One of the 73 islands surounding beautiful Bohol Island in the Philippines
Bohol Island is the main island of Bohol Province in the Visayas. Located southeast from it’s more popular neighbor, Cebu Island, Bohol Island has a land area of 3269 km² and quite a long coastline of around 261 km, making Bohol the tenth largest island of the Philippines. Bohol island is surrounded by 73 smaller islands, the largest of which are Panglao Island which is protected by UNESCO and a popular tourist destination on it’s own right. The Largest city in Bohol Island is Tagbilaran City in the southwest of the island.
Panglao Island is one of the most popular island destination surounding of Bohol Island. Under UNESCO protection for it’s marine life, it is a great place to dive or just enjoy the white sandy beaches and pristine waters.
Bohol is famous for it’s 1,200 uniformly cone-shaped limestone hills rolling hill’s called Chocolate Hills and are considered one of Philippine’s natural wonders. The Chocolate Hills are made of limestone leftover remnants of coral reefs during the ice age when the island was submerged. The Hills turn brown during the May-July, hence their name. Bohol Island is also home to many rare and endangered flora and fauna.
The world famous Chocolate Hills in Bohol Island in winter time.
In summer you can see how the hills ahve derived their name.
Most of the beaches found on Bohol have beautiful white sand and is often of such high quality that it is exported to other beaches through out the world. The most well known of these beaches are in Panglao Island, which is considered a wonderful location for diving, snorkelling or just lounging on it’s white sandy beaches. The waters of this region are spectacularly clear and pristine as well as having an abundance of marine life and coral gardens.
Go on a fantastic and memorable island-hopping tour to Balicasag Island and other islands of Bohol. Watch the friendly dolphins as they jump and play in the blue sea. See the large whales with the help of expert spotters who are former whale hunters. Go snorkeling and explore Bohol’s beautiful marine habitat. Cap off the trip with a rendezvous to Virgin Islands with itswhite sand beaches and pristine waters.
Bohol Island has many different species of marine life you could get the chance to witness in their own natural habitat from dolphines to whales.
With so many activities you can keep yourself amused by at Bohol Island, is a great tropical beach getaway offering so much more than most island getaways. Rent a car for a day to discover the numerous waterfalls and caves scattered across the island, including the beautiful Mag-Aso falls in Antequera. Mag-Aso means smoke in the native tongue. The water is cool and often creates a mist in humid mornings which can hide the falls.
Take a day trip and visit one of the many waterfalls inland on a Bohol Island river cruise.
Climate
From November to April, the northeast monsoon prevails. Except for a rare shower, this is the mildest time of the year. Daytime temperatures average 28°C, cooling down at night to around 25°C. The summer season from May to July brings higher temperatures and very humid days. From August to October is the southwest monsoon. The weather during this season is not very predictable, with weeks of calm weather alternating with rainy days.
Getting there
Bohol is located in the middle of the Philippines, and can be conveniently reached by air and boat. You can fly from Manila to Tagbilaran, which takes about 1hour and 15 minutes and is the most convenient way of travelling here. There are also frequent flights to Cebu, but this will require you to catch a ferry from Cebu to Bohol which is only a 4hour ferry trip or if you are pressed for time a fast boat which will only take 1hour and 30 minutes.
The Bohol beaches are also a tourist-catching offering of the province. The Panglao Island, located next to Tagbilaran City – the province’s capital, is famous for its powdery white sand beaches and diving locations. Its diving sites are routinely listed as one of the top ten diving locations in the world. The Panglao island marine sanctuary is a must see offering for a tourist. The marine sanctuary is managed directly by the national government to preserve its marine bio-diversity.
With many wonderful resorts available from high end to low budget you will always find what you want here on Bohol Island
Numerous tourist resorts dot the beaches of Bohol, catering for both local and international tourist. These resorts offered very affordable rates for budget-constricted tourists complete with amenities like rooms, pools, and the canteen which offers mouth watering native cuisine and of delectable foreign dishes. Some Resorts specializes on high-end tourist, combining the comfort and service of a five-star hotel and the beautiful beach-front sceneries.
One of the famous wonders of Bohol is Tarsier. Tarsius syrichta is an endangered tarsier species endemic only to the Philippines and mostly found in Bohol. Only recently discovered by western biologists this very tiny animal, about 85 to 160 millimeters in height and considered is one of the smallest primates. It weighs only 80 to 160 grams with very large eyes that are fixed to its skull. They are the only entirely carnivorous primate on the Earth, with a diet consisting mainly of insects, along with the occasional bird, snake or lizard thrown in.
This tiny mammal is definitely a wonder of mother nature. Rarely found outside Bohol Island, it is definitely worth seeing.
