Panglao Island Off The Beaten Path

It's one of those literally hidden wonders in the island. Hinagdanan means "staired" in English. But it is neither what I call a cave but rather a cavern with a natural underground pool in it where one part of the water is fresh and the other part is sea or salt water. It looks shallow with the naked eye as you can practically see the bottom of the pool. Climb to one of the stalagmites and splash! You can actually dive as it is very, very deep. Indeed, at the far end of the pool, nobody knows how deep it is as nobody has ever touched the bottom yet. They said that it is bottomless as it basically connects to the sea. That's where the salt water comes from.

As a kid, I enjoy frolicking with my uncles in the water during the countless time we visited the place. I see now that not so many would like to take a dip. I for one won't do it now not because I am already a grown up but because I saw that the water was kinda oily and some shampoo shachet wrappers floating. Oh no!

Oh well, it's still one of those must-visits when you are in Panglao Island. Outside, you will find good bargains for Bohol souvenir items.

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most tourist stay on their resort. not us. we rented a small displacement bike and visited BBC and Panglao Island Nature Resort. just talk to any of your hotel/resort staff and i am pretty sure they know someone with a bike for rent. bike rent cost 500 pesos for 8 hours but you can haggle. i got mine for just 200 pesos for an afternoon ride. be sure the gas is filled up. if you need to reload...go to TRENDI where they sell gasoline by the liter. if you plan to swim at BBC and Nature, make sure you have dried clothes with you when you go back to alona...the wind blows cold when aboard a motorcycle.

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After dolphin watching, head next to Balicasag Island for snorkelling near the fish sanctuary. Boatmen will approach you for goggles and snorkel rentalsif you don't have one.

Be sure to bring bread with you during snorkelling. This will be used in feeding the fish in your hands.

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See to it that you head off early to the sea (around 5:30am) because water is still calm and the dolphins do not want direct sunlight.

Dolphins will really show-off especially when they know that there are lots of people watching them. They are back flipping, swimming together with the boats.

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Doljo Beach is the less popular beach for tourists. It is located at the southern tip of the island that is why its name was derived from doljo or "dulo" or the end tip. Although it houses the high end Ananyan Beach Resort and it is also a public beach, very few tourists go here. While tourist flock to Alona Beach and the Dumaluan Beach, Doljo Beach is virtually unpopular. Upon the other hand, it may be good for Doljo as it remains a quite place and crowd free shore. If Alona Beach has a good sunrise, Doljo Beach boasts of a more beautiful sunset.

The beach has white sand and it is at its best during low tide. It used to be maintained by the local government but lately the beach has been left to its own devices. The shore is covered by sea weeds which somewhat spoil the splendor of the white sand. Still, i consider this beach as a beauty.

The whole beach is designated as a marine sanctuary.

Just a few steps from the Dauis Municipal Hall and Dauis Church lives a family with several members afflicted with dwarfism. There were four of them with such affliction and only one is still alive. He is an old man but only one and a half feet tall and one of his sisters is taking care of him. He is blind and mute but according to his sister he can hear. The house is a small one and the inside of the house has some newspaper clippings featuring the old man. There are also some photographs of the other siblings afflicted with the hormanal deficiency.

if you are interested to see him, just go the municipal hall and ask around as the family is popular among the townfolks. Out of respect, I opted not to take his pictures.

Why am I posting this? The old man is afflicted with dwarfism. I went there out of curiousity and when I saw him, the desire to help the man, even in some small ways, prevailed. You may pay him a visit and give your small help which will go a long way for him and his family.

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One of the most ignored landmark in Panglao Island is its watchtower, regarded as the tallest watchtower in the island of Bohol. As Panglao Island is the tip of Bohol which faces Mindanao, the tallest tower was built there, then, to guard against Muslim pirates. Hence, at some point, Panglao is the first line of defense against any attack coming from Mindanao.

It is just unfortunate that the tower was not preserved and it is now closed. It could had been a thrill to get to the top of the tower and see the white beaches of the island and the neigboring islands, such as Gak-ang, Pungtod, Balicasag, Pamilacan, Siquijor and Cebu.

The tower is located right beside the Panglao Church and near the small wharf.

Ask your guide/driver to make a stop by the hanging bridge on your way to/from the Chocolate Hills in Bohol. This bridge over the Loboc river connects the village on the other side to the world and it's quite fun doing the walk...
This is seldom part of a tour programme.