Just like the rice terraces in Banaue, the Chocolate Hills on the island of Bohol are among the most important sights in the Philippines. Anyone who has ever seen these amazingly uniformly shaped “chocolate mounds” knows that they are among the most beautiful geological formations that exist not only in the Philippines, but worldwide.
The amazingly uniformly shaped Chocolate Hills on Bohol
Number 1 Destination on Bohol: the Chocolate Hills
Located in the center of Bohol, scattered over an area of approximately 50 square kilometers, the Chocolate Hills attracts a large number of travelers to the Philippines every year. And rightly so! The over 1,250 chocolate mounds, are overgrown by a variety of grasses, ferns and sugar cane species during the rainy season and they turn brown in the hot summer months. It is a unique natural formation in this large cluster. Some geologists even speak of over 1,750 hemispherical or hemispherical surveys on Bohol.
Bird’s-eye view of Chocolate Hills
Chocolate Mounds, sometimes over 100 meters high
No matter whether in the rainy season in green or in the summer in chocolate brown, the Chocolate Hills are always worth a visit and are also on the official Philippine Tourism Authority’s List. This basically means that Philippines fans should have seen the Chocolate Hills at least once. Most of the elevations are between 30 and 50 meters high. But there are also hills that rise over 100 meters. The highest Chocolate Hill reaches a height of around 120 meters.
Chocolate Hills in Carmen, Sagbayan and Batuan
Travelers can find a high concentration of the Chocolate Hills in the communities of Carmen, Sagbayan and Batuan. The highest concentration is in Carmen, which is why the viewing platform built there on a chocolate hill is also the most visited. In Carmen, after climbing 214 steps, you can marvel at the Chocolate Hills, which are reminiscent of oversized molehills. Entry costs just 50 PHP per head.
Interesting for adventure seekers: in Carmen there are also providers of ATV and buggy rides. So if you want to experience the Chocolate Hills on a quad, you can do that!
Origin of the Chocolate Hills on Bohol
Geologists and scientists have long been puzzled over the formation of the Chocolate Hills. In principle, there is no clear explanation recognized by all geologists, but only plausible (and less plausible) hypotheses and theories.
The simplest explanations are based on the fact that the Chocolate Hills were created, in particular, by limestone weathering, volcanism and plate tectonic elevations of the seafloor.
Volcanic Eruption Theory on Emergence
One of the circulating theories says that the origin of the Chocolate Hills is due to a huge volcanic eruption, in which a prehistoric mountain of fire spewed out gigantic stone blocks. The stone blocks lying in the water were finally lifted up out of the sea by terrestrial movements. According to this theory, the Chocolate Hills received their astonishingly symmetrical shape particularly from the influence of ebb and flow.
Theory on the Bronze Plaque in Carmen
A bronze plaque, which can be found on the observation deck in the municipality of Carmen, is based on a completely different, more plausible theory. According to this, the Chocolate Hills were supposed to have been coral reefs that were lifted out of the ocean by a tremendous tectonic movement. Rain, wind and erosion finally gave the chocolate mounds their unique, admirable shape today.
The bronze plaque says: “The unique land form known as the Chocolate Hills of Bohol was formed ages ago by the uplift of coral deposits and the action of rain water and erosion.”
And further: “The grassy hills were once coral reefs that erupted from the sea in a massive geologic shift. Wind and water put on the finishing touches over hundreds of thousands of years. “
Legends About the Origin of the Chocolate Hills
Where science cannot offer a 100% clear explanation, there are of course some legends and myths about the origins of the Chocolate Hills (especially among superstitious Boholanons). A common legend says that the Chocolate Hills used to be a battlefield for two giants who had fought over huge stone blocks for several days. When there was still no winner after days of fighting, the two giants became exhausted and left Bohol – of course without having cleaned up their battlefield before they left.
Arogo and Aloya
Another myth tells the romantic story of the giant Arogo and the mortal chief’s daughter Aloya. Arogo fell head over heels in love with her. But when she died, the giant’s heart broke and Arogo shed bitter tears. His huge tears, half of which were stuck in the ground, turned into hills and form the Chocolate Hills today, testifying to Arogo’s great grief.
Dano and Eng
The legend of Dano and Eng is also well known: Dano, a fat giant, devoured everything he could get his hands on. When he saw the charming young woman Eng and fell in love with her on the level where the Chocolate Hills are today, he decided to lose weight massively: he eliminated everything that he had previously devoured. His excretions eventually covered the entire level. In the end, Dano gained Eng’s attention through his blatant weight loss.
Eliminations of a Giant Carabao
A fourth myth tells of a giant carabao that haunted a village and consumed all the plants and fruits of the community. The villagers took revenge by gathering spoiled food and giving the water buffalo to eat. The monster got diarrhea from the spoiled food, and eliminated everything that was in its stomach. The excrements dried and now form the Chocolate Hills.
In addition to these legends, there are many more to the creation of the Chocolate Hills. In order not to go beyond the scope of this article, let’s leave it at these four myths.
Arrival: How Do I Get to the Chocolate Hills?
Most travelers to the Philippines who want to visit the Chocolate Hills vacation on the Bohol-owned holiday island of Panglao and then book a multi-hour sightseeing tour, also known as the Bohol Countryside Tour. On this tour – starting at the corresponding resort on Panglao Island – the most important sights are visited. These include Blood Compact, Baclayon Church, Tarsier Sanctuary, Loboc River with raft trip, Man-made Forrest, Butterfly Farm, Chocolate Hills observation deck in Carmen and Hanging Bridges in Seville.
However, more and more travelers are finding their way to the beautiful Anda region in the east of Bohol. The Bohol Countryside Tour can also be booked from there. The cost of a private tour for two people, depending on the provider, is around 5,000 – 6,000 PHP – it doesn’t really matter whether the tour starts in Panglao or Anda.
Visiting only the Chocolate Hills would be theoretically possible. However, it is better to visit the main sights of Bohol in one day, especially since the journey to the unique chocolate hills from both Panglao and Anda takes around 90-120 minutes. Not only the Chocolate Hills are a real highlight on Bohol, but also the tarsiers (the smallest primates in the world) and the raft trip on the Loboc River.
Bohol Countryside Tour from Kapwa Travel
Interested parties can also book a Bohol Countryside Tour as part of a round trip via Kapwa Travel. Unlike many other providers, our own tours that start in Panglao include a driver, as well as a personal English or German-speaking guide, who modifies the private tour on request. The order of the sights can also be chosen flexibly – taking into account the opening times, of course.
In addition to the standard sights, we are also happy to visit authentic Filipino markets such as the large market in Tagbilaran or visit a real cock farm with many different roosters with our travelers. Stopovers, for example to take photos of water buffalos, nipa huts, rice fields and the like, are a matter of course for us.
Our major partner resorts on Panglao Island include the South Palms Beach Resort, Bellevue Resort and Linaw Beach Resort.
By Scooter Going to Chocolate Hills
Traveling by scooter or motorbike is particularly popular with backpackers. Daily rents for motorbikes range from PHP 350 to PHP 850 – depending on the total rental time, motorbike and provider. But even for backpackers on a motorbike, the following should apply: it is better to go to all of Bohol’s major sights in one day than to visit the Chocolate Hills exclusively. It is not without reason that Bohol is one of the most beautiful islands in the Philippines – and that is not only due to the Chocolate Hills, even if they are beautiful, unique and the highlight for many Bohol travelers!
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