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
- Bed in the right area — Where to Stay in Bohol.
- Ferry or flight — How to Get to Bohol.
- Countryside van or tour and the boat or dive slot.
- 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.
Related guides
- Bohol Travel Guide
- Things to Do in Bohol
- Where to Stay in Bohol
- How to Get to Bohol
- Getting Around Bohol
- Best Time to Visit Bohol
- 3-Day Bohol Itinerary
- Bohol Travel Budget
- Bohol Packing List
As SiquiRide expands its Bohol coverage, individual guides will be added here.
Independently researched 12 August 2026.