Panglao is an island in Bohol Province in the Philippines with world-class diving and many tourist resorts. The resorts and other tourist facilities are concentrated in the Alona Beach area, but there are some other tourist areas and beaches scattered around the rest of the island.
For administration, the island is divided into two roughly equal-sized municipalities, each with a small town as its center. Wikivoyage has an article for each:
- Dauis., on the northeast, right across the bridge from Tagbilaran
- Panglao Town., on the southwest
Dauis., on the northeast, right across the bridge from [[Tagbilaran]]
Panglao Town., on the southwest
There are also beach towns around the island, particularly in the south. While these are in the municipal regions listed above, many of them are separate enough from the municipal towns and have enough tourism to get their own Wikivoyage article.
- Alona Beach. on the southeast coast is the island's most popular tourist destination. Many visitors to the island spend all their time in just this area. Administratively it is within Panglao Municipality, but Wikivoyage treats it in a separate article.
- Bolod. and Libaong. are east of Alona Beach; they are covered in the Bolod and Libaong Wikivoyage article.
- Danao Beach. is between Alona Beach and Panglao Town, and it is covered in a separate Wikivoyage article.
- Momo Beach. is considerably less developed and less hectic than Alona. It is just east of Panglao Town and we cover it in the town article.
Alona Beach. on the southeast coast is the island's most popular tourist destination. Many visitors to the island spend all their time in just this area. Administratively it is within Panglao Municipality, but Wikivoyage treats it in a separate article.
Bolod. and Libaong. are east of Alona Beach; they are covered in the [[Bolod and Libaong]] Wikivoyage article.
Bolod. and Libaong. are east of Alona Beach; they are covered in the [[Bolod and Libaong]] Wikivoyage article.
Danao Beach. is between Alona Beach and Panglao Town, and it is covered in a separate Wikivoyage article.
Momo Beach. is considerably less developed and less hectic than Alona. It is just east of [[Panglao Town]] and we cover it in the town article.
All of these islands can be visited on a separate tour or as part of dolphin watching or island hopping ones.
- Balicasag Island. Island 8 km offshore from Alona beach.
- Virgin Island.
- Pamilacan island. Tour there is more expensive among other islands, prices start at per boat (2016), as they say, it's a more authentic experience, where dolphins and whale sharks can be seen wild and not in a artificial environments like in Oslob where animals got attracted to the place by being fed by locals.
Balicasag Island. Island 8 km offshore from Alona beach.
Virgin Island.
Pamilacan island. Tour there is more expensive among other islands, prices start at per boat (2016), as they say, it's a more authentic experience, where dolphins and whale sharks can be seen wild and not in a artificial environments like in [[Oslob]] where animals got attracted to the place by being fed by locals.
In the highly developed Alona Beach area where many of the tourists stay, tours can be organised to various diving sites.
- Hinagdanan cave. There is a tiny lagoon inside a coral cave. Enjoy a dip in a fresh water. The cave is completely dark, the guides have a flashlight. The admission is around . To get here, you can take a bus or mini van towards Panglao island from Tagbilaran. If you tell them you are going to Hinagdanan cave, they will know what intersection to drop you off at. .
Hinagdanan cave. There is a tiny lagoon inside a coral cave. Enjoy a dip in a fresh water. The cave is completely dark, the guides have a flashlight. The admission is around . To get here, you can take a bus or mini van towards Panglao island from Tagbilaran. If you tell them you are going to Hinagdanan cave, they will know what intersection to drop you off at. .
Massages are available on the beach. for an hour Swedish massage.
- 7-Eleven convenience store. Alona Beach.
- BPI Bank ATM Alona Beach. It takes Mastercard & Visa Card with a P250 fee for overseas cards (May 2019).
7-Eleven convenience store. Alona Beach.
BPI Bank ATM Alona Beach. It takes Mastercard & Visa Card with a P250 fee for overseas cards (May 2019).
Both the towns have some restaurants, including some candelaria which are plain cheap Filipino places, with food that is always filling and often quite good, Almost every resort has a restaurant, the airport has several, and there are a few more here and there around the island.
The heaviest concentration is along Alona Beach which has a few dozen tourist places — mostly international cuisine at mid-to-high prices — plus some chains like McDonald's and Dunkin Donuts.
Most restaurants also serve alcohol, except for some of the candelaria. On Alona Beach, many are more bars with food than restaurants with drinks, and quite a few have live music in the evenings.
The entire island of Bohol is right next to Panglao, with Tagbilaran city lying just over the bridge connecting two islands. Bohol's main tourist attractions are tarsiers (rare small primates) near Corella, and the Chocolate Hills. Tours to either are readily available from Tagbilaran, and many of the hotels on Panglao can make arrangements for them.
Anda is another beach destination on Bohol, quieter and less crowded than Panglao.
Other places are easily reached by ferry from Bohol, mostly from Tagbilaran. Two nearby and much less touristy islands are Camiguin (ferry from Jagna) and Siquijor. Cities that are popular tourist destinations are Metro Cebu and Dumaguete. There is also a ferry from Ubay, on the eastern side of Bohol, to Maasin on Leyte Island