What's on in Bohol, Philippines through the year

Peak crowds — Amihan, the dry months, Year-end break in Philippines

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: Amihan, the dry months (15 Nov – 15 May (usually))

Busy — Amihan, the dry months, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Amihan, the dry months (15 Nov – 15 May (usually))

Peak crowds — Holy Week, Amihan, the dry months

• Nature

  Whales and dolphins off Pamilacan

  1 Mar – 30 Jun · usuallyWhale season

  Boats leave Baclayon before six for the deep channel between Bohol and Camiguin. Spinner dolphins turn up most mornings; the larger whales are a spring and early-summer thing and never a promise.

• Holiday

  Holy Week

  20 Mar – 20 Apr · usuallyCrowdedClosuresBook early

  Manila and Cebu empty into the provinces for the long weekend, ferries sell out days ahead and Panglao rates double. Good Friday itself is quiet to the point of shut. Source ↗

Still on: Amihan, the dry months (15 Nov – 15 May (usually))

Peak crowds — Holy Week, Amihan, the dry months

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Whales and dolphins off Pamilacan (1 Mar – 30 Jun (usually)), Holy Week (20 Mar – 20 Apr (usually)), Amihan, the dry months (15 Nov – 15 May (usually))

Peak crowds — Amihan, the dry months, End-of-school-year break in Philippines

Nothing new starts in May.

Still on: Whales and dolphins off Pamilacan (1 Mar – 30 Jun (usually)), Amihan, the dry months (15 Nov – 15 May (usually))

Busy — End-of-school-year break in Philippines, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Season

  Habagat rains

  1 Jun – 31 Oct · usuallyMonsoon

  The southwest monsoon brings afternoon downpours and choppier crossings to Balicasag, though Bohol sits in the lee of Cebu and gets off lighter than the west-facing coasts.

• Hazard

  Typhoon season

  1 Jun – 20 Dec · usually

  The Visayas take a few landfalls a year and the late-season ones have been the worst here. Ferries are suspended well before a storm arrives, which strands people more often than the wind does. Source ↗

Still on: Whales and dolphins off Pamilacan (1 Mar – 30 Jun (usually))

Busy — Sandugo Festival, school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Sandugo Festival

  1–31 Jul · usuallyMajor festivalCrowded

  Tagbilaran spends the month on the blood compact of 1565, with street dancing and a beach-side reenactment in the third week. A city festival rather than an island one. Source ↗

Still on: Habagat rains (1 Jun – 31 Oct (usually)), Typhoon season (1 Jun – 20 Dec (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Habagat rains (1 Jun – 31 Oct (usually)), Typhoon season (1 Jun – 20 Dec (usually))

Busy — Term 1 wellness break in Philippines, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Habagat rains (1 Jun – 31 Oct (usually)), Typhoon season (1 Jun – 20 Dec (usually))

Quiet — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in October.

Still on: Habagat rains (1 Jun – 31 Oct (usually)), Typhoon season (1 Jun – 20 Dec (usually))

Busy — Amihan, the dry months

• Season

  Amihan, the dry months

  15 Nov – 15 May · usuallyDry seasonCrowded

  The northeast wind keeps the Panglao side flat and the crossings to the small islands easy. Chocolate Hills go brown rather than green at the tail of it, which is what the postcards show.

Still on: Typhoon season (1 Jun – 20 Dec (usually))

Peak crowds — Amihan, the dry months, Year-end break in Philippines

Nothing new starts in December.

Still on: Typhoon season (1 Jun – 20 Dec (usually)), Amihan, the dry months (15 Nov – 15 May (usually))