Off the coast of Bohol lies a tiny tropical island – 600 meters in diameter to be exact – beaming with marine life. On this island you can swim with turtles, snorkel with colorful fishes, and relax on one of the world’s nicest beaches (according to us). Some may say it’s overrated and we couldn’t disagree more, but it takes a bit of going off the beaten path to take advantage of everything Balicasag Island has to offer.
Balicasag Island Tour
We booked our tour to Balicasag Island directly with a local at Alona Beach, but you can also book a tour online.
All the tours to Balicasag Island depart from Alona Beach in Panglao so it’s best to stay somewhere in Panglao if you want to adventure out to Balicasag Island.
There are two types of tours to Balicasag Island: group and private. The group tours leave in the morning and have a chance to spot spinner dolphins along the way. Since we started late in the morning after all the group tours had left, our only option was a private tour.
Balicasag Island Complete Guide
Our adventure took us from Alona Beach in Panglao across clear waters to Balicasag Island. The boat ride lasted about 35 minutes and it was a smooth ride.
The one thing that I recommend bringing for the boat ride is earplugs. The motors on the boats that go to Balicasag are extremely loud, and your ears might be ringing by the end of the trip if you don’t wear hearing protection.
When we first got to Balicasag Island we were underwhelmed by the island’s popular snorkeling spot. It was crowded and the reef was half-dead. But after venturing around the island we found a much better snorkeling spot that we’ll share with you in this article.
Balicasag Island: Our Experience
We had an amazing day snorkeling at Balicasag Island. But it didn’t start that way.
Within the first 30 minutes of getting to the island, we thought we were stuck in a tourist trap. As we set foot on the island, we were ushered to the check-in station where we were set up with a guide.
The guide is included with the 300 pesos environmental fee, so we were happy to see that we would have someone to show us the best snorkeling spots on the island. But actually, that wasn’t the case at all. Our guide grew up on the island and was helpful, but their program is to canoe you around two areas to see reef fish and swim with a turtle.
The reef area definitely has plenty of fish. But the reef had seen better days and wasn’t very healthy so it was a disappointment after visiting Napaling Reef the day before. On top of that, all the tour guides take everyone to the same area, so many other tourists share the same space in the water.
We went to the reef area first to see fish. When we got there, we were bumping into other groups and constantly had to avoid hitting our heads on canoes. The current in the water was also kind of strong, so it was difficult to swim. If you can’t swim, they do provide life jackets if you need one.
The next area was the turtle area. The turtle spot is right off the shore, so we were in shallow, murky water. We saw one big turtle named Michaelangelo. Four different turtles frequent this spot, and they’re all named after the ninja turtles. We thought that was cute.
Though this was our least favorite part of the island, I’m glad that they do the guided tour, since it ensures that every visitor to the island gets to see what they came for. Not everyone is a strong swimmer, so having a guide with a canoe to show you around is helpful for some people.
Best Snorkeling Area on Balicasag Island
If you’re an experienced snorkeler, there are much better places on the island for you to go, and we’ll show you them here.
After the tour, we decided to walk through the middle of the island to get to the north side. Our idea was to get as far away from the touristy area as possible in search of a better reef.
Once we reached the north side of Balicasag, we saw some dive boats in the distance. We took that as a sign that there might be something to see in the water. And we weren’t disappointed.
When we first swam out, the water was so shallow that we barely floated above the rocks. But after swimming a little ways out, it got deeper and we found one of the most epic reefs we’ve ever encountered. The reef had huge rolling beds of healthy coral and schools of colorful fish swimming through the water.
I took a moment to pause and look at everything. We saw so many little details in the reef. Tons of small fish live in nooks and crannies everywhere within the coral. The reef had an incredible biodiversity, including many fish we had never seen before.
The best part was that we had this snorkel spot all to ourselves! We saw a few dive boats come and go, but the reef was sectioned off. This kept the boats out and created a safe space for us to snorkel in.
How to Get to the Balicasag Island Snorkeling Area
We made the mistake of walking through the middle of the island to get to the north side of Balicasag. However, walking through the middle of the island is confusing since its winding roads go all over the place.
Instead, we recommend walking along the coastline. The island isn’t big, so it doesn’t take long to walk around its perimeter. The views on the coastline are beautiful, and you can jump in the water for a swim whenever you’re feeling hot.
After snorkeling, we walked along the beach back to our tour boat. And this is where we realized we should have just walked along the beach the entire time instead of cutting through the island.
