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LOBOC
- The town’s Church of St. Peter the Apostle, built in 1602 by Fr. de Torres, is the second oldest church in Bohol. Destroyed by fire in 1638, the present church was built in 1734. Recollect Fr. Aquilino Bon (1855-1883) added the portico from 1863-1866 and roofed the church with tiles in 1873. Fr. Jose Sanchez reinforced the walls with stone buttresses (1891-1893) and added porticoes to the side entrances (1895-1896). Inside are remarkable nave paintings done (from May 1926 to July 1927) on the walls and ceiling by three artists (Canuto Avila and son Ricardo, Ray Francia), the biggest number of murals on religious subjects. The ceiling was retouched in 1995 by Cris Naparota. It also has a Neo-Gothic pulpit with a late 19th century sounding board (portavoz) and five retablos between the transept and sacristy. The image of Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe (Our Lady of Guadalupe), Bohol’s secondary patroness, was installed by Fr. Francisco Vasquez in 1843 during an epidemic in Loboc. It is approached by a staircase. The tomb of the saintly Jesuit Alfonso de Humanes, spared by the fire of 1638, was formerly located here until its transfer to Manila in 1900.
- Outside the church, near the riverbank, is a separate 21-m. high, 4-storey octagonal stone bell tower. It was built after 1768 by the first Recollect parish priest. It has seven bells, the oldest dated 1863 and two others dated 1914 and 1937. It also has a large wooden matraca (a cranked noisemaker) dated 1899 and a clock from Altonaga Co., acquired through public subscription and installed in 1893. Timely objection by the Lobocanons prevented the bell tower’s destruction when a huge bridge, not justified by any traffic, was being built. The project was discontinued.
- The unique 3-storey, L-shaped convent grew around the hulk of the earlier 1670 church. Its nipa roof was changed to galvanized sheets in 1888. American troops occupied it on November 1901. The convent has unusually thick and high walls, a two-storey volada (cantilevered outdoor gallery) and a coat of arms in a stone wall at the entrance. At the third floor is a parish museum. Its collection includes a 1786 silver missal stand and an 18th century image of the Sto. Niño. It is connected to the church apse by a covered passage. It now used as a meeting hall.
- The ermita, a separate hexagonal mortuary chapel beside the Loboc Church, was built by Recollect Fr. Aquilino Bon from 1867 to 1868. Housing a Baroque retablo, it is now used as a meeting hall.
- The Loboc River is the site of a fascinating 1-hr. floating restaurant ride starting from Loay Bridge up to Loboc’s Busay (or Tontonan) Waterfalls. This waterfall, located 2 kms. north of the town, drops 15 m. in two stages and is used to generate electricity.
- Cruz Daku, a Holy Week pilgrimage site, has an 80-ft. high white cross on top of the highest hill.
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LOON
- The Church of Our Lady of the Light, first built in 1780s, was rebuilt in 1815 and was burned in 1850 and again in 1853. The present church, one of largest and finest churches in the Visayas, is the crowning glory of Recollect architecture in Bohol. It was built from 1855 to 1864 by Fr. Jose Garcia (1854-1890) from plans drawn by Domingo de Escondrillas, Director of Public Works of Cebu. It was renovated (especially the roof) by Fr. Felix Guillen from 1893 to 1898. Its bell tower, connected to both ends of the choir loft (with its magnificent but decrepit pipe organ) by stairways, have 6 bells, 5 of which are dated 1867. Inside is the widest nave in Bohol, three Neo-Classic retablos in sanctuary and transept and some naive but charming murals on the ceiling (a lively tableau on the 7 sacraments with 19th century middle-class Filipino costumes and settings) done by Cebuano artist Ray Francia. The flooring uses 19th century blue and white azulejos (glazed tiles).
- The L-shaped convent, built by Fr. Pedro Polo (1844-1846), has a volada (cantilevered gallery) running the length of the second floor. It now houses the Sacred Heart Academy.
- Inang-anan, translated as “chopped ladder,” is a grand stairway of 174 stone steps which connects the church with Napo. It was built by parish priest Fr. Antonio Yus from 1847 to 1849 and is believed to be the longest such stairway in the country.
- An octagonal, 2-storey stone mortuary chapel, located across the church plaza, was built in the second half of the 19th century. Its wooden upper floor is now a meeting hall for religious organizations.
- The Municipal Nursery, the former old cemetery, has a small coral stone (locally called tinableya), cruciform-shaped chapel with 6 burial niches built into the walls for cadavers.
- Naro Spring is situated behind the municipal hall, some distance away from the church plaza.
- The white sand Lintuan Beach
- Offshore from the town is the 8-sq. km., triangular Cabilao Island, located 30 kms. northwest of Tagbilaran City. It has a mangrove lagoon on the western side and a lighthouse on the northwest point. This world-class dive site is accessible by pumpboat from Calape, Loon and Sandingan Island.
