The Loboc River cruise

One of the main tourist attractions of Bohol province is the Loboc river cruise.

It is a one-of-a-kind adventure where one is taken for a boat ride along the river and witness the richness of unadulterated natrual resources.

For only P260 per person, one is entitled to a buffet lunch on board the locally built catamaran type vessels which can accomodate more than thirty persons per trip. It becomes a floating restaurant.

Visitors then stream along until they reach the tip where the source of the endless flow of fresh water can be seen like mini-water falls.

The boat is described as a catamaran because it has two parallel hulls that keeps the platform bearing the passengers afloat.

However, it is noticeable that the the floating platform itself is not mechanized. A powerful motor launch behind the platform pushes it to move forward.

When the passengers embark, they immediately take their buffet lunch, before the boat departs.

Evereyone must be able to get their food and settle on their respective tables before the boat leaves. This way, the food and drinks don't spill. Also the visitors are already seated comfortably before the boat is put to motion.

Lunch is sumptuous. There are pork barbique, vegetable salad, steamed crab, clam soup, lumpia shanghai, adobo. Locally grown fruit abound like banana, mangoes, watermelon, among otghers.

While on the cruise the passengers are entertained by musical talents singing folk, country and popular native songs.

The Loboc river cruise has become one of the main attractions of the day-tours in Bohol. The tour operators see to it that the day-tour would involve lunch at Loboc river.

For this reason, all of the visitors of Bohol who are on a day tour converge at the Loboc river at lunch time, in time for the buffet lunch.

This has created some problems for the operators. Due to the growing number of visitors everyday, everyone seems to be converging in one place at a common time, which is at lunch time.

While there are several trips beginnning around 11 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. it seems the number of passengers are growing in number since the Loboc trip is fast becoming a popular destination.

For this reason, operators are contemplating on having river cruises in the evening, serving buffet dinner, instead of lunch.

In this way, visitors are dispersed at different time intervals.

However this is still in the planning stage because there are amenities that need to be established in order to have evening river cruises like the lightings along the river banks.