South of the island of Luzon, north of Mindanao and East of Palawan is the main island group of the Philippines named the Visayas. The major islands in this group are Bohol, Cebu, Guimaras, Leyte, Negros, Panay, Romblon, Samar and Siquijor, and there are countless little islands scattered between them. The islands differ from each other, whether it is in their topography, state of economic development, nature of the locals or even in the design of the tricycles.

The island of Leyte is where General Douglas MacArthur returned in 1944 to free the country from the Japanese occupying forces. From Tacloban or Ormoc there are regular ships to Cebu City. Then little boats lead you to little island of Malapascua, If you want to go from Leyte to Bohol best take a boat from Maasin or Bato to Ubay.  

Bohol's main attraction is the Chocolate Hills. From Bohol you can take a ship to the island of Panglao then you can catch a boat to go to Cebu the third largest city in the Philippines and the center of the Visayas.

Cebu is where Magellan arrived in the Philippines and you find a number of reminders of the Spaniard period. There are connections by air and sea to nearly all of the important places in the country, including Puerto Princesa on Palawan. Small ferries make the daily passage between Toledo on the west coast of Cebu and San Carlos on the east coast of Negros. Buses from San Carlos take the route along the coast north to Bacolod, where ferries leave for Iloilo City on Panay. The bus trip takes a few hours and in just another half an hour you're on Boracay.

After a few lazy days on the beach you can carry on by bus right across Panay to Iloilo City and from there take the ferry to Bacolod on Negros. You can see the Sugar Island of the Philippines. Take a bus or jeepney to Cadiz, a small harbor town on the north coast of Negros, and from their hop on a boat to Bantayan Island, which is in Cebu Province. This island is the center of the Visayas can be best explored by bicycle. The ferry from Santa Fe to Hagnaya on Cebu is met on arrival by a bus or jeep that will take you on to Maya, the most northerly settlement on Cebu Island. From their outrigger boats will take you to the offshore island of Malapascua. You'll feel right at home on this beautiful little island paradise.

Next stop is the island of Leyte. From San Isidro in the northwest you can carry on in two or three stages by bus via Ormoc and Baybay along the scenic coastal route south to Bato or Maasin, where a boat will take you to Bohol. After you've visited the Chocolate Hills, the smaller islands of Cabilao, Balicasag and Panglao west of Bohol are well worth a visit for a few days. From cabilao Island you can have yourself taken over to Argao on the south-east coast of Cebu take a bus leading to Bato, where several ferries leave daily for the big island of Negros.

The provincial capital of Dumaguete is a departure point for trips over to Sinquijor Island where according to many Filipino magic and witchcraft still flourishes. If you want to go away from these attractions there is a ship to Cebu City three times a week. From there you can carry on your journey to the provinces of Mindanao or Palawan, or back to Manila.

Biliran Island lies just off the north coast of Leyte. Between both islands runs the Biliran Strait, only a few km wide. At its narrowest part in the south, a bridge connects Biliran with Leyte. The provincial capital is Naval, a busy little harbor town on the West Coast. All of the larger towns are on the coast which is connected by a bumpy coastal road which is only surfaced in parts as yet The interior of this 32 km long and 18 km wide island is mountainous, rough, densely overgrown and dotted with extinct volcanoes. The nature lover will love this green place and the abundance of waterfalls. Most of the rain is in the December but January also gets its fair share. According to statistics, the sun shines most in April.

The locals live mainly from catching fish, agriculture, principally rice and vegetables. They have also specialized in producing coconut oil. The language spoken here is Wara-Waray, except on the West Coast, where the majority speaks Cebuano.

In addition to a few small, uninhabited islands just off the coast, the somewhat more remote islands of Maripipi and Higatangan also belong to Biliran Province.