The 15 Best River Cruises in the Philippines

1.Bohol Countryside Day Tour From Cebu City | Lunch at Loboc River Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 157 reviews · from $145Our pick

Cross from Cebu to Bohol by ferry, then visit the Chocolate Hills, Bilar’s mahogany forest, the Tarsier Conservation Area, Baclayon Church, and the Blood Compact Monument. Lunch comes with a 90-minute Loboc River cruise, buffet food, music, and dancing. Guides such as Dolly and Jojo are known for lively storytelling.

“Overall the tour was good. The only negative is they told us the driver would pick us up at 6AM and he showed up at 6:45AM. Talking with another guest at the same hotel who also was picked up at the same time, who was told the driver would be there at 7AM. This extra time could have been used to sleep a little longer or get breakfast.”

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2.Chocolate hills tour with Tarsier & Loboc river Buffet Lunch (half-day tour)

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 152 reviews · from $79Top rated

This 5 to 6-hour private Bohol tour combines the Chocolate Hills, a tarsier sanctuary, Bilar Man-Made Forest, Baclayon Church, the Blood Compact Monument, and a Loboc River lunch cruise with live entertainment. Guides such as Silo, Harvey, Randy, and Joemar are praised for safe driving, local insight, and flexible pacing.

“Our Bohol tour with Silo was absolutely incredible! From the very beginning, he set the perfect tone by singing us a welcome song, which was such a warm and unexpected touch. The tour covered all the must-see highlights—Chocolate Hills, a scenic Loboc River lunch buffet, and a visit to the Tarsier Conservation, where we got to see these fascinating little creatures up close. But what really made this tour stand out was Silo’s personal touch. He took us to a hidden, no-tourist spot to view the Chocolate Hills, giving us a peaceful and unique perspective away from the crowds. One of the most exciting and unexpected parts of the tour…”

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3.Chocolate Hills, Tarsiers and Loboc River Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 146 reviews · 7 hours · from $38

Spend seven hours exploring Bohol in a spacious air-conditioned van with a local guide such as Kaye, Jane, or Jeff. Visit the Blood Compact Shrine, Bilar Man-Made Forest, tarsier sanctuary, Chocolate Hills, Lemur and Butterfly Park, and Baclayon Church. Add the Loboc River lunch cruise, ATV rides, ziplining, or Guwaon Cave at extra cost.

“The trip was really nice. Jane and her son really made it memorable. They were both very cute and Jane even gave us extra tips for other places and activities. The tour was personalized and she really wanted to make sure that we are happy. She also took pictures of us several times. Definitely recommend!😊”

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4.Chocolate Hills Tour with Loboc River Cruise & Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.1 · 132 reviews · 8 hours · from $68

Spend eight hours seeing Bohol’s Chocolate Hills, tarsiers, Baclayon Church, the Blood Compact Monument, and Man-Made Forest, then enjoy a Filipino buffet on the Loboc River. Your English-speaking driver handles transport and entrance fees, but this is a free-and-easy tour without a dedicated guide. Expect a full day with plenty of driving.

“Jason was amazing, we had a great time. It was just like a private tour for all of us. Thank you so much for this lovely experience.”

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5.Underground River Tour

★★★★★★★★★★3.9 · 129 reviews · 7 hours · from $41

You’ll travel from Puerto Princesa to Sabang, ride a motorboat to the cave, and spend 45 minutes inside the Underground River with an audio guide. The tour includes permits, transfers, helmets, and hotel pickup within 5 kilometers of the airport. Lunch and the environmental fee cost extra.

“Well organised trip. Our guide Jeff was excellent. Everything ran smoothly.”

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6.Bohol Private Tour: Chocolate Hills, Tarsiers & Loboc River

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 85 reviews · 8 - 14 hours · from $58

Spend 8 to 14 hours touring Bohol in a private air-conditioned vehicle with a local driver-guide. Visit the National Museum, Baclayon Church, tarsier sanctuary, Chocolate Hills, and Man-Made Forest. Add a Loboc River lunch cruise, ATV ride, zipline, or other activities. Guides such as Rambo, Rhene, Jason, and Anthony are praised for thoughtful planning and local insight.

“Our driver-guide was excellent. He saved the day. Since my husband was sunburned and feeling unwell, we couldn't participate in all the planned activities, but he offered alternatives on the way to the hotel! And it was excellent! Service - excellent, we recommend it! Thanks a lot!”

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7.Bohol Chocolate Hills Tour with Loboc River Lunch Buffet

★★★★★★★★★★3.4 · 51 reviews · 8 hours · from $58

Spend eight hours exploring Bohol by shared vehicle, from the Blood Compact Monument and Baclayon Church to tarsiers, the Man-Made Forest, and Chocolate Hills. Your day ends with a two-hour Loboc River cruise and buffet lunch. The English-speaking driver handles transport, entrance fees, and fuel for $58 per person.

