Biyahe Baclayon

Baclayon is no longer about visiting Baclayon Church, if you are a tourist!

BEZO Initiatives, an organisation which aims to provide sustainable socio-economic programs through eco-tourism have teamed up with the local government to come up with a program that lets you experience a different Baclayon.

One such program is Byahe Baclayon. It is composed of three tours designed for visitors who want to explore Baclayon's natural wonders and heritage and cultural sites.

Heritage Walk aims to promote Baclayon's culture by bringing visitors to the town's delicacy shops that sell unique Baclayon food such as broas (lady fingers), tableyas (local chocolate tablets) and ube kinampay (local root crop), and to workshops where crafts and souvenir items are designed and manufactured.

Adventure Trail covers almost the entire town of Baclayon. It includes hiking trails and trails for mountain bikes, dirt bikes and quads. The routes have been designed to pass by lakes, caves, springs and deep sinkholes. Several stops and points along the trail offer panoramic views of the town. Aside from these trails, there is a plan to offer kayaking in the lakes and to install zip lines for extreme adventurers.


Whale/dolphin watching and Pamilacan island tour involves an early morning boat ride from Baclayon town centre to the island of Pamilacan. The body of water between Baclayon and Pamilacan is frequented by butandings (whale sharks), dolphins and manta rays. Upon reaching Pamilacan, guest may opt to visit diving sites, swim in the beach or have a massage from the women members of the local cooperative.

When our family next go home to Bohol, we will surely give serious thought about doing the Biyahe Baclayon tours. This is certainly great for our children for them to know more about their Bol-anon roots.

If you are interested to try the Biyahe Baclayon experience, you can visit BEZO Initiatives website (www.bezo.org.ph).

Photos: Inday Guapa blog, BEZO Initiatives
Text: BEZO Initiatives

(This blogpost first appeared in Bohol On My Mind blog on 28 October 2009)