Among the things to look forward to when visiting Bohol is seeing up close the smallest primates in the planet, the tarsiers. The best place is to visit the Philippine Tarsier Foundation Inc. where these animals can be seen in their natural habitat. There are some people in the locality who keep these animals as pets and allow tourists to have the chance to hold these creatures -- not really a very good idea. Keeping these animals in captivity is against the all the conservation efforts being done by the foundation. Visiting the Philippine Tarsier Foundation will also give you the chance to meet the Tarsier Man himself, Carlito Pizzaras. He started learning about the animal's eating and mating behavior since he was twelve years old and has dedicated his life since to preservation of these little primates. If you get lucky to have a chat with him, he will willingly tell bits and pieces of his life's story and his journey from tarsier hunter to tarsier lover. It's inspiring to know how much can be accomplished by one person who's simply pursuing his passion.
From seeing little primates, you may proceed to seeing little mountains... and hundreds of them -- The Chocolate Hills of Bohol. I was there shortly before lunch, it was magnificent. But I would suggest visiting there early in the morning or mid to late afternoon. I was told later that there are lodging houses nearby the view deck. I would want to spend a night there on my next visit.
Lunch in one of the floating restaurants in Loboc River is also another experience that one should not miss when visting Bohol. One of my best meals during this trip, I should say, is in this restaurant. Ambiance aside, food is also good and abundant and being included in the ride fee, it's also among the cheapest. The highlight for me was when the barge stopped over to listen to the serenade of one of the groups living nearby the river. This experience is spirit lifting. My idea of a next ride on this floating restaurant would be for a dinner. That I think would be a good experience too.
If you are fond of visiting century old churches, I have visited two in Bohol and I would assume there's more. One of would be the Saint Peter the Apostle Parish Church in Loboc. The other one would be the Baclayon Church.
Dolphin watching, or more appropriately, dolphin chasing is also another worthwhile experience. But it's more of the 'nice to haves' rather than 'should haves' in this trip.
Snorkeling and diving is also among the destinations being promoted in this place. I think diving would be awesome, but I have not tried. With snorkeling, I have second thought recommending it. I have seen sights at the sea wall, it was wonderful, but I went a little beyond the snorkeling zone to see that. (Not really advisable for beginners.)
Another spot in Bohol that doesn't seem to get too much attention is the Virgin Island. This can be likened to the Snake Island of Honday Bay, Palawan and White Island of Camiguin. If you wish for a quiet time basking in the sun, this place would be awesome. It has lots of wide open spaces of sand and shallow sea waters where sun bathing would be very ideal.
Alona Beach is where the concentration of beach front resorts in the area. Pyramid Hotel is a descent economical place for couples and families. Alona Tropical Beach Resort on the other hand my cost a little more but offers more in return. For sure, I had my best meals at this resort in my entire stay.
Awesome:
See the Tarsiers, View the Chocolate Hills, Dine at Loboc River, Walk around The Virgin Island
Nice:
Dolphin watching, Drive through the Man-made Forest
Just Ok:
Snorkeling, massage at the beach, food
(For me, Bohol is not really a good place for good food. Someone has to really prove me wrong on this.)
Souvenirs and Pasalubong:
The Aproniana Giftshop, best place to drop by on your way to the airport for souvenirs and gifts to people left home.
I must not go without saying this:
If you have been travelling for a while now and get to visit the Alona Beach, you'll see it has the potential of being a good tourist destination but the local authorities still have a lot of work to do on that. You will also notice that everything is more expensive here as compared to other places. So if you're planning a trip, jack up your normal budget on food and accommodation by another 20 to 25%.