“I read other people comments of similar tours and knew what to expect, good experience. I went with group (11) to Chocolate Hill viewing platform while my 2 friends did the ATV activity. They had a blast and their photos showed this. Lunch on river cruise was delicious and entertainment excellent”

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8.Underground River Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 40 reviews · 9 hours · from $52

You’ll travel from Puerto Princesa to Sabang, stop at Buenavista Viewdeck, then reach the UNESCO-listed Underground River by motorized boat and paddleboat. An English or Tagalog guide, multilingual audio device, buffet lunch, permits, and city hotel transfers are included. Optional Ugong Rock zipline and mangrove tours cost extra.

“la guida è l' autista sono due persone fantastiche , simpatiche e disponibili. il tour in se prevede solo la visita al fiume sotterraneo ma è possibile prenotare in loco anche la zipline E il tour tra le mangrovie, scelta che consiglio per evitare di stare tanto tempo senza fare nulla, il tour del fiume parte dopo pranzo quindi tutta la mattina non si ha niente da fare se non queste opzioni . la zipline costa 600, il tour delle mangrovie 300”

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9.Bohol Chocolate Hills, Tarsiers & Loboc River Shared Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 35 reviews · from $38

Travel from Panglao with a local driver-guide such as Rene or Jeston to see Bohol’s National Museum, Baclayon Church, tarsiers, Chocolate Hills, Mahogany Forest, and Loboc River. The 6 to 8 hour shared tour includes transport and selected entrance fees. Lunch is extra, and the group can reach 30 people.

“Luckily a very small group but can be bigger if there was more participant . Excellent driver /operator well paced . Enjoyed stops . We love Bohol”

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10.Bohol Countryside Tour with River Cruise Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 29 reviews · 1 day · from $160

Spend a full day crossing from Cebu to Bohol for the Chocolate Hills, Tarsier Sanctuary, mahogany forest, butterfly farm, Loboc River buffet cruise, and Sikatuna Mirror of the World. Hotel pickup is available in Cebu, Mandaue, Lapu-Lapu City, and nearby areas. The price includes ferry tickets, entrances, lunch, and transfers, but not a guide tip or ATV ride.

“Poor tour and value for money for price we paid. Bohol driver and assistant spoke hardly any English, we had finished the full day itenary by like 10:30am. Staff continually took photos and videos of us for marketing purposes which we didn’t authorise Lunch on loboc river was fully booked, when we’ve paid for it in our itenary, offered a floating restaurant/ McDonald’s instead which we declined to both Asked to be put on a early ferry Go with another company”

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11.Shared Firefly Watching Cruise on Bohol’s Scenic Loboc River

★★★★★★★★★★3.1 · 29 reviews · 3 hours · from $32

You’ll ride from Panglao or Tagbilaran to Loboc, then take a short evening boat trip through mangroves where fireflies gather in a few riverside trees. A local English or Tagalog-speaking guide explains the river and helps with photos. The $32 shared tour includes transport, boat, entrance, and environmental fees, but the firefly viewing itself lasts about 27 to 30 minutes.

“There are only fireflies in a few trees. So not so much to see”

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12.Private Bohol and Chocolate Hills with Loboc River Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 29 reviews · from $107

Spend about eight hours exploring Bohol from Panglao or Tagbilaran with a private guide and your own group. Visit the Philippine Tarsier Foundation, Chocolate Hills, Bilar’s mahogany forest, Baclayon Church, and the Loboc River. A floating lunch cruise and selected hotel pickup and drop-off are included.

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14.Private Tour of Bohol Countryside | Cultural Tour w/ River Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 23 reviews · from $104

Spend 6 to 9 hours touring Bohol in a private vehicle with hotel pickup, a local guide-driver, and lunch included. Visit the Blood Compact Monument, Baclayon Church, Loboc River, Sevilla’s bamboo hanging bridge, a tarsier conservation area, and Chocolate Hills. Guides such as Alex, Charles, Louis, and Wilfredo have led past tours.

“This expensive “tour” was very disappointing and very expensive to say the least. The “tour guide” was only there to drive us around like a maniac with no regard to our safety. He barely spoke to us and did not explain anything through the whole tour. We cut the “tour” shorRead more”

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15.Iwahig Firefly Watching & River Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 21 reviews · 3 hours · from $38

You’ll ride a quiet boat along Iwahig River as fireflies flicker in the mangroves beneath the night sky. This three-hour trip includes hotel pickup, a guide, safety briefing, and an optional buffet dinner with live music. Bring insect repellent, wear light clothing, and keep your camera flash off.

“Seeing the fireflies was amazing, and the boat guide was great - knowledgeable, funny and really good at spotting fireflies. Travelling down the river in the dark with only fireflies showing up was an amazing experience. However, the transport was a mess. There was already a large pickup window which was missed, without any notification from the organiser. There didn't seem to be great records of who was going, leading to confusion. On arrival, it was again unclear what was happening and where to go. There is little to do at the dock apart from the boat tour. Still a worthwhile trip!”

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