The Alicia Schists

Overview

The Alicia Schists are a geological formation and official Geosite within the Bohol Island UNESCO Global Geopark. The name comes from the Greek schizein, “to split” — an accurate description before it is a label, since the rock’s sheet-like planes cleave easily along parallel surfaces.

The Alicia Schist is the oldest identified rock formation in Bohol province, dated to the late Jurassic to early Cretaceous period — roughly 146 to 66 million years old. The outcrop is visible at an exposed hillside along a road in Barangay Cayacay, Alicia. Additional exposures occur in the nearby municipality of Ubay. The rock is named for the town of Alicia, where it was first identified, and its geological significance was part of the basis for Bohol’s designation as the Philippines’ first UNESCO Global Geopark in May 2023.

Location

Barangay Cayacay, Alicia, northeastern Bohol. The exposure is roadside — visible from the road surface without requiring a trail.

Getting There

• Alicia is accessible by road from Tagbilaran City via Carmen and Danao (approximately 100 km)
• The outcrop in Barangay Cayacay is roadside — no significant trail required to view the rock face
• The site can be combined with a visit to The Alicia Panoramic Park (TAPP) in Barangay Cambaol, a short distance away
• [FACT NEEDED: public transport routes from Tagbilaran or Carmen to Alicia/Cayacay]

Practical Info

• Roadside site — accessible without a guide, though geopark guides are available in Alicia and provide geological context
• [FACT NEEDED: whether a geopark entry fee applies to this specific geosite]
• [FACT NEEDED: nearest facilities — restrooms, parking]

What to Expect

The schist exposure presents visibly layered, sheet-like rock planes on a cut hillside. The metamorphic history of the rock — ocean floor sediments buried deep under pressure and heat, transformed over geological time from sedimentary rock into schist — is legible in the hand samples and outcrop face.

The rock represents Bohol’s pre-volcanic geological baseline. Other parts of the island are dominated by younger limestone formations (including the Chocolate Hills area), making the Alicia Schist an anomaly of significantly older basement rock.

For visitors combining this with The Alicia Panoramic Park, the schists provide the geological foundation that underlies the Binabaje Hills’ ridge topography.

Notes

• The Alicia Schist is also geologically linked to the Binabaje Hills at the Alicia Panoramic Park — the hills’ unusual terrain reflects the metamorphic rock basement below
• Additional outcrops are found in Ubay municipality
• This is a geosite within a UNESCO Global Geopark — conservation conduct applies; rock sampling is not permitted
• [FACT NEEDED: geopark interpretation signage status at this specific site, current geopark entry fee if any, nearest restroom/parking facilities]
• Coordinates updated to the Barangay Cayacay centroid (9.8946, 124.4726) — the previous coordinates (10.198, 124.464) placed the site roughly 35 km north, in the vicinity of Talibon/Bien Unido, far outside Alicia municipality. The corrected point is a barangay-level reference, not a survey of the exact outcrop.

Cayacay, Alicia, Bohol Profile, accessed 2026-07-17. Bohol Has a Rock Older Than Dinosaurs: Meet the 100-Million-Year-Old Alicia Schist, accessed 2026-07-17.