Best Swimming Area on Balicasag Island
On the way back to our tour boat, we passed through Balicasag Island Public Beach. It was the most incredible beach we’ve been to in the Philippines. The water was crystal clear, the sand was soft, and the beach was clean.
Chloe could not stop getting in and out of the water. Again, we were the only ones here. The water has the most gorgeous, clear, aquamarine color.
From the beach, it was about a 15-minute walk to where our boat was parked. We met up with our boat captain and he offered to take us to another spot to snorkel.
This snorkeling spot was pristine. He stopped right where the sea floor shelf drops off into the deep ocean. It was honestly a little scary swimming above the unknown. But the steep drop-off led to the coolest reef terrain we’ve seen. This place was packed with colorful corals, sea anemones, and schools of fish. It was a real finding nemo moment.
For safety reasons, this area should only be accessed by boat. It is not roped off anywhere for swimmers. So it’s very dangerous as boats drive through this area, which is why we recommend doing this as a private tour.
How to Get to Balicasag Island
We booked our tour to Balicasag Island directly with a local at Alona Beach, but you can also book a tour online.
In the beginning, we tried to circumvent the touts by going directly to a boat crew parked on the shore of Alona Beach. However, the boat crew simply redirected us to one of the touts on the beach that they knew.
Fortunately for us, this guy had a good price for a private boat. So don’t be afraid to shop around for tours from the touts, ideally ahead of time.
We paid 4000 pesos for a private boat to Balicasag Island, but it was worth the price. Besides having the boat all to ourselves, we also had the freedom of where we wanted to go, and what time we wanted to head back.
There is also a separate 300 peso environmental fee per person. We paid this fee at a tent on Alona Beach and our boat captain kept our receipt and showed it to the check-in counter at Balicasag Island, so we didn’t need to pay the fee when we got to the island.
Where to Stay in Bohol
Depending on how long you stay in Bohol we recommend splitting your stays between Panglao and Anda. If you are in Bohol for less than 4 days we recommend basing yourself out of Panglao, but if you are staying longer I recommend staying at least 2 nights in Anda. Here are recommendations on places to stay:
- Luxury: Amorita Resort (Panglao)
- Mid-range: Casa Amihan (Anda)
- Budget: Bluewaves Apartment (Panglao)
If you prefer to find your own place to stay, you can visit Booking.com to explore all your accommodation options in Bohol.
What to Pack for Bohol
Here are some of our must-have items you might not have thought of when packing for a trip to Bohol.
- Crocs: During our time in Bohol, I was so glad to have Crocs to protect my feet when exploring rocky terrain and chasing waterfalls. They are the ultimate shoe in the Philippines for a reason – many Filipinos wear them too!
- Snorkel: With all the amazing snorkeling spots in Bohol, it helps to have your own snorkel set like this one if you plan to do some underwater activities! Plus, you won’t need to worry about renting a snorkel, which may be of… questionable quality.
- Sunscreen: For some reason, sunscreen is expensive in the Philippines and I’ve even encountered places selling fake sunscreen that doesn’t work! So I recommend bringing your own sunscreen to Bohol.
- Dry Bag: With all the sand, salt, and water flying everywhere during our adventures, I was so glad to have a dry bag to keep all my things safe from the elements!
- Travel Towel: In my opinion, a travel towel like this one is super necessary for a trip to Bohol! It packs down nicely and was there for me anytime I went swimming, or just needed to brush sand or dirt off.
Are You Following Our Bohol Blog Series?
During our 11-day adventure in Bohol, we found some of the island’s most stunning natural wonders—epic waterfalls, caves, and incredible snorkeling spots. To help fellow adventurers, we’ve put together guides to the best places we found. You can check them out by clicking the links below.
- Start planning your trip here: Bohol Travel Guide
- Our Bohol accomodation/area guide: Where to Stay in Bohol
- Our Ultimate Guide to Bohol: 24 Awesome Things to Do in Bohol
- How to plan your Bohol vacation: Bohol 3 Day Itinerary
- Interested in chasing waterfalls?: 5 Best Waterfalls in Bohol During Dry Season
- Our favorite hike in Bohol: Alicia Panoramic Park Hike
- Our favorite day tour in Bohol: Balicasag Island Snorkeling
- Our favorite waterfall in Bohol: Dimiao Twin Falls (Pahangog Falls)
- Our favorite place to swim in Bohol: Cabagnow Cave Pool
- How to rent a motorbike in the Philippines
I hope you enjoyed our guide to Balicasag Island.
Very useful article. Really helps me understand where to go and not go in Bohol. Definitely will hire private boats for tours.