The Philippines - a quick guide to having more fun for nature lovers

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Bohol - Magaso Waterfalls

This is a brief recap of our 7-8 days in the Phillipines.

What it is:
Bohol: Beautiful island off Cebu. 2 hour ferry ride from Cebu to Bohol running from early morning till evening. Famous for: Chocolate hills, Tarsiers
Cebu: Large city in the phillipines. Good base to launch Bohol/Coron/Borocay excursions
Coron: Small island in the north of the phillipines. Expensive to get there and can be avoided unless you're a big diving fan (lots of japanese warships apparently sunk here). Nevertheless- it is gorgeous

Getting there:
Singapore to Cebu: 230 SGD return by Tiger for 2 pax. Dirt cheap - keep your eyes on the deals
Remember remember: Get visa- painful process- you need to have all your documents ready and go to the consulate there (we had to turn back the first time due to lack of documents). This is expensive!!
Cebu to Bohol: above
Cebu to Coron: Return flight by the local ATR: 400 SGD return for 2 pax

Itinerary:
Day 1: reach Cebu, travel to port to take ferry at 4 pm to Bohol, reach Bohol by 630pm. Checkin
Day 2: Full day tour of Magaso falls (9/10) , Hinagdan cave(8/10) , mahagony forest (8.5) , Loboc river cruise (8), Tarsier (7), Chocolate hills (9.5). Tarsier was a dissapointment - lots of crowds and barely 15 min walk inside a small sanctuary. Absolutely worth it.
Day 3: Dolphin watching (9.6) + Island Hopping. Seriously worth it. Beautiful snorkelling and watching the dolphins was a tret
Day 4: Back to Cebu to catch the flight to Coron. Coron: half day tour of Kayangan Lake, Malcapuya,Twin lagoon (each of these was amazing- we should have done this on the next day). Virgin island sandbard was amazing.
Day 5: Free and easy. We rented a bike. Decided to go to the Kingfisher park and then the next town. Not really worth it since we got stuck near Kingfisher park at Coron due to a flat tire. Hitched a ride on the 3 wheeler back to the hotel. A bit of a let down as the heat was strong and we got badly tanned. Kingfisher park was also ruined due to the natural disasters. Went in the evening to Mount Tapyas (well worth it- 8/10) with great views and then to Hot springs (8.2/10).
Day 6: Return to Cebu. Spent the day at the Henry Hotel. Absolutely brilliant concept (Art hotel). Would recommend to anyone anyday. Good service,fabulous interiors and total value for money. Went to Taoist temple (6), Santa Nino Basilica (6.5), Fort San pedro (6.5) and Tops (8).
Day 7: Return to Singapore.

Must dos: Dolphin watching, Chocolate hills, Kayangan lake, Malcapuya, Magaso falls,Virgin islands

Summary:
Bohol and Coron are absolutely exquisite in natural beauty. From peaceful waterfalls where you can curl up with a book (hardly 4-5 people around), to clear water snorkeling, to seeing absolutely unique formations like the Chocolate hills and seeing the Dolphins in the wild - if nature is your High, this is the place to go. Just remember, read the fine prints (some hotels would charge for airport-hotel pickup only when checking out), remember to take precautions against flat tires, carry good suntan and be prepared to negotiate.


Coron: touchdown via ATR

Coron: Kayangan Lake?

Cebu: Magellan Cross

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