Central Visayas: Romancing with the island paradise

Details

Category: Destination

Published on Monday, 23 January 2012 08:34

Bohol • Cebu • Negros • Oriental • Siquijor

About the region

Central Visayas is located in the heart of the Philippines and is composed of Cebu, Bohol, Negros Oriental and Siquijor provinces. Its beautiful pristine white beaches with clear blue waters, rich marine life and white corals make them great scuba, snorkeling, and diving sites. The region's cultural sites and festivals also gives visitors a glimpse of its rich history and proud traditions. Furthermore, the region offers numerous waterfalls, mountain trails and caves for mountain trekking, spelunking and other outdoor activities.

How to get there and go around

By Air. Central Visayas can be reached by air through the Mactan-Cebu International Airport in Metro Cebu; Dumaguete Airport in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental; and Tagbilaran Airport in Tagbilaran City, Bohol. Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines serve the Manila-Tagbilaran routes. The Manila-Dumaguete route, on the other hand, is served by Air Philippines and Cebu Pacific.

By Sea. The Port of Cebu is the region's main gateway. There are also ports in Dumaguete in Negros Oriental, Tagbilaran in Bohol and Larena in Siquijor. Inter-island shipping is served by numerous shipping lines, two of them fastcraft companies that serve all the provinces in the region.

Inland public transportation is available on a daily basis. Buses and vans for hire ply the route to all points of the islands. Short trips or town-to-town travel are served by small vehicles such as multi-cabs or jeepneys aside from the big buses that pass by the towns enroute to other places.

To learn more, click the following links:
Bohol Transportation
Siquijor Transportation
Cebu Transportation

 

Where to stay

Hotels, inns, and homestays are available in major urban and tourist centers of Central Visayas. The Philippine Department of Tourism maintains a list of accredited establishments in the region for the tourist to choose from.

To learn more, click the following links:
Bohol Accommodations
Siquijor Accommodations
Negros Oriental Accomodations
Cebu Accomodations

What to eat

The Central Visayas Region is known for its seafoods. Visitors can try what locals call SUTUKIL (acronym for Sugba, Tula, Kilaw), the preparation of one fish into three dishes. Sugba means “grilled”, Tula is a kind of soup, and Kilaw is raw fish mixed with vinegar or calamansi, salt, pepper, onions and tomatoes. Other seafood like oysters, shrimps, prawns, crabs, shells and seaweeds are also available in the wet markets that dot the region.

For meat-lovers, try Lechon Cebu, one of the most popular pig roasts in the Philippines. Lechon Cebu is stuffed with lemongrass, saba (local variety of banana) or taro plant, green and regular onions, garlic, black pepper, salt, and other herbs and spices, which gives its unique crispy and sweet taste that visitors will surely love.

For those with a sweet tooth, visitors can try Bohol's delicacies such as Peanut Kisses, Calamay, Broa, Bibingka, Maruya, Biko, and Torta.
 
 

What to buy

There is an abundance of souvenir shops and malls in the provincial capitals, making shopping easy.

Shopping in Bohol
Shopping in Bohol can be done in the Sunday Market, Carmen Dry Market, Bohol Quality Mall, Plaza Marcela, Shoppers Mart, and Island City Mall.

Shopping in Cebu
In Mambaling, travelers can find lepido-mosaic paintings. Stunning carpets and embroidery works can be found in Minglanilla. For Cebu's famous guitars, visit Mactan and Maribago. Rattan furniture is also a must buy in Cebu. Colon Street in Cebu City is a good place for buying clothes. Visitors can also shop and bargain to their heart's content in Carbon Market.

Shopping in Siquijor
Siquijor visitors can buy handcrafted native items made by local manufacturers. These include woven mats, hats and handbags, baskets of all shapes and sizes, jewelry and accessories fashioned from indigenous materials and house decors made of wood and wood carvings.

 

What to see and do

Sand and Sea Activities
Central Visayas is blessed with an abundance of natural beauty from its white sand beaches and diverse marine life, making it great for beach getaways and diving expeditions. Visitors can enjoy the Philippine sand and sea experience in Mactan Island, Moalboal, and Malapascua Island in Cebu; Panglao and Balicasag Islands in Bohol; Apo Island in Negros Oriental; and Tubod Beach in Siquijor.

Nature Adventure
Central Visayas is endowed with scenic mountains, incredible caves, breathtaking waterfalls and rivers, and diverse flora and fauna. Visitors will surely be able to sate their appetite for outdoor adventures by visiting San Juan de Capilay Lake and Cantabon Cave in Siquijor; Kawasan Falls and Olango and Wildlife Sanctuary in Cebu; Chocolate Hills, Loboc River, Candijay Mangrove Forest, and Mag-Aso Falls in Bohol; and Niludhan Falls, Mount Talinis and Kanlaon Volcano in Negros Oriental.

Festivals
Central Visayas festivals are renowned for their kaleidoscope colors, high energy street dancing, and mardi gras-type parades. If such sights and sounds interest visitors, then Cebu's Sinulog Festival and Bohol's Sandugo Festival are perfect for the fun-loving traveler. Siquijor has equally entertaining festivals such as Bugwas, Dila-ab, Solili, and Lubi Festivals, while Negros Oriental celebrates about 14 popular festivals every year.

Relevant Contacts

PH Department of Tourism Region VII
G/F LDM Bldg. cor Legaspi and MJ Cuenco Sts., 6000 Cebu City
Phone (+6332) 340-8229 (airport office)
Email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. / This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Bohol Satellite Office
Port Area, 6300 Tagbilaran City
Mobile 0921-858-3864

BOHOL
Bohol Tourism Office
G/F New Provincial Capitol Bldg., Marapao St. Tagbilaran City
Telefax (+6338) 411-3666 / 501-9186

Tourism Information Office
Tagbilaran City Airport, Tagbilaran City
Tel. no.:(+6338) 500-0946

Tagbiliran City Tourism Office
Agora Market, CPG Ave., Tagbilaran City
Tel. no.: (+6338) 235-5497

CEBU
Cebu Provincial Committe on Tourism
Cebu Provincial Capitol, Cebu City
Tel. no.: (+6332) 253-3083

Cebu City Committee on Tourism
Cebu City Hall, Magallanes St., Cebu City
Tel. no.: (+6332) 253-9904

NEGROS ORIENTAL
Negros Oriental Provincial Tourism Unit
L.G. Teves Aqua Center Annex, Capitol Area, Dumaguete City
Tel. no.: (+6335)225-1825
E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Dumaguete City Tourism Office
Dumaguete City Hall Cmpd., Sta. Catalina St., Dumaguete City
Tel. no.: (+6335) 225-0549 / 422-9409
URL: http://http://www.dgte.net

SIQUIJOR
Siquijor Tourism Office
Provincial Capitol, Siquijor, Siquijor
Tel. nos.: (+6335) 344-2088 / 480-9076
Telfax no.: (+6335) 344-2015
URL: http://www.elgu.ncc.gov.ph/ecommunity/siquijorprov/

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