Stand-Up Paddle Boarding At Loboc River

 

Mabuhi!

As a birthday gift for Hubby we decided to spend it together in an adventure. And so with a lot of research and planning we chose stand-up paddle boarding at Loboc River, in the town of Loboc, Bohol.

Getting There

Well, first things first, you need to be in Bohol. From Manila, you can take a one and half hour plane ride to Tagbilaran Airport, the lone airport here in Bohol. From Cebu, there are lots of options, so I'll just state the easiest one. You can take a two hour fast craft ride from Cebu Port Terminal 1 to the Port of Tagbilaran.

From the airport/seaport, you may take a motorized tricycle to Dao Integrated Bus Terminal. As a local, this is what I usually do when I'm at the Port of Tagbilaran, I'll take a 2 minute walk to the entrance of the port and from there I'll ride a motorized tricycle to the Multicab Terminal for Dao IBT (west side of Jollibee-Alturas).

Rates (Motorized Tricycle) :
(Airport/Seaport to Dao IBT) --- Php30.00 per head

(Seaport to Multicab Terminal) --- Php8.00
(Multicab Terminal to Dao IBT) --- Php8.00

At Dao IBT, take a Ceres bus or any bus that is going to pass the town of Loboc. As for us, we took the Ceres bus going to Talibon via Carmen. Don't be afraid to ask the locals, they will be more than glad to help you.

Rate:
Ceres Bus (Non-Aircon) --- Php25.00

Hubby needs to travel from Changi Airport to Mactan and was supposedly at the Tagbilaran Port by three o'clock in the afternoon but due to Cebu's heavy traffic, it was already evening when he reached Tagbilaran. So since I am not familiar with the location of the hotel where we are going to stay in at Loboc I need help from Google Maps. Of course you can always tell your conductor to drop you off at a certain place but just to be sure I need to use Google Maps' Directions.

It's a 26 minutes bus drive from Dao IBT to Camayaan Road, Loboc. To my surprise, Google Maps was very accurate even in a rural place like this.

From there, we enjoyed taking a 3 minutes leisure walk under a starry sky from Loay Interior Road to Loboc River Resort.

Loboc River Resort

We checked in at Loboc River Resort. Too bad we missed our planned activities for that afternoon, biking and kayaking. So for those coming from Mactan-Cebu International Airport, please take note of the traffic.

Situated beside the Loboc River, we had a peaceful dinner at the resort's resto.

We need to take our breakfast very early the next morning for our SUP Tour at 8AM.

SUP Tours Philippines

SUP Tours Philippines' Whole Day Stand-up Paddle Tour starts at eight in the morning. So be there at least 15 minutes before 8AM for the necessary pre-tour briefing such as signing of documents, trying on of booties, rash guards and personal flotation devices that suits on you and of course the SUP lessons.

Rates:
1 Hour Loboc River SUP Tour --- Php800.00
Half-Day Loboc River SUP Tour --- Php950.00-2,000.00
Full-Day River and Waterfall SUP Tour --- Php1,500.00-2,550.00

Inclusions:
- Use of SUP board and equipment during lesson and tour
- SUP Lesson
- Tour guide for the SUP tour
- Municipal Fee
- Cold water
- Lunch with Fresh Young Coconut Milk (for Full-Day Tour only)

Essentials:
- hat/cap
- long sleeve rash guard (especially during summer season)
- sunglasses
- sunscreen

Tips:
- If you stay at the SUP Tours Philippines' Fox and the Firefly Cottages located inside the Center you'll have a 10% Discount on their SUP & Mountain Bike Tours

Flat-Water SUP at Loboc River

We handed our camera to our wonderful tour guide, John Ray, and it was so thoughtful of him to take our pictures during the tour. There were sceneries that I wanted to capture like the tall limestone cliffs and hills along the river, so if you have waterproof cameras, it would be wise to bring it along with you during the tour.

Flat Water SUP at Busay Falls

We took a short stop here at Busay Falls and explored the waterfalls.

Visible right above Busay Falls is Loboc Eco-Tourism Adventure Park's zipline.

We headed back to the Paddle Center for our lunch, but before we reach there, we took another short stop at Loctob Cold Spring. Yes, it was very cold and the water was very clear. John Ray says the water there stays clear even if the river is flooding due to mountain rains.

We had our sumptuous lunch beside the river together with other guests

At two in the afternoon, we resumed our tour down the river.

One thing that amazed me was seeing locals in baruto (small boat) picking up garbage in the river.

Passing by at Loboc River Resort.

We had a stopover here for another round of young coconut milk.

