Bohol 3-Day Itinerary & Travel Guide: Best Things to Do

In this travel guide, we’ll share the best things to do in Bohol, a 3-day itinerary, and essential travel tips to help you plan your trip.

Bohol is a beautiful island in the Philippines, located in the Visayas region. It’s famous for the iconic Chocolate Hills landscape and for being one of the few places where you can see Tarsiers—the world’s smallest primates—in their natural habitat. But Bohol is more than just that. From snorkeling with sardines at Napaling Reef to kayaking on the Loboc River in the middle of lush tropical forest and relaxing on white sand beaches, this island has something for everyone.

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Table Of Contents

In this guide, we cover the following topics:

Best Things to Do in Bohol

Before suggesting an itinerary, we’ll highlight some of the best and most popular things to do in Bohol. Please note that most people, including us, we’ll base themselves in Panglao, a small island interconnected to Bohol via a bridge. So, these suggestions are mainly addressed if you’re staying in Panglao.

1) Snorkeling at Napaling Reef

Snorkeling at Napaling Reef was one of the highlights of our time in Bohol. We haven’t heard about it until we arrived at the island.

At the Napaling Reef you can snorkel and swim pretty close to huge schools of sardines with thousand of fish. You can get super close to them. It’s so fun. It’s even better than the Sardine Run in Moalboal, because here, the bottom is not so deep, so you can actually be quite close to them, you can almost touch them if they weren’t so fast. It’s an incredible experience and I absolutely recommend.

There’s a reef drop just a few meters from the shore, so this is also a great place for freedivers and divers. Next to the reef drop, you can find beautiful tropical fish. There’s also a coral farm next to the place where the sardines are.

To go here, you need to pay an environmental free and entrance and you need to go with a guide that will be assigned to you when you pay. It’s a bit weird having to go with a guide when you’re a good swimmer and have experience snorkeling, but he was super friendly and not annoying at all.

To get there, you can easily get a tricycle or an Uber if you’re close to the Alona area. Mention you want to go to the “Panglao Kalikasan Dive Resort”. You can enter via the official site or via the resort.

2) Hinagdanan Cave

Not far from the Napaling Reef, you can find the Hinagdanan cave. You can easily get a tricycle to there. The Hinagdanan cave is a small underground cave with a small freshwater lake inside. It reminds me of some cenotes in Mexico.

The cave is beautiful with many stalactites and you can even swim at the lake for a small fee.

This is a popular spot for organized tours, so you’ll find plenty of vendors at the entrance of the cave. If you want to buy some souvenirs there are lots of variety and they are super cheap. I bought my Bohol t-shirt there. There are many different designs of t-shirts from Bohol, and all of them are quite nice.

I enjoyed visiting this place, but having visited several caves in Portugal, Spain, and other countries, this was quite small in comparison. The higlight is that you can swim in there.

3) White Beach/ Beach of Bohol

The White Beach or Beach of Bohol is said to be one of the best beaches of Panglao and even of Bohol. It is a long stretch of sand lined up with coconut trees and crystal clear blue water. Unfortunately, at the time we visited, the weather was super cloudy and windy, and the sea was very rough. So, the water didn’t have that paradise look.

The beach is quite long, but the access to it is not very clear. Some areas of the beach belong to resorts.

We entered the beach via the White Beach entrance next to the Aramara Resort. Then, we walk for about one kilometer and half until the Oceania Resort. The beach is beautiful all along the way, but it is better arranged in front of the Resort.

We stopped by the resort and used their sunbeds to relax at this place. I’m not sure, but I think if you enter the beach via the Resort, you need to pay a fee. We simply used the resort to get out of the beach. We also used their showers and changing rooms free of charge.

4) Alona Beach

The Alone beach is the most famous beach of Panglao. There is a lot going on there. Several cafés and restaurants, pearl vendors, people selling sea-urchins, souvenirs are more. There’s also a lot of commerce on the road that leads to the beach and its surroundings.

If you want to relax on the beach, in our opinion, the best part is in front of the Henann Premier Coast Resort. This is also a great place to watch the sunset, and then, go have dinner in one of the nearby restaurants.

