Country > Philippines > Bohol > Anda
Date > 2017 > Jun
Activity > Traveling

June 25-30, 2017

Exploring Anda, Bohol

Location : Anda (municipality), Bohol (province), Philippines

Anda, Bohol
Because of its distance from Tagbilaran (3 hours), the main hub of Bohol, Anda is the lesser known beach area in Bohol, overshadowed by Alona Beach in Panglao. But Anda is more pristine, less commercial, less expensive, with the same fine white sand beaches that extend way out before it gets deep. The main beach area at the Poblacion is about 1.5km long, but there are other beaches along the coast. The shore is lined-up with a few resorts and lodging places for locals and travelers alike. It begged to be explored!

Ferd 'Toys' Aguilar
As good fortune would have it, my high school buddy from Manila was in Cebu and decided to join me in Anda. Ferd and I go back a long way from our freediving days in Mabini, Batangas, our island exploration in Polilio Island and Blues nights in Manila. Here in Anda, we spent a lot of time just watching tv, beer on the beach, coffee on the roof deck of Zenith's Bar and sometimes, heated arguments about quantum mechanics, genetics and family. It was good 'ol times again with Ferd until he headed back to Cebu.

Anda Lodge
Contact: Dodong Escobido
Mobile: 0917.540.9209
Google Map Location: 9°44'32.8"N 124°34'27.9"E
Reviews: Tripadvisor
Social Media: Facebook
For 5 nights, I stayed at Anda Lodge in a decent air-conditioned room with ensuite, wifi, water and cable tv for only P600/night/2 pax (low season)! This is the most affordable a/c guesthouse I know as far as my hotel scouring has taken me. It's a 2-minute walk from the beach and just across the street from the main eateries/market. This place is a winner for value! For a bigger group, they also have 2-bed and 3-bed family rooms.

Market Day
Tuesdays become animated as it's market day. Vendors occupy a big open lot behind the market to put up their booths. You get all kinds - fresh fish, veggies, ukay-ukay clothing, household items, etc. People from all the barrios in Anda make the trip to Poblacion to get their supplies.

Lamanok Island
This attraction is common in Anda but unknown outside its boundaries - not even in Tagbilaran. Lamanok is an islet you reach by boat from a mangrove forest about 7kms from Poblacion (tricycle, P30/pax one-way). From the main road, you take about a 100m walk on a bamboo bridge elevated by stilts along the mangrove forest. At the end is a resto fronting the sea. From there, you can take a boat tour, P300/pax, to explore the caves and nearby attractions. Unfortunately, I arrived too early. It was still closed so I walked along the bamboo bridge until I reached a locked gate. It was also fiesta in the area so I was advised that the people might sleep in a bit from an all-night fiesta activity.

view of Lamanok resto at the edge of the water

Backpackers
After Ferd left, there wasn't much for social life. There were hardly travelers around. In the Philippines, it's not easy talking to the local travelers - it's not in the culture to be talking to local strangers unless you're a white guy. I usually default to the resident locals - not local travelers. I miss the company of backpackers - the kind of culture I've experienced along the backpacker trail of Southeast Asia. That's until I saw a group of backpackers eating behind the market. I approached them and started sharing travel insights. Later that night, we hung-out by the beach over some spirits. A group of local travelers from Bilar were there who invited us over to their tent. It was a fun night of socials and drinks.

Ending Thoughts
After staying in Anda for 6 days, it felt time to move on despite its many wonders I haven't seen yet. That will be for the next visit should I be favored to be here again. Anda feels like an onion with its many layered dimensions. Anda is more than just a white sand beach.

--- Gigit (TheLoneRider)
YOGA by Gigit | Learn English | Travel like a Nomad | Donation Bank

teaching Ferd the Uddiyana Bandha for digestive optimization

P90 for this bottle of sea urchin meat, + calamansi = OMG!

meeting Anda Tourism - Charly, Rachel and ?

Visiting Cabagnow Cave Pool Of Anda

(Jun 28, 2017) Cabagnow Cave Pool is an opening on limestone ground that drops 8 feet into a pool of brackish water that goes down 5 feet deep. Either you rapel down, jump down or use a ladder - there is no way to climb down as the ground surface acts as an overhang...more »»

How to get to Anda from Tagbilaran Port

take a tricycle from the port to Dao Bus Terminal (P15, 10 mins)
at the bus terminal the yellow bus makes several trips/day to Anda (P95, 3 hours)
Departure times: 5:20am, 8:50am, 10:20am, 12:45pm, 2:20pm, 4:20pm and 5:50pm
get-off at the Anda public market. The beaches and resorts are just a short walk away

