Things to Do in Bohol: Our Tips for the Philippines’ Most Famous Island

Attractions on Bohol

Bohol has a lot to offer and is one of the most visited attractions in the Philippines. Here’s our guide to the best things to do in Bohol — the highlights that are genuinely worth your time.

Chocolate Hills — Mountains Made of Chocolate

The Chocolate Hills are THE top attraction on Bohol. But why are these green hills called Chocolate Hills?

The answer is actually pretty simple. During the dry season from February to June, the lush green of the hills turns brown — giving them their characteristic chocolatey name.

During our visit in January, we got to admire the hills without their chocolate coating. Honestly, we think the green look suits them even better. No regrets at all.

Estimates put the total number of Chocolate Hills at over 1,700 — there’s no definitive count. The tallest reaches 120 meters. They’re spread across the whole island, but the biggest concentration is in the center, around the town of Carmen.

The Chocolate Hills are at their most magical at sunrise. So we checked in for one night at one of the few places to stay near Carmen and set out for the viewpoint the next morning at 5:00 AM.

We both struggle with early mornings, but this time it was absolutely worth it. Not only did we have the usually packed viewpoint entirely to ourselves — the play of colors from the first rays of sunlight over the hills was simply breathtaking.

We really do recommend spending one night in Carmen if you want to experience the Chocolate Hills at sunrise.

There aren’t many accommodations there, and besides the Chocolate Hills, there isn’t a whole lot else going on. We stayed at the Villa Carmen and only needed ten minutes by scooter to reach the viewpoint. There are just a handful of rooms, so book early.

Tarsiers: The Cutest Residents of Bohol

The second big highlight on Bohol is tiny — only about 8 cm tall. We’re talking about the tarsiers, those impossibly adorable little creatures that make you want to scoop one up and take it home.

Not such a great idea, though. Tarsiers love their freedom — and they take it to an extreme. When kept in captivity, they’ll often take their own lives by refusing to eat or repeatedly banging their heads against walls until they die. Heartbreaking.

Tarsiers are nocturnal. During the day, they mostly just sit in a tree, clinging to a branch with their enormous fingers and staring at you with those huge eyes.

Since you’d have a hard time spotting them in the wild, there are two facilities on Bohol where you can observe tarsiers: the Philippine Tarsier Sanctuary near Corella in the southwest, and the Tarsier Conservation Area a bit further inland.

And this is where we get to one of the island’s real problems: animal welfare.

Philippine Tarsier Sanctuary: Good Reputation, Disappointing Reality

Every travel guide recommends the Philippine Tarsier Sanctuary, claiming the tarsiers are well cared for there. We followed that advice — and were genuinely shocked by what we found.

We’d expected a facility where tarsiers could live in something close to their natural habitat, with visitors quietly and gently observing the animals.

At the entrance, a sign reminds visitors to keep quiet, skip the flash photography, and not touch the tarsiers. Predictably, only a fraction of visitors actually read it.

There’s no further briefing, no other signs, and the guides lead small groups silently through the facility.

Every bush or tree housing a tarsier is easy to spot from a distance — just follow the crowd gathered in front of it.

Flash photography was happening constantly, and some visitors got so close with their cameras that they nearly knocked the little creatures off their branches with their lenses.

The guides barely intervened. At most, a brief word — then the same thing started all over again. Terrible.

We honestly can’t figure out why the Philippine Tarsier Sanctuary is universally described as the most animal-friendly facility of its kind. If this is what animal welfare looks like, it’s hard to see the point.

Tarsier Conservation Area near Loboc: Better Than Its Reputation — or Not?

After that sobering experience, we decided to give the other facility a chance. Maybe we’d be in for a surprise? The next day, on our way to the Chocolate Hills, we stopped at the Tarsier Conservation Area — and were actually pleasantly surprised.

Barriers are in place so you can’t get too close to the tarsiers. Clear signs throughout explain how visitors are expected to behave. No wonder it was much quieter there, and the tarsiers seemed to have a more comfortable life.

Unlike at the Philippine Tarsier Sanctuary, we got the impression here that the animals were doing reasonably well given the circumstances.

Now for the big “but”: we don’t know what goes on behind the scenes. There are reports that the tarsiers are kept in cages outside of visiting hours and simply placed in trees during the day. We honestly don’t know how accurate that is, and we’d welcome any information on the matter.

Loboc River

The Loboc River winds through the forests of Bohol, and a boat ride on the river is on many travelers’ to-do lists.

We were a bit put off by the scene on the ground. The boats thunder through the scenery blasting loud music, and at the pier you pull a number and wait for the next boat. Estimated wait during our visit: one hour. We decided to skip it.

That said, the Loboc River offers seriously great photo opportunities even without a boat ride. Just ride along the river on a scooter and you’ll find stunning views at every turn.

Beaches on Bohol

Alona Beach: The Curse of Fame

Alona Beach on the neighboring island of Panglao is the most famous beach on Bohol. And as it goes with the curse of fame: maybe Alona Beach was beautiful once, but it definitely isn’t anymore.

The beach is packed wall to wall with resorts and restaurants serving pizza, burgers, and spaghetti. If you’re lucky, you’ll find a small patch of sand to call your own.

We took a quick look and left.

