Seaside Hill & Marine Sanctuary

Overview

The Seaside Hill and Marine Sanctuary in Barangay Linawan, Anda, sits on a coastal rise above a barangay-managed marine sanctuary and its fronting mangrove stand. The site does double duty: a staging and rest point for local fisherfolk working the sanctuary waters, and a hilltop vantage over the same coastal zone for visitors passing through.

Next to it stands Anda Church, one of the older parish structures on this stretch of coast. Built in 1925 using tabique — split bamboo or wood lath plastered with mud or cement, a construction method common in provincial churches before reinforced concrete became standard — the building retains an interior ceiling with mural paintings still legible today.

The sanctuary’s exact size, its protected species list, and whether snorkeling or diving is permitted within its boundaries aren’t part of the published record — check with the barangay or the Anda Municipal Tourism Office if these specifics matter to your visit. Whether the mangrove stand has a marked walking trail isn’t confirmed either; ask locally on arrival.

Location

Barangay Linawan, Anda, Bohol. Anda sits on the eastern tip of the Bohol peninsula, approximately 90 km by road from Tagbilaran City via Jagna.

The coordinates above cover the general area; a precise pin for the sanctuary entrance itself isn’t fixed in the record, so ask locally for exact directions once you’re in Barangay Linawan.

Getting There

From Tagbilaran City, take a bus to Jagna (approximately 1.5 hours), then continue to Anda (an additional 30–40 minutes). From Anda proper, a habal-habal reaches Barangay Linawan.

Exact travel time and habal-habal fare from Anda town center to Linawan aren’t fixed here — confirm both locally, as they vary by driver and season.

Practical Info

• Marine sanctuary: barangay-managed, fronts the site
• Mangroves: present along the coastal edge
• Church: Anda Church (1925), tabique construction, mural ceiling
• Fishing community presence: site functions as fisherfolks’ staging area
• Entry fee: not confirmed — some barangay-managed sanctuaries in Anda collect a small visitor or environmental fee on-site, so check when you arrive

What to Expect

From the hill, the marine sanctuary and its mangrove belt spread out below, with the fishing community’s boats and gear as the working foreground. Anda Church next door is worth the extra ten minutes — the tabique walls and painted ceiling are a legible example of early-20th-century provincial church construction, from before poured concrete took over.

The sanctuary’s mangroves function as nursery habitat for juvenile fish, a direct economic benefit to the fisherfolk who stage their boats at this site. Barangay-managed marine sanctuaries of this kind are common along Bohol’s coast: a no-take zone protects a patch of reef or mangrove long enough for fish stocks to recover, and the surrounding community — rather than a national park authority — enforces the boundary and collects whatever small visitor fee helps fund that enforcement. The arrangement ties conservation directly to the livelihood it protects, since the same households whose boats line up at this hill are the ones who benefit when the fish nursery keeps working.

Anda’s fishing economy runs on catches that show up on plates the same day — grilled squid over coconut-husk charcoal and kinilaw made from tanigue or bariles are standard fare in the town’s eateries, a direct line from the boats staging below this hill to the tables a short walk away.

Notes

• The marine sanctuary is a community conservation area; respect any access restrictions set by the barangay
• The church mural paintings are a secondary draw worth factoring into a visit to this part of Anda
• Anda has multiple cave, beach, and coastal attractions — Seaside Hill fits naturally into a full-day Anda itinerary