How to travel around Bohol Island, Philippines cheap? Traveling around Bohol by public transport is easy, you just have to know how to use it. No need to spend extra money on expensive tricycles, private vans or taxis. You can get pretty much to all touristic places in Bohol by jeepneys or buses. What’s more, traveling by commuter is more eco-friendly than taking a taxi or tricycle. As a responsible traveler, I decided to prepare this handy post on how to travel around Bohol by public transport.
Public transport in Bohol
The capital of Bohol – Tagbilaran is also the main starting point for buses and jeepneys. There are few bus stations in the city, from which the biggest is Integrated Bus Terminal. The most of the buses and jeepneys to travel around Bohol will go out from there.
On Integrated Bus Terminal you will get buses to all sides of Bohol and Panglao Island, which is connected by bridge. Public transport in Bohol works during the day, from as early as 5 am until 8-10 depending of the bus. There are no night buses, so you will have to count on tricycles and taxis then.
The buses are very cheap and unlike tricycles or taxis, the price is fixed, so don’t worry that someone will try to cheat you or you will have to bargain. There are jeepneys, or “little cars” as Filipinos call them, which look like a small van. Both go on the short distances and usually within the city or connecting few towns. For longer distances you will look for the big buses. Both you can find on the Integrated Bus Terminal, just on different spots around it. Of course, there is no map of the place, so you can find out where to head simply by asking locals. Filipinos are very helpful and will show you the direction, some may try to sell you a tricycle ride.
How to travel around Bohol by public transport?
Coming to practicals on how to travel around Bohol by public transport, you need to know few very important facts which will make moving around easier. The buses go daily, including weekends. There is no schedules, as the buses usually start when they get full. But don’t worry, there are a lot of people traveling, and I didn’t wait longer than 30 min. to move on. For all the buses and jeepneys, you don’t have to buy the ticket in advance, you just hop on the bus and wait until the conductor will charge you.
What’s great about traveling around Bohol by public transport is the fact, that you can stop the bus whenever on its way. Which means that you don’t need to look for the bus stop, as there are barely some. Living anywhere in Bohol you just have to be on the bus route and wave when you see it. The same with getting down the bus, you can stop it, whenever you want to get down.
So how do you get out of the bus in Bohol? There are no buttons to press or fixed bus stops where the bus stops. What locals do is shouting “Para po” which means STOP or they start knocking with the coin into some metal parts on the bus. I know that sounds funny, but it really works. When you don’t know where exactly you should get out, ask the conductor selling the tickets, he will then stop the bus when needed.
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Should I stay on Bohol or Panglao?
Most of the tourists stay at Alona beach on Panglao island. If your focus is to stay on the beach and snorkel, then definitely you should choose accommodation on Alona Beach. On the other hand, if you are more interested in discovering nature of Bohol and less touristic places, you should stay on the Bohol island.
Staying in Tagbilaran makes it easy to get the public transport. However, staying in Lobok or Jagna, which are also on the main road, makes it convenient for using the public transport around Bohol as well.
Going to Lobok by public transport
Lobok is on the list of every traveler coming to Bohol. River cruises in the lush greenery are stunning! In the responsible toursm guide to Bohol, I wrote how you can skip the touristic boat and do it by yourslef supporting local people. Heading to Lobok you can get a jeepney going from Integrated Bus Terminal in Tagbilaran to Lobok. Once I paid 27 pesos, another time around 40. There are also buses from the same terminal which will cost around 50 pesos. They go farther to Carmen, San Miquel or Ubay and pass through Lobok center.
Going to Chocolate Hills by public transport
The same here: hop on the bus going from Tagbilaran towards Carmen, San Miquel or Ubay and tell the conductor that you want to get out on Chocolate Hills. They will drop you off on the most popular view point to enjoy the hills. The bus will cost you around 50 pesos while tricycles or taxis will try to charge you hundreds.
How to get to Bohol airport by public transport?
As I didn’t find any relevant information on how to get to Bohol airport by public transport, I made my research on the place and here is the answer. Staying anywhere on the island you need to get to Tagbilaran city first. The bus or jeepney will drop you on Integrated Bus Terminal. From the bus terminal there are frequent buses going to the airport on Panglao Island (the airport in Tagbilaran has been closed for most of the flights). The first bus is at 4 am and second at 5 am. From 5 am onwards there will be a bus every half an hour until 5 in the afternoon, when the buses will come every hour until the evening. The bus costs 50 pesos and takes around 40 minutes.
Going to Alona Beach from Tagbilaran by public transport
You can hop on the same bus which goes to the airport from Integrated Bus Terminal in Tagbilaran. The bus goes to the airport first, later through Taporok to Alona Beach and the ticket costs 40 pesos.
Check my adventures in the Philippines: my favorite island in the whole country, laid-back beach and village of Port Barton or stunning lagoons of Coron. Get authentic off the beaten path experiences in Busuanga (Coron) and vibrant street markets in Cebu City. Enjoy the Philippines!
The Bee is a nature lover and tea addict. Loves the idea of slow life and responsible traveling, constantly trying to improve to bee more eco-friendly. Appreciates old cultures and traditions, loves to immerse with locals, listen to ethnic music as well as taste regional food and drinks. Her favorite spots while traveling are family houses and street markets.
This is such a helpful and informative guide on how to travel around Bohol. It’s interesting how the buses work there without official bus stops. I’d be very confused with all of the shouting and tapping in the buses if I didn’t know what it all meant! Thanks for the great tips.
I find it difficult arriving into a new country and not sure how the local transport system works. We may be heading to the Philippines this year and I always wanted to visit the Chocolate Hills. Your tips on how to get there by local transport have assisted in my planning. After reading your article I will look closely into staying on Bohol Island. This information is so timely for us. Thanks.
Wow this is so helpful! Thanks for the great tips and tricks!
Bohol is such an interest place. I think the best way to see a place is via public transport. But usually due to lack of info we find it difficult. Thanks to this post I now know how to travel around Bohol.
I have to confess, I had no clue where Bohol was until I read this post. I’m completely taken by the natural beauty of the place. Your photos are stunning. Travelling overseas, transport is one of those things that eats up quite a fair bit of money. It’s always helpful to know about cheap options. Plus, public transport is a great place to meet locals and interact with them.
This is very timely since we’re planning to visit Bohol soon. I have been there a few times but was on tour so we had rented vans. Will definitely take the public transport on our next visit. Thank you for all the tips!
Its good to know that the public transport is well connected in Bohol. Its nice when the government takes care of that. It is difficult when I go to places tat hardly have any buses or trains.
Its quite amusing to know that there aren’t fixed timetables but the buses start when they’re full. It definitely sounds like non-dependable. But good to know you never had to wait too long!
This brought back my memories when I first visited Bohol. Like you, I too travelled on public transport. I was a bundle of nerves. Wish that time I had read a detailed post like this. Love the tips. It’s so cheap to travel by public trasnport – 50 pesos for a bus ride is damn cool.
I need to visit here!