5) Balicasag Snorkeling Island-Hopping Tour

The Balicasag Snorkeling Island hopping tour seems to be a great choice if you’re based in Panglao. This tour seems amazing because it combines dolphin watching, snorkeling in Balicasag island with chance of seeing turtles and visiting a sandbar on the same tour.

Our idea was to do this tour while we were on Bohol. Unfortunately, the weather was not good when we were planning to go, and one of the places I was most excited about, the Virgin Island (sandbar) was temporarily closed for tourism. If we’ll be back in Bohol, we’ll definitely try to go on this tour.

6) Blood Compact Shrine

The Blood Compact Shrine is a monument that commemorates the first treaty of friendship between Spaniards and Filipinos.

The shrine itself features bronze statues representing the moment of the blood compact. It’s an interesting historical stop, especially if you’re curious about Philippine history. However, there’s not much else to do in the area besides viewing the statues and taking a few photos.

It’s included in most inland tours around Bohol, so it’s a convenient and quick stop if it’s on your route. But if it’s out of the way, it might not be worth making a special detour just to see it.

We visited this as part of our private inland tour of Bohol (we’ll explain more about it later).

7) Tarsier Sanctuary

The Tarsier Sanctuary is a must-visit stop in Bohol. It’s a protected conservation area dedicated to the Philippine tarsier—one of the world’s smallest primates.

Before entering, you are required to watch a short video briefing about the tarsiers, their habits, and the sanctuary rules. One of the most important rules is to stay quiet—tarsiers are very sensitive to noise and stress.

Since the sanctuary is a natural forest area, the tarsiers move around freely and are not always in the same place. We only saw three tarsiers. Our guide couldn’t find the other ones.

Don’t expect them to be active either—they are nocturnal, so they’re usually sleeping or resting when you visit. Still, it’s amazing to spot them up close in their natural habitat.

Be aware that there’s another place in Bohol that also promotes itself as a tarsier conservation center, but it’s more of a zoo setup (don’t go to this one “Bohol Tarsier Conservation Area”—read the reviews and judge for yourself). The real Tarsier Sanctuary in Corella is the ethical and responsible place to visit, as it prioritizes the well-being and protection of these delicate creatures, or at least, I believe.

Visiting the Tarsier Sanctuary is included in all countryside Bohol Tours. We visited as part of our private countryside tour of Bohol.

8) Kayaking/Cruise in Loboc River

The Loboc River is a beautiful, peaceful and scenic river that winds through Bohol’s lush green tropical forest. There are several ways to explore it.

The most popular is going on a kind of cruise where you can enjoy the views and a lunch buffet, and also watch and participate in traditional folclore dance and singing. This experience is usually included in most group tours around Bohol.

However, if you’re looking for something more intimate and active, you can also explore the Loboc River by kayak, paddleboard, or even a small motorboat. This was one of the reasons we decided to go with a private tour instead of the typical group option.

We chose to kayak on the Loboc River, and it turned out to be one of the highlights of our trip. We rented the kayaks from Sarimanok Rent a Boat, and a local guide came along with us. The entire trip took about an hour and half. We paddled from the starting point all the way to a small set of waterfalls (not sure of the name) and back. We also made a stop at the falls to jump into the water.

Just a heads-up: make sure you are in a relatively good physical condition. The distance is quite long if you’re not used to kayaking. And if you’re not much flexible, your legs will hurt all the time. My boyfriend was struggling because of that. Nonetheless, even though the weather wasn’t the best—it even rained—we had a great time.

It was a super serene experience, just the three of us. Our guide was amazing, and this was definitely one of the highlights of our time in Bohol. If you want to do this experience, we really recommend the Sarimanok Rent a Boat.

9) Sevilla Twin Hanging Bridge

Not far from our kayaking adventure is the Sevilla Twin Hanging Bridge—a pair of bamboo bridges that stretch across the Loboc River. There’s not much to do here besides walking across the bridge, but it’s a fun and quick stop. On the other side, you’ll find several souvenir shops.

We enjoyed visiting and decided to include it in our itinerary since it was on the way and the entrance fee was very affordable. If it’s not along your route, though, you’re not missing out on anything major.

We stopped here as part of our private inland Bohol tour.

