Bohol: Loboc! Loboc!
Loboc Church facade
One of the more popular destination in Bohol is the municipality of Loboc. More famous for its musically talented and award winning Loboc Children’s Choir, the place also holds the 2nd oldest church in Bohol, a scenic cruise along its river and another world famous primate, the Tarsiers. Here recounts our brief exploration of Loboc, the oldest town in Bohol.
Loboc Church with monument
Also known as the Church of San Pedro, Loboc Church is the 2nd oldest church in Bohol. The original church which was eventually burnt to ashes was built in 1602. Then on 1638 a new church was built by the river, but suffered some occasional floods before. A more recent mis-planning of a bride crossing over the Loboc River almost threatened the church, good thing the bridge was discontinued.
The Loboc Church Clock/bell Tower across the street
The facade of the Loboc Church is one of the nicest I’ve seen on churches. Quite unique are some emblems of the Jesuits on its walls. The entrance to the church is no longer located on this side but on the backside near the attached Convent. It was a bad timing since we got to explore the church already late in the afternoon where the museum and the convent was already closed. We also wanted to see the Loboc Children’s Choir which we could hear rehearsing but the convent is already closed. The church has huge interiors with impressive paintings on the ceiling. Located 100 meters from the church, across the street is the bell tower.
Floating restaurant beside the Loboc Church, Convent and Museum
Just beside the church you’ll find another attraction which Loboc got famous for, it’s Loboc River Cruise. For around 200 Pesos per head one can enjoy a buffet meal on the floating restaurant while it cruises down the river towards the busay falls. Currenlty there are 19 of these floating restaurants operating at the river.
Children taking pictures of the scenery while on a cruise
Personally I find this cruise a Tourist Trap. Well okay, it’s a nice cruise along the river which takes around an hour back and forth. But the food is just ok and ordinary and one major disappointment is the Busay Falls which I was raring to see. At the end of the river I only found a small, somewhat 2 foot falls at the end.
Loboc Children Singing their heart out
Also at the end of the river is a group of Loboc Children singing their hearts out. It was a performance to elicit donations for an NGO catering for these children. It was a pretty entertaining performance with their havanas. We went back to where our floating restaurant started and alighted from there. I learned that the original owner, the one who started this restaurant business already sold his 4 floating restos and is planning a new business attraction there in Loboc. Something new to look forward to.
Tarsiers in slumber
Also along Loboc River, is where you can find the smallest primate in the world, the Tarsiers. These cute beings are known for their big eyes and delicate physique since they have no skulls. I wanted to take a pic of them with their big glassy eyes wide open but it was already late in the afternoon my photos turned blurry. I was also annoyed with some of the foreigners blatantly using flash from their cameras when it wasn’t allowed. Poor Tarsiers.
The Hill Top Cottage at Loboc
At day’s end we retired at one of Loboc’s accommodation, the Hill Top Cottage. It’s a pretty nice resort, with very basic ameneties. When I say BASIC, I mean BASIC. It has rooms air conditioned large, home food and a pool. But I’m wondering why they didn’t have doors to their bathrooms. I mean, anyone can just barge in while taking a leak or a poop or even having a shower when sharing rooms. Hehe. They also don’t have TVs, which I’m not really keen in looking for a resort but it’s a nice distraction when you’re out on a remote place with no establishments for miles.
Tags: Bohol, Churches, Cruise, Heritage, Loboc, People, River, Sleep, Tarsier
Posted on
Friday, October 12th, 2007 at 6:44 pm 
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October 12th, 2007 at 10:29 pm
na meet mo po ang loboc children’s choir? maiinlove kayo sa boses nila… sa sobrang ganda!
October 13th, 2007 at 3:08 am
never ko pa nakita magperform ang loboc children’s choir. pero sabagay.. kaya lang kme pumupunta jan sa loboc church kse jan nag-elementary dad ko. hehehe.
the bridge na sobrang nasayang lang pera…
and re loboc river. talagang nilibre ko boss ko jan para ma-try niya but i was disappointed afterwards. didn’t enjoy it that much. mas masaya yung river cruise nung bata ako. galing ng hydroelectric plant yun
October 13th, 2007 at 8:34 am
That is indeed a bautiful Church. I still need to visit Bohol. Will keep your travel experiences in mind.
As always, nice to the point information with great pictures.
October 13th, 2007 at 10:13 am
We really have a lot of old grand churches. Thanks for featuring them. I can arm-chair travel with your blog.
October 13th, 2007 at 10:20 am
Love the last photo kuya! Nicely composed; there’s something about it that I like so much.
(:
I’ve been yearning to see the Tarsiers, but no chance!
October 13th, 2007 at 12:44 pm
Wow Bohol naman! nalibot mo na halos lahat ng gilid gild o sulok sulok ng Pinas!It’s enough to make me green with envy:)
Loved old church shots! It really shows its historic character.
Happy weekend ferdz!Ingat!
October 13th, 2007 at 1:24 pm
Hi, Ferdz,
(and no, it didn’t happen in Bohol)
Again, those are interesting photos. The next time I’ll visit Bohol, I need to go into much detail as you do.
Your narration is very detailed. It aroused my interest into going back to Bohol one of these days. The last time I was there was in the summer of 1994.
Talking about bathrooms with no doors, I have experience with that. I don’t need to tell you the details. It was a bathroom for men and women. I was inside taking my shower and a girl suddenly came. You figure it out what happened next
October 13th, 2007 at 1:29 pm
This is antiquity at its best. Makes me wonder why such beautoeus place is not as well-publicized by DOT as a tourist destination. It looked so much like a rustic cambodian locale.
