Wide-Eyed Wonder: Chocolate Hills, Tarsiers, Bilar Manmade Forest
Bohol Countryside Tour Part 1
Ever since the pandemic started, we have mostly been confined within the boundaries of Luzon. As the days and months went on, we kept wondering when will be the next time we could take to flight and visit lands across the seas. We cannot help but feel unsure, frustrated, and hopeless if better days will come as the numbers rise and restrictions were kept in place.
But the better days did come. In the past year alone, we were able to climb numerous mountains, from north to south, and was able to make the most of our time in this island. However, there is a yearning for more distant destinations. Finally, fast-forward to March this year and we were on our way to our first across-the-sea trip in almost three years. This time, we decided to have our next expedition farther south in the island of Bohol.
The Island Province of Bohol
The primary language used in Bohol is Cebuano but locals also understand and speak English and Tagalog. Over the years, Bohol saw an influx of tourists wanting to explore the islands, including the Panglao Island on the southwest of the province.
Bohol enjoys the same climate as the rest of the country. As the day of our trip approached, the weather outlook had been that of rain shower for the whole duration of our stay despite the approaching summer. Needless to say, our anticipation is marred by the worry of rains spoiling our trips but worrying will only do us no good. We just have to make the most of the trip.
It was only a few days before our flights that we were able to secure our accommodation at Flower Garden Resort in Panglao Island, which is a good location due to its proximity to the beautiful Alona Beach.
Travelling To and Around Bohol
We took our flight to Bohol on early morning of March 1 from Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) aboard Cebu Pacific. Prior to 2018, Bohol was served by Tagbilaran Airport, located in the capital city of Tagbilaran. As of November 2018, flights are now served at Bohol-Panglao International Airport (TAG) with regular flights to and from Manila and other cities in the country. The flight from Manila to Bohol is around an hour and we touched down at Bohol-Panglao International Airport at around 6:00 am.
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| Sunrise above the Visayan sky |
Because our arrival time was a good half day before our check-in time to the resort, we have decided to waste no time and start our Bohol tour. We have earlier arranged with the resort to have a tricab pick us up at the airport. Bohol has a good road network with buses, jeepneys, and tricycles/tricabs being the common modes of transport. Motorcycles are also available for rent and is quite popular among foreign tourists.
Bohol Country Side Tour
The resort had been kind enough to arrange our tours for the next few days. Upon our arrival at the resort, we were allowed to have our baggage left at a secure storage. It is there that we were introduced to Kuya Jason who would take us on a private countryside tour around the multiple towns of Bohol.
The day tour will take us among several destinations in the main Bohol island:
- Chocolate Hills
- Tarsier Conservation Area
- Bilar Manmade Forest
- Loboc River
- Bohol Xzootic Animal Park
- Baclayon Church
- Blood Compact Monument
Chocolate Hills
It was around 6:30 am when we began our tour comfortably seated inside Kuya Jason's sedan. The sky was clear at the time and we hoped that it will continue for the rest of the day. Kuya Jason suggested that we start our itinerary at Chocolate Hills while the sun is not yet blazing, to which we assented.
The Chocolate Hills are located in the town of Carmen at the heart of Bohol island. From Panglao, it took us around an hour and a half to reach Carmen. Our ride is almost non-stop in contrast to the stop-and-go traffic of Metro Manila and it allowed us to enjoy the rural landscapes of the province. We were so comfortable that we were lulled to sleep as the drowsiness from the early hours of the day caught up with us.
As we stirred from our slumber, we noticed that hills are starting to flank our sides though these are not yet the famed Chocolate Hills.
It wouldn't be long though before we entered the registration area. There is a Php 100 entrance fee per person which also serves as the car pass. A few moments later we were dropped at the viewing deck but not before Kuya Jason left us his calling card as vehicles are not permitted to stay long in the area.
Finally we can see the Chocolate Hills of Bohol.
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| View deck at Chocolate Hills |
Chocolate Hills got its name from the color of the vegetation that dries up during the summer periods. However, during the time of our visit, the hills our mostly green due to the plants receiving a good amount of rain which sustains their greenness. Kuya Jason shares that in some cases, a portion of some of the hills are razed, though sparingly, to give the effect.
Nearby, you can climb a colorful flight of stairs to reach the top of one of the hills to get a 360 degree view of all the surrounding hills.
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| Colorful steps to the top of the hill |
The view of the thousands of mounds sprouting from the earth is indeed breathtaking. In almost all directions, hills of the same shapes are scattered. The sky is overcast, but the sun peeking every now and then allowed us to see the hills as far into the horizon. We wondered what the ancient people of Bohol might have thought upon seeing the myriad of hills in this island.
