tourism that comes to Balicasag. You will see that the entire shore of the island is lined with white tourist boats for day trips.

On the way to the island, you will likely encounter a pod of dolphins eagerly following alongside your boat! We even saw a flying fish jump out of the water, which was crazy to see because it looked like a blue bird!

Once on the island, you have the option to order a meal from the local kitchen. Then you will grab your snorkeling gear and head out with one of the local guides from the island, who then do their best to help you find a sea turtle.

We were so lucky to find a sea turtle within minutes of jumping into the water, and he let us follow him around for 20 minutes. It is amazing to watch them swim through the water so gracefully, only coming up for air every now and then.

After snorkeling with the turtles, the guide will take you to another snorkeling spot where you will swim with tons of fish.

After leaving Balicasag, you will head to the Virgin Island Sand Bar, which is quite an incredible sight to see. It is a sand bar that is still covered in shallow, clear water in the middle of the sea.

It was one of my favorite places because the water is so shallow and clear, and I love being able to see what is swimming below me. It is seriously a unique and awe-striking place.

And that is all for the island-hopping tour, you will then be taken back to Alona Beach on Panglao. The guide on our boat wanted Jake to come sit with him on the front of the boat on our way back.

You will not meet nicer or more genuine people than you do in the Philippines!

Read: This is One of the Most Beautiful Islands in the Philippines: Coron, Palawan Itinerary

The Best Food in Panglao

Zara’s Cafe

For the dessert lovers like myself, Zara’s Cafe was one of the best places we went to on the island! It is owned by a Swedish man and his wife, and they specialize in Swedish desserts. You can enjoy a coffee, delicious sweets, and a sandwich, while taking in the view of the ocean, and Bohol across the bridge!

Wonder Land Thai

Wonder Land Thai had great Thai food. We are always down to try a Thai restaurant, and we enjoyed our meal at Wonder Land.

Barwoo Fusion

Barwoo Fusion ended up being one of our favorite restaurants in the Philippines. Sometimes it is honestly hard to find a high-quality restaurant here, but Barwoo was amazing.

Shaka Cafe

Shaka has a few different locations throughout the Philippines island. They specialize in smoothie bowls, healthy options, and of course coffee. We ordered smoothie bowls. They tasted great and they were just as pretty.

The Best Things to do in Bohol

Philippine Tarsier Sanctuary

One of the best things to do in Bohol is to visit the tarsier sanctuaries! The Philippine Tarsier Sanctuary was the first one we visited. A guide will walk you around and show you where the sleeping, nocturnal tarsiers are hiding in the trees.

The sanctuary is quite small and we only saw a couple tarsiers, but we liked learning about the tarsiers and the sanctuaries conservation efforts.

Bohol Tarsier Conservation Center

The Bohol Tarsier Conservation Center is another sanctuary for the tarsiers. Though it has way less Google reviews, we actually enjoyed our time at this one more than the other.

This one is self-guided, but the workers stand where the tarsiers are sleeping to point them out, but also make sure no one messes with them.

About Tarsiers

Tarsiers are a nocturnal primate that are about the size of a tennis ball
There are 10 species of tarsier, and extinction threatens all 10 species
Tarsiers have the largest eyes relative to body size of any mammal
Tarsiers can twist their necks a full 180 degrees in either direction, just like owls
A tarsiers diet consists of insects, reptiles like lizards and snakes, frogs, birds, and even bats
One of the main predators of tarsiers are the common house cats

Chocolate Hills

Bohol has become a tourist destination, most notably due to its Chocolate Hills, so of course you have to pay a visit to them while on Bohol! They are a very unique looking landscape of grass covered, pointy hills. The grass turns brown during the dry season, hence the name chocolate hills.

We drove our motorbike, which you will park in the parking lot, and then be shuttled in a bus to the top of the Chocolate Hills overlook. From there, there are various points to overlook the hills, including stairs you can walk up to get a better view!

It is a crazy landscape that was created by the ocean. The grassy hills were actually once coral reefs under the sea, formed by an uplift of the coral deposits and over hundreds of thousands of years they have been shaped by rain and erosion.

Drive Through Bilar Man-Made Forest

Honestly, I thought this was going to be a little more exciting than it was. Really, it is just a busy road with trees on both sides. While it is very pretty, the road is pretty busy, and it is hard to get out and take a photo. We just ended up driving through, but it is a neat road to drive on.

Tamper Coffee & Brunch

We ended up getting breakfast at Tamper Coffee and Brunch in the morning before spending the day on Bohol exploring the sights. We enjoyed their coffee, and the breakfast options were good too.

A few things that we did not end up doing in Bohol are the various waterfall hikes, the Loboc River Cruise, or the Lolay Firefly Watching. Though we cannot attest to whether they are worth visiting or not, they are things that were recommended to us.

Here are some more of our favorite photographs from Panglao and Bohol:

The islands of Bohol and Panglao may not have the pristine beaches of Boracay or the insane islands of Palawan, but it is definitely on the tourist map for a reason! Whether it is island hopping, snorkeling with sea turtles, or visiting the tarsiers, there is a lot to enjoy in Bohol and Panglao!

Be sure to watch our second chapter to traveling the Philippines!