October 13th, 2007 at 3:32 pm
wow! very nice old structures.. dami na sa mga kapitbahay ko nakapunta dyan sa Bohol and they really love it… sana makapunta ako dyan one day.. hehehe
October 13th, 2007 at 4:29 pm
honestly, mas gusto ko nga itong loboc church kesa sa baclayon. anyway, i agree with you regarding using flash on those poor tarsiers. being nocturnal creatures, they must be blinded by those strong lighting. migolly, i must’ve tried like 20 times before i can get something decent kasi nga they’re restless and uneasy, being night creatures exposed to the daylight.
October 13th, 2007 at 7:11 pm
hey, ferdz! these are some photos! they’re nice. bohol is also nice, although i’ve only been there once… that hilltop cottage, i wanna see that place!
October 14th, 2007 at 11:25 am
the sleeping tarsiers look very adorable. this is the only photo i saw of them sleeping, because usually they’re shown with their eyes wide open. good job,ferdz.
October 14th, 2007 at 9:05 pm
OH MY! My dream destination in Central Visayas!
October 14th, 2007 at 10:54 pm
the smallest primates look eerie , like they were posing for a horor movie
October 15th, 2007 at 6:06 am
ang cute ng natutulog na tarsiers… veryyyy cuteee.. sarap itouch.
and also the two girls singing their heart out.. kuhang kuha ang emotions nila. hehe
October 15th, 2007 at 8:38 am
mas cute pala ang mga tarsier pag tulog nyahaha.
btw, that was some interesting trivia, didn’t know wala silang skulls.
salamat sa warning, pero if ever na makapunta ako sa bohol, magcu-cruise ako for the scenery and not the food.
October 15th, 2007 at 12:26 pm
19 Floating restaurant? that seems like a lot. I wonder if they ever literally bump into each other.
2 foot falls? Well, technically, they are still falls kahit na maliit. After all, who would go see a 2 foot falls? hehe
oh, i bet it’d be nice to hear those kids sing. mag-video ka na, bro.
Tarsiers have no skulls? really?! there’s gotta be something there…..some kind of muscle maybe.
October 15th, 2007 at 4:51 pm
I got to go to Bohol for work but took the opportunity to go around. I just loved this church. And the priests there during the Spanish time also created some of the first and original Filipino church music. That was my friend’s thesis for her master’s.
I had the tarsiers sit on my arms. That was fun. Bohol is one of my favorite provinces.
October 15th, 2007 at 5:14 pm
eto ang next destination namin, bohol…. sana matuloy kme this coming summer…itetext kita pag naligaw kme, hehehe.
October 16th, 2007 at 1:23 pm
okay yung kuha mo ng mga tarsiers, hehe. kala mo nanloloko lang sa pagtulog. ang totoo’y laging puyat ang mga yan. gising sa gabi di naman makatulog sa umaga dahil sa mga bwisita este bisita. tapos daming mga turista ang hilig silang picturan gamit ang flash.
October 16th, 2007 at 7:39 pm
Beautiful old church. Dapat talaga ma-preserve ang mga old historical churches sa bansa natin.
October 16th, 2007 at 8:48 pm
when i was there a month ago, our floating restaurant docked not ont the barge of loboc childrens choir but on a group of singing and dancing townsfolk. Sayang, tyak na mas magaling yung choir. Maybe next time.
October 17th, 2007 at 8:48 am
Nice set. I like the full view of the church, simple pero ang ganda ng cloud formation.
October 17th, 2007 at 9:00 am
i still have to see bohol, i am not sure when pero mararating ko rin sya. mahaba na ang listahan ko ng mga pupuntahan pero ang budget tuldok pa lang hehehe.
October 17th, 2007 at 3:38 pm
I remember holding on to that Monkey. It looks like a rat…at least the tail does.
October 18th, 2007 at 10:16 am
sobrang ganda ng pagkakuha! we didn’t see the cottage when we went to Loboc. Sabagay, day tour lang naman.
All in all, Bohol is a must-see destination.
October 19th, 2007 at 12:25 pm
Hi Ferdz, very nice photos. Never been to Bohol, thanks for a very detailed description of your recent trip. My kid wants to have tarsier as his pet daw, ha ha. Pwede ba bumili nun or bawal…My former boss has one.
October 19th, 2007 at 10:31 pm
so that’s what Bohol looks like.
Love the hilltop! 
October 19th, 2007 at 11:30 pm
Try Visiting Cebu go to West Coast of Cebu near the Atlas Mining (aboitez group) pretty nice view of surrounding islands.
Tagum in Davao is also nice lots of Bananas and the famous Tagum Beach Resort.
There’s a Black Sand beach in that area can’t remember what part
October 20th, 2007 at 6:52 am
Excellent shots of the old churches.
I love the pic of these little monkey creatures - so pretty and authentic looking indeed
October 20th, 2007 at 7:40 am
Beautiful travelogue, Ferdz! Love the church pictures. Oh, those poor Tarsiers. Why didn’t anyone stop those foreigners from using their flash units?
October 20th, 2007 at 11:05 am
angdami mo na talagang nalibot
ako kaya kelan makakarating dyan?siguro decade pa aabutin hehe.nice photos as usaul.
kind regards!
October 21st, 2007 at 10:10 am
What a great church! Its so old and yet still standing. I would love to visit it one day.
October 21st, 2007 at 2:57 pm
Ferdz, I envy you! Going to so many places! I wish I can do that to
Very nice pictures and I love the text that comes with every post 
Thanks for sharing!
October 23rd, 2007 at 12:29 pm
Bohol is indeed a great place. I remember this very church when I were still a student. We have a subject where we go around drawing great architectural edifices. Among those we draw were this church, Baclayon’s and Dauis.
Anyway, is the bridge that’s supposed to go through this church still in sight there? That’s the silliest idea ever made there. good thing they never allowed the church to be demolished.