Guide to visiting Cebu and Bohol

Go canyoneering

Make a splash – heck, make several – by canyoneering to the beautiful Kawasan Falls. Highland Adventures run canyoneering tours straight down the river that turns into the famous waterfalls, and the company will make sure you have a great (and adrenaline-filled) time. Your adventure starts with a motorbike ride up a mountain, from which you’ll descend on foot into a vine-covered canyon with a pristine river running through it. 

From this moment forward, most of your tour will be aquatic, with intrepid explorers required to swim, wade and leap into bath bomb-blue water. Summon your inner Lara Croft and attempt the waterfall jumps if you dare – they go as high as 11 metres. The falls themselves are a major attraction and are easily accessed by car (and a brief, easy walk) if you’re not prepared all the action of canyoneering.

Prices start at PHP 3,300 per person for two people (approximately $95AUD) with discounts for larger groups.

Visit the night markets

No trip to the Philippines is complete without a date with some street meat. You can forget the neon-shack kebabs of back home though; in Cebu you’ll find the best nocturnal snacks at bustling night markets, where vendors hawk everything from recognisable roast meats to skewered offal and fertilised boiled eggs (more on that later). It’s obvious, but make sure to bring cash and an open mind – you might fall in love with chicken intestines and solidified squares of animal blood (it tastes a little like meaty halloumi).

Night markets are free to enter, dishes are generally PHP5-PHP150 (approximately $0.15-$4.30AUD).

Jump on a quad bike

Bohol’s countryside is a lush hodgepodge of scenic hills and jungles. There are plenty of opportunities to stare at the landscape serenely, but if you want to get amongst the thick of it, opt for a quad biking experience. Chocolate Hills ATV Rental (as its name suggests) rents all-terrain vehicles and quad bikes for those looking to kick up a little dust. The vehicles are fairly intuitive, and you’ll have guides to make sure you stay on track and have the most fun – particularly when you get to the free play arenas. 

You will get dirty, so maybe rethink wearing pale colours, and bring a pair of sunnies to help keep dust out of your eyes. Helmets are provided, and your quad biking hosts (who will almost definitely be better drivers than you) are more than happy to take some fun snapshots along the way. 

Prices start at around PHP450 (approximately $13AUD).

Board a river cruise

The only thing that gives Bohol’s beaches a run for their money are the island’s rivers. The most relaxing and most delicious way to traverse them is on a lunchtime river cruise. Leaving from Loboc (about 35 minutes drive from the capital Tagbilaran), these cruises include a shared buffet of seafood, meats, vegetable dishes and sweets plus ice-cold San Miguel beer (the Philippines local brewsky). 

Over the course of an hour or so you’ll leisurely float your way downstream on a covered barge, enjoying the tropical palm-lined shores and cerulean water (seriously, the river water in Cebu and Bohol is something else). Travelling in a big group? You can also book an entire barge to yourself; otherwise you’ll share with other tourists. Find more info online.

PHP550 per person (approximately $15AUD).