text by: Prime Sarmiento
Photos by:Nina Sarmiento

(This is part 1 of a two-part guide to Bohol. You can read part two of the female traveler's guide to Bohol here)

I wasn't exactly thrilled When my lil sis told me that we should go to Bohol. I went to this central Philippine province a decade ago, and the only thing I remembered doing was taking photos of the province's main tourist attraction: the Chocolate Hills. They're lovely but that was no compelling reason for me to come back.

Our recent visit in Bohol changed my mind. There's more to this province than the Chocolate Hills – white sand beach, historic churches and houses, yummy food. This is an ideal place for solo female travelers who want a quick escape from the daily office stress and spend the weekend enjoying the sun and sea and indulging on food, nature and art trippings.

Nature Tripping

1. Chocolate Hills

There's now way you can go to Bohol without even taking a peek at the province's most famous tourist attraction. Located at the town of Carmen, about an hour's drive from the capitol, the Chocolate Hills are composed of more than 1,000 conical-shaped haycock hills spread over some farmlands. They are covered in green grass that turns brown during the summer, making them look like giant mounds of chocolates!

There's a viewing deck (if you want to take photos or just want a panoramic view). Bring bottled water, a towel and a hat, wear comfy shoes as you have to climb a staircase with 100 steps.

The Chocolate Hills was declared as one of the Philippines' National Geological Monument and has been proposed for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

2. Philippine Tarsiers

The world's smallest primates (they're cute and tiny, can fit in your hand) thrive in Bohol's forest. If you're up for a trek, you can go the protected forest area in the town Corella, a seven hectare sanctuary managed by the Philippine Tarsier Research and Development Center. You can also have your photos taken with the tarsiers in the town of Loboc (site of the famous Loboc river cruise).

3. Simply Butterflies Conservation Center

Know more about the cycle of life. A local guide will give you a tour and a lecture about the caterpillar-pupa-butterfly cycle and even show the difference between a butterfly and a moth. Ok that sounds like a ho-hum science lesson which you'd raher skip. But trust me, this is sooo fun (and I'm not speaking as a geek girl here). You will then go to a garden where you can while away your time with the butterflies.

The center is located in Bilar, 40 minutes away from Tagbilaran city and about a 20 minute drive from Loboc.

Have you been to Bohol? are there any places that you can recommend? Please share them here!

(Next week: art and food tripping in Bohol)