Balicasag Reef
Balicasag Reef
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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4.0
452 reviews
Excellent
218
Very good
126
Average
60
Poor
18
Terrible
30
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Theboy1980
Norwich, UK31 contributions
Mar 2019 • Family
Don't bother its a trap. Just want to rinse you out of as much money as they can. You get a boat from panglao offing snorkeling for around 2000 pasos. You get there on a really noisy boat take your ear plugs. And out of the bushes comes a guide demanding more money to take you snorkeling in a patch half the size of a football pitch. Then if you want to see the turtles pay more. It's a total tourist trap where the locals are trying to milk you for all they can. Avoid please.
Written February 26, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bob Hutchison
13 contributions
Jan 2020 • Couples
The reef is being destroyed by total lack of care by the Philippino people in return for making a fast Peso off of the hoards of Chinese people coming to Philippines. This is suppose to be a Marine Sancutary and is not being treated as such. Driving boats over reefs throwing anchors in on top of the reefs to name just a few items. Most of the fish are gone except for small ones and not very much in variety. Once the reefs are ruined then they will wonder why no more tourist are coming.
Written February 8, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Max V
8 contributions
Dec 2023 • Couples
It was absolutely terrible. You are obligated to pay 300 php per person to be allowed to snorkel. Then you are also obligated to take a guide and mini boat to the reef. You get 30 minutes at the turtles and 30 minutes at a reef where there is little to see. We started at the turtles, our guide was swimming so fast that we could not keep up. And after we saw 1 turtle he insisted on leaving, already sitting in the boat and demanding us to climb in. This was only 10 minutes. The second reef was crowded with so many boats, the only thing I was doing is watch my head for the other boats. But there was not much to see anyway. So we decided to leave on our own 5 minutes later.
We have read so many great stories about people wandering around the island and being able to snorkel on their own, this is not true an not possible! They watch you like a hawk.
We have read so many great stories about people wandering around the island and being able to snorkel on their own, this is not true an not possible! They watch you like a hawk.
Written December 4, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Benson C
Singapore669 contributions
Dec 2019
This was the second leg of our island hopping tour and we swam with the green sea turtles who use this as a marine sanctuary reserved by the Philippines government.
The turtle families here are huge and plentiful and also not afraid to interact with humans. We had a good time swimming alongside them.
One thing that could be made better is that the motor boats run very close to the marine sanctuary endangering both the swimmers and turtles with the propellers. The noise of the boats are pretty loud which can spook to the turtles however as the practice is not really regulated and the locals reliant on the money this brings, nothing much is done to regulate the visits.
What you can do as a tourist is to also educate the drivers of the boats on good practices as these people are not trained tour guides and marine experts.
The turtle families here are huge and plentiful and also not afraid to interact with humans. We had a good time swimming alongside them.
One thing that could be made better is that the motor boats run very close to the marine sanctuary endangering both the swimmers and turtles with the propellers. The noise of the boats are pretty loud which can spook to the turtles however as the practice is not really regulated and the locals reliant on the money this brings, nothing much is done to regulate the visits.
What you can do as a tourist is to also educate the drivers of the boats on good practices as these people are not trained tour guides and marine experts.
Written January 1, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jenny R
Milan, Italy8 contributions
Aug 2024 • Family
In the area there are more beautiful places, better to avoid. The reef is very beautiful but they fill it to fainting. You snorkel between 1,000 boats, it's really stressful. When you arrive they give you a typical canoe, the guides are good, but you have to be careful not to crash into others and not to take the wood on your head because the space for swimming is very small. Most tourists are Asians who do not know how to swim, and they all concentrate where the water is very shallow, better ask to go further out to have some freedom of movement. Turtles are constantly surrounded by people who touch them and struggle even to climb to breathe. They have to limit the entrances because if they continue like this the barrier will disappear soon, I had never had such an experience. Not to mention Virgin Island, a very beautiful strip of sand but covered with plastic, I found a slipper with 2 crabs on it that used it as a base. Tourists get dirty but locals don't clean. Maybe if we start boycotting the excursion they decide to change modes and respect the habitat more.
Automatically translated
Written August 13, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jon Kåre
Nittedal Municipality, Norway291 contributions
Feb 2024 • Friends
Fantastic place located a boat ride away from Alona Beach. The island is quite small and is the base for diving and snorkelling in the area. If you are going to snorkel here, you will be taken out in a small boat with a guide who will show you what the area has to offer. Crystal clear water and almost 100% chance of seeing turtles. Recommended!
