Loboc River Cruise in Bohol, Philippines
Loboc River Cruise is probably in your must-do-list if you are planning to go to Bohol. It is one of the famous tourist destinations in Bohol, Philippines. Loboc River is known mainly because of its emerald green and clean water and of course the famous river cruise. While cruising the river you will also see the famous Loboc Church which is more than 400 years old, one of the oldest churches here in the Philippines. Though it was severely damaged by an earthquake last 2013, it still hasn’t lost its charm and solemnity.
We took a countryside tour during our last day on our 3-day Bohol escapade and Loboc River Cruise is one of the stops. Our driver, Kuya Mario, drove us there at around 1:00PM hoping that the crowd might have dissipated and we could get a ticket easily, but we were wrong. Maybe because we went on a weekend or the place is just too touristy that that crowd was really overwhelming. It was my first time and I was excited to try the infamous Loboc River Cruise so waiting wasn’t really a big deal. Kuya Mario secured a queue number and since we want to make the most of our time, we decided to go to the Butterfly Sanctuary, Prony the Python and Bamboo Hanging Bridge while waiting for our turn.
We came back after an hour and the crowd was still jam-packed though we were a bit closer on the queue. We waited for more or less 15 minutes until we were called. We were very hungry that time and all we want to do is eat, good thing it was a buffet lunch. The ticket costs Php450.00 per person, that includes both the ticket to the boat and for the buffet lunch.
Different nationalities were on board and we were seated on a table with other guests. The food was already loaded and prepared and since it was past the lunch time, the staff told us that we can start eating while other guests are boarding. The food was the usual Filipino dishes and desserts, nothing really special but since I was really hungry it made me think that I was feasting the best food ever!
The cruise started after all guests have boarded. By the time the raft reaches the middle of the cruise, we were done with our lunch, which was actually a good thing because we were able to enjoy the moment while the raft glides on the emerald-green water of Loboc River . I couldn’t help but appreciate how beautiful the river was and I was amazed on how they were able to keep the water clean. While we were sailing on the river, a live band was performing singing different old country songs entertaining the guests on board. I was actually quite amazed that they can sing songs in different languages, like Korean or Mandarin.
I noticed that there were few houses located near the river. There were also some tourists diving and swimming in the river while the locals live their lives as they normally do. Our boat stopped in front of a hut on the riverbank at the end of the cruise. There were group of locals (children and adults) wearing a traditional Filipino attire while performing different traditional Filipino songs and folk dances. Guests are free and encourage to sing and dance with them and of course donation is very much appreciated.
As the boat turned around to make it’s way back to where we came from, we saw a small falls. Busay Falls is what the locals call it, it’s just a small falls, nothing so extraordinary.
By the time we reached the port, the ticketing counter is already closed and the overwhelming crowd was gone. Kuya Mario told us that Loboc River Cruise had a day and night cruise before but due to the intense earthquake last 2013, light posts along the river was damaged so the local management had to suspend the night cruise.
Getting There
Loboc River Cruise is one of the famous tourists destinations in Bohol and is very much accessible via all means of land transportation. If you are coming from Manila, the fastest way to get to Bohol is via plane. If you are coming from Cebu, multiple fast ferry’s offer a daily trip to Bohol, vice versa.
From Tagbilaran airport, take a tricycle to the bus terminal and board a bus to Loboc. You can also rent a car or take a taxi to Loboc. If you are in a tour (mostly offered by hotels and travel agencies) Loboc River Cruise is one of the stops in the Countryside Tour.