- Cabilao Island Lake, in the middle of Cabilao island, is Bohol’s only natural lake. Frequented by migratory birds, this lake is fringed with trees below slopes of solid rock on whose surfaces are embedded several fossils of marine organisms. Viewing decks have been constructed by an association of local fisherfolk.
- The recently discovered Green Footprint Lagoon, locally known as imbawan, is a smaller lake in Looc, also on Cabilao Island. Shaped like a giant's footprint, it is a habitat of the latu seaweed (Caulerpa sp.) and an unidentified red shrimp species.
- The protected Cabacongan Fish Sanctuary, also found on Cabilao Island, is a favorite learning site for fisherfolk associations of Bohol and other provinces. Aside from its rich marine fauna, it offers a majestic view of mainland Bohol across the Sawang Pass, an important navigation channel for boats and catamarans plying the Cebu-Tagbilaran City route.
- White sand beaches abound inthe town, the more frequented are found in Napo, Basdacu, Basdio (Rock Island Cove), Mocpoc, Pantudlan, Looc and Cambaquiz. In Brgy. Pantudlan, wave motion created by strong winds gradually transfers the sand bar on one side of Baluarte Point to the other.
- Sandingan Island, reached via a man–made causeway that runs through a breathtaking panorama of awe–inspiring mangrove gardens on Tajang Pass, is ideal for leisure boating, picnicking and swimming. It also has a beautiful view of the lofty mountains of Loon. The mangrove areas of Brgys. Cantumocad and Pondol are inhabited by monkeys
- Loon, a spelunker’s paradise, has caves of karst origin found ialong the highway and island barangays. More than 30 caves are found in Brgy. Cantam-is Baslay alone.
- Mt. Canmanoc, a prominent geological landmark, offers a commanding view of the sea, town center and neighboring mountains.
- Mt. Tan-awan, the highest point of Loon, has a panoramic view of Bohol as well as nearby Cebu. Most of the major telecommunication companies have transmission towers and cellular sites there.
- The banks of the turquoise Moalong River and Antaeg Spring & Lagoon are home to myriad birds and monkeys.
- The hidden Piong Falls is located between Brgys. Cantaongon and Canmaag.
- Kabantian Falls, in Brgy. Nagtuang, drops 6 times before reaching a lagoon.
- Danicop Hidden Valley and Springs, in Brgy. Ticugan, is accessible from the National Highway in Brgy. Basac. Protected by trees growing on cliffs and mountain slopes, it has rock formations and its onrushing waters (locally called lungkajab) flow from the mountainside.
- The Ferandos Ancestral House, a fine example of a chalet built during the American era, was a secret meeting place of Filipino guerrilla leaders during the World War II. Behind the house is a vertical cave.
- The main building of Loon South Central Elementary School, completed in 1915, features an H-shaped layout with 3 rooms in the middle and 4 rooms on each side. Between the two corner rooms on each side of the facade is a wide stairway that leads to a foyer marked by columns and a high ceiling. All rooms have floors made of wooden planks.
- Loon Public Plaza, completed in 1929, has an imposing Rizal monument (with a miniature Statue of Liberty) and a big fountain that depicts the legend of the town. The fountain features 4 caryatids that forms a column that supports a round structure whose sides are adorned by 4 gargoyles serving as water spouts. Atop the circular platform are two figures of women, one carrying an urn and the other drinking water from her scooped hand.
- The imposing Christ the King Monument, at the church plaza, was designed by the late Zosimo “Iyo Zosing” P. Relampagos. It features the Risen Christ atop a 3-sided column at the center of an ornate and multi-layered circular base.
- The Grotto, also designed by “Iyo Zosing,” depicts the scene in Lourdes, France where Mary appeared to a girl named Bernadette. It is a favorite backdrop for the annual reenactment of the Last Supper.
- Hugosan, another Relampagos masterpiece across the Spanish-era mortuary chapel, has a 4-column platform that serves as main gate of the church. It is the venue of the annual Easter Sunday rites.
- A pilgrimage site, on the slopes of Brgy. Cabug, is marked by a big cross. It offers a majestic view of the Cebu Strait. A road leading to the site features replicas of the 14 Stations of the Cross.
- The Moalong Cliff and River, overlooking a wide expanse of mangroves, was the site of the most successful ambush staged by the Boholano guerillas against the Japanese during the World War II.
- Tubig-Loon Spring, north of Brgy. Napo, together with the nearby fish ponds and mangrove areas, are frequented by quite a large number of birds.
- Sister Milvida’s House of Prayer, also called the House of Peace, is a favorite retreat facility in the middle of a coconut grove in Brgy. Moto Sur. It sits on a promontory overlooking the Lintuan Beach and the Cebu Strait. It has a main building, a small open-air conference room, duplex house, kitchen, dining area, chapel, gazebo and garden.
- The Virgen de la Paz Hermitage, in Brgy. Tangnan, is home of the Virgen de la Paz hermit nuns. It sits on a cliff that overlooks the mangroves and marine sanctuary and offers an unobstructed view of the sea and the mountains of Cebu.