The Chocolate Hills is considered a National Geological Monument and provides a glimpse of the Bohol islands in the past. According to studies, the hills are the remains of the reefs that are deposited on top of each other at the time when most of Bohol is under the sea. Over time, uplift caused the land with its many hills to emerge from the sea. The hills are mostly limestone in composition which attests to its origins.
Curiously, there is a sign at the top of the hill which warns that flying of drones is prohibited from 8:00 in the morning. However we have not confirmed if this is enforced though we have not spotted any drones flying at the time.
On the ground below, you can see the ATV trails which tourists can also enjoy. According to the resort, the ATV adventure costs Php 1100.
We took our time to savor the view of the thousand hills. As the sun is starting to peek longer from the clouds, we descended from the hill just as the number of tourists began to increase.
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| One of the hills serving as the view deck |
As we waited for our service to pick us up, we took our time to look into some of the items sold at the souvenir booths. We treated ourselves to some refrigerator magnets, but other goods such as cacao fruits and beans and T-shirts are also available.
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| Agricultural products sold at Chocolate Hills |
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| Shirts and other souvenirs |
We had a couple more snaps of the Chocolate Hills before we hit the road again for our next destination.
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| We ❤️ Chocolate Hills |
As we made our trip to visit the tarsiers, we passed by several idyllic landscapes that is almost foreign to city dwellers nowadays.
Tarsier Conservation Area
Disclaimer: Guided tours, such as the one we availed, would more often include the location as part of the countryside itinerary. Tarsiers, being solitary creatures, need a larger territorial space and close proximity to people might bring them unwanted stress.
We encourage people to visit the Philippine Tarsier Foundation in Corella, Bohol which dedicates an 8.4 hectare of land for tarsier conservation. As far as we know, Philippine Tarsier Foundation is in no way affiliated to Bohol Tarsier Conservation Area.
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| Entrance to Bohol Tarsier Conservation Area |
The premise charges a Php 120 entrance fee per person. It is an area of forested land which houses tarsiers, a few of which can be viewed along a trail for tourist to follow.
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| Trail inside the conservation area |
At several intervals within the trail, a few solitary tarsiers are suspended. The staff purports that the tarsier themselves select the trees where they stay.
The Philippine tarsier (Carlito syrichta, formerly Tarsius syrichta) is an endemic species to the Philippines, and are distributed in the islands of Bohol, Leyte, Samar, and Mindanao. However, other species of tarsier are also native to other parts of southeast Asia. At a distance, the tarsiers look like fuzzy balls with long rodent-like tails and long digits that allows them to grasp the branches of the trees. They typically grow to up to 15 cm in length while their tail would reach to up to 25 cm. Being nocturnal animals, the tarsiers were mostly dozing off during our visit but their large eyes, once opened, are striking. Their diet is mostly that of insect, being the only entirely carnivorous (or rather, insectivorous) of the primates. Tarsiers can rotate their head to up 180 degrees in either direction, giving them 360 degree vantage.
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| Tarsier from a distance |
The staff mentioned that there are around 100 tarsiers in their captivity with most of them in the breeding area away from the tourist viewing area. In the presence of tarsiers, silence should be observed and camera flashes are not allowed when taking pictures. However, I cannot help but hear the noises from several tourists, mostly of children, which might have stressed out the tarsiers.
The viewing area along the trail is not long, and can be completed in just a few minutes. There is also a souvenir shop where visitors can by local products. As usual, we helped ourselves to some ref magnets.
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| A selection of souvenir items from the shop |
After about half an hour, we again hit the road to pass by the Bilar Manmade Forest.
Bilar Manmade Forest
Bilar Manmade Forest is a two kilometer stretch of forested land along Loay Interior Road and is located in the town of Bilar. The forest is characterized by tall mahogany trees, most of which were planted in a tree-planting project in the 1950's.
The road is almost shaded by the canopies of the mahogany trees while some of the roots protrude from the ground. There is a characteristic silence as we passed by the forest. Tourists would drop off at different points on the road to admire the beauty of the forest.
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| Mahogany trees along the road of Bilar |
It is worth noting though that mahogany is not a native species and the tree planting projects have been met with criticism from experts. Nevertheless, what we can take from this experience is that if there is good intention and will, there is a chance to preserve our local landscape but at the same time, we must be conscious of the methods to implement these initiatives.
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