Bohol Travel Tips: Cash, Grab Limits, Tarsiers and the Siquijor Mistake

Independently researched. Last checked 12 August 2026. Practical layer for the Bohol Travel Guide.


Money and connectivity

  • ATMs: reliable in Tagbilaran (Island City Mall / center) and present in parts of Panglao / Alona. Thin elsewhere. Withdraw before a countryside day.
  • Cards: mid-range and up resorts. Tours, tricycles, many boats and gate fees are cash.
  • SIM: Globe and Smart. Buy in Tagbilaran or at TAG if a booth is open.
  • Offline maps before you leave wifi. Interior signal is uneven.

Movement

  • Official tourism: no traditional taxi fleet. GrabCar = Tagbilaran–Dauis–Panglao only.
  • Ask for a rainbow-plate vehicle when you hire a tourist van.
  • A car license is not a motorcycle license. Enforcers do check.
  • Scooter on Panglao if you already ride. Car, van or tour for the Chocolate Hills unless you already ride at that distance. Getting Around Bohol.
  • Carmen is commonly 75–120 minutes from Alona. Anda is 2.5–3 hours. Budget the van, not just the ticket.

Arrival choice: How to Get to Bohol.


Booking order

  1. Bed in the right area — Where to Stay in Bohol.
  2. Ferry or flight — How to Get to Bohol.
  3. Countryside van or tour and the boat or dive slot.
  4. Everything else.

Holy Week, Christmas–New Year, March–May: do not reverse that order. Best Time to Visit Bohol.


On the days themselves

  • Start the hills day early. Heat and tour buses stack after mid-morning. 3-Day Bohol Itinerary.
  • Ask which tarsier stop is included. Corella ≠ Bilar. No flash, no handling. Things to Do in Bohol.
  • Reef: no standing on coral, no chasing turtles.
  • If swell kills the boat, do not invent an Anda day on the same afternoon. Use Hinagdanan or a quieter Panglao beach. Anda belongs on a longer trip.
  • Coming from Siquijor: return the scooter early, check whether the ticket says Siquijor or Larena. Siquijor DIY Travel Guide and OceanJet / Siquijor ferry.

What to pack (short)

Water, cash, sun, dry bag for ferries and scooters, light layer for air-con vans and craft, reef-safe sunscreen, motion-sickness tablets if you need them.


Safety (not a first-hand audit)

Bohol is generally treated as one of the more orderly Visayan provinces for tourists. Use normal port and Alona nightlife awareness. This is not a SiquiRide security report.


As SiquiRide expands its Bohol coverage, individual guides will be added here.

Independently researched 12 August 2026.