If Bohol is not on your bucket list, add it now. You won’t be sorry, I assure you.

But before I go into why it is such an amazing place to visit, bear with me for a while.

I love to travel. It is my balm against loneliness, plus it is a good exercise. In other words, it is good for the health – both body and mind.

Often I travel alone. Sometimes my daughter and her hubby ask me to tag along. Two weeks ago they did just that – they asked me to go with them to Bohol.

Of course, I did not say “No” even it was against my personal rule to never visit the same place twice.

Here’s the reason why…

Bohol is simply irresistible. It has a certain allure not found somewhere else. There are lots of things to see and experience in this speck of an island in the navel of the country.

It is one of nine major islands comprising Central Philippines. Its sisters to the west are Cebu, Negros, Panay, Siquijor, and Guimaras. To the east are Leyte, Biliran, and Samar.

Barely 4,821 sq kms in land area, it has captured the attention and delight of the traveling crowd – as shown by the island’s tourist arrivals.

In 2016, more than a million tourists, 1,000,186 to be exact, visited Bohol – a hefty increase of 37% over the previous year. Getting there is fast and easy – slightly over an hour’s flight from Manila or two hours by boat from Cebu.

Aside from its charming white-sandy beaches, good food, comfortable accommodations,  and super-friendly locals, the province has plenty of interesting and educational sites to quench your thirst for a peaceful, exciting, yet stress-free weekend.

For example, the Chocolate Hills. These are a number of geographical formations concentrated in the town of Carmen, Batuan, and Sagbayan.

Nobody knows how these almost perfectly-symmetrical hills formed or their exact number. Rough estimates put them from 1,200 to 1,800.

But believe me, you don’t want to count them when you get there but be overwhelmed by their breath-taking beauty and snap as many pictures as you can.

They are the top crowd-drawers of the province.

Then there is the Philippine Tarsier, considered one of the smallest primates in the world.

When fully grown, it stands barely 16 cm tall. The tarsier is cute and cuddly with its large, round eyes and head that can turn 180 degrees.

They lay idle and still during daytime but jump into action when darkness falls to hunt for insects – their staple diet.

Tarsiers seldom live long as pets. They are easily stressed out and die.

Not far from the Tarsier Conservation Area, is the Man-Made Forest.

Unlike the Chocolate Hills, no mystery shrouds this incredible drive-through site of Bohol.

Its origin goes back to 1947 when the provincial government set aside 19,410 hectares of land (covering 13 towns) to rejuvenate Bohol’s dwindling forest cover.

This part of the project, however, began in 1960 through late 1970.

You don’t want to miss this if you visit Bohol. It is enchanting to stroll along this 2-km stretch of mahogany trees, savoring their cool shade and,  of course, take pictures or selfies.

After having covered all these, it would be lunch time and you will be frantic for food and rest. If you can hold on for a few minutes, and you should, you will have both at the Loboc River Cruise.

The Loboc River Cruise is an hour’s cruise up and down the Loboc River in motor-propelled wooden catamarans.

Aside from the delicious buffet lunch of Filipino food served on board, you will also be treated to various alluring natural sites along the way including a short stop at an entertainment station where local belles perform to the beat of popular Filipino songs and dances.

If you are like me, you would like a short rest after a heavy lunch. And you would like to make your way to Panglao to claim your reservation.

But hold on…

Before you plop into a cool and comfortable bed, make a swing to the Bohol Bee Farm.

The Bohol Bee Farm is an example that going organic if coupled with a bit of imagination, promotion, and entrepreneurship makes good business sense.

It grows its own spices and condiments, sells ice-cream in dried cassava paste and home-processed honey of different varieties.

Or a mug of hot brew…

The resort also has a coffee shop for those who cannot go without caffeine in their veins and a wifi.

The above must-see sites compose a very small fraction of what’s to discover and visit in this irresistible island. If you Google Bohol, there are still a lot of places to add to your bucket list.

Come and have fun.

~oOo~

region.

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