Life       Backpack

    Home to the Tarsiers, Bohol is two islands connected by a couple of bridges just a two hour ferry ride away from Cebu, Pier 1.

 

    The most popular place to stay for travelers is Alona Beach which is found on Panglao Island, a 30 minute taxi ride from the ferry terminal. With a similar setup to the island of Boracay, where there are shops, restaurants and resorts on the beach front, it has a similar vibe just on a much smaller and relaxed scale. 

 

    With the Tarsiers and Chocolate hills being two of Bohol’s major draws to the island, there are many organized trips which take you to these attractions via mini bus, stopping off at a couple of other less well known sites. Despite it not being too expensive (400-500 pesos/person excluding entrance fees) we chose the cheaper option of renting a scooter and making our own way there as it gave us the flexibility we wanted by not having to follow a fixed schedule. 

 

    The Tarsier Conservation Centre, just passed the town of Loboc was exactly one hour and five minutes away from Alona beach along a good decent road. With half the journey along the coast and the other half up into the mountains, it meant we got to enjoy the two very contrasting landscapes which is usually not really possible from the inside of a mini-van. Along the coast, just set back from the beaches, the roads were lined with the very characteristic coconut palms and a number of small towns at intervals. As soon as we moved inland, the high numbers of coconut trees were soon replaced, with the acres of flat land being used for dense Palm tree plantations. Once we began to move up the mountains towards Loboc, the plantations were soon lost with the land on either side of the road covered in very dense, diverse wild plant life.

 

Tarsier Conservation Centre:

The tarsiers, currently only found in the Philippines and Indonesia, are potentially one of the cutest animals in existence but are unfortunately an endangered animal which are currently facing extinction with only around 2000 left in the wild in the Philippines. These nocturnal primates, with eyes as big as marbles but only as big as a adult humans hand are currently found in captivity around Bohol with the aim to greatly increase their numbers. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

    This centre currently has eleven Tarsiers in their natural habitat in a large conservatory which gives visitors the opportunity to view these amazing creatures and raise their awareness. There is also another separate conservatory used for breeding with at least one hundred others which is out of bounds for any tourists and solely used for their conservation with the aim of increasing their depleted numbers.

  

 

Chocolate Hills:

    Just a short, enjoyable twenty five minute drive away from the centre are Bohol’s famous Chocolate hills. This attraction is simply a flat area just beyond Carmen which is covered with tens of hundreds of average sized hills covered in very low lying green vegetation. Fifty pesos per person then allowed us to go up one of the larger hills to a look out point which looks over these fairly evenly sized set of mounds in every direction. Despite it not sounding too exciting as it is simply a set of hills, it is quite interesting to see these peculiar mounds. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

    When at the site there is also the possibility to hire a beach buggie or quad to visit the bases of a number of the hills, but travelers like us who need to watch our pennies didn’t really see the point as it was only for half an hour. On route to the Chocolate hills you pass a couple of other interesting sites such as their man made forest and the ruins of the church of San Pedro Apostol.