Summary:
A good trip should cover Cebu and Bohol in a few days. The Cebu leg of this trip is covered by a separate post.
The Bohol trip is a circular route, entering Tubigon, going to Panglao, and heading back to Cebu via Tagbilaran City.
On the first day, from Cebu, enter Bohol in the morning via Tubigon town (not Tagbilaran), cover the major attractions along the interior of Bohol, then end up at night in Panglao Island.
On the second day, go island hopping in Panglao in the morning, and visit nearby spots in the afternoon.
On the third day, visit more stops, and in the late afternoon of the third day, from Tagbilaran (not Tubigon, head back to Cebu.
Details:
First Day:
Cebu to Tubigon (not Tagbilaran)
- Take the FastCat (7:30 am voyage) from the Pier 3 of Cebu to Tubigon town in Bohol.
- Be there at Pier 3 by 630 am
- FastCat is a large ferry and therefore has less motions than small crafts.
- Choose the non-aircon, open air, class. Why? It offers a full view of the ocean voyage (unlike the aircon class). Remember, tourism is all about experience
- The voyage from Cebu Pier 3 to Tubigon Pier takes about 1.5 hours to 2 hours
- Note that FastCat does not accept advanced bookings (tickets start selling at 2 am dawn on the day of voyage). This is a major threat to the schedules of tourists whose connecting trips need to be ironed out well in advance, specially for a large group of tourists.
- Supposedly, there are some travel agencies that offer advance booking but even the FastCat ticketing staff do not know which ticketing agencies give advance booking.
- There's good snack bar on board the FastCat ferries, coffee, cup noodles, softdrinks, rice lunch boxes
- Comfort rooms (water closets) onboard FastCat are very clean compared to the small crafts.
- Where do you eat breakfast? To save on money, try to buy fastfoods from 24-hour fastfoods like Jollibee, Chowking, McDo which are in Fuente Osmena Cebu, and bring the foods to FastCat, and you can eat your breakfast on-board FastCat. Remember the trip is from 7:30-9am, that's good time to eat breakfast. (Note: your lunch, will be a buffet lunch at Loboc River Cruise, you don't have to be really full at breakfast.)
- Note: There is a McDonalds in Tubigon, but skip it because you don't want to waste precious time wihch could be used for traveling.
Contact Numbers:
Tubigon, Bohol Pier
- While planning for your trip, well in advance, you must contact a tourist van that will take you from Tubigon pier, then to the tourist spots, and eventually to your hotel in Panglao.
- I can recommend you a reliable friendly driver/van, contact me so I can give you his cellphone.
- Van Price for a Hi-Ace is P3,500 from Tubigon to Panglao (that's around 9am to 9pm tour)
- FastCat arrives by around 9:30 am.
- Try to go to the restroom at FastCat about 30 minutes before arrival. This is to save precious time so that by the time you arrive, you can go directly to your next stop. Also, there are no restrooms at Tubigon pier.
- Note: There is a McDonalds in Tubigon, but skip it because you don't want to waste precious time which could be used for traveling.
Chocolate Hills (Carmen, Bohol)
- Avoid stopping Tubigon McDonald's for breakfast and restroom (Go to the restroom onboard FastCat before arrival in Tubigon)
- Should be around 930am when you start your trip from Tubigon to the Chocolate Hills in Carmen
- Do not visit "Sagbayan Peak" because the view at Carmen is better (Sagbayan peak will consume your time; it has a Butterfly Sanctuary, and Childrens' Park, but at this time of the morning, and given the short time you have, you don't really miss much if you skip Sagbayan Peak. Instead, go to Carmen immediately.
- The travel from Tubigon Pier to Chocolate Hills, could take 45 minutes
- Avoid eating at Chocolate Hills restaurant because you will have a buffet lunch during the Loboc River Cruise anyway.
- Maybe it will take you 20-30 minutes to enjoy Chocolate Hills in Carmen because there's long staircase to the viewning deck
- Google or youtube the features of Chocolate Hills
- Note: It is better to have more camera shots than lesser. Why not take 100-200 photos at each tourist spot?
- Entrance Fee is P50 for adults and P25 for children (by the way most of the entrance fees to tourist attractions in Bohol are the same)
(more to come)
Tarsier
Bilar Man-made Forest
Loboc River Cruise
Tarsier (Corella, Bohol)
Baclayon Church (Baclayon, Bohol)
Tagbilaran Church (Tagbilaran City)
Dinner (moon cafe, Abi's, Tuna Terminal)
(avoid diinner at Alona Beach, very expensive)
Hotel (Panglao)
Second Day
Island Hopping which includes
From Alona Beach
Dolphin Watching
Balicasag Island
Virgin Island Sand Bar
Back to Alona Beach
Isola Francesco
Panglao Church
Hinagdanan Cave
Dauis Church
Blood Compact
ICM (shopping pasalubong)
Dinner at Tagbilaran
(swim at Alone Beach)
Tagbilaran to Cebu
Options: Lite Shipping midnight
Ocean Jet and Starcraft