10) Bilar Man-Made Forest

The Bilar Man-Made Forest is a long stretch of tall mahogany trees planted along the road between Loboc and Bilar. The trees grow close together creating like a green tunnel of trees.

All inland tours in Bohol usually stop here so you can take pictures in the middle of the road. It’s a nice place for a quick stop to admire the trees and take some pictures, but there’s not much else to do.

11) Chocolate Hills

This is one of the things that Bohol is most famous for. It’s a unique landscape made up of over a thousand hills that look like giant chocolate drops—especially during the dry season when the grass turns brown.

There’s a main viewpoint where you can climb a set of stairs to get a better view of the landscape. It can get pretty crowded since it’s one of the most popular places in Bohol, but the view is worth it. It’s really a unique landscape.

You can also explore the Chocolate Hills landscape by joining a quadbike tour and ride around the hills. I think it’s a fun way to see the landscape from a different angle.

Unfortunately, when we visited, it was raining and the skies were overcast, so the view was not so clear. However, that didn’t take away from the beauty of the place. The view was still amazing and totally worth the stop.

12) Firefly Watching

Firefly watching is a a very popular evening activity in Bohol, and it’s something we really wanted to do. There are tours that take you on a quiet boat ride along the river at night, where you can see thousands of fireflies lighting up the trees. You can book the tour in most tourist stalls or tour vendors in Panglao, and it is quite affordable.

Unfortunately, we didn’t plan our time well, and by the time we thought about it, it was already too late to join a tour. It also didn’t fit with the rest of our plans for the days we were there. But, if it’s something you’d like to experience, make sure to arrange time for it.

I’ve read very good experiences of people who stayed the night at the Fox & The Firefly Cottages and did a similar experience from there.

13) Cam-umantad Falls and Cadapdpan Rice Terraces

The Cam-umantad Falls and Cadapdpan Rice Terraces are beautiful and unique spots in Bohol, but they are less-visited because of their distance from Panglao—about two to three hours away.

Our plan was to rent a car to explore the interior of Bohol and include these places in our itinerary. However, as I mentioned, we didn’t plan our time in Bohol well in advance. When we tried to rent a car from a reputable company, all the cars were already booked for the entire week. This left us with limited options to visit these attractions. We don’t recommend driving a motorbike from Panglao to these places.

Aside from renting a car, another option is to join an organized group or private tour. Alternatively, you could stay in Anda for a night or two and arrange transportation from there—that’s what we would have done if we had planned better.

How to Spend Three Days in Panglao, Bohol

Here’s a suggested itinerary for what to do in three days in Panglao. This is more or less the plan we followed, but it’s better arranged and organized for a smoother experience. It includes the most popular places to visit around Panglao. If you have more time, it’s definitely worth considering spending a few nights in other areas to explore other inland beautiful places.

Day 1

Here’s a list of suggested places for your first day in Panglao:

• Napaling Reef
• Hinagdanan Cave
• White Beach
• Alona Beach

Start your first day by heading to Napaling Reef to snorkel with sardines. We took a Grab Taxi from the main road in Alona to get there. This spot can get quite crowded, so if you want to avoid the crowds, it’s best to arrive early.

Next, take a short tricycle ride (about 10 minutes) to Hinagdanan Cave. You can swim in the cave’s cool waters if you’re up to that. Don’t forget to check out the small souvenir stalls at the entrance for some affordable local items. I bought a pretty nice t-shirt and also a delicious buko juice.

In the afternoon, relax at White Beach or (Beach of Bohol, which you can access through Oceania Resort). Alternatively, you can enter via the White Beach and then walk to the other part in front of the resort. Spend a few hours relaxing by the sea.

For sunset, head to the Alona Beach. It’s one of the most popular spots to be during sunset time. Afterward, enjoy a delicious dinner at one of the many restaurants along the beach.

Day 2

On your second day, go on a countryside tour of Bohol. Also, arrange a firefly watching tour for after the sunset. Make sure to include these places in your itinerary:

• Blood Compact Shrine
• Tarsier Sanctuary
• Loboc River
• Sevillha Bridge
• Bilar Man-made Forest
• Chocolate Hills
• Firefly watching

To visit these places, you have a few options: you can join an organized group tour, arrange a private driver, or rent a car and drive yourself. Our original plan was to rent a car, but in the end, we decided to go with a private driver. We arranged this through our Grab driver, who recommended one of his friends. We had a great experience with our driver and highly recommend his services if you’re looking to do something similar.

