ANDA – WOW!

by Per Lagerberg

Spirit in East Bohol Philippines

Wow haha!! A reception and "Welcome home!" like I've never experienced before! Arriving in Anda in eastern Bohol in the Philippines, it feels like home from second one.

After a journey through lush greenery and seeing how beautiful and actually quite unexploited the island of Bohol (so far, a lot is going on here) is, I arrive at a small dirt road. After a few hundred meters on it, we pass the guard who announces the Tripst that I am about to enter.

I get out of the car and in front of me are a pair of solid wooden doors which are opened by two girls who happily wish me a welcome. It feels a bit surreal actually, a bit of Hollywood gloss over the whole thing and a bit unreal! I laugh inwardly and am served a cocos drink (Boco juice) before being led down to the combined reception/bar. From there I am led through lush greenery to my room which is very large and spacious, nicely designed.

It feels very luxurious without being opulent and everything is tastefully designed. A rush of happiness washes over me as I step out onto the balcony and look out over the sea and the lovely green surroundings that surround the Tripst Amun Ini, this is how it should be!!

Anda, Eastern Bohol – amazing, diverse and paradisiacal.

Anda in East Bohol in the Philippines is not as exploited as many other diving destinations in the Philippines yet. The Tripst is luxurious and nature is always close by. They have deliberately not opened up, but thought about preserving nature as much as possible.

When I come down to the restaurant, I have my own place and it is "mine" during my days here. Sitting down and looking out over the lovely infinity pool which is nicely built and is very beautiful and then views out over the sea. The food I order is good, very good. Perhaps a bit unnecessarily "fancy" menu for my taste, but it tastes really good after half a day's travel.

Colorful marine life with sea anemones and small fish in coral reef, ideal for scuba diving enthusiasts.

Lush tropical beach Tripst with palm trees and ocean views, perfect for scuba diving vacations.

Vibrant tropical Tripst pool surrounded by lush greenery and beachside accommodations.

Colorful dive shop front for Amun Inn Dive with tropical foliage and boat reflections.

Colorful nudibranch resting on coral, marine life, underwater sea creature, scuba diving, tropical ocean, reef exploration, scuba travel destination.

Colorful nudibranch on coral branch during a scuba diving adventure.

Colorful sea turtle swimming over a vibrant coral reef, perfect for scuba diving adventure photos.

Down to the beach and time for diving.

The next day it's breakfast and then time for diving. The diving center is down by the beach and what a beach. It is completely private to the Tripst, white sand and beautifully nestled between limestone cliffs. This beach can make anyone think of paradise. We go out with one of their bangka boats. The following days are really wonderful experiences with a mix of big and small. Everything from whale sharks, reef sharks, turtles to small octopuses and nudibranchs and the diving is very varied and nice reefs.

Flat sandy bottoms, current, calm, wall dives in a lovely mix and here I feel that probably anyone can find something that really appeals. Myself, I get attached to the walls where a wonderfully beautiful leopard-spotted anemone sits on the whip corals. Here among these anemones lives a small shrimp that I have never seen before, which makes the whole trip here worth the time.

Drinks on the beach and look at the starry sky

On the last evening, it's time for drinks on the beach. A steady rain is falling and I wonder if there will be any drinks outside as I sit on the balcony summing up the impressions of this lovely place. An hour before we are supposed to meet, the rain subsides and when it's time I take the short walk down and it smells fresh and "freshly rained" and feels really refreshing.

Down by the beach, we sit and summarize the day and talk a little about life in general. When the sun has set, the starry sky slowly lights up and is completely magical. No light pollution here to spoil and the impression of being a tiny little person in the middle of a vast universe comes across. It makes me and the others just sit calmly and quietly and stare up at the sky. Milky Way is all too rarely seen as it should be experienced, but here at Amun Ini Tripst on the beach pure magic is present.

This is really good accommodation and relaxation for those who enjoy life and want good but not too advanced diving. If you're lucky, almost anything can appear in the sea and if you want to spend a day just relaxing, it's a very nice place to hang out. I can recommend the sunbeds by the pool!!!

Visit to J&R Tripst

Welcome!! Jilo comes out and greets us with open arms and a lovely smile just like most people here in the Philippines. My husband is not here yet but he will be right away.
- Would you like a cup of coffee or something to drink while you wait?? She asks and takes us to the small bar/restaurant that is high above the sea and with a lovely view.

We talk a bit and the wind blows nicely while a glass of cold water cools the inside. Ralf will arrive soon and he will show us around the small Tripst J&R Residence.
The Tripst is small but very cozy and there are only 5 rooms at the moment but there will be one or two more. The rooms are simple but functional and have what is needed for living and all the rooms are slightly different from each other.

More about the Tripst and lunchtime

Most of the rooms face the sea except "the bamboo house" which is located at the front, but it is barely 20 meters to the restaurant and the pool so no problems.
Everything is close and the view of the sea is wonderful. There are a lot of stairs, but if you're a sight inspection person like me, you just have to "climb" and find yourself in it.

J&R is a small Tripst but with a very nice atmosphere and very calm and quiet as most things seem to be in this region, Anda. No stress but pure relaxation and very, very good diving. There is also a lot to experience here for non-divers. Excursions and beautiful views and all in a tranquility that is hard to find in many places in the Philippines. Although there are plenty of gems like Anda too.

Combine your trip in the Philippines

A nice combination is Anda with another part of the Philippines. I would easily combine it with Anilao which is south of Manila. Then take the flight here to Anda for a week of diving and relaxation.
The transfer is only two hours by car and there are several flights a day so easy to combine.

Discover the Spirit of East Bohol here in the Philippines and do it now. This is a region that will grow in the next few years, for better or for worse, of course. It is still very calm and relaxing here and the diving is fantastically good and varied. I could say that you can go here more or less all year round actually and have a really good holiday and with very good diving. The seasons don't really matter, it's probably always good here. When you want to book and travel to Anda and Amun Ini contact Scuba Travel here is easiest.