Bohol is surrounded by more than 70 islets and most of them can be found in the northern part. Yet, the islets in the north are less known even to locals.
That’s why I always wanted to explore that part of the province. 🤩 Finally, I was able to do it starting at Jao Island which is part of the prosperous town Talibon.
We booked rooms at Jao Bay Resort a week before going there. And honestly, with the intention to just go there and chill. We all deserved a break from hustle once in a while after all.
It was just a short trip but I had a fun time with my girlfriends. It was relaxing and full of unexpected adventure! 💛
Going there…
Around 4 pm, we rode a van at Dao Bus terminal, Tagbilaran City to Talibon‘s bus terminal which took more or less 2 hours. Then we rode a tricycle to the town market.
It was my first time in the town and truth is, I felt totally amazed at how thriving the town is. I am very ashamed to say I didn’t expect that at all. 😬
We ate barbecue and headed to to the wharf around 7:30 PM (not advisable) where the outrigger boat of the resort was waiting for us.
Surprisingly, it was nice riding the boat at night, looking at the night sky and moonlight. I felt like singing Moana’s song in the part of the movie where she was alone in the vast dark sea. 😆 😍 We cruised to the resort for about 20 mins.
To make the most of the beautiful moonlight after settling in, we stayed by the beach and drank wine (we brought it with us) and played Uno cards.
The next morning…
We woke up early to enjoy the sunrise and a cup of free coffee!
We heard that the back of the resort is a stream so we went for a stroll to see that for ourselves. Because…how can an islet have a stream? 🤔 But what we saw was more than that. 😮
The river is part salt water and since it was low tide at that time, we got to cross the stream by foot and were able to explore the other side!
Something unexpected…
I did not expect much because I saw several islets already and they are more or less the same. OR SO I THOUGHT.
We crossed the river and walked for a few minutes and two things surprised me: Pigs and rice fields.
Nowww, don’t laugh at me. 😆 There are plenty of rice fields and pigs where I came from. But to have pigs, rice fields, the sea, and a river in a small place? How can they have everything? 😲 They don’t even need to go anywhere else. They can perfectly live in isolation 😂 Plus the island surprisingly has a strong internet signal.
We then headed back and strolled on the long stretch of caramel-colored beach. It was a beautiful peaceful morning.
We went back to have breakfast and prepared for an 8-hour island hopping trip which we decided on going only the night before.
Island hopping & snorkeling…
Around 9 AM, we left the resort in an outrigger boat together with another group of guests from the resort. We traveled to a sanctuary on a neighboring Island where we had snorkeling.
It was a cool place! I was amazed by the healthy & diverse corals. Then went to a remote sandbar where we rested and had a delicious lunch at the boat.
We went on a high tide so only a part of the sandbar was visible. We still had fun!
It was like we were in the middle of nowhere since there were no other islands or boats in sight! 😲
Saying goodbyes…
Heading back, we were so tired that we slept in our seats. Around 4 PM, we were back at the resort and got ready for check out. What sent us a goodbye on our cruise back to the mainland was a beautiful sunset! 💛
Fares & Rates…
Here is a breakdown of our basic expenses on that trip. Note that there are other accommodations (even cheaper or more expensive options) and means of transport to make this kind of trip possible.
- Van + Tricycle – Around Php 150 + Php 15 each/way
- Outrigger boat – Php 300 per trip for the whole group
- Accommodation -You can book here Jao Bay Resort
- Island hopping with lunch – Php 1200/person
The trip was fun especially I was with amazing ladies! It was short and sweet. 💛 I will probably be back soon.
If you are taking the trip, remember: respect locals, support & buy local and leave no trace!
The Boholana 
