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Discovering Balicasag and Virgin Island in Bohol

Like most island destinations in the Philippines, Bohol has its own version of island hopping. Bohol has its own share of beautiful, white sand beaches and an eclectic and vibrant underwater ecosystem.


I scouted around Alona Beach to get on a tour with other people. Since I was traveling by myself, renting a boat would be too costly. Thankfully, there are numerous tour operators walking around the beach looking for tourists to join their tours. I booked a tour to Balicasag Island, Virgin Island, and Dolphin Watching.

Dolphin Watching



Since I was only using a point and shoot digicam, taking photos on a moving boat with moving subjects was a difficult task for me. I decided to to shoot a video of the dolphins I saw on the tour. It took a while before the dolphins finally showed up.

Balicasag Island 


The first stop on the tour was Balicasag Island, the beach wasn't impressive but the highlight of the island was its underwater ecosystem.


I saw several brain-shaped corals beneath the waters of Balicasag.






I'm no animal expert so my description of the fish I saw on the island are limited to its color and size. There were plenty of small colored fish from orange to grey to black and some of them shimmered a bluish-greenish color. Some of the tourists I met that took the trip and the guide during the tour said that nemo (clown fish) were also found on the island. For someone who's practically blind and has no way of distinguishing between fish species, I didn't really find nemo at all.

Virgin Island 





The last stop of the trip was the not-so Virgin Island. I was expecting more from this island, maybe it was the high tide that hid the sandbar that stretched out of the beach or the droves of tourists on it, I don't know. There was a resort that was being constructed on the island during the trip. Most of the island was being fenced to tell visitors that part of this island was going to be privately owned soon. The beach was so-so there are better beaches in mainland Bohol.

I paid P700 for the island hopping tour with snorkeling gear, there is also an additional and separate fee of P200 to snorkel in Balicasag. Take note the fee to snorkel and rent a boat to the snorkeling spots in Balicasag are paid separately. Most of the tourists on the boat to the island didn't know that they had to pay again once they got to Balingasag.

Read my Bohol guide here: budget and itinerary for Bohol

16 comments:

  1. I was also able to visit Balingasag and it was one of the best place for snorkeling.

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  2. You always impress me with your story and those photos are really priceless,. May I suggest that you adjust your blogs width so that you can share larger photos because they are really making an impact when you share you travel guide and experience.

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  3. i also have been to Bohol and and Balingasag Island but that was several years ago. I hope the resort that would be built would add beauty to the place and not destroy it.

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  4. PhP 700 for everything is a decent price to pay. Good thing the dolphins survived the earthquake in Bohol last time.

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  5. Nice places you visited and more fun to discover. good luck always.

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  6. I could have been here 2 weeks ago, but I cant skip work.. argh!
    You reminded me Sir, few years back I toured bohol and decided on my itinerary to tour inland instead of island hopping... I was very impressed with inland tours in Bohol, the province is soo steep in tourism and heritage, but now I'm very much curious of the island hopping.
    Im sure to keep your opinion in mind about this trip. :)

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  7. Nice! But I agree that you should share larger images so that I can see the beauty of the beaches that you've been to. :)

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  8. Thanks for being too honest about your review of these islands. Balingasag seems a good site for snorkeling activities. Love to see Nemo and hos relatives.

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  9. Hope to visit them one day! The place is paradise with such clear water.

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  10. Gaaaaaaad!!!!!! It's so beautiful! Must visit this!!1

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  11. The place looks absolutely amazing! I actually think the beaches in Visayas are the absolute best! :D

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  12. I don't like it when you get surprised that you have to pay again! You feel cheated when that happens. I experienced that in Boracay and wish that they change the process because it looks like you're being duped. Thank you for talking about that so that more people are aware!

    What's your final verdict on the island hopping btw? Will you recommend it or should we save our pesos for souvenirs?

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  13. I'd love to be travelling here too. I wonder if between November or December would be a good time? :)

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  14. Hi! May I know where in Alona did you look for boatmen offering tours to Balicasag? And what time did you do your search? I'll also be travelling by myself to Panglao and would like to hitch on one of the groups going to Balicasag. I'll be arriving in the late afternoon in Panglao so I'm wondering if I could still find boatmen during that time.

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  15. @unknown: once in alona beach you don't have to look for them, they'll find you haha, hanggang gabi sila naghahanap ng mga gusto sumama ng tour :D

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  16. Als hij haar leuk vindt, dan moet zij ook leuk zijn!

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