Bohol Google Map

Bohol, Philippines

tourist attractions

Danao Adventure Park - zip lining, cable car ride, caving, river rides/trekking, off-road buggy ride, root climbing, rappelling and ultra-glide rides
Alona Beach - hub for tourists with hotels, resorts, restos, bars and dive shops
Chocolate Hills - hills side-by-side shaped like giant Kisses chocolate
Tarsier - pocket-sized marsupia looking like a monkey
Balicasag Island - one of the best dive spots in the Philippines
Loboc River - river cruise on a boat
Anda Beach - fine white sand beach with resorts, restos and cottages, 3 hours by bus from Tagbilaran
Cabagnow Cave Pool - brackish water pool about 5ft deep inside a limestone opening on the ground, 8 feet deep, P50
Lamanok Island - walk on a 100m bamboo bridge on stilts to a resto area to take a boat tour to caves and nearly attractions, P300
Combento Cave Pool - cave pool with underwater cave system, P20
Can-umantad Falls - long narrow drop until it hits a bulbous mound spreading it into a a curtain-like water canopy and down into a splash pool
Canawa Cold Spring - deep refreshing cold spring with developed pool area
Firefly Tour - evening boat ride into the river to watch fireflies

hotel

Fox & The Firefly Cottages - SUP paddle boarding, luxury riverside native cottages, mountain bike tours, SUP yoga
Baranggay Valladolid, Loboc, Bohol
Bohol Tropics Resort - seafront location, manicured surroundings, swimming pool, resto/bar
0133 Graham Avenue, Brgy. Cogon, Tagbilaran, Bohol 6300
Oasis Resort - Alona Beach location, dive center, resto / bar
Alona Beach, Panglao, Bohol

yoga

Jing Yoga - health & well being through yoga
The Courtyard - Airport Road fronting the church
Bohol Meditation and Yoga Center - 2nd Floor Lim Magtajas Bldg. CPG Avenue

Bohol Travel Info/Tips

Bohol FYI / Tips

the tourist area where most of the hotels, restaurants, ticket offices, tour operators are, is located within the Alona Beach area
the tourist attractions in Bohol are far apart and spread-out. It would be difficult to visit them all using public mass transit. Better hire a van (P3500/day) if in a big group, or rent a motorcycle (P400/day + gas)
Bohol relies on its tourism for revenue. As expected, everything they can capitalize on from tourism is extensively used and developed

Tagbilaran Port to Panglao

You can charter any tricycle from the port all the way to Panglao (~P300), but if you want to do it on the cheap,

don't take the tricycles lined-up inside the port. Walk past the port gate and immediately outside, you'll see many tricycles. Take one to the bus terminal in Dao (~P15)
in Dao, take the jeep that plies the Panglao route (~P20)

Tagbilaran (Bohol) to Cebu City by boat

** schedules and rates keep changing, call for latest schedule

Weesam Express - departs 6:15 AM, 11:30 AM, 4:00 PM
one way: Economy (aircon) P500.00, Economy (non-aircon) P400.00, First Class P600.00
round trip promo (at least 2 days advance booking): Economy (aircon) P600, Economy(non-aircon) P500, First Class P1200
round trip promo (1 day or on the day booking): Economy (aircon) P800, Economy (non-aircon) P700, First Class P1200
Ocean Jet - departs 6-7:05-8:20-9:20-10:40-11:40AM, 1-2-3:30-4:20-5:30-6:30PM, 2 hours, arrives Pier 1 in Cebu
Open Air / Tourist Class P800, Business Class P1000
+63(32)255 7560 / +63 (32) 255 0115 / 0917 638 0000
SuperCat (2GO) - departs 5:50-11AM, 3:45-5:25-8:15PM, arrives Pier 1 in Cebu
P 500.00
+63 32 233 7000

Things to do, Places to go in Bohol

Chocolate Hills - this is a clustering of more than 1200 hills within a 50km² area. They range in height from 30-50 meters. What's unusual is their near-perfect conical shape resembling an individual chocolate chip. No one knows how they were formed. Entrance is P50/pax.
Tarsier Conservation Area - located Upper Bonbon, Loboc. The tarsiers are no longer being played at by tourists as circus props, but instead, visitors now view them in cordoned-off areas in their natural 6ha habitat. As they are territorial and nocturnal, they are predictable on where they can be viewed. P50/pax.
Alona Beach (Panglao) - Alona Beach is the tourist hub of Bohol. It has 1.5 kms of white sand beach lined-up by bars, hotels and restos. Alona is also the jump-off point for Balicasag Island, a world class dive destination.
Danao Adventure Park - located in Barangay Magtangtang, 72 kms (2 hours ride) from Tagbilaran. Adventure activities include river trekking, tyrolean traverse, rappelling, bouldering, rock climbing and ziplining.