Written February 15, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JPManogura
Panglao Island, Philippines84 contributions
Feb 2022 • Family
This is one of the best islands here in bohol. Where you can go snorkeling or diving. This island is 40mins away from alona beach by boat. There are two sanctuaries that you can visit for snorkeling the marine sanctuary (corals and fishes) and sea turtles where mostly in shallow water. This is one of the best things to do if you are in bohol. It's fine to go to Balicasag Island at 9am after balicasag you can go to another island which is near called the virgin island(it's a sandbar) , like 15 mins away before you will come back to alona beach 🥰
Written January 15, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Biffro
London, UK1,422 contributions
Apr 2023 • Couples
We did two dives at this reef with Piratas Dive Centre in Bohol and it was a massive highlight. The reef is full of colourful and pretty pristine coral and diverse shoals of fish. We were so fortunate to have seen lots of turtle and a massive shoal of jack fish. The diving here was the best whilst in the Philippines and we were lucky to have had good visibility and calm water whilst here. A beautiful reef teeming with life and well worth coming to see.
Written May 5, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Andy G
Nottingham, UK22 contributions
A trip to Balicasag Island is a must while in Panglao but be aware the minute you step off the boat onto Balicasag everything is geared to extract as much money from you as possible. You will be told you have a table reserved for you where you will be given a menu of available food with no prices on it. Needless to say everything is overpriced. Then you will be given a card about hiring an underwater camera for 1000 peso! You can also hire "sea shoes" but you will find it cheaper to buy them from BQ Mall in Tagbilaran. Now its time to be lead to the slaughter like lambs...you will be introduced to your "guide" who will tell you the cost will be 200 peso per person which includes "entrance" fee (into the sea!) "municipal" fee (no official receipt!) plus the guide's fee for "guiding" you literally 3 minutes down the beach in a small paddle boat! I asked the guide why do I need a guide and he was unable to offer any credible reason. TAKE NOTE: you do NOT need a guide! Simply walk down the beach for 3 minutes, walk into the water, drop some bread in it and watch the fish come round your legs. Some people do try to underestimate your intelligence.
Written August 17, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Carrie G
61 contributions
Jan 2018 • Couples
I definitely do not recommend getting sucked into this tourist trap. It’s heartbreaking to see 1,000’s of Chinese tourists descend upon the reefs daily and kick all the coral with their shoes, feed the fish junk food and then throw the wrapper in the water, harass and touch the fish and get in their faces to take photos. I almost started crying into my snorkel mask it upset me so much.
There’s really no pleasure in the trip. We went from Alona beach and paid 600 pesos each (the starting rate is like 900-1000+ but you can get it cheaper if you haggle and I think we actually overpaid for our rate). They tell you to meet at 6am but you really don’t take off until almost 7. Then, it’s a looooong, slow boat trip on a loud boat with no muffler that hurts your eardrums. I mean, it’s deafening!! Think bombs away/ rock concert loud! For about 1 hour each way.
Once you’ve been deafened, you get told to sit at a table and wait, while people constantly harass you to buy overpriced food, drinks and trinkets. Then, you’re told to leave your bag unattended at the table while you go snorkeling. We told them we’d bring our things and leave them on the small snorkel boat and they reluctantly agreed.
Then, they try to charge you 100 pesos for fins you don’t need. Do you see a pattern? It’s pay pay pay, buy buy buy the entire trip. When it’s time to snorkel, you get 30 minutes of water time. After 2+ hours of travel time round trip. You go out on a small boat with a guy who sticks close and keeps time then paddles you back in.
As of January 2018, the reefs are awesome. Lots of fish and corals and variety, but I wonder how long this will be the case based on how poorly the reefs and tourists are treated. Stomping on the reef kills the coral, and no coral means no fish.
Oh and the dolphin watching is also deplorable. The boats all see the dolphins then they scream and charge towards them with their boats, recklessly about to chip up the dolphins with their motors.
The virgin island part of the tour is another tourist trap. You get there and there’s a bunch of locals haggling you to buy this, buy that for 5x the rate. For example, we bought banana Turon for 2 pesos on the side of the road but the lady wanted 20 on virgin island. The seafood they are selling is overpriced and who knows how old or fresh? There’s no refrigeration and guess what... they wash the dishes you eat off in the shallow sea water. It’s really gross.
Anyways, after taking this tour, I feel terrible bc I paid into these poor environmental practices, not knowing this is how it is. You decide if you want to feel this guilt and shame or skip it and go to another place. It doesn’t matter who you pay to take you there, all the tour operators on Alona Beach offer the same trip and terrible treatment. I’m including the guy’s info we bought our tour from so you can avoid him.