- The modern solar-powered lghthouse, in Punta Baluarte in Brgy. Pantudlan, Cabilao Island, is a donation of the Spanish government and stands beside the old one that has been retained for its historical value.
- Mesina House
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MABINI
- The town’s present Church of St. Monica was built in the early 20th century by Recollect Fr. Facundo Volganon.
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MARIBOJOC
- The town’s present Church of the Holy Cross, built with coral stone, was started in 1852 by Fr. Manuel Plaza (1843-1859) and finished in 1872 by Fr. Fernando Rubio (1861-1875 and 1877-1884). The church has a two-level façade, a low, four-sided pyramidal roof.squat and a bulky bell tower with seven bells, a separate ground floor entrance and clock faces at two of its windows. Inside is a fully-painted ceiling, five magnificently carved and painted retablos,a choir loft with large organ and a spacious sacristy behind the sanctuary (now a museum). From the sacristy, a passage leads to the stone convent, built by Fernando Rubio during his second stint as parish priest (1877 to 1884). A greater part is now occupied by St. Vincent Institute, a school.
- The Municipal Hall, located across a road from the church and convent, was built in the American era. It still carries the words “Maribojoc Presidencia,” its old title.
- Magsaysay Spring flows from the ground into a concrete catch basin.
- The Spanish-era Punta Cruz Watchtower, located at the most westerly point of Bohol, was built in 1796 as a defense against pirates. Named Castillo de San Vicente, its ramparts was shaped in a perfect isosceles triangle over which rises a short hexagonal tower. It was restored with a time-weathered wooden cross in front of it.
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PANGLAO
- The Church of San Agustin, Obispo y Doctor was started by Fr. Valentin Utande (1894 to 1897). The greater part of the nave was finished in the 1920s and the church was inaugurated by Cebu Bishop Juan Gorordo on September 1, 1924. Its concrete façade has the typical portico-facade with fancy Corinthian capitals. Inside are ceiling murals depicting the 7 sacraments, 3 Neo-Classical style retablos and 2 antique confessionals carved with grape vine, flower and dove patterns. Within the church compound are the ruins of lower façade the original stone church which is now incorporated into a outdoor grotto.
- The L-shaped convent has a masonry lower level and a wooden upper level. Part of it has been converted into the San Agustin Academy.
- A hexagonal stone Spanish-era watchtower, located behind the church and near the seashore, was built in 1851 and is reputedly Bohol’s tallest.
- The 1.2-km. long, white sand and pretty shallow Doljo Beach is located between rocky promontories
- The white sand Dumaluan Beach is located on the island's east coast
- The white sand Momo Beach is located on a quiet cove on the island's west side
- The white sand Alona Beach, in Brgy. Tawala, is located on the southeast side of the island. It was named after the bomba star of the 1970s, Alona Alegre, and is the most beautiful, most popular and, touristically, the most developed beach on the island. A number of small, individually-designed beach resorts, restaurants, beach bars and dive shops are spread along the beach for 1.5 kms.. The white sand beach is good for snorkeling and, if lucky, watching for the poisonous, but seldom aggressive, sea snakes (called locally as walo-walo). Sea grass, however, grows knee-deep, and is inhabited by sea urchins.
- Balicasag Island, a 10-km./45-min. boat ride from Panglao Island, lies southwest of Panglao Island and four kms. southwest of Duljo Point off Panglao Reef. It is a flat, barren 21-hectare island ringed by a pristine sandy shell coraline beach which is fringed in turn by a narrow shelf 9-49.5 m. wide. The southwest side of the island is a marine sanctuary. It has a number of dive sites. Black Forest, located on Balicasag Island’s northeast side, is normally an advanced fast drift dive. Rico's Wall is located on the island’s southwest. Rudy's Rock, a deep drop-off wall dive located on the southeast, is a continuation of Rico's Wall. Turtle Point is so named because of the turtles that shelter in caves. Cathedral Wall is another excellent dive site.
- Pungtud Island, a 20-min. (3-km.) boat ride from the town, is a tiny, 250-m. long uninhabited and crescent-shaped islet sitting in the middle of a huge lagoon formed by the fringing reef at the tip of Panglao Island.
- Pungtud Wall is a dive site located on the outer edge of Pungtud Island.
- Doljo Point, a dive site located on Panglao Island’s southwest coast, is a scenic wall covered with huge golden, mint and mauve sponge “sculptures” inhabited by white sea cucumbers.
- Hole in the Wall, a dive site located off Arco Point, near Bohol Beach Club, is so called because of its vertical funnel which can be entered at 18 m. and exited at 9 m..
- Kalipayan, also known as “Happy Wall,” is a dive site located just off Alona Beach.
- Napaling, located northwest of Panglao Island, has a rich shallow coral shelf (great for snorkeling and shallow underwater photography) from 3-7 m., then drops as vertical wall to 20 m.. It is usually done as a drift dive.
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