The Bohol man-made forest is the first and only man-made forest in the Philippines. It is mainly composed of Mahogany trees about 2 kilometers stretched densely in towns of Bilar and Loboc. It is 5 minutes away from Simply Butterflies Conservation Center and 20 minutes away from Tagbilaran City, the lone City of Bohol. Before entering the Bohol man-made forest, one can see the variety of trees and giant ferns along the road.
The Bohol man-made forest has been one of the many tourist attractions in the Philippines. It stands out because of its uniformity in height, the spread of the branches and the thickness of the leaves. The tidy road and forest make it very relaxing to Bohol trippers. Both locals and tourists stay for 30 minutes to 1 hour to breathe the fresh air and hear the natural sounds of birds and trees. The splendid view and the wonderful erectile order of the Bohol man-made forest makes it very attractive to travelers.
Mark and Lisa at Man-Made Forest
Nature preservation is one of the main activities of the Bohol Government and one of the things they are proud of is preserving the Bohol man-made forest. When you enter the 2 km dense forest, you can feel the sudden change in temperature and the freshness of the air. This is very noticeable in the summer season from March to June where the humidity in the Philippines is crazy. When you are in this mountainous area you will rarely see the sun and once you see it you still don’t feel the entire heat due to the shades from the branches and leaves. The roots are protruded from the ground and one can sit and eat some snacks there. Just be careful of some lizards or ants that might crawl to you.
The forest from the other side of the road
A closer view from the bottom part
Through the woods, for mountaineers
Cooking and eating our Tempura snacks
Enjoying at Bohol man-made forest
In the road-side, middle part of the Bohol man-made forest, a shelter is provided for visitors to cook and eat their snacks. On our trip, we brought a handy stove and tempura for snacks. Watching those who are hiking through the woods and seeing the mountain bikers on the asphalted road are other things to do in the place. The Bohol man-made forest is part of the main road used by vans, buses, public and private transport to access the different areas of Bohol.
Before entering the long and winding road of Bohol man-made forest, one will be able to pass the town of Loboc where the popular Loboc River and Floating Restaurant is situated. After the 2 kilometer forest, one will pass the towns of Bilar where the Butterfly Sanctuary is located, then Batuan Town and then Carmen where the world-class Chocolate Hills are seen.
Bohol man-made forest is an extreme work of art. The magnificent efforts of these world-class Filipinos who started this brilliant nature preservation activity will definitely help make the Earth a better place to live in. We hope that even in the midst of Global modernization, nature preservers will never stop what they love to do. I salute them and I’m with them!
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About the author
Mark Anthony Maranga is an Educator-Parent to his 3 Homeschooling Kids. He sells Ice Cream and Balloons in Mandaue City, Cebu. Exploring the Philippines tourist attractions together with his family is his passion; they are learning without borders.
Actually, there are many of these “man made” forests and Bohol is not the only one that has it. Quezon National Forest Park has similar plantations as does Siquijor Salagdoong Forest.
Separately, the name “man-made” is a misnomer. The forest is not made my man. When I first heard that term in Siqujior, I thought, my gosh a forest filled with artificial trees??? When in fact, the trees just happen to be planted by men, as in, this is a reforestation program.
Why would a Man Made Forest be filled with artificial trees? It should be called A Forest with Man Made Trees if that’s what you want.