There’s really no pleasure in the trip. We went from Alona beach and paid 600 pesos each (the starting rate is like 900-1000+ but you can get it cheaper if you haggle and I think we actually overpaid for our rate). They tell you to meet at 6am but you really don’t take off until almost 7. Then, it’s a looooong, slow boat trip on a loud boat with no muffler that hurts your eardrums. I mean, it’s deafening!! Think bombs away/ rock concert loud! For about 1 hour each way.
Once you’ve been deafened, you get told to sit at a table and wait, while people constantly harass you to buy overpriced food, drinks and trinkets. Then, you’re told to leave your bag unattended at the table while you go snorkeling. We told them we’d bring our things and leave them on the small snorkel boat and they reluctantly agreed.
Then, they try to charge you 100 pesos for fins you don’t need. Do you see a pattern? It’s pay pay pay, buy buy buy the entire trip. When it’s time to snorkel, you get 30 minutes of water time. After 2+ hours of travel time round trip. You go out on a small boat with a guy who sticks close and keeps time then paddles you back in.
As of January 2018, the reefs are awesome. Lots of fish and corals and variety, but I wonder how long this will be the case based on how poorly the reefs and tourists are treated. Stomping on the reef kills the coral, and no coral means no fish.
Oh and the dolphin watching is also deplorable. The boats all see the dolphins then they scream and charge towards them with their boats, recklessly about to chip up the dolphins with their motors.
The virgin island part of the tour is another tourist trap. You get there and there’s a bunch of locals haggling you to buy this, buy that for 5x the rate. For example, we bought banana Turon for 2 pesos on the side of the road but the lady wanted 20 on virgin island. The seafood they are selling is overpriced and who knows how old or fresh? There’s no refrigeration and guess what... they wash the dishes you eat off in the shallow sea water. It’s really gross.
Anyways, after taking this tour, I feel terrible bc I paid into these poor environmental practices, not knowing this is how it is. You decide if you want to feel this guilt and shame or skip it and go to another place. It doesn’t matter who you pay to take you there, all the tour operators on Alona Beach offer the same trip and terrible treatment. I’m including the guy’s info we bought our tour from so you can avoid him.
Written January 29, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Is that easy to find a shared boat/tours to do islands hopping here?
Many tours i saw online just provide private tours, so it’s expensive .
Written December 31, 2018
can anybody suggest how to avail of the tour? coz ao far, i cant find any link.
Written March 26, 2017
Hi, it's probably easier to be at Alona Beach, go to the beach front and look for 'Bohol Divers Club' for their daily trips to Balicasag Island. Done this before with no advance booking online.
Bring cash.
Written September 3, 2017
Any reputable tour operators for snorkeling at Balicasag Reef?
Written November 28, 2016
Once you arrived at the Balicasag island they would offer you to have a local to boat you to where you wanna go (turtle or fish sanctuary) I think the cost would be around 250php per head and additional 150 for snorkling. I just dont remember if the snorkling gear was included in the package we bought from the hostel. We actually asked the owner of the hostel we stayed at to fix it for us. You may wanna ask your hotel to arrange it for you but I think it will cost you more especially if you are staying in one of those high-end hotels in Panglao. I asked someone who stayed at South Palms Beach resort and I was told the tour they offer was 29k php whereas the one they found somewhere in alona beach was 1800php. The tour we package we bought was around 500-750php per head. If you want I can give you the number of the hostel where I stayed who arranged the tour for us.
Hope you enjoy Bohol :)
Ether
Written November 29, 2016
What is the best way to get to baliscasag island for snorkling? can you book ahead of time or just the day before? and an reccomendations on boats or tour guides that took you. Thanks!
Written October 27, 2016
where are you staying if I may ask? If you are already in Panglao and you know how to bike you can rent one and just bike yourself to Alona Beach from there boats are waiting to get you to Balicasag then Virgin Island. Usually if the weather is good its dolphin watching first then balicasag then virgin island. We booked the tour a night before. We stayed at Bohol Coco Farm and they were the ones who arranged it for us. I am afraid I cant recommend any boats or tour guides as the hostel people arranged the trip to the island for us. I would suggest you to look around Alona because if you are staying in fancy hotels in Panglao it would cost you alot of money whereas if you booked through a hostel or any tour operators in Alona beach. I hope it helps and enjoy Bohol :)
Written November 30, 2016
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