The floating restaurant
Lunch between forest banks.
Øyvind Holmstad — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Renz Rueda — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Kleomarlo — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Øyvind Holmstad — CC BY-SA 4.0
A calm green river cutting through the forest of southern Bohol, where floating restaurants shaped like roofed rafts serve a Filipino buffet lunch as they glide between banks of coconut palms, nipa palms and bamboo. The trip takes about an hour there and back, heading upriver to the small Busay Falls before turning round. On the way the boats stop at a riverside platform where villagers perform local dances and songs, and musicians play on board. The water is dark green, the forest dense and the air cooler than the hot coast. For a quieter experience, there are stand-up paddleboard trips in the early morning and evening cruises to watch fireflies. The cruise is a regular part of the Bohol countryside tour with the Chocolate Hills and the tarsiers. The buffet includes pork, so ask about the dishes, or stick to the fish, rice and fruit.
Lunch between forest banks.
The turning point upriver.
On a riverside stage.
Loboc dock, Loboc town, about 45 minutes by road from Tagbilaran
No, the buffet includes pork. Ask about the dishes, keep to fish, rice, vegetables and fruit, or book the cruise without lunch where offered.