✈ Bohol 2018 — 1-Day Countryside Tour Itinerary

And we ready! It's just obvious I'm using the GoPro when I have my phone on hand + there's the fisheye effect

For this tour of the famous spots of Bohol, I myself didn't want to DIY it because I just wanna wing it and relax as a first-timer. And I think it's useless to exhaust my friends and I when we can get a package that's not only convenient but also, let's face it, cheaper. Inot forevah! This whole-day experience cost us 3,000PHP or 1,000PHP each. This is still exclusive of the entrance fees and whatnot. It was originally for 2,000PHP even, but we decided we wanna go to Jardin Necitas so there's the added thousand. It's quite a distance (in Pilar) but spoiler, yall have to visit because we think it's worth it~

Imma list the places we went to, in order:

 Baclayon Church 

Entrance Fee: NONE


It was almost 9AM and wow, what have you, it was scorching hot. Then again, there's no stopping us in taking photos. Legit DUH.


Boohoo, we didn't get to go inside because Baclayon Church was closed for some reason? I'm sorry, we also didn't ask why... There's a museum beside it too but we didn't wanna go in. Hihi


And then we're off to meet our guide who welcomed us with a red and comfortable Innova(?)!


Okay, actually, the tour OFFICIALLY starts here:

 Blood Compact Shrine 

Entrance Fee: NONE

This particular site was made in honor of a very important event in the Philippine history done between Miguel Lopez de Legazpi of Spain and Rajah Sikatuna of Bohol. This Sikatuna-Legaspi blood compact is considered as the First Treaty of Friendship between two different races, religions, cultures and civilizations. It was a treaty of friendship based on respect and equality. This event is commonly known as “Sandugo” - Source

It is honestly smaller than I thought. Also, there's said to be a good view of nature behind the monument but they covered it up with tarps... Anyhoo, you can proceed to buy souvenirs here since there are a lot of stalls around the area.

 Tarsier Sanctuary 

Entrance Fee: 60 PHP (Adult)



I cannot fathom if I was scared of them or not... I was amazed, for sure. I also felt some kind of pity? for them, surprisingly. I know I'm one who patronized the system - paying to see them and taking photos - but it's like we're trespassing and taking over their homes. I'm overreacting, am I? Hihi but of course, kudos to the caretakers for keeping the tarsiers safe and sound for all of us to marvel.


Everyone takes turns in seeing them up close. In fairness, nobody was pushy or rude like that. We all should be such travelers. *winks*


The forest is with paths that lead to the 5 tarsiers (okay, I didn't count). Some are quite far up the tree and hidden by leaves, so you really can't have good pictures all the time. And you're sharing the experience with other tourists; you can't just stay at a spot for too long. No to hogging the tarsier to yourself!

 Xzootic Animal Park and Butterfly Garden 

Entrance Fee: 90 PHP

So that we can time lunch at the Loboc River, we visited this beforehand. It's basically a mini zoo - I thought it would be boring even but thanks to the guide assigned to us inside, it was a tour full of laughter! I swear if you go here, you should request for him. Chos


That's him, lurking. I actually thought he was just some *lurker* but he turned out to be our fun guide. He fed us all the facts from the butterflies to the other animals, coupled with his wit and hugot / pickup lines. I gotta give it to him, he's amusing. Or well, anyone can crack a corny joke and I'd still laugh my ass out


I've never seen such a healthy caterpillar I wanted to have it on my palm too but it excreted liquid out of its body and I'm like NO. Hihi

Where are the butterflies? Lels

That is the best I can do, yall. I cannot for the life of me go near a snake or any freaking reptile, no matter how tame they think it is. Not to mention you have a guide who suddenly hisses and keeps doing it too, freaking us out! The python doesn't exactly move, just kinda vibrates, and I couldn't stand it. But of course, I still have to take a picture!?


Animals aside from the monkeys above: peacocks, a crocodile and other snakes. There's a Burmese python as well, which is one of the five largest species of snakes in the world - THIS GIVES ME GOOSEBUMPS LIKE EEEEW I'm sorry but they srsly scare me~ Kuya, again, made the atmosphere light with this joke: we won't be able to see the python that SABADO (Saturday) because it's past BURMESE (Biyernes / Friday). HAHAHA I LOVE HIS HUMOR

Left the place with a commemorative photo with this cheeky guy!

