Boljoon

Boljoon is a small town that holds interesting historical and cultural sites.

Photo by: CEBUano Tours

How to get there:

   Take any bus from the South Bus Terminal that goes to Oslob/Santander. They pass by Boljoon along the way. Ask the dispatcher/driver to drop you off the town of Boljoon.

Fare (one-way):

Air-conditioned bus: Php 130
Non-air-conditioned bus: Php 120
SBT Terminal Fee: Php 5

Heritage Walk:

The main highlights:

• Patrocinio de Maria Church Complex
• Dr. Dionisio Niere House
• Cirilio Sestoso House
• Boljoon Bridge
• Baluarte sa Fuente
• Gabaldon Building (Boljoon Central School)
• Baño sa Poblacion
• Ili Rock

You can opt to take the Heritage Walk tour package. Just contact CEBUano Tours:

Telephone: (032) 512 7527
Mobile: (0922) 818 0461 / (0922) 567 4899
Email addresses: cebuano.ct@gmail.com 

Photo by: CEBUano Tours

You can spend a couple of hours here and then explore the other towns - Oslob and Dalaguete.

 

Western Cebu

Are you a Rock Climbing Enthusiast? Cantabaco  in Toledo is your haven. The bolted limestone wall holds about 29 routes with 5.11-5.14 levels of difficulty.

How to get there:

Take the v-hire from CitiLink (close to the South Bus Terminal) to Toledo. Ask the driver to drop you off Cantabaco.

Fare (one-way):

V-Hire: Php 50

Local Guide:

Contact Raymund Daculan for more information and assistance at (+63) 939 1600 178. Also call to check for availability.

 Looking for a get-away to the countryside to unwind but still have the comforts of city living? Check out The Ranch Resort!

  They have 7 swimming pools in the resort, a zipline with rope courses, a bird aviary, a bee farm and Arabian horses for horseback riding. 

Group Packages (6-7 pax):

• Php 1,500 per person inclusive of breakfast, lunch and dinner, room and use of pools. 

• Php 1,900 per person inclusive of transportation, room, breakfast, lunch and dinner and use of pools.

For more information, you can call them at either numbers:

Tel.No: (032) 318 9599
Mobile: (+63) 917 910 9880
            (+63) 922 826 2653 

Bohol

  If you're in Cebu and don't have much time in your hands, you can enjoy a quickie in Bohol. There's so much to do but some are manageable for a day tour. Of course, Bohol also invites you to stay for a couple of days to explore more places.

Photo by: Karsten Kirstätter

How to get there:

   From Cebu, you can just take the fast ferry to Tagbilaran, Bohol. It will take you 2 hours to get there. You can find the schedule here.

Fare (one-way):

Fast Ferry: Php 400

Day Tour:

Option 1: Arrange for a Bohol Day Tour Package. You don't have to worry about anything, like entrance fees and etc. And you get to go to 12 different places.

Option 2: Just rent a car once you get to the pier (about Php 2000 for a car and Php 3000 for a van), and you can haggle for a cheaper price. When you go to places, you'd have to pay for the fees yourself, though, but you can also choose the places you want to go to and skip places you don't find interesting.

You can choose between:

• Blood Compact Commemorative Shrine
• Tarsier Conservation Center
• Chocolate Hills 
• Butterfly Conservation Center
• Man-Made Forest
• Hanging Bridge
• Loboc River
• Biggest Python in Captivity
• Baclayon Church
• Approniana Souvenir Shop

Tip:

• It saves a lot of time skipping the Loboc River Floating Restaurant, and the food isn't so special.

Photo by: Karsten Kirstätter

    If you plan to stay overnight or for a few days, you can either take a taxi or a trike to wherever your place of accommodation is.

   Alona Beach, Panglao is popular because it has an active nightlife with a line of restaurants and bars by the beach. The trike is about Php 250 - Php 300 to Panglao.

  Then you can rent a motorbike or car to get around the island. 

Where to stay:

• Tagbilaran
• Check this site and this site.
• Alona Beach, Panglao
• Check out this site.
• Loboc River
• Nuts Huts

Other places to visit/things to do:

• Balicasag Island 
• Danao Adventure Park
• Hinagdanan Cave
• Pangahog Twin Falls

 Check out this site for a loooooong list for more places to visit :-)   

Diving:

• Balicasag Island
• Cabilao Island

You can arrange with Genesis Divers for dive trips!

Photo by: Lee Black

Siquijor

  Welcome to the Mystical Voodoo Island, where you're highly likely to get raped by Wakwaks and get your face bitten off by a Manananggal! Kidding aside, Siquijor is rather a peaceful, beautiful island. It's not what most (local) people fear it's like.

Photos by: Karsten Kirstätter

How to get there:

   You can choose to fly to Dumaguete or take the bus from the South Bus Terminal. From the SBT, take the bus for Liloan, Santander. It should take you about 3 hours to get to the wharf. Then take the boat to transport you from Liloan to Sibulan, Dumaguete. You will arrive in 20 minutes then you have to go to the Dumaguete Port via jeepney or tricycle to yourself. There, you can catch the ferry to Siquijor.

  You can also opt to take the ferry from Cebu City to Siquijor via Bohol. The schedule for trips can be found here. Prices vary depending on the shipping line. Once you get to Siquijor, you can take a tricycle to your place of accommodation.

Fare (one-way):

Air-conditioned bus: Php 175
Non-air-conditioned bus: Php 165
Ferry to Sibulan: Php 65
Jeepney: Php 12
Tricycle: Php 70- Php 100
Ferry to Siquijor: Php 120 - Php 160

Tip: 

• If you have to wait for your boat, you can check out the Boulevard in Dumaguete and grab a bite or just to let time pass. There's a line of restaurants/cafes there so it shouldn't be a problem! The Boulevard is just right beside the port.

Where to stay:

Find the list here. 

  However, we can recommend JJ's Backpackers' Village for people on a budget. Plus they're very warm and friendly. You can even just pitch a tent for Php 150 per person. The tricycle from the port to JJ's should be around Php 50 per person, but to have the tricycle to yourself, Php 150 - Php 200 should be enough, not higher.

Photo by: Karsten Kirstätter

 
Around the Island:

There are plenty of places to visit. You can easily get around by just renting a motorbike or a tricycle to go around. Some of the places you can go to are:

• Cantabon Cave
• Lugnason Falls
• Cambugahay Falls
• Bandilaan Peak
• Butterfly Sanctuary
• Salagdoong Beach
• Lazi Convent
• Enchanted Balete Tree
• San Juan de Capilay Lake

  But if you'd like to discover more places in the island - like some undiscovered caves or untouched waterfalls or an abandoned beach, you can hire a highly recommended tour guide - Junel. He knows Siquijor by heart. His standard rate is Php 500 but you can give him more if you like his service. 

  Junel the vice president of the Association of Siquijorian Healers and president of the Siquijor Massage group. He's also a palm reader! You can contact him through his mobile: (+63) 926 570 4979.

  If you just want to get a good massage, Junel owns a spa called "I Am Spa" over at San Juan.  

Erica, Mayan, Junel and Kim outside JJ's