The Philippines is a nation in Southeast Asia. There are many wonderful places and things to do in the Philippines, but unfortunately, we cannot cover the entire nation in one post! So we are going to talk about one of the amazing places you can visit within the Philippines: Bohol. The whole nation is made up of islands with over 7,000 of them. Bohol is a smaller island in the Visayas archipelago. It is closest to the larger and more well-known Cebu. Like many of the Philippine islands it is the beaches that draw the most people. However, there are many things to do in Bohol with kids that can go beyond the beaches.
Of course our family loves beaches, so we did visit them when we went to Bohol! Our whole family enjoyed the beaches. We also enjoyed all the other things that this place had to offer!
How to Get to Bohol
Fly into Panglao
We chose to fly directly from Manila to Bohol for our trip. The Bohol Airport is actually on the island of Panglao, which is just off the southern tip of Bohol Island. The islands are very close and there is a bridge connecting the two islands. The other option is to fly into Cebu and ferry across to Bohol Island.
The reason we chose to fly directly into Bohol was due to our short length of visit. Arriving in Cebu, we would have to travel to the ferry port and then cross the channel by ferry to get to Bohol. The extra travel steps to travel by airplane – ferry – bus were not worth our time in comparison to the small extra cost of flying directly from Manila to Bohol-Panglao International Airport.
You can book your flight.
Ferry
Taking the ferry is the other option you can choose to go. We enjoy a good boat ride, but it didn’t work out for us this time. In order to get a ferry you will need to make your way to Cebu City Pier 1. Expect a trip to last approximately 2 hours to get from Cebu to Bohol. If you are booking a ticket please look for Tagbilaran as your destination. Tagbilaran is the main city on Bohol, and the name Bohol might not show up as a destination option.
The two main ferry companies that run this route are: Oceanjet and Supercat. Expect a price around 800 Peso a person (under 2 free) for a one way trip.
How to Get Around Bohol
Rental Car
In order to enjoy the beach but also see the sights around the island that Bohol is so well-known for, we decided to rent a car for just 24 hours to help us better explore Bohol. We rented from 6 pm to 6 pm, so that we could check out the different restaurant options around Panglao Island both days for dinner.
Renting a car was easy and we just contacted our hotel reception who made contact with a local car company. Our experience was interesting as the ‘company’ was just a lady who owned a few cars. We had to start the vehicle a few times by manually touching a screwdriver into the battery. The lady provided the screwdriver free of charge and explained how to do it, so I guess that makes it all better! You can also book a vehicle online ahead of time with a more reputable company if you don’t want to have fun stories to tell! Rentalcars is a good option.
Taxi/Grab
You can use the Grab App to book rides during your stay in Bohol. Prices will be set on the app which is nice as you will not have to haggle for a price.
Tricycle Taxi
Another popular option to get around is by using a tricycle taxi. A tricycle taxi is a fun option for kids. You can cram a surprising number of kids and adults into one of these motorcycles. They don’t have a lot of horsepower and speed, and I recommend them for shorter distance rides. But they are fun!
Best Time to Visit Bohol
The Philippines is a tropical country which means that you will not have to worry about it ever getting cold. It will always be warm and humid. The Philippines does have a distinct rainy season you may want to consider. The rainy season runs from June through November. Expect frequent rain during these months. However, you should plan for rain regularly outside of the rainy season.
The Philippines gets typhoons (hurricanes) every year. Most typhoons hit the northern parts of the Philippines, around Manila, and only infrequently reach as far south as Bohol. Chances of typhoons increase near the end of the rainy season.
You Can use English in the Philippines
Previously, this nation was under the rule of Spain until the late 1800’s, when it came under rule by the United States of America. It was under US rule until just after World War 2, when it was granted independence. Because of this, it is easy to travel around the Philippines with English. English is one of the two national languages along with Filipino (a standardized version of Tagalog).
Things to Do in Bohol with Kids
Loboc River Cruise
One popular location to go to on Bohol is the town of Loboc. In Loboc you can go on the Loboc River Cruise. This cruise lasts about an hour and includes a buffet meal. Our family chose not to go on the cruise because we had other meal options that we wanted to experience with the kids. While the cruise will offer some fun Philippine foods, we wanted to take our kids to the ultimate Philippine food experience, Jollibee! You can read a bit more about Jollibee later on in this post!
Tarsiers
We decided to drive in our rental car to go visit the Tarsier Conservation Center and the Chocolate Hills. Since we had the vehicle for 24 hours, we decided to do both together as they are somewhat near each other.
The Tarsier Conservation Center is on the south side of Bohol Island, about a 45 minute drive from Alona Beach where we were staying. We spent about an hour at the center learning about tarsiers, the concerns about their safety, and seeing several in the trees. There is a guide that takes people on a short trail through the woods behind the center’s main building.
As you walk around the guides point out the tarsiers hiding in the trees. Each tarsier has their favorite spots. The guides know where these spots are. Without the guides finding the tarsiers would have been just about impossible! They are so small and well hidden!
But with the guide it is easy for the kids to find them. Our littlest needed to be picked up to see the tarsiers as they can be up quite high and are snug in their hiding spot. The kids were also told to be very quiet as tarsiers are nocturnal and easily frightened. The informational center did a really good job of helping my children understand that we were entering the tarsiers’ habitat and it was not our place to be loud and interrupt the tarsiers’ daily lives.
We took a look around the small museum to see the skeletal structure of the tarsier and to learn more about their diet and their habitat. We left with a great understanding all about these enduring creatures.
Chocolate Hills
We continued heading north on the island to the interior. There were a lot of curves along the road leading into the island. Watch out if you get car sickness! But the scenery was beautiful and we soon found ourselves spotting those chocolate hills in the distance! They pop up on the horizon looking very distinct from a regular hill! There is a reason this is one of the top things to do in Bohol, and we were glad to have made the trek out.
