Panglao Island


Panglao is an island in the north Bohol Sea, located in the Central Visayas region of the Visayas island group, in the south-central Philippines.

Geography

The island has an area of. It is within Bohol Province, and comprises two municipalities: Dauis and Panglao. Panglao island is located southwest of the island of Bohol and east and south of Cebu.
Panglao has a terrain that ranges from plain, hilly to mountainous. Panglao is made of Maribojoc limestone, the youngest of the limestone units found in the western area of Bohol. The limestone composition delayed the development of the international airport as coralline limestone is soluble which causes formation of caves and sinkholes. One interesting geological feature found in the island is the Hinagdanan Cave which has an underground water source. The cave is an important water source as the island has no rivers or lakes.
Panglao is a popular tourist destination in the Philippines and includes several small islands, such as Gak-ang, Pontod, and Balicasag and is close to Pamalican island.
According to the, it has a population of.

History

Panglao was known to Chinese, Malay, Siamese and Indonesian traders. It once housed the Kedatuan of Dapitan.

Biodiversity

About 250 new species of crustaceans and 2500 new species of mollusks were found around the island. The discovery was the work of the Panglao Marine Biodiversity Project. The project found that Panglao alone has more marine biodiversity than Japan and the Mediterranean Sea.

Tourism

Panglao island is one of the main tourist destinations on the Philippines. Alona Beach is the most popular tourist spot on the island, noted for its white sand and clear water. There are also a lot of attractions to do for tourists such as scuba-diving, island hopping, dolphin watching, snorkeling, kitesurfing and fishing.

Transportation

is the primary international airport to serve the province of Bohol. The airport opened in November 2018 replacing Tagbilaran Airport and serves Panglao Island and the rest of Bohol. There are almost hourly daytime flights to and from Manila from Cebu Pacific, Air Asia, and Philippine Airlines. There is also service to Davao, Cagayan de Oro and Puerto Princesa. International flights are expected to commence in late 2019/early 2020. It is less than 2 hours of travel time by fast ferry to Cebu. Mactan-Cebu International airport is a gateway to the Central Philippines for international tourists.
There is a regular air-conditioned bus service from the airport to Tagbilaran City and a circular route to Alona beach. Short trips are usually by motor tricycle taxis, fares negotiable.
The island is connected with the Bohol main island by two bridges namely Suarez Bridge and Gov. Borja Bridge.