 Loboc River Cruise & Lunch 

Fee: 550 PHP

Time to replenish with food! It's full of people here; I doubt they'll ever be without crowds. Lels you get your queue number and wait for your group to be called. There are seats so it's a comfortable wait. It actually didn't take long.


After payment, you're off to your assigned cruise. It's also brimming with Chinese tourists here; aside from us, there may (or may not) be 2 other groups that were Filipino. The 3 of us shared a table with 2 Filipinas. It was awkward because they didn't talk much, even between themselves. Haha weird!?


The food wasn't anything fancy or delicious enough to praise. In all honesty. If anything, you're really just paying for the "cruise experience". Then again, everything's too expensive for my liking. Whatevs. Good thing the ride was accompanied with a live singer belting to classic tunes like Can't Help Falling in Love...



Uhm, can I sneak this one comment: IT WAS SOOO HOT IN BOHOL!!! I complain about the heat in CDO but there, it was just OVER THE TOP!!! Rant done.

 Manmade Forest 

Entrance Fee: NONE

The thrill here was no joke! The fun struggle to take photos before any vehicle comes will forever be embedded in my memory. Haha


It's quite a stretch but there was a spot full of tourists. Our guide avoided that and brought us to a crowd-less area. It's one less thing to worry about aka photobombers At least we just had to worry of, yeah, cars!

 Hanging Bridge 

Entrance Fee: 20 PHP

If I have to warn you of something here, it's don't bring your valuables such as your camera or your phone - sure. Leave everything in the car, even. At least, that's what I panicked about when I was crossing this shaking bridge like my life depended on it.


Look at me with all my stuff. Struggle is realll but it doesn't have to show, right!? But if there's ever a video of this happening, there's no doubt all the noise and racket is c/o me~


Before you get to the other side, they have this photographer on the opposite bridge. You pose for him and you can buy the printed picture(s) for souvenir. The area also has stores that sell all the tourist trinkets yall can think of. Hihi

 ShipHaus 

Entrance Fee: 50 PHP

  

One slight regret of mine is not pushing for us to go inside. An aunt who went to Bohol a month before I came told me they were able to try out sailor uniforms and all that. Have I spilled I like sailor-y stuff?? That's why I was so crazy about SNSD's Genie comeback because they wore those uniforms and of course, maybe because they suited them~!?

 Chocolate Hills 

Entrance Fee: 50 PHP

This was the part where I was most excited about! And by far, this was the most crowded. Hihi I'll show proof in a bit~


Left is the way up to the viewing deck and right is how it looks down. I'm not a green person - ehem - I don't like green much as a color, I mean, but green of nature is welcome to my eyes. I can soak in it all day if I could. But I can't vacation forever

Almost on top! Puuush!

And here they are!!! THE CHOCOLATE HILLS OF BOHOL, everyone!!!


And yours truly, because pics or it didn't happen / I wasn't there~

It's a battlefield out there and there had to be a lot of waiting and some assertiveness (lels) to have no other person inside the frame with me. Add in the heat from the sun directly above... Whew. But you can't always get what you want. See~


Oh, here comes my proof:


It's just loaded there. Funny anecdote: while Teejay and I were taking turns to pose for each other's cameras, some Chinese tourists "shooed" us away, like "Time's up! Our turn now~" I'm glad I didn't find that annoying. Lels well, we were taken aback but we just found it more hilarious


Okay, there was no other deliberate intention to photograph these men aside from because they're tall + it seems like a cute bromance between the two. Hahaha allow meee


I know it could be demeaning to call them hills cute but they are! (Or I just can't think of another adjective right now...) They are of different sizes and there are more of them "as far as you can see." All in all, it's an honor to behold the country's 3rd National Geological Monument Hey, I researched!

In summary, our itinerary's below:

Baclayon Church
Blood Compact Shrine
Tarsier Sanctuary
Xzootic Animal Park and Butterfly Garden
Loboc River Cruise and Lunch
Manmade Forest
Hanging Bridge
Shiphaus
Chocolate Hills
Jardin Necitas

This was all via Bohol EandZ Transport with contact number 09162855241. Let me know if you availed of their rent-a-car / tour service and how it turned out for you!


Yup, our day didn't end just yet with the Chocolate Hills because we went to Jardin Necitas in Pilar, Bohol. For me, it deserves a whole blog post because I got a lot of snaps there. Haha there will never be enough photos I'll rave fully then!