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Bohol have been one of the major tourist destination and the most post card beauty in the Philippines.
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Scenic spots like the Chocolate Hills, very interesting primates such as the Tarsiers, pristine beaches of Bohol from Alona Beach to Dimaluan Beach, lunch at Loboc River are just some of the few things to be enjoyed while staying here. If you have the guts and ready to do extreme, travelling in a rented motorbike gives you space and a lot more time to spend every spots for a whole day driving around. But for us since this is always a family adventure, I’d rather be riding with a local driver in a rented car to be more safe and not to worry navigating the beautiful scenery to visit. For just Php2000 SUV rental, me and my family enjoyed so much this whole day trip safely and worry free.
Our first destination is the Blood Compact site, this is were Raja Sikatuna and Miguel Lopez de Legaspi made a treaty of friendship. A life size diorama is erected as a sign of Bohol’s rich cultural history. There are also vendors nearby where you could buy the cheapest famous Bohol Kakanin which is Calamay for Php20. Calamay is a must try treats while visiting Bohol and the best flavor can be found is in Jagna which is enclosed in a coconut shell. Its ingredients is a combination of glutinous rice, sugar, coconut milk, and some peanuts.
Next, we went to Baclayon Church, known as the church of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception, it is made up of coral stones and cemented with bricks using egg whites. Very meticulous. Declared as the National Historical Treasure in 1995 because of its well preserved structure in the region that consist of a small museum with century old relics dated back 16th century.
We passed by the Bilar man made forest, a part of reforestation project in 1960, you will pass by this mahogany trees, it is a sight to behold while on your way to Chocolate Hills. A 2 km stretch of densely planted Mahogany Trees by students located at the borders of Bilar Town and Loboc.
Chocolate Hills is a very interesting land formation, with no less than 1,268 hills covered with grass and on dry season the grass turns to chocolate brown, thus this is where the name Chocolate Hills was derived. Located at the town of Carmen where about hundreds of chocolate hills formation can be seen that are uniform in shapes and sizes. As Chocolate Hills are the main tourist attraction in Bohol aside from its Dolphins and pristine beaches, the local government set up a complex from the 2 highest hills in Carmen to help the visitors see and witness the grandeur of Nature. Towns nearby aside from Carmen can be viewed this magnificent natures wonders like towns of Sagbangan, where a more beautiful scenery awaits tourist for their post card picture opportunity.
After going to Chocolate Hills, we went to see the Tarsiers, which holds my interest the most. Tarsiers is a kind of a primate animal, they have a huge eye and palm hold, so freaky cute, but they were not allowed to be touched since they have suicidal tendencies. Tarsiers are endangered species but donations from your visit to Tarsier Conservation and Wildlife Santuary will help to take care of them. There are already 116 tarsier species in habitat as of this time and hopefully that numbers go up as female tarsiers can only have 1 newborn for every 6 months. There are Tarsier conservation area operated by a private group within Loboc but give this a pass since their set-up may harm the animals and most of this areas main goal is to make profit and not to truly preserve the animal's existence. The best place to visit the Tarsier is at the town of Corella, this is the Tarsier Conservation and Wildlife Sanctuary which is endorsed by the Department of Tourism, Department of Environmental and Natural Resources, and recognized by the Philippine Tarsier Foundation which is a non-stock, non-profit organization with the main objective is protecting the Tarsier, habitat, and other wildlife.
We find ourselves crossing the Hanging Bridge from entrance to exit. You will enjoy the view of Loboc river while holding firm at the steel bars of the bridge.
Then we rode until we reach the Loboc River, you will ride on a floating restaurant and there you can take your lunch and can enjoy singing and dancing with local on their cultural presentations. Just like in Villa Escudero, only here, lunch is enjoyed while cruising the Loboc river.
After lunch, we went to the Butterfly Farm. Beautiful butterflies await those who visit here. You can even touch them and take pictures on the mirror with reflections as if you have wings.
The Loboc Church or known by locals as the Church of San Pedro which is the second oldest church in Bohol. By its age also has its own history carved by time. Since the church is located near the famous Loboc River, it has survived number of floods. By looking outside may wonder that the church may be as big but inside is a 3 story convent attached to the church which is now houses the Loboc Museum where various antique religious relics, artifacts, and statues can be found.
Bohol is such an interesting place to go! Come and visit Bohol, surely you will be delighted by the beauty of it.
