Bohol

Panglao Island, a short causeway crossing from mainland Bohol's main town of Tagbilaran, holds the province's best-developed diving and beach infrastructure — Alona Beach anchors the resort strip, with dive shops offering everything from single dives to full certification courses at prices generally lower than more famous Philippine dive destinations. Balicasag Island, a short boat ride offshore, is a marine sanctuary with genuinely healthy coral and regular sea turtle sightings, a common day-trip add-on to a Panglao base.

Bohol Strait, the water separating Bohol from Cebu, hosts seasonal whale and dolphin watching trips run from Panglao and nearby towns — a genuine wildlife encounter rather than a guaranteed spectacle, since sightings depend on season and some luck, but operators with a strong local sighting record are worth choosing over the cheapest option. This is a distinct experience from Panglao's reef diving, worth treating as its own morning rather than combining with a dive day.

Practically, the hills and the tarsier sanctuaries sit inland from Tagbilaran, typically visited as a half-day or full-day trip from a Panglao base. The Loboc River, on the way inland, offers a gentler boat-cruise attraction with lunch service on the water, a popular pairing with the Chocolate Hills for visitors wanting a fuller inland day.

Bohol-Panglao Airport, on Panglao Island itself, receives direct flights from Manila and Cebu, making Bohol genuinely easy to reach without transiting Tagbilaran's older port-side airport. Ferries also connect Bohol to Cebu City directly, a practical option for visitors combining both provinces in one trip. Within Bohol, a rented scooter or a hired driver covers the inland Chocolate Hills circuit most efficiently, since public transport to the hills themselves is limited.