Explore Baclayon video

Explore the charming and historic town of Baclayon, the oldest in Bohol. This video is from Baclayon Tourism.

Biyahe Baclayon traveller reviews at TripAdvisor

Pamilacan island (Photo: InfoWise101.com)

The town's flagship Biyahe Baclayon tourism program had great raving reviews from travellers at the TripAdvisor website. The website features reviews and advice on hotels, resorts, flights, holiday rentals, holiday packages, travel guides, and lots more.

Biyahe Baclayon 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.

If you want to know what travellers had said about Biyahe Baclayon check out TripAdvisor's website.

Ironwulf's adventure travel in Baclayon

Baluarte (Photo: TripAdvisor)

Ironwulf is multi-awarded Filipino photographer and blogger Ferdinand Decena. He chronicles his travels in the Philippines and the world through his travel blog, Ironwulf.net: En Route. This blog contains great stories and stunning vistas from the places Decena has visited.

One of these places is my home province of Bohol; particularly, my hometown of Baclayon. Because of his several visits to Bohol, he came out with a suggestion for a three-day itinenary for an adventure travel if you want to visit one of the top tourist destinations in the Philippines today. Day 3 for the said itinerary is reserved for Baclayon, which Ironwulf visited last year, staying at the luxurious Peacock Garden Luxury Resort & Spa.

Pamilacan Island Paradise

Pamilacan Island Paradise is a beach villa located in the famous island barangay of Pamilacan.

If your idea of a perfect holiday is spending it in a private and exclusive beach villa in a small tropical island, then Pamilacan Island Paradise is for you.

Aproniana Gift Shop

Aproniana Giftshop is a one-stop souvenir shop along the National Highway in barangay Taguihon.

Ancestral houses

Living in history: Baclayon residents in Bohol band together to save the town’s ancestral houses*

Written by Marianne Tocmo (Business Mirror)
Saturday, 19 June 2010 17:30

Baclayon, in the eastern part of Bohol, is the first municipality established by the Spaniards where one can find the historic Baclayon Church, as well as many ancestral houses. Originally called Bacayan—because travelers used to detour (bacay) around a rocky cliff along the shore to avoid going over the top of the cliff—the town was founded in 1595 by two Jesuit priests, Fr. Juan de Torres and Fr. Gabriel Sanchez, who also built a stone church, which is considered the oldest stone church in the country.

This sense of history isn’t lost on the town’s residents, who have formed a neighborhood organization, the Baclayon Ancestral Homes Association (Bahandi), which organizes various cultural events advocating the preservation of historical buildings in Baclayon. The group has found a supporter in philanthropist Bea Zobel de Ayala Jr. through the Ayala Foundation, which has helped mount these cultural events from traditional singing contests to fiestas.

Dolphin watching in Pamilacan Island in Bohol

Photo: Manila Traveler

After the countryside tour of Bohol, you can also try island hopping and enjoy more surprises. Pamilacan Island is a marine sanctuary and home to many biodiversity. You need to leave at 5:30 in the morning to enjoy the sunrise and catch the dolphins as they usually come out and frolic in the surface at this time of the day.

The trip to Pamilacan Island costs P1,000 per head and this is inclusive of the bangka ride (outrigger), morning snack (of native root crops that you probably have missed a lot) lunch (of seafood, native dish which became more delicious after snorkeling, swimming and enjoying the sea) as well as for the "dolphin caller".

Read more @ Manila Traveler

Experience Pamilacan

This post is a collation of information by nodarcdam, apparently a Pamilacan island resident, which was shared in the website Virtual Tourist in December 2005.

Going to Pamilacan

Pamilacan Island can be reached by boat. You can hire a boat which will take you the island and back either at Baclayon or Panglao Island.

In Baclayon, there is a wharf near the Baclayon church. The boat ride going to the island is about 45 minutes and the regular charge is P1,200 to 1,500 depending on the size of the boat.

In Panglao Island, there are many boatment offering their services. The ride is about one hour and the regular charge is between P1,500 to P1,800.

The laidback western tip of Pamilacan

The western tip of Pamilacan Island is the more popular side of the island. The beach is somewhat undeveloped, though the white fine sand is evident despite the dried seaweeds covering it. It has no restaurant but the locals will cook for you and for P200 per person, you can have lunch along the shore complete with rice, vegetable, fish or chicken and bottled water.

There are some stores which display bones of dolphins and sharks, a reminder that once, the islander was engaged in catching those creatures. The marine sanctuary is the ideal place for snorkelling.

The old Spanish watchtower still stands.

Catching big fish

We all know that big fish like tuna, jackfish and snapper are caught through big nets. In Pamilacan Island, the locals could catch big fish even without a net and they do it by fish hooks. They make their own bait which resembles a squid.

