A Bohol Day Trip Travel Guide from CebuI get asked a lot about the possibility of doing a day trip in Bohol from Cebu. There are plenty of activities to do in Bohol and if you are an ocean lover, you might want to stay for at least 2 days. However, if you have very limited time and just want to see the Chocolate Hills, Panglao and a few other tourist spots, then a day trip should be enough. Here are some of the items I would like to share to those who would like to visit Bohol for a day trip coming from Cebu. Please like our Facebook Page:
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How do I go to Bohol from Cebu?
The best way to go to Bohol from Cebu is via a 2-hour ferry ride. The most famous entry point in Bohol is through Tagbilaran City. As of now, there are 2 main ferry lines which traverse Cebu City to Tagbilaran City routes and vice versa: OceanJet and SuperCat. I personally prefer OceanJet over SuperCat -- although it's more expensive, the seats are more comfortable and their ferries are fairly new. They also have more trips to and from Tagbilaran compared to SuperCat. To maximize your day trip in Bohol, I would suggest to take the first trip to Tagbilaran City via OceanJet and buy your round trip ticket in advance. To skip the queue, it will better if you book online. I also suggest to book round trip so you don't have to queue up again to buy your return ticket. There are 2 ways to book your ticket online:
Here are the boat schedules and fares for both ferry companies. OceanJet
Fares per way are as follows:
Fares can still be discounted for Filipino senior citizens and students but these cannot be discounted online. You will have to go to their ticketing offices to get your discounts.
SuperCat 2Go
SuperCat 2Go routes from Cebu to Bohol and vice versa has undergone service improvements and has stopped its operation from May 16, 2019 to August 16, 2019 but they are back online as of September 2019. Please visit their website to check updates for this route: SuperCat 2Go Official Website
Fares per way are as follows:
A few reminders when traveling by ferry:
Bohol chocolate hills (Photo © iHeartPH 2017)
Which tourist spots should I see on my day trip? This would largely depend on the day trip package or countryside tour that you have availed of but these are the places that you shouldn't miss when you go on a countryside tour in Bohol:
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Time |
Activity |
5:10 AM |
ETD from Cebu to Tagbilaran via OceanJet |
7:10 AM |
ETA in Tagbilaran City seaport |
7:30 AM |
Breakfast if you haven't had one yet (But I highly suggest that you have one in Cebu since there are not much choices of breakfast places in Tagbilaran) |
8:30 AM |
Start of your countryside tour (I suggest to start with Chocolate Hills so you'll be in Loboc in time for lunch) |
9:40 AM |
ETA in Chocolate Hills viewdeck (Spend about 20 minutes in the area) |
10:30 AM |
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11:05 AM |
ETA in Bilar Man-Made Forest (Spend about 10 minutes for photo-taking ) |
11:45 PM |
ETA in Loboc River and Floating Restaurant (Lunch on the boat for about 1.5 hours) |
1:45 PM |
ETA in Baclayon Church (Spend another 15 minutes around the church. If you want to go to the museum, that will be another 15 minutes) |
2:45 PM |
ETA in Bohol Bee Farm (Spend a good amount of time here especially for the titas/titos and aunties/uncles out there. LOL! Have coffee, try out their organic ice cream, join the bee farm tour and check out their unique pastries and organic spreads. If you have more time to spare, I would suggest their signature massage but best if you book ahead of time. Read my blog post about Bohol Bee Farm.) |
4:30 PM |
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6:00 PM |
ETA in Tagbilaran City seaport for check-in (Make sure you arrive at the seaport at this time. No excuses! Or you'll be forced to stay for the night in Bohol since 6:30 PM would be the last trip to Cebu.) |
6:30 PM |
ETD from Tagbilaran to Cebu via OceanJet |
8:30 PM |
ETA in Cebu City |
What if I only want to spend time in Panglao?
There are also some travelers who have already seen or not interested to see the Chocolate Hills and Loboc River and only want to spend time in Panglao during their Bohol daytrip. There are several things that you can do in Panglao and I have another blog entry on Top Things to Do in Panglao for Daytrippers. Here is my suggested itinerary for such a trip.
Time |
Activity |
5:10 AM |
ETD from Cebu to Tagbilaran via OceanJet |
7:10 AM |
ETA in Tagbilaran City seaport |
7:20 AM |
Head for Alona Beach (To get to Alona Beach, you can take a tricycle straight from the seaport. There are no tariff rates for this so the fare depends highly on your negotiation skills. If you would like to book a private car ahead of time, you can do so here: Bohol Private Car Charter) |
8:00 AM |
Arrival in Alona Beach and start of Island Hopping Tour (During lean season, the cheapest option is to book a tour with boat operators roaming around Alona Beach but during high season, I recommend booking ahead of time. You can search for island hopping tours via Facebook or Google or book through Klook here: Bohol Island Hopping and Dolphin Watching Tour) |
1:30 PM |
Back in Alona Beach (Most island hopping tours include lunch but if not, you can check out the restaurants along Alona Beach. Don't forget to try out Bohol Bee Farm's ice cream in The Buzzz Cafe.) |
3:00 PM |
Explore the rest of Panglao (After roaming around Alona Beach, you can explore the rest of Panglao Island. You can go to Hinagdanan Cave or Bohol Bee Farm. Both are reachable from Alona Beach by tricycle. I would highly recommend Bohol Bee Farm for coffee, organic pastries, wine and scallops. They also hold tours around their garden and bee farm and they also offer fantastic massages!) |
6:00 PM |
ETA in Tagbilaran City seaport for check-in (Make sure you arrive at the seaport at this time. No excuses! Or you'll be forced to stay for the night in Bohol since 6:30 PM would be the last trip to Cebu.) |
6:30 PM |
ETD from Tagbilaran to Cebu via OceanJet |
8:30 PM |
ETA in Cebu City |
If you don't want to go island hopping and only want to explore Panglao Island, Klook has a new service which takes you around the beaches in Panglao, the town of Dauis and Bohol Bee Farm: Panglao Island Land Tour. I haven't done this but looks very interesting.
Where can I book my countryside tour in Bohol?
There are several ways to book day tours in Bohol but the best way would be to charter a private van/car so that you can customize your trip the way you want it. Since you only have a few hours to spend in Bohol, you need to be able to maximize the day. There are 3 ways to book your private van/car in Bohol:
- VIA KLOOK. For easier and more convenient booking and if you want your booking saved on your mobile phone before you go to Bohol from Cebu, you can do so via Klook. Click here to book: Bohol Countryside with Panglao Highlights. Note that they follow a totally different itinerary from what I have provided but just remind them that you need to be back in the seaport by 6:00 PM.
- VIA TRAVEL AGENCIES ON FACEBOOK. You can also book in advance through independent travel agencies on Facebook. Some travel agencies have their own Facebook pages or you can go to this Facebook group named DIY Travel Philippines and scout from there. There are a lot of agencies that you'll find in this page so feel free to ask for their rates and compare before you decide.
- VIA MY FAVORITE VAN DRIVER FROM RAMYER. Since I go to Bohol several times a year, I already have a suki van driver Kuya John who picks me up from the airport and brings me to wherever I need to be in Bohol. I also recommended him to my friends and relatives and have consistently received good feedback about him. You can contact him at +639161765683. The tour normally costs about P3,500 good for 10 people. He can also provide smaller vans or sedans which can costs lesser for smaller groups. The tour package already includes free pick-up and drop-off at the ferry.
OTHER USEFUL LINKS
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WHERE TO STAY IN PANGLAO |
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