Cebu & Bohol

Currency

Cebu City has proper money changers with competitive rates, better than the airport or the island resorts. Keep small notes for tricycles and market stalls.

ATMs & cards

BPI, BDO and Metrobank in Cebu City and the larger towns. Moalboal, Oslob and the Bohol resorts have few machines and they empty quickly. Withdraw in the city before heading south.

Cebu City has proper money changers with better rates than the airport. Withdraw before heading south or to Bohol.

Wherever you are: if the machine offers to charge you in your home currency, decline. That is dynamic currency conversion and the rate is set by the ATM's operator, not your bank.

Safety

Cebu and Bohol are comfortable and used to visitors. The hazards are water and roads: canyoneering at Kawasan has killed people who went with unlicensed guides, motorcycle accidents are the most common tourist injury, and boat operators sometimes sail in poor weather. Check that any canyoneering or diving operator is properly accredited. Typhoons run June to November.

Our own assessment, not a sourced index.

Entry & visa

Health & emergencies

Required to enter

• Yellow fever certificate, but only if you are arriving from a country where yellow fever is present

Worth having

• Hepatitis A
• Typhoid
• Tetanus up to date
• Rabies — the Philippines has a significant rabies problem
• Japanese encephalitis for long rural stays

Getting treated

Manila and Cebu have genuinely good private hospitals. Standards drop sharply on the smaller islands, where a clinic may be a nurse and a room — Palawan in particular means a flight to Manila for anything serious. There is a recompression chamber in Cebu and one in Coron for diving injuries.

Dengue is common and there is no prophylaxis. Do not drink tap water. Any animal bite means a clinic the same day. Divers should confirm their insurance covers the chamber and an evacuation flight.

Orientation, not medical advice. Entry rules change and what you need depends on your own history and where you have been — check with a travel clinic or your national health service four to six weeks before you go.

Food tip

Cebu lechon is genuinely the best in the country and worth planning a meal around. Try it at a carinderia rather than a hotel. Dried mangoes are the thing everyone takes home.

Getting around

• Grab — works well in Cebu City and is the simplest way around it
• Ceres bus south — to Moalboal or Oslob, 3-4h, cheap and air-conditioned
• Ferry to Bohol — 2h fast craft from Cebu pier, several a day
• Habal-habal — motorcycle taxis for the last stretch to waterfalls and beaches
• Airport: Mactan-Cebu (CEB), the country’s second hub, 45 min from the city in traffic

Must-see

Things to do

• Swim in the sardine run at Moalboal, straight off the beach
• Canyoneer to Kawasan Falls with an accredited guide
• See the Chocolate Hills and the tarsier sanctuary on Bohol
• Dive or snorkel at Balicasag
• Walk old Cebu around Magellan’s Cross and Fort San Pedro

Nearby day trips

Say a few words

Filipino

• HelloKumustaku-MUS-ta
• PleasePakiusappa-ki-U-sap
• Thank youSalamat posa-LA-mat po
• Yes / NoOo / HindiO-o / hin-DEE
• Excuse meExcuse poeks-KYUS po
• How much is it?Magkano?mag-KA-no
• DeliciousMasarapma-sa-RAP
• GoodbyePaalampa-A-lam

English is official and universal, so nothing here is necessary — but po, added to any sentence, marks respect and changes how you are treated immediately.

Religion

Catholic

Around 79% Catholic, the largest Christian-majority country in Asia, with a Muslim population concentrated in Mindanao. Religion is genuinely central to daily life — expect Mass to be full and Holy Week to stop the country.

Do's and don'ts

Do

• Use po and opo when speaking to anyone older — it is the mark of respect and costs nothing
• Accept food when offered; refusing outright is a slight
• Do the mano, touching an elder’s hand to your forehead, if it is offered to you
• Smile and stay light in tone — confrontation is genuinely uncomfortable here

Don't

• Do not raise your voice or criticise someone in front of others; losing face matters enormously
• Do not expect a direct no — "maybe" and "we will see" often mean it
• Do not use the finger to beckon; use the whole hand, palm down
• Do not joke about religion in a country where it is central to daily life