Philippines · DOLPHIN WATCHING
Dry season eats availability fast. Below: the 9 dolphin watching trips to lock in early, what each one includes and how they differ.
See dolphins, snorkel with turtles, eat a local Filipino lunch, and enjoy a quiet beach day on Pamilacan Island from Bohol.
“An amazing experience. The guide was very helpful and the locals were so happy and open to talk with us. We had a blast!”
Review of Bohol’s 5-hour dolphin, turtle snorkeling, lunch, and party boat tour, with practical tips on currents, value, and what to expect.
“We had an amazing day on this snorkel tour! The weather was perfect, we even spotted dolphins and enjoyed the included drinks (beer, soda and rum) along the way. Snorkeling was great and the guide took GoPro footage, which resulted in some fantastic photos and videos we received afterward. Lunch on the island was simple but good and well organized. Although there was no island party, it didn’t take away from the overall experience. Overall, it was a fun, relaxed and very enjoyable experience that we would definitely recommend.”
Review of Panglao’s 5-hour Balicasag tour, with dolphin watching, turtle snorkeling, practical tips, costs, crowds, and booking advice.
“Usine à touristes. Un capitaine plus préoccupé par ses cigarettes que par expliquer les étapes de l’excursion. Une quarantaine de bateaux agglutinés au même endroit, pourchassant les dauphins qu’on a peine à apercevoir (on se croirait en pleine bataille navale) . Puis direction l’île Balicasag pour le snorkeling et les tortues. Organisation : 0. on est au milieu des mêmes bateaux sans savoir où on va et ce qu’on fait. On nous met sur des bateaux plus petit et on nous envoie au large, tous agglutinés les uns au autres pour espérer voir des tortues. Ça ressemble plus à un naufrage, des gens dans l’eau sous des radeaux espérant voir…”
Review of Bohol’s six-hour island tour, with wild dolphins, Balicasag turtles, coral reefs, beach time, costs, tips, and practical details.
“Maria, our tour guide was accommodating and polite. she made sure everyone is safe. We were not able to spot the dolphins the straight away. However, the boatman patient and eager for us to see the wild dolphins. They are not allowed to feed them hence it's a challenge to spot a group or a few dolphins.My daughter enjoyed spotting the turtle near the beach shore. It was a first for both of us. I hope next time they could another island into the itinerary. I highly recommend this activity!”
Review of Bohol’s private Balicasag tour, with dolphin watching, snorkeling, turtles, lunch, local guides, and practical booking tips.
“Exceptional tour! Our guide was very knowledgeable and he made sure we had the most authentic experience! We watched dolphins swimming around our boat, we walked around Balicasag island and saw a glimpse of the local life, we snorkelled in the coral reefs which was truly amazing and finished our day with the most delicious lunch! I highly recommend this tour!!”
Review of a private Dumaguete dolphin-watching tour to Bais and Manjuyod Sandbar, with a banca boat, seafood lunch, swimming, and snorkeling.
“Vraiment déçu de cette « journée » Prise en charge à 6h, nous pensions être sur un bateau à 6:30-7h. Arrivé là nous voilà à faire 2h de route, nous avions passés bais, et continuions à rouler.. aucune communication de la part du chauffeur comme du guide. Beaucoup de mal à avoir des explications de pourquoi nous ne nous sommes pas arrêtés à Bais Nous avons pris le bateau directement à Manjuyod. Ouf nous avons quand même vu des dauphins. Puis nous sommes allés au « banc de sable » qui est loin d’être blanc fin et incroyable… Les maisons sont en reconstruction. Nous avons demandé à faire un petit…”
Review of Pamilacan Island’s private dolphin, snorkeling, lunch, and walking tour from Panglao, with practical tips on price, timing, and value.
“Tour privato molto piacevole, con tante attenzioni da parte della nostra guida, dell'equipaggio della barca (fantastica!) e degli abitanti dell'isola. Pranzo tipico filippino, coi piedi nella sabbia e di fronte a un mare stupendo, abbiamo nuotato con 7 tartarughe e visto pesci e coralli coloratissimi!! super consigliato!”
Review of Panglao’s Balicasag island tour, with dolphin watching, turtle snorkeling, pricing, safety tips, and serious operator concerns.
“Don’t book with this tour they did not show up”
Dolphin watch at sunrise, snorkel with turtles at Balicasag, and compare shared and private boat options before booking this Bohol tour.
“The activity was rescheduled a few times due to cyclone warning but our tour guide Fabio was very responsive and kept us well informed about the rescheduling and came to pick us up at the hotel for the activity, however the boat rider and handler did not live up to their expectations. We had a very good view of the Dolphins., but when we reached Balicasag island for snorkelling activities our boat stopped very far away from the shore than rest of the boats and we were made to walk on rocky waters where both me and my husband bruised ourselves. Especially my husband fell in water and badly bruised…”
