Baclayon Church and Blood Compact - Tagbilaran Bohol

Baclayon Church

Baclayon Church is said to be the oldest church in Bohol. Before I only wished to go there but recently this year, I was pinching myself and I was really there and facing in front of Baclayon Church. I had a different religious belief since I am a Pentecost Christian but I have a respectful point of view and beliefs of other people. :D



Blood Compact

Another inclusion spot in Tagbilaran day tour is the The Blood Compact which is a very significant part of the Boholano culture. Every June and July, the Boholanos pay tribute to that culture through a Sandugo Festival. Sandugo Festival is mostly characterized by balls, beauty pageants, sporting events and other fun activities. During those months, Bohol is in a peak season so better travel to Bohol during that time to witness how they celebrate and gives tribute to their culture. Learning other places culture is also fun and educational. I am planning to go back there and celebrate Sandugo Festival with Boholanos. :)

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Hanging Bridge and Loboc Mini Zoo - Tagbilaran Bohol

Hanging Bridge

The hanging bridge is located on the upper part of Loboc. It is comprised of bamboos and steel. It is about 25 meters about the river and 40 meters in length. There are two bridges there. Scary to look at first but you'll enjoy if you already there. I swear. :D I admit that there are some part of the bridge really scares me out because I stepped on a soft bamboo and it seems like it will break, so to be careful, you must watch your steps and hold on to the harness on each side of the bridge.



Loboc Mini Zoo

We also visited Loboc Mini Zoo. There's a lot to see inside like extremely large python, ostrich, monkeys, iguana, leopard and other animals. You can also found there the most largest python in Bohol however when we went there, that python was not around due to expired permit according to our tourist guide and driver.



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Tarsier Sanctuary in Bohol

The Philippine tarsier, (Tarsius syrichta) is a very peculiar small animal. In fact it is one of the smallest known primates, no larger than a adult men's hand. Mostly active at night, it lives on a diet of insects. Folk traditions sometimes has it that tarsiers eat charcoal, but actually they retrieve the insects from (sometimes burned) wood. It can be found in the islands of Samar, Leyte, Bohol, and Mindanao in the Philippines.

If no action is taken, the tarsier might not survive. Although it is a protected species, and the practice of catching them and then selling them as stuffed tarsiers to tourists has stopped, the species is still threatened by the destruction of his natural forest habitat. Many years of both legal and illegal logging and slash-and-burn agriculture have greatly reduced these forests, and reduced the tarsier population to a dangerously small size. If no action is taken now, the Philippine tarsier can soon be added to the list of extinct species.
Not "The World Smallest Monkey"

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Loboc Floating Restaurant and Man Made Mahogany Forest - Tagbilaran Bohol

Loboc Floating Restaurant

The floating restaurant comprised of two boats connected where tables are well arranged. Inside, there's a lunch buffet style. You only need to pay Php 280.00 to get in on floating restaurant and inclusion of buffet lunch. By the way, some Bohol package tours includes free buffet there.

Man Made Mahogany Forest

The man-made Mahogany forest stands out because of it's uniformity in tree heights and the thickness when Mahogany trees brought together. And through that, entering the first road where Mahogany trees welcomes you, you can feel the temperature changed. You've been on an air conditioned car so exactly you feel cold right then but try to walk outside the forest, the temperature is not really cold compare when you're inside the forest.



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Chocolate Hills and Butterfly Sanctuary - Tagbilaran Bohol Day Tour Part 1

Chocolate Hills

Tagbilaran tour was our next target after a breathtaking experience in Danao Adventure Park. We do also want to have Panglao tour however we can't make it as we only have a limited time there. So our first destination in Tagbilaran was The Chocolate Hills. The Chocolate Hills are one of Bohol's most famous tourist attraction. Everyday, new tourists are visiting Bohol to see Chocolate Hills. Peak season falls to summer and Christmas season.



Most people who first saw The Chocolate Hills photo can't hardly believe that these hills are naturally made. See how amazing and wonderful nature is? So me and my travel buddies went up to see The Chocolate Hills. It was a long stairs to take before we could reach the top. Tiring really but it's very worth it when you reach the peak as you can see the whole portion where Chocolate Hills scattered. Breathtaking indeed! The time we went there wasn't a sunny day although it was March. Still the view was nice but it would be much nicer if you will visit The Chocolate Hills at a sunny morning. With that, you can see far hills and with a perfect combination of shadows and sunlight.





How To Get There

Plenty of happy tourist guides will offer to bring you there. Mostly, they offer a package car rate to tour you over all spots in Tagbilaran City but if you want to go there on your own, here's a guide for you.

From Tagbilaran, go to a bus terminal in Dao and catch a bus going to Carmen. Don't be afraid to ask someone if you are unsure of what kind of bus you'll need to catch up. Asking someone is a backpacker's tactic and a part of your journey. At the entrance of the bus terminal, ask some people that will point you to the right bus. Go and sit behind the driver and ask to drop you off at the Chocolate Hills complex. You can also ask the person sitting beside you, they surely know as most tourists will hire a car and won't ride in a bus. It's about 4 kilometers before you can reach the town of Carmen. From there , you need to walk 10 minutes along the road winding up to the complex.

