Hello to all you #travel lovers out there, it's time to continue my series of posts on the Visaya area of the Philippines. Today I finish my time in Bohol before we move on to Leyte, at the bottom of this post you can find my previous write ups.
So far in Bohol I have covered beach life and diving, this time I will take you in land and visit some of the other main attractions.
All over the Philippines there are many waterfalls some more impressive than others so I am always cautious when I hear of a place to visit, so, after a bit of investigation we learned of a beautiful place on the other side of the island.
This was going to be a long day so we jumped on our bikes and set off east across Bohol. Our target was the Can-Umantad falls With many miles to cover we broke it up with a bit of sight seeing.
Let's hit the road.
Just before you cross the causeway onto the mainland you pass through the town of Poblacion it's quite small but has some interesting churches you may want to explore and next to the San Agustin Parish Church there is this cool old structure.
Stunning church.
https://www.bohol-philippines.com/
Built in 1851 this Hexagonal building is said to be the tallest of it's kind in the Philippines, it had fallen into disrepair but in recent years it was give a makeover and the roof was rebuilt. It still looks like it could do with a bit more love.
The Panglao watchtower.
Now across the causeway we take a quick check of the map to make sure we start in the right direction, last thing we want is to get lost and spoil our day. We have two options and we go with the route through the mountains. The other option is to take the Bohol Circumferential Road, what a mouthful what's wrong with "coast road?"
Time to hit the mountains.
The ride took us up high into the hills, it was pretty easy going with good roads most of the way although sometimes a little narrow but with not too much traffic it was a pleasurable jaunt.....
With great views.
Needing fuel I started to look out for a petrol station, watching the gauge go down I started to worry I was going to get stuck in the hills pushing my bike. Fortunately the ever resourceful Filipinos have a answer for this, the road side shops know as "Sari Sari" sell it by the bottle. Probably not the best or safest way to buy fuel but a useful get out of jail card until you find a real garage.
This is not Cherry Cola!
The last part of the roadtrip was a little more challenging with dirt roads to navigate but finally we arrived at our destination there's a small fee charged to park our bikes up. A local asked if we needed a guide but as there is just the one trail there is no need for this. A short walk through the jungle landscape and you arrive. What a beautiful place, a proper waterfall with a big pool like basin at the bottom truly amazing. At over 60 meters tall it is the largest on the island.
Now that's a waterfall.
A quick dip in the water was a must, dusty and overheated from the journey it was just what the doctor ordered. Now here's a tip don't forget to take your phone out of your pocket, it may ruin your day to find your device rendered useless.
For more check out this site. source.http://www.boholtourismph.com/
Here's a short video that does the falls much more justice than any photo.
Above the falls is another popular tourist attraction and a cool place to visit, the Cadapdapan Rice Terraces. These are fed by the waters that eventually become the waterfall.
They can either be reached by going back out on the road and walking or riding up, if you are full of energy there are stone steps that rise up the side of the falls. Steep slippery stone and 400 or so of them, so being old and unfit I would opt for the road.
You will be greeted by a massive open space of paddy fields and terraced hillsides. There is a small shop and cafe there to get much needed refreshments.
Cadapdapan
We had made good time on our journey to this point and with quite a few hours of daylight left we decided to head back through the mountains and detour to visit the chocolate hills. Turning off the road near the town of Carmen we entered a area with some strange geology. There are said to be 1260 of these conical limestone hills jutting up out of the jungle varying from 30 - 120 metres tall but to add confusion some people quote as many as 1776, quite a precise number but however many there are they are a sight to behold.
Why the name you may ask? Well in the hot summer months the vegetation covering these mounds dies off turning a brown colour giving birth to the Chocolate Hill name, so it is best to visit this area from January through to May.
Strange landscape.
There are legends told that the hills were formed by giants who threw boulders at each other while having disputes.
Another tale tells of a giant called Arogo who fell in love with Aloya but she sadly died, Arogo cried so much he flooded the land and when his tears dried up the hills were all that was left. There's nothing like a bit of folklore to add to the mystique of a place.
Sunrise over the hills.
OK time to get back to Panglao before the light fails and start thinking about the next island on our agenda.
Before I finish today I should mention one more thing that many visit Bohol for Tarsier monkeys. The Tarsier is the worlds smallest primate and this island has some of the few places on earth you can go to see them. There are a number of different centres you can visit but some have caged animals and i am very anti that.
I chose not to go visit any of these "sanctuaries" but for the purpose of this blog and to pass on the best information I can only recommend the Philippine Tarsier Sanctuary near the town of Corrella. I am reliably told all monkeys are free in the forest and the team of wardens do a good job of protecting the little guys.
If you do chose to visit one of these places, do your homework before setting off.
Only 8-16 centimetres tall.
For more information take a look at their website.https://philippine-tarsier-sanctuary.business.site/
OK guys and gals that's me done for this post, my previous ones are below. There is so much more to do in all these places and I have only scratched the surface but aim to highlight the most popular spots.
In my next post we will take you to Southern Leyte, by far one of my favorite destinations so far in the Philippines. Until then please take care in this crazy world we find ourselves in.
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Another top notch piece to your amazing series promoting the beauty of the Philippines. Incredible landscapes again.
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Awesome, so many places Yohann and I haven't even seen yet in Bohol here on your post. Whoa that waterfalls is powerful! Defnitely another reason to return and hopefully we could travel with you guys.
That day will come, just need to get through this weird time we are all having.
It will happen, I am claiming it already.
Wow, looks like an awesome place. Those hills created by the giants throwing boulders look incredible. So neat. I love a good story to go along with an interesting landscape.
It adds a little extra to a place for sure.
#posh
Hiya, @choogirl here, just swinging by to let you know that this post made it into our Honorable Mentions in Daily Travel Digest #947.
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Thank you so much @choogirl, I'm always happy when I make it into the digest:)
Ah, the famous motorcycle fuel inside glass Coca-Cola bottles haha. Makes me miss the provincial life indeed. I feel really dismayed that you have been to more places in the Bohol than I have. We were there for only 2 days and had to get back. I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. Great review on what to do in the Philippines!
I spent a lot of time in the Philippines as a tourist before the wife and myself made the big leap to move here. Because of this we traveled around quite a bit, so far my favorite place has been southern Leyte.
Now that is a water falls indeed. I will try to check that out on m trip in the future. I have been meaning to go to the Philippines for years. What kinda bikes are you riding on those journeys?
I run a Honda crf 250 but the wife has a Honda 125 xrm because she's a dwarf.😂🤣😂