How Long to Spend in Bohol Philippines: With Sample Locations to Visit Per Day

After exploring the island myself a few times, I would recommend staying in Bohol for at least three to four days to fully experience all that it has to offer. This will give you enough time to visit the popular attractions such as the Chocolate Hills, the Tarsier Sanctuary, and the Hinagdanan Cave, as well as explore some of the lesser-known spots like the Anda beach.

Of course, if you’re a beach lover and want to spend most of your time soaking up the sun and swimming in the crystal-clear waters, you may want to extend your stay to a week or more. On the other hand, if you’re short on time but still want to get a taste of Bohol, a day in Bohol also possible.

There are many factors to consider, let me lay down some of the ones we used when planning our trip to Bohol. I’m also going to share our typical itinerary.

How to Decide How Long to Stay in Bohol

When planning a trip to Bohol Philippines, one of the first questions you might ask yourself is how long you should stay. The answer to this question depends on several factors, including your budget, travel goals, and personal preferences. In this section, I will provide some guidance on how to decide the duration of your stay in Bohol.

Travel Budget

One of the most important factors to consider when deciding how long to stay in Bohol island is your budget. Bohol is a relatively affordable destination, but the cost of accommodation, food, and activities can add up quickly. So first and foremost, check how much your budget is and how long can this support you.

Just to give you an idea accommodations can cost from Php1,000 ($20) a night to Php15,000 ($300) a night and up. Food is at least Php200 ($4) a meal if you’re going to eat in fast food chains. Transportation can cost you around Php2,500 ($50) a day. Oh, and don’t forget your plane ticket.

In our last trip, we spent around Php120,000 ($2400), including air fare. We stayed there or 5 days and 4 nights. We only stayed at a $60/day hotel. We hired a van and a driver. We took a couple of tour packages. We ate in restaurants and we ate a lot! We did some water and outdoor activities. And there were 5 of us including my little girl.

Travel Goals

Another important factor to consider is your travel goals. If you are interested in exploring the countryside, touring the islands, and visiting historical sites, you will need more time than if you just want to relax on the beach. A three-day itinerary is a good starting point, but if you want to see everything Bohol has to offer, you may want to stay for up to a week. There’s tons of things to do in Bohol.

Personal Preferences

Finally, your personal preferences will play a role in deciding how long to stay in Bohol. If you are the type of traveler who likes to take things slow and enjoy the local culture, like me, you may want to stay a little more than just 3 days.

Planning Your Itinerary

First, decide how many days you want to spend in Bohol. While you can see most of the highlights in two days, I recommend spending at least four days to fully experience the island. This will give you enough time to visit the popular tourist attractions, as well as slow down to take in the surroundings and the culture.

Next, consider the type of activities you want to do. If you are a nature lover, spend a day exploring the countryside and visiting the famous Chocolate Hills. If you love the beach, take a day trip to the nearby islands and enjoy the crystal-clear waters and white sand beaches.

Third, decide where you’re going to stay for your accommodation, there are plenty of options to choose from. Whether you prefer a luxury resort or a budget-friendly hostel, there is something for everyone. If you’ve read some of my previous blogs, you know I recommend staying in Panglao Island. This is the most popular area and most tourist destinations are near and in the island.

Lastly, think how you’re going to get get around Bohol, you can rent a motorbike, hire a tricycle, hire a van and a driver or join a guided tour. Renting a motorbike is the most popular option among tourists, as it gives you the flexibility to explore the island at your own pace.

Moving Around Bohol

How you move around will of course affect your travel time in the island. So here are the popular options to tourists.

Renting a Scooter

One of the best ways to get around the island of Bohol is by renting a scooter. This is an affordable and convenient way to explore the island at your own pace. You can rent a scooter for around PHP 400-500 per day, and this will give you the freedom to explore the island’s many attractions. You can easily ask your hotel’s staff if they rent out scooters or ask for a recommendation.

Tricycles and Jeepneys

For longer distances such as 5km and up, Jeepneys and tricycles are available, offering cheaper fares and fixed routes. You may have to wait though. They usually depart only when all seats are filled up or when their allocated time to collect passengers is up.

Tricycles can accommodate up to 4 passengers. If you’re in a hurry you can opt to pay for the unoccupied seats. Depending on your destination, I usually pay Php100 ($2) for a 10 minute ride.

Private Car or Van Rental

If you prefer a more comfortable and convenient way to get around Bohol, you can rent a private car or van. This option is more expensive than renting a scooter or taking a jeepney, but it is ideal if you are traveling with a group or if you want to visit several attractions in one day.

This is our preferred mode of transportation when touring. We also hire a driver. This makes our travel stress free. I highly recommend hiring a driver if you have the budget for it.

Exploring the Main Attractions

If you’re going to explore the beautiful Island, better plan your way around the main attractions. This way, you are sure you’re not going to miss any of the most popular tourist locations in the area.

One of the most popular attractions in Bohol is the Chocolate Hills. If I remember it correctly the travel time from Panglao to this place is around 100 minutes. The Chocolate Hills Complex has a viewing deck that offers a panoramic view of the area.

Another must-visit destination in Bohol is Alona Beach. This is the most commercialized beach in Panglao so there’s a lot of people here. Being highly commercialized, there are plenty of restaurants and bars along the beach where you can enjoy a meal or a drink while taking in the view. Take note that there are may other gorgeous beaches in Bohol.

The tarsier sanctuary is a very popular spot in Bohol. If you want to take home a photo with you and a tarsier, you need to visit this place.

Let me also add here the Balicasag and Virgin island, two beautiful places in Bohol. Hinagdanan cave is also something that you can add to your itinerary.

Our Bohol Trip Itinerary

Here is our itinerary from our last visit. I like this one because we were able to group the locations and a group in 1 day. You can consider this as a sample Bohol itinerary.

Day 1

• Hinagdanan Cave
• Bohol Bee Farm
• Panglao Church and Watchtower
• Shell Museum
• Alona Beach(Late afternoon to night time)

Day 2

• Chocolate Hills
• Tarsier Sanctuary
• Lemur and Butterfly Conservatory
• Man-made Forest
• Loboc River Cruise (Floating Restaurant)
• Baclayon Church
• Blood Compact Shrine
• Alona Beach and Alona Square for dinner

Day 3

• Dolphin Watching
• Balicasag Island(Snorkeling)
• Virgin Island
• Alona Beach (just in time for the sunset)
• Dinner at The Mist

Day 4

• South Palms Resort
• Lunch at Tiptop restaurant
• Hotel check-out

There’s still some locations we could’ve visited like the Mirror of the World but this place is best to visit at night. The Anda beach is also worth a visit but we felt the South Palms Resort more than made up for it. Adding other locations would mean adding another day so we will just visit them again on our next trip.

You can use the itinerary above as a template, each group almost takes up the whole day, we usually arrive in the hotel between 3pm to 4pm.

So, How Long To Say In Bohol?

Personally, I would stay for at least 4 days to be able to do everything I listed above. If you want to add something else like some outdoor activities, then add another day. At the end of the day, it’s up to you as it will depend on many factors that only you can decide on. Just use the above as a guideline. There are many Bohol itineraries on the internet that you can follow. Although, I know the more popular choice is to stay for 3 days in Bohol.

More importantly, just visit Bohol. Stop contemplating on a one two day trip. There’s plenty of time to decide once you are there. If you want more information about traveling Boho, click here.