And to get back to Tagbilaran, walk back again to the main road, and wait for a bus to pass by. The last bus from Carmen to Tagbilaran leaves at 4PM. There are also motorcycles who often wait there for passenger, you can ask them to take you back to Tagbilaran. Other means of vehicle from Carmen are 'habal-habal' and taxi.

Butterfly Santuary in Bilar

Second stop is ATV, but I made a separate post about that. You can read it soon here. So to skip, another spot we visited was the Butterflies Conservation Center which is located in Bilar, a town in the interior part of Bohol. It is the first butterfly livelihood breeding and conservation program in Bohol. The Entrance fee is Php20.00 with a tour guide that explains deeply about butterflies.



It was observed to host 200 species of butterflies and the Center seeks ways and means to conserve and breed them. An enclosure has been built to protect the butterflies from predators which can give them 70% survival rate. Outside, survival rate is only 2%.



There, I learned how to determine a female and a male butterflies. Male butterflies are more colorful and has a large wings while female butterflies have smaller wings. Male butterflies are made that way so that they can easily attract female butterflies. And I discovered that there's also a gay butterfly, funny it is but it's true. It was called that way because half part of their body has a small wing and the other half has a large and colorful wing. Combination of male and female butterfly characteristics.



I was also amazed with their cocoons. I thought they were fake because of the color. But the guide said they were all real and I touch one gold cocoon and something's moving inside. It's real. I had also in my hand a caterpillar but it's not itchy like 'higad'. It was a rubber like when I touched it.







How to Get There

There are two butterfly sanctuaries in Bohol. One is located at Bilar town and a smaller enclosure is in Sagbayan. The one we visited was in Bilar. To get there, you can hire a car like mostly tourist do or ride a taxi or motorcycle. Bilar is located 41 kilometers from Tagbilaran City and 1 kilometer from the Bilar market and 5 minutes away from the Mahogany Man-Made Forest.

Tourist Guides and Car/Van Rental

Bohol Car Tour Services
+639081724401

Bohol Day Tour (Tagbilaran and Panglao Island)
Kuya Hansel
+639065077848

Lorjem
+639194137623 (Smart)
+639274358392 (Globe)

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The Plunge - Danao Adventure Park, Bohol Philippines

Last March this year, me and my travel buddies availed an airfare promo at Cebu Pacific and our target place was in Bohol, Philippines. We really want to try some extreme adventures that will surely shake our nerves and scream to death. So that's why we had Danao Adventure Park as our top priority destination. If you too also seeking for an extreme adventure then Danao Adventure Park in Bohol is the right place for you.



The moment we hired a car, we headed first on Danao Adventure Park. It's 2 hours travel from Tagbilaran. There are lots of adventures that you can do there like water rafting, rappelling, caving, root climbing. The first adventure we tried is the Suislide and the second adventure we tried is The Plunge. We decided to go first with Suislide since it was not terrifying compared to Plunge.



I had an acrophobia before and I wanted to prove it myself that I can face and surpass this challenge. In our group, I volunteered to be the first one to try the Plunge. I was smiling but deep inside I am really nervous. So the staffs there put harness on my body and do a little briefing of do's and dont's when I will be falling and swaying. Harness are 100% secure and safe. So don't worry.

This is the moment. :D The most terrifying experience is the free fall. It seems like the falling dream I dreamed becomes reality. Take note of this, the free fall Plunge was about 70 meters! Scary, right? But at the end of free fall, you will be relaxed as it will only swing until they will pull you up slowly.



You can experience The Plunge for only Php 700.00 with certificate. You are not paying for the price but you are paying for the experience. There's also a photographer. They are selling each photo for Php 50.00.

Danao Adventure Park experience is really great. Wanted to go back there and will try other activities they offer. So visit Danao Adventure Park now and share us what you'll feel.



For Contacts and Reservation, please see the contact list below. Good luck and Happy Traveling! :)

Danao Adventure Park, Bohol Philippines
Booking Office: Ma. Wiena Saguid (0921)7594403 / (0917) 3021700
Tourism Office: Ana Loinda Saluan (0917) 3021701 / (038) 5100033
eatdanao@ymail.com

Danao Adventure Park, Bohol Philippines
038-4122338 local 6111 or 038-5100033

LGU Danao
038-4122338

Jerome B. Labra
Municipality Tourism Officer
+639061176894

Ma. Wiena Saguid
Booking Officer
038-5100033
+63921-7594403 or +63917-3021700
eatdanao@ymail.com

Bohol Car Tour Services
+639081724401

Bohol Day Tour (Tagbilaran and Panglao Island)
Kuya Hansel
+639065077848

Lorjem
+639194137623 (Smart)
+639274358392 (Globe)





You can find the original post here: http://themarkofanexplorer.blogspot.com/2012/03/danao-adventure-park-plunge-bohol.html

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