Bohol Tour Packages: Affordable way to Discover the Jewel of the Philippines

Bohol Tour! I've always wanted to visit the island of Bohol. As far as I can remember, it was on my high school when I mentally made a note that I wanted it to be my first travel destination. And yes, quite true enough, I was able to visit Bohol Island last February 2011 with a bunch of wanderer like me, my travel buddies. But hey, they are not just my travel buddies. They are few great persons whom I could say, added a lot of spice in my life.

Bohol Tour Cast

Among the top tourist destinations in the Philippines, Bohol Island is well known for the famous Chocolate Hills, Philippine Tarsier and Panglao Island for its white sand beaches and diving resort. There are a lot beautiful and interesting places to visit in Bohol. From old churches, museums, caves, resorts and now the extreme adventures in Danao – Bohol Tour is a must for those who want to experience nature and adventure alike.

Since most of the must see places are quite distant from each other, its desirable if one would rent a van or much conveniently book a tour package instead for a hassle-free and enjoyable tour.  By booking a tour, all is usually inclusive. Tour packages include van, gasoline, driver, transfers, entrances and buffet lunch at Loboc River for the Bohol countryside tour. There are a lot of tour packages you can choose from. You can search online and there are huge choices that will suit the kind of tour you want and your budget. Just make sure that you verify that all is inclusive and there are no hidden charges.

A month before our planned Bohol tour, we scouted for the best tour package that can cater to our needs and is also affordable. We made several inquiries through emails. Some are prompt to respond while others would take a few days. We then compared tour inclusions and of course budgetJ.  We had then decided to have our tour through Vest Pension House. Yes, it’s a pension house in Tagbilaran City but they also offer tour packages.

Vest Pension at Tagbilaran City

Tagbilaran City is the capital of Bohol. It’s 18 kms from Panglao and can be reached within 30-40 minutes.  We were pleased with their service and accommodation. The rooms are big and clean and the staffs are welcoming and helpful. So, if you’re budget conscious (like us J), you can have your accommodation in Tagbilaran since it is cheaper compared to accommodations in Panglao.

Our Bohol Tour Room Accommodation

We opted for a two day tour, the Bohol Countryside and the Panglao Island tour. Since most of us don’t want to take vacation leaves from work , we took the first trip (Cebu – Tagbilaran) of Ocean Jet. We bought our round-trip tickets two weeks prior to our scheduled travel and we got an almost 50% savings. The regular two-way fare is Php820 and we only got to pay Php420. A hefty saving it was.

We had been blessed with a beautiful and sunny weather during our Bohol tour though it had been raining for weeks prior to our tour. For Day 1, we got to visit the best natural wonders that Bohol can offer. We climed the world famous Chocolate Hills, had an encounter with the tarsiers (the world's smallest primate), visited Prony (largest captive Python in the Philippines) and met the colorful butterflies at the Butterfly Sanctuary. We also visited the Man-made forest and enjoyed nature's beauty through a memorable Loboc River Cruise with a sumptuous lunch. A visit to Bohol's historical attractions were also interisting. We got to Know more about Bohol's history and culture as we visited the historic Baclayon Church and the Blood Compact Shrine.

Bohol Countryside Tour

Invading Panglao island was our mission on our second day at Bohol. We explore the island's tourists attraction in the morning. We enjoyed spelunking at Hinagdanan Cave, acted like students and been very attentive during a short 'All about the Bee's' lesson at Bohol Bee Farm. We also visited the Dauis Church, one of Bohol's oldest churches.  The  rest of the afternoon was spent at Dumaloan beach resort. The resort fall short on our expectations but when we got to swim, we have forgotten it all! The beach is so beautiful - I fell in love with it! White-sand and clear turquoise water. If I have to go to Bohol again, I'll make sure that I will have to spent at least a day or two on their beaches - can't get enough of it!

Panglao Island Tour

The 2Days, 1Night Bohol Tour package costs us Php15, 700 for a group of 9. Php 1,744.44 for each person. Below were our detailed tour itineraries.  The following inclusions were also included:

1 Night Accommodation (2 deluxe twin rooms- per availability)
1 day breakfast for 9 persons
Roundtrip hotel transfers
2 day tour inclusive of entrances, vehicle with tour driver & gasoline

Day 1: Bohol Countryside Tour

Chocolate Hills
Hanging Bridge
Butterfly Sanctuary
Man-made Forest
Loboc River Cruise with Lunch Buffet
Phillipine Tarsier Encounter
The Python Snake Prony
Baclayon Church & Museum
Blood Compact Shrine

Day 2: Panglao Island Tour

Hinagdanan Cave
Bohol Bee Farm
Dauis Church
Beach Bumming and Swimming at Dumaluan Beach

In summary, we were all pleased with the package tour we booked. We got to discover the Jewel of the Philippines in an affordable way. We saw a lot of wonderful places, got acquainted with the nature for some time and learned to appreciate more of God’s amazing creation. Plus we only got to spent a considerable amount for this great getaway. The total amount we spent was Php 2,164.44 including the round trip fare from Cebu City. Affordable isn't it? Another advantage we have for booking a tour was that we don't need to worry for the entrances and the like - all was set and at fixed price, so it was hassle free!

Yeah, that was our 2D1N Bohol Tour - a full pack, fun-filled invasion! Truly, I was right when I’d chosen Bohol to be my first Philippine travel destination.

PS. You can also visit my other entries for more of Bohol. See you around! ;)

Posted in: Bohol,Travel Tips