Loboc: River Cruise

Photo: Bohol Homes

Loboc River is one of the four major rivers in Bohol. It is also one of its major tourist attractions. This meandering river plays host to cruises on board small bancas (outrigger boats) or large floating restaurants. Visitors are treated to a vista of lush tropical vegetation such as nipa palms, coconut trees, banana groves, and bushes.

Photo: Lino Photography

A cruise along the river starts either from the Loay Bridge (in Loay town) near the rivermouth or at the Poblacion of Loboc town. Small motorized bancas can be chartered for a minimal fee. For those who want to dine while cruising, floating restaurants are available offering Filipino cuisine buffet and local delicacies. A floating restaurant is made up of a covered platform on top of two large outrigger boats which are joined together. The boats can accommodate up to 50 people.

Photo: Travelog Philippines

Most of the floating restaurants treat their guests with Boholano songs played by in-boat bands during the cruise. The trip winds up the river and ends at the Busay Falls, which is only one and a half meter high at the most. Here, the guests are treated to rondalla music by a local rondalla group housed under a floating cottage.

Photo: Traveling Pencils

Local folks usually take a dip in the waters and enjoy bathing under the falls. Guests who have brought with them extra clothes are welcome to swim and bathe and experience the heady feeling of a refreshing swim in the river’s unpolluted waters.

Photo: Bohol.ph

During the river cruise, visitors are treated to a spectacle of children diving from a large coconut tree that is leaning out towards the river. Also, you can see children swimming and people passing by in small bancas.

(Text: Wikipedia)