Traveling to the Philippines: What Are Bohol’s Main Tourist Attractions?

Bohol, a province in central Philippines, consists of an oval-shaped main island and 75 minor surrounding islands in the country's Visayas region. This tropical haven boasts many gentle coves, white sand beaches, diving spots and dolphin and watching sites that make it an attractive travel destination for both local and international tourists. What's even more interesting about this Philippine destination is that it is an ideal place to visit not just for its pristine coastlines and diverse marine life, but also for its unique attractions and land-based flora and fauna that are mostly not available in any other part of the world.

Chocolate Hills

The Chocolate Hills is Bohol's primary tourist attraction and it is one of the Philippines' flagship tourist destinations. Its rare, majestic beauty is known throughout the world and it is part of the country's National Geological Monuments. This destination features unusual geological formations comprising of at least 1,260 individual mounds that range from 30 to 50 meters high. These are covered with green grass that turns brown during the country's dry season. When brown in color, the hills look like seemingly endless rows of giant chocolates -- and they look particularly like the branded confection Hershey's Chocolate Kisses scattered throughout the three Bohol municipalities of Carmen, Batuan and Sagbayan.

Philippine Tarsier

The Philippine Tarsier, often simply called as the tarsier, is dubbed as the world's smallest primate. It lives within the geographic range of the central and southern part of the Philippine archipelago, specifically the provinces of Bohol, Samar, Leyte and Sarangani. This endangered animal with unusually large eyes mainly thrives in Bohol where tourists get some good sights of it via the program of the Philippine Tarsier Foundation. Shy and nocturnal, this solitary creature leads a mostly hidden life as it sleeps during the day and looks for food during the night. It was used as an inspiration for Steven Spielberg's alien species in "E.T.: The Extra-terrestrial." A number of people also find some resemblance between the tarsier and Yoda of "Star Wars."

Loboc River

Loboc is renowned for its historic churches, idyllic falls and the scenic and winding Loboc River where people tour around via the famous Loboc River Cruise. There are a variety of cruising vessels that guests can ride for a floating restaurant experience. Tourists can enjoy a buffet lunch while being serenaded by locals. Travel time takes at least 30 minutes as the cruise passes by different Bohol attractions around the area including the Sandugo Monument, Baclayon and a couple of historic churches and a museum filled with old church relics. The area around Loboc River is also an ideal base for adventurers with trips in other parts of Bohol for activities like mountain biking, road cycling, cave hiking and bird watching.