Alternatively, there are plenty of organized group tours available. You can book them on platforms like GetYourGuide, Klook, or directly with tour vendors you’ll find on the streets and beaches of Panglao.

For firefly watching, instead of arranging an organized tour from Panglao, many people choose to stay in unique accommodations along the Loboc River (like the Fox & The Firefly Cottages) and arrange to watch the fireflies from there. If we had more time, that’s exactly what we would have done.

Day 3

For the third day, we suggest the following:

• Balicasag Snorkeling and Island Hoping Tour
• or spend time at the beach

Our plan for the third day was to join the Balicasag Snorkeling and Island Hopping tour, which includes dolphin watching and fantastic snorkeling (with a high chance of spotting turtles), and Virgin Island, a beautiful sandbar in the middle of the Ocean (unfortunately, it was closed for tourists during our time in Bohol).

However, the weather conditions were not good on that day, so we decided to spend the rest of the day working and relaxing at the beach. But, if you have good weather, definitely book the Balicasag Snorkeling and Island Hopping Tour—seems an incredible experience.

How to Get To Bohol

Bohol is easy to reach by ferry or plane. The main entry points are Tagbilaran port and Panglao International Airport. We entered Bohol via Tagbilaran port (we came from Siquijor) and we left to El Nido from the airport.

From Cebu

The fastest way to get to Bohol from Cebu is by ferry. Ferries leave several times a day from Cebu City to Tagbilaran and take around 2 hours. There are also ferries from other ports in Cebu.

From Siquijor

You can take a direct ferry from Siquijor to Tagbilaran. The trip usually takes about 1.5 to 2 hours, depending on the boat. This was the route that we did.

From Other Islands

You can reach Bohol by ferry from nearby islands like Dumaguete and Camiguin. There are also direct flights to Panglao Airport from Manila and other major cities. You can check the Kiwi website to find out the best prices for your flights.

Where to Stay in Bohol

If you just want to see the main highlights, most people recommend staying in Panglao, which is where we stayed. The busiest area is near Alona Beach, and we stayed at Pico House, which was within walking distance to the beach (approximately 10 to 15 minutes). The accommodation was nice, and it was located on a very calm street. Here are some accommodation options in that area:

• Amorita Resort (luxury)
• Villa Kasadya (midrange)
• Manta Dream Resort (budget)
• Pico House (budget)—the one we stayed at

While this area is conveniently located, we didn’t quite enjoy the vibe—it felt a bit too commercialized for our taste, with not many authentic spots around. We also noticed that many of the businesses catered mostly to Korean tourists—nothing against them, of course, but it did take away a bit of the true Filipino vibe.

If you’re interested in experiencing the interior of the island, many people recommend staying in Anda, where you’ll find quiet beautiful places with access to nice beaches (for example, the J&R Residence seems an incredible option).

Many people also choose to stay a night or two in Carmen, which is close to the Chocolate Hills. I’ve also heard very good experiences about spending one or two nights by the Loboc River (with an highlight to the Fox & The Firefly Cottages which are just beautiful and one of the most reviewed and highly-rated places in the area).

How to Get Around Bohol

Many people based themselves in Panglao when staying in Bohol. Taking this into account these are the best options to get around: rented motorbike, tuk-tuks and tricycles, Grab, rented car, private driver, or organized tours.

Rented Motorbike

Renting a motorbike is a great way to get around Panglao, especially if you want more freedom and are comfortable riding one. We originally planned to rent a motorbike too, but the traffic near our accommodation was so chaotic—and we witnessed several near-accidents—that we decided against it. Instead, we relied on tricycles, which limited our flexibility a bit.

Panglao can be quite busy in some areas, and you’ll be sharing the road with lots of cars and vans, making it less safe than riding in quieter, more remote places (like Siquijor, for example). We also don’t recommend using a motorbike to explore the interior of Bohol from Panglao—the distances are long and not good for a scooter ride (in our opinion).