We parked our car at the shuttle service, which took us up one of the hills to get a view of the chocolate hills from up high. From the shuttle, to get to the tippy tippy top of the hill, you still have to walk stairs. But our kids were really excited to get the full 360-degree view, so they walked quickly all the way up! We had a blast taking pictures from the top with lots of poses and trying to count as many of them as we could. Since we visited in April, we were lucky to be there during the hot season when the hills are all fully brown like the chocolate in their name.
It was hard to leave as there was so much to see from all directions, but we were all getting hungry!
Chocolate Hills Cost
Adults - P100
Children - P50
Five-year-olds and under are free
Opening Hours
8:00am - 5:00pm
Sagbayan Peak
If you are not wanting to go to the best views of the Chocolate Hills at the Chocolate Hills Viewpoint, then you have another pretty good option to see the hills. Since the hills are best viewed from higher up, the city of Sagbayan offers another good view. Consensus seems to be that the views are not as good here. However, you can find a few other things to do with kids in the town of Sagbayan. We wanted to see the best views, so we didn’t make it over to the Sagbayan Peak. We were happy with our choice as it fit into our time frame we had on Bohol.
Hinagdanan Cave
We got to Hinagdanan Cave near closing time. Several of our kids were very excited to see an underwater pool inside of a cave. Tickets were 50 pesos, but if you wanted to swim, you had to pay an extra 75 pesos. As it was late (you can only swim until 4:30), we chose not to get into the water.
To get to the cave, you walk into a hole in the ground. It is big enough for one person at a time and can get quite damp, so it’s good there are railings to hold onto! Once inside it opens up down a hallway and then into the big cave room with the pool of water. The room has lights, and you can climb around on the edge and look around and watch people swimming. We wished we had chosen to swim once we got down into the cave! How much fun to swim inside a cave! But it had been a long day and the kids were getting tired. There were lots of stalls of souvenirs and fresh fruit shakes as we left the cave area and got back onto the road to our accommodation.
Hinagdanan Cave Cost
Everyone - P50
Opening Hours
8:00am - 5:00pm (swimming 8:30am - 4:30pm)
Best Beaches on Bohol to Explore with Kids
We chose to stay at a hostel on the beach close to the Panglao International Airport since we were flying. We chose the Dumaluan Beach as it had been recommended as quieter than the more popular Alona Beach. Plus, Dumaluan Beach was just a few minutes further down the road from the airport.
While the airport is on Panglao Island, right next to Bohol, they are close enough that they are considered one unit. A purist would say a beach on Panglao is not to be considered a Bohol Beach, but for this post we are including our favorite beaches that can be driven to.
Dumaluan Beach
One of our favorite activities on Dumaluan Beach was snorkeling directly off the beach. Even the seven-year-old could see fish just a few minutes swimming out into the ocean. Those of us with more stamina could spend an hour swimming around and seeing stunning coral, all colors of fish, multiple kinds of starfish, and a dotting of sea urchins in deeper waters.
The other activity we enjoyed was watching the sunset from the ocean. We heard that Alona Beach was known for it’s beautiful sunsets. Since our beach was around a corner of the island, our view of the sunset was best seen from the ocean looking towards our beach. The view was gorgeous!
Alona Beach
When it comes to things to do in Bohol, beaches are always a favorite, so we then took an evening visit to Alona Beach. It was a busy, lively crowd at night with lots of dining options. However, with our desire for a quiet family beach stay, we were glad to have chosen Dumaluan Beach.
Anda Beach
Another great beach that offers good water and coral is Anda Beach. Anda Beach is located on the eastern side of Bohol. It is far from the airport, but the swimming is great.
Places to Eat around Bohol
Smok’d
We started with a trip to a barbeque joint called Smok’d, which had delicious, fall-off-the-bone smoked meat. We shared a platter and a sandwich between our family and the food was wonderful and delicious. The atmosphere was catered to adults, but they were friendly to our children, and our kids were all happy with the food. We call that a win for our family!
Tagbilaran City – Jollibee’s
For one of our lunches, we wanted to give our kids a classic Filipino experience by eating at Jollibee’s. Jollibee’s is a fast-food chain that is all over the Philippines. It can now be found in many countries around the world! Jollibee’s has family meals, so we could try several different dishes and the kids also got kiddie meals with a toy.
Jojie’s Bakeshop
One other place that we frequented during our time on Panglao and Bohol islands was Jojie’s Bakeshop. The Philippines is known for its pandesal, a soft roll-type bread. Jojie’s Bakeshop had delicious pandesal, as well as other baked goods, all for only a few pesos a piece. My kids loved stopping at Jojie’s for a snack. They can be found in locations across the island. Definitely a must stop place with kids!
Place to Stay on Bohol
There are many amazing places to stay on Bohol with kids. Many of the options you can find will be along the beaches, but you can find some good ones inland near the chocolate hills also.
Camelo Farm is close near the Chocolate Hills. Here you can stay in traditional Philippine huts called nipa huts.
Here are a few options near or on the beach that are worth checking out!
Bohol Beach Club: Excellent location right on the beach for a more luxury experience.
The Whitehouse by the Sea: Also, a great location being right on the beach, and is great for large family units as it can accommodate large groups.
Panglao Transient House: Better for those who are on a budget. It is rather rustic but can accommodate large groups.
Final Thoughts
Bohol is a beautiful island of the Philippines to travel to with kids. It is just laid back enough to allow for a relaxing visit. There are enough things to do on Bohol to entertain kids during your time there. Even though it is a small island, it packs a good punch of different outdoor activities: beach, hills, caves, and unique animals. Because of all this we feel that Bohol is worth adding to your bucket list!