SUP at Loay Beach

This was the last leg of the Full-Day SUP Tour, stand-up paddle boarding in rough water. Yikes!

I admit, it was very challenging doing SUP with strong winds against you.

 

Our tour ended at a beach area in Loay. We were pick-up by a multicab back to the SUP Tours Philippines Paddle Center at Barangay Valladolid, Loboc.

After taking a bath and eating dinner at the center we are finally heading home. From the Paddle Center we need to take a 3-5 minutes walk to Loay Interior Road. If you are heading to Tagbilaran City or to the Eastern part of Bohol like us, you need to wait for a bus at the waiting shed adjacent to the Petron gas station. Now, if it's already evening time and buses are already scarce you may ride a motorcycle taxi to Loay Interior Road and Bohol Circumferential Road crossing.

Rate:
Motorcycle Taxi --- Php30.00 per person

Well, that's it guys, it was definitely a fun-filled day! A day where you will be one with nature. Where you will stand in awe and feel the challenge to protect it's beauty. A day where you will get exhausted but will certainly enjoy every bit of the adventure.

So what are you waiting for? Bring your traveling feet now to Loboc!

Travel Guide: Escape to Bantayan

Mabuhi!

Before the year 2015 ends, Hubby and I decided to take some time off and spend it somewhere outside the city. We decided to visit Bantayan Island, an island located at the northern part of Cebu island. Since it was our first visit to Bantayan and without any guide, we did some research ahead of time.

Early morning of December 29th, my father-in-law dropped us off at Cebu's North Bus Terminal. We took a bus heading to Hagnaya. This bus will drop you off right at Hagnaya Port. WiFi was available on board but was not reliable once we're outside of the city.

Rates:
Non-Aircon Bus --- Php130.00
Aircon Bus --- Php170.00

It's a two-and-a-half to three-hour bus ride to Hagnaya Port. Along the way you'll see farmlands, mountains, limestone cliffs, if you're seated at the left-hand side of the bus. On the other hand, your view will mostly be the coastal area.

We have a stopover at Catmon, so nothing to worry about getting hungry while on the road. As for traffic concerns, there was light to no traffic at all.

Once we're in Hagnaya Port  we bought our ro-ro tickets, a one to one-and-a-half hour ride to Sta. Fe Port of Bantayan Island, and then paid the terminal fee. Here you may buy foods and drinks to take with you on board the ro-ro ships.

Rates:
Ro-ro --- Php170.00
Hagnaya Port terminal fee --- Php10.00

At Sta. Fe Port we hired a motorized tricycle to Kota Beach Resort. Unfortunately the resort was already fully booked so the driver helped us hunt for a room. We settled at Mayet's Beach Resort.

Rates:
Mayet's Beach Resort --- Php700.00-3,000.00

Near the resort we found a sari-sari store(small neighborhood convenient store) with bicycles for rent. Based on our research bicycles for rent in Bantayan cost Php200.00 which is good for 8-hours but we're lucky enough to find a cheaper deal. We rented out two bikes and roam around the island with it.

Rates:
Bicycle (24-hour) --- Php50.00

For dinner, we ate at Cogtong Beach Resort which is just adjacent to Mayet's. We then bough a few San Mig Light at the sari-sari store on our way back to Mayet's and stayed at the cottages by the beach front. We were there chatting, enjoying our beer and strolling by the shore until late in the evening. If you are into nightlife, this place is not for you.

Early morning, the next day, I took these pictures at Mayet's, I love the white sand there:

We had our brunch at Kota Beach's resto. And then resumed biking to the eastern part of Bantayan until we used up our energy.

At lunch we checked in at Kota Beach Resort. And oh by the way, they accept debit and credit card payments! What I love here is it's very near the market place, the plaza, the Sto. Niño Catholic Parish church, the public schools and there are lots of resorts, restaurants and bars around the area.

Rates:
Kota Beach Resort --- Php900.00-3,800.00

As for dinner, we dine at Cou Cou Bar Hotel and Restaurant and stayed there until midnight.

That's me at Kota's reception area.

On the third day, there was a light shower early morning when I took these pictures:

Kota has a free shuttle to transfer you to and fro the Sta. Fe Port so make sure to inform the receptionist ahead of time.

At Sta. Fe Port, don't forget to pay the terminal fee once you've bought your ferry tickets.

Rates:
Sta. Fe Port terminal fee --- Php5.00

Sta. Fe Port

Hagnaya Port

Some of the sceneries on our way back to Cebu City:

Our bus dropped us off near SM Cebu, so make sure to ask your bus driver or the conductor for the available drop-off points in the city.

Have you been to Bantayan Island? What's your favorite place there?