White Beach: The Alternative to Alona Beach

Not far from Alona Beach is White Beach, where we stayed. It’s not exactly a dream beach in the classic sense, but it’s still largely undeveloped and correspondingly uncrowded.

If you want a bit more peace and quiet but don’t want to be too far from the action on Panglao, White Beach is a great alternative to Alona Beach.

Anda: Deserted Dream Beaches

Bohol’s real paradise is at the other end of the island.

All the way to the east, on the Anda Peninsula, powdery white beaches are just waiting to be discovered.

There are resorts and restaurants here too, but everything is so much quieter and more relaxed than at Alona Beach.

If we come back to Bohol, we’d build in more time and base ourselves in Anda.

Getting to Bohol: Flights and Ferries

Bohol lies south of Cebu and can be reached by plane or ferry.

Getting to Bohol by Ferry

There are various ferry connections to Bohol. Most ferries arrive at the island capital Tagbilaran.

We traveled with Oceanjet from Dumaguete to Bohol (about two hours). Direct connections are also available from Siquijor (four hours) and Cebu (two hours).

Get your ticket from Dumaguete to Bohol

Get your ticket from Siquijor to Bohol

Get your ticket from Cebu to Bohol

Getting to Bohol by Plane

Tagbilaran has an airport with daily connections to and from Manila.

Get your flight ticket from Manila to Bohol

Getting Around Bohol

On Bohol, you’ll find the usual public transportation options common throughout the Philippines — buses, jeepneys, and tricycles — to get you to the island’s highlights.

Most accommodations also offer guided tours to the Chocolate Hills and the tarsiers.

By far the best way to get around, in our opinion, is renting your own scooter. It gives you the flexibility to go where you want, when you want.

Right after arriving at the port in Tagbilaran, we rented a scooter and rode it directly to our accommodation — and back again at the end. Since we travel with carry-on backpacks only, this works out perfectly.

Otherwise, your best bet is to ask your accommodation in advance or upon arrival whether they rent out scooters.

Most places have a few scooters available or can point you to someone who does.

We went to Richard’s Motor and Car Rental on 31-a Palma Street, about a five to ten minute walk from the pier in Tagbilaran. The scooters were in great condition and cost 300 PHP (6 euros) per day.

Richard has his own Facebook page where you can contact him and reserve a scooter.

At most resorts you’ll pay around 500 PHP per day, so it’s worth renting directly at the port.

Accommodations on Bohol

Most places to stay on Bohol are located on Panglao Island in the southwest. Around Alona Beach you’ll find countless hotels and resorts. That’s where most of the action is, and the value for money isn’t always the best.

If you want to be right in the thick of it, here’s a selection of accommodations at Alona Beach.

Our Accommodation on Bohol: Ananda Resort

We stayed a few minutes from Alona Beach at the peaceful White Beach.

Our guesthouse, the Ananda Resort, was simple but really cozy. The large terrace with a sea view was especially lovely.

We’d absolutely stay there again and can wholeheartedly recommend it.

Our Accommodation near the Chocolate Hills: Villa Carmen

To catch the sunrise over the Chocolate Hills, we spent one night in Carmen. The scooter ride takes almost two hours, and nobody really wants to get up at 3:00 AM.

The Villa Carmen was only ten minutes from the viewpoint — simple but a really pleasant place to stay.

Breakfast was enormous. Truly enormous. We couldn’t even finish it, despite already having been out for two hours chasing the sunrise. And we can usually eat just about anything. In the evenings, they’ll also cook for you on request — definitely take them up on that. The food was absolutely delicious and costs just a few euros per person.

The Villa seems to have aged a bit since our stay, so keep that in mind. A solid alternative is the Matilde B&B.

More Accommodations on Bohol

If you really want to unwind, stay away from the crowds, and have the island’s most beautiful beaches right on your doorstep, Anda is the place to be.

From the airport or the ferry, it’s at least a two-hour drive to Anda, since you have to cross the entire island.

For a longer stay on Bohol, though, it’s definitely worth it. Here’s an overview of available lodging in Anda.

How Much Time Do You Need for Bohol?

We spent four nights on Bohol. For us, that’s the sweet spot — enough time to see everything without feeling completely rushed, though it doesn’t leave a ton of time to just relax on the beach.

If you don’t need to see the Chocolate Hills at sunrise, one day is theoretically enough to hit all the island’s main points of interest: the Chocolate Hills, tarsiers, Loboc River, and maybe one of the waterfalls the island has to offer. That said, it makes for a pretty packed day.

A Few More Practical Tips for Bohol

You can find the cheapest flights to the Philippines on Skyscanner. The nearest international airport is Cebu, from where you can continue to Bohol by ferry.

For the Philippines, waterproof pouches and a waterproof shoulder bag are seriously recommended. They’ve saved our gear more than once when a sudden downpour caught us off guard.

You can check out everything else we carry in our backpack in our Southeast Asia packing list.

To find great accommodation, it’s worth checking multiple platforms. We recommend Booking.com and Agoda for hotels in the Philippines.

More Tips and Information on Bohol

We’ve scoured the internet for you and found a few more interesting reads about Bohol on other blogs:

Bohol: of Tarsiers and Chocolate Hills, by Madlen from puriy unterwegs.

Bohol: Little Paradise and So Much More, by Ellen from PATOTRA.

Dream Beaches & Rainy Chocolate Hills on Bohol, by Oliver from woanderssein.