Tuk-tuks/Tricycles

Tuk-tuks and tricycles are great options for getting around Panglao. For short rides of around 15 minutes, expect to pay about 300 PHP for two people. You’ll easily get a tricycle to and from most popular places in Panglao.

Grab

The Grab app is available in Panglao, which is super convenient. It’s more comfortable than a tricycle, and you’ll know the fare in advance. However, when we visited, there weren’t many cars available, and sometimes it took quite a while for one to show up.

Rented Car

The roads in Panglao and Bohol are well-suited for cars, so renting one can be a great option—especially if you want to explore the interior of the island at your own pace from Panglao. That was actually our original plan.

We wanted to rent from a reputable company, but the only option we found in Bohol was Hertz, and unfortunately, all their cars were already booked for the entire week. So, if you plan to rent a car, do it with some advance. There were also a few local places renting cars, but their insurance policies weren’t very clear, so we decided not to take the risk.

Private Driver

Another good option is to hire a private driver to take you around and follow a custom itinerary. That’s what we ended up doing to explore the interior of the island. Many of the people selling tours can help arrange a private driver for you. In our case, we simply asked our Grab driver if he did private tours, and he recommended one of his friends. When we inquired about prices, we always got the same price, 3000PHP for one day (we didn’t negotiate because we thought it was already a very good price).

Our driver was super friendly and drove really well—we’d definitely recommend this option. If you’re interested, you can find him on Instagram [here].

Organized Tours

Another great way to visit the most popular spots in Panglao and Bohol is by joining an organized tour. There are plenty of options available on platforms like GetYourGuide and Klook, and you’ll also find many locals offering tours on the streets and beaches.

Best Time to Visit to Bohol

The best time to visit Bohol is during the dry season, from December to May, when the weather is generally sunny and the sea is calm—perfect for beach trips and island hopping.

We visited in February, which is usually a great time to go, but we weren’t very lucky with the weather. Most days were overcast, the sea was a bit rough, and we had short periods of rain almost every day.I guess we were not very lucky.

How Many Days in Bohol

If you’re staying in Panglao, three days is usually enough to see the most popular highlights. But if you want to explore more of the island—like spending time in the interior around Carmen, relaxing on the beaches of Anda (which many people recommend), or staying a night by the Loboc River—then four to five days (or more) would be a better choice.

Where to Go After Bohol?

After our time in Bohol, we got on a flight to El Nido. Other great options that you can reach by ferry are Siquijor and Cebu.

How to Get Internet in Bohol

There are two main internet providers in the Philippines: Smart and Globe. You can get a SIM/eSIM card from one of those companies at the airport when you arrive at the Philippines.

In our case, when travelling to foreign countries, we always opt for an eSIM to get internet data. We had good experiences with airalo, Maya, and Holafly. Check several providers to see which one offers the best package.

If you decide to go with airalo, you can use the referral code below on your first purchase to get a a 3$ credit:

SARA0837

Tripiwi

How’s the Internet in Bohol?

The internet in Panglao, the area of Bohol were we stayed at, was pretty good when comparing to other places in the Philippines. We were able to work from our accommodation using our data plan. However, when moving into Bohol inland, out of Panglao, there were many places where we didn’t have coverage at all.

More Philippines Travel Guides

If you’re planning a trip to the Philippines, make sure to check out our other guides:

• How to Plan a Trip to the Philippines: 33 Essential Travel Tips
• How to Spend Four Days in El Nido: Travel Guide and Best Things to Do
• El Nido Island Hopping Tour A – Is it Worth It? What to Expect?
• El Nido Island Hopping Tours A, B, C, D — Which One to choose?
• How to Spend Two Days in Coron: Travel Guide and Best Things to Do
• Siquijor 3-Day Itinerary & Travel Guide: Best Things to Do
• Moalboal Travel Guide: Best Things to Do & 3-Day Itinerary
• Apo Island Snorkeling Tour — What to Expect
• Manila One Day Itinerary (or Less) — Ideal for a Layover or Short Stay

Also, check our three-week itinerary for the Philippines:

• Three Weeks in the Philippines – Our Itinerary

We hope you find this Bohol travel guide useful.

Finally, you can use our links to book your accommodation, and activities and find cheap flights. You won’t pay more for it and you’ll be supporting our work.

Thanks for reading.