Nova Shell Museum

Overview

The Nova Shell Museum is a privately operated seashell museum in Poblacion, Panglao, a few metres from the Panglao Public Market, holding one of the larger seashell collections anywhere. Quirino Hora built the collection himself, diving Bohol waters from the 1950s onward before opening the museum in 1983 — a private life’s-work collection rather than an institutional one.

Specimens sit on shelves labelled by place and date of collection, and the private guided tour supplies the stories a label can’t — where a given shell came from and why it mattered to Hora. Two species carry his name: Bursa quirihorai and Primovula horai, both discovered in Panglao waters, in 1987 and 1994 respectively.

Location

Poblacion, Panglao, Bohol — a few metres from Panglao Public Market, near the Old Municipal Building, Panglao Watch Tower, and Ruins of Old Panglao Church. The cluster of heritage structures in Panglao Poblacion makes this a walkable multi-stop visit.

Getting There

From Tagbilaran City, take a jeepney or multicab to Panglao town (roughly 8–10 km). From Alona Beach, the town centre is about 7 km by tricycle or habal-habal. The museum is near the public market, which is a known local landmark. Street address: Teofilo Arcay St, Poblacion, Panglao.

Practical Info

• Founded: 1983 by Quirino Hora
• Collection: Assembled from the 1950s onward across Bohol waters and beyond
• Notable specimens: Bursa quirihorai (1987) and Primovula horai (1994), both named after the founder
• Tour format: Private guided tour — museum guide narrates the stories behind the shells
• Adjacent landmarks: Old Municipal Building, Panglao Watch Tower, Panglao Public Market
• Opening hours: 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM (per one travel-guide source; confirm before visiting, as this is a narrow half-day window)
• Entrance fee: listed as free by one source, though a separate source cites ₱100 for adults — treat as unconfirmed pending a direct check

[TO ENRICH: total number of specimens, parking]

What to Expect

The shells are labelled by collection location and date, and the guided tour traces Hora’s own decades of diving across Philippine seas — the two species that carry his name are the collection’s centerpiece. The museum is compact; a visit typically runs 30–60 minutes.

Notes

• Source references: https://guidetothephilippines.ph/destinations-and-attractions/nova-shell-museum; https://primer.com.ph/travel/2019/04/20/nova-shell-museum-in-panglao-bohol-one-of-the-biggest-shell-collections-in-the-world/
• Pairs well with the nearby heritage cluster in Panglao Poblacion
• [FACT NEEDED: definitive current admission price — sources conflict between free and ₱100; opening days (weekdays vs. daily) not confirmed]
• Nova Shell Museum - Hours, Fee & Location, accessed 2026-07-17 — 9:00 AM–12:00 PM hours, free entrance, address Teofilo Arcay St, Poblacion, Panglao, coordinates 9.580349, 123.7489761 (matches this entry’s existing coordinates).
• Facebook post citing ₱100 adult entrance, accessed 2026-07-17 — conflicts with the free-entrance figure above; unresolved.

---