Slaughter of the manta rays

The eastern tip of Pamilacan Island may not be included in the regular island hopping tour because of the seeming unpleasant sight and smell. The coast is lined with small huts where manta rays from Surigao are slaughtered. This is one of the big sources of income for the locals. Make sure that you can withstand the sight of mangled manta rays before venturing on this side of the island.

All photos by nodarcdam

Pamilacan Fort

Photo: Travelog Philippines

In Pamilacan is found a small triangular fort made of rubble with cut coral blocks lining its portal and windows.

Round buttresses support the three corners of the structure. Embedded trusses and a triangular pillar in the centre indicate that the fort may have had a second floor of wood. There is probably a balcony that ran around the second floor linking the buttresses which also served as lookouts.

Photo: Bohol Wonders

While no dates have been established for the fort, it may have been built in the 19th century. An indication is a large hardwood cross, now housed in a modern chapel nearby, with an 1800s date carved on it. This cross stood near the fort. The fort formed a network with the towers or forts at Loay, Baclayon, Tagbilaran and Panglao.

Text: Panubli-on

Pamilacan Island

Photo: Lakbai

Found almost a straight line from Baclayon’s wharf is the low coral island of Pamilacan.

The island’s name comes from the Cebuano-Visayan word “pilak”, or harpoon, which was used in the past by island residents when they went out whale and manta ray hunting.

Photo: Bohol.ph

Pamilacan is an island barangay (village) of Baclayon. There are three sitios (sub-villages) on the island – one facing Baclayon, another amid island, and the third on the southern coast. There are 242 families (2000 census) living in the island’s 140 hectares.

Pamilacan can be reached in 45 minutes from Baclayon wharf via a hired pumpboat. The island is famous for dolphin and whale watching, beaches and its marine sanctuary.

Text: Panubli-on

The Baclayon Stone Church

Photos: Artkitekto

By: Artkitekto Blog (11 December 2008)

Homecoming gave me a chance to do a round- bohol trip once again with my family. it was fun and I got tons of pictures with it too. Baclayon was our first stop.

The Baclayon Church is the oldest Catholic stone church building in the Philippines. It was constructed during the Spanish occupation and the first Spanish missionaries (called doctrineros) settled in the area in the late 15th century. Today you can still see the original stone structure of the Baclayon Church in the City of Tagbilaran, Bohol, Philippines.

There are other preserved church buildings in the region but the Baclayon Church is the best preserved among them. The church itself is Jesuit, but the Baclayon Church (the one we see today) was completed in 1727. The erected church building known today as the Baclayon Church is formally known as The Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception.

The area where the Baclayon Church now stands was home to the Spanish Jesuit missionaries when they arrived in the Philippines. The Jesuits were forced to leave and move their headquarters to Loboc. This was due to fears of being mobbed by Moro marauders.

Read more @ Artkitekto

Baclayon Church : Bohol Tour, Day 1

Photos: Kathang-isip Travelogue

By: Kathang-isip Travelogue Blog (24 September 2009)

Our second destination for the day is the second oldest church in the Philippines, and oldest church in Bohol: Baclayon church.

How to go there
Jeff and I took a rent-a-van to tour Bohol’s tourist spots.

What to see
According to Kuya Lito (Our tour guide/driver) Baclayon was supposedly the oldest church in the Philippines but San Agustin won that title after some historians disagreed with that claim. The claim is, the first Spanish settlers in the country was in Bohol therefore the first church was probably in Bohol, but I dont know, they’re both old that’s the only thing real at the moment, hehe.

From outside, Baclayon church isn’t all that impressive, it looks pretty boring actually, until you get to see the interiors of the church.

With just the sunlight lighting the interiors of Baclayon during the day, the church emits beautiful colors of red, yellow and blue with the help of the church’s stained glass windows. The main altar is enhanced with a warm color of yellow to emphasize it from the background.

Read more @ Kathang-isip Travelogue

Tourism Activity Centre

Photos and text: BEZO Initiatives

If you are a first time tourist in Baclayon, head on to the town's beautiful tourism activity centre.

The tourism centre is Baclayon's one-stop shop for tourists wanting to explore the town's cultural, man-made and natural sites. It also houses an office of Bezo Recreational and Aquatic Activities in Bohol (BRAABO) for its secretariat who provides technical assistance to the local government of Baclayon.

The tourism centre building's design adheres to Bol-anon architectural principles with its steep, sloping rooflines and intricate ventanillas (air vents) above doors and windows. Local Bol-anon craftsmen constructed and developed the tourism centre's decor, furniture and floor tiles.

The centre was inaugurated in May 2009. It is located behind the municipal hall near to Baluarte (lighthouse).

For more information read on the news article in BEZO Initiatives. Alternatively, this is how it is reported in the Bohol Chronicle.

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)