Saturday 04 February 2012 13:27:49 PHT

The Chocolate Hills

IJsselstein, Thursday, 17 May 2001 (updated: Sunday, 31 March 2002)

The Chocolate Hills are probably Bohol's most famous tourist attraction. They look like giant mole hills, or as some say, women's breasts, and remind us of the hills in a small child's drawing. Most people who first see pictures of this landscape can hardly believe that these hills are not a man-made artifact. However, this idea is quickly abandoned, as the effort would surely surpass the construction of the pyramids in Egypt. The chocolate hills consist of are no less than 1268 hills (some claim this to be the exact number). They are very uniform in shape and mostly between 30 and 50 meters high. They are covered with grass, which, at the end of the dry season, turns chocolate brown. From this color, the hills derive their name. At other times, the hills are green, and the association may be a bit difficult to make.


Enjoy your hot chocolate from this exclusive chocolate hills
mug, USD 14.50.

Legend has it that the hills came into existence when two giants threw stones and sand at each other in a fight that lasted for days. When they were finally exhausted, they made friends and left the island, but left behind the mess they made. For the more romantically inclined is the tale of Arogo, a young and very strong giant who fell in love with an ordinary mortal girl called Aloya. After she died, the giant Arogo cried bitterly. His tears then turned into hills, as a lasting proof of his grief.

However, up to this day, even geologists have not reached consensus on how they where formed. The most commonly accept theory is that they are the weathered formations of a kind of marine limestone on top of a impermeable layer of clay. If you climb the 214 steps to the top of the observation hill near the complex, you can read this explanation on a bronze plaque.

How to get there

Plenty of tourist guides and tour operators will be happy to bring you to the chocolate hills, either as a separate trip or as part of a day tour. However, if you want to go here on your own, from Tagbilaran, you will have to go the integrated bus terminal in Dao and catch a bus going to Carmen. If you look like a stranger, you will have a hard time not finding one. At the entrance of the bus terminal people will point you to the right bus. Make sure it is the first one to leave, and ask the driver to drop you off at the Chocolate Hills complex, about 4 kilometers before the town of Carmen. From there it is a 10 minute walk along a road winding up to the complex.

To get back to Tagbilaran, you will have to walk back to the main road, and wait for a bus to pass by. The last bus from Carmen to Tagbilaran leaves at four P.M. Alternatively, you can use the services of the motorcyclists who often wait here for tourist, and ride 'habal-habal,' or motorbike taxi.

If you're coming from Tubigon (arriving from Cebu by boat), a few buses go to Carmen daily, but sometimes you'll have to wait for some time for the bus to fill up. When you arrive in Carmen, you can catch the next bus or jeepney in the direction of Bilar, Loay or Tagbilaran, or ask a 'habal-habal' driver to bring you to the Chocolate Hills Complex.

Where to stay

If you would like to stay in the Chocolate Hills, you have very little choice. The only facility is the Government run Chocolate Hills resort. Currently, this hotel is undergoing renovation and extension, but, since funds have run out, work on this is suspended, and you'll have to deal with the mess of a half-completed resort. However, the staff are friendly, and if you stay here overnight, seeing the sun rise over this bizarre landscape is worth the inconvenience. The place also has a still functional and maintained swimming pool, which is behind the unfinished building, a little bit downhill.

Jeroen Hellingman

What readers think...

Nic_cabs wrote:
Sunday, 20 November 2011 18:14:53 PHT
Magkano ba yung rental ng rooms. From average to cheapest po? We will be going to bohol next week and plan to rent a van with driver. Salamat po.
Tin wrote:
Thursday, 17 November 2011 21:30:24 PHT
Hello everyone, Bohol is a very nice place. . ive been in bohol a lot of times, much better if you arrive in cebu, have a day tour (cebu), then another day tour sa bohol. you can take supercat (php885 roundtrip) goin to tagbilaran. upon arrival in tagbilaran port, maraming mga tour operators ready to assist you. Pick-up or vans are readily available, prices are ranges from 2,500 to 3,000 (rent ng vehicle). entrance fees are cheap at sakto sa bulsa, like tarsier sanctuary (php 50), baclayon museum (php50), Lunch bufet in Loboc River ranges from 300 to 400, plus 100 php entrance fee. zipline and other extreme sports is a must try.(i love their zipline), (around 350 php). you may contact this nmber- tour operator in bohol +639216328668, look for kuya jhonny. tried and tested, lage ko cyang kino contact whenever i to go bohol.people are very accommodating. enjoy your tour! ! be safe everyone
Janice wrote:
Wednesday, 16 November 2011 03:23:11 PHT
Hi do you have a hotel in chocolates hills?
ayen wrote:
Thursday, 10 November 2011 15:36:53 PHT
hi guys..if your planning to go to bohol I agree with Grace na mag rent nalang kayo ng van with driver pra mapasyalan nyo lahat ng places sa bohol, I could refer you to our tour guide driver si kuya Jun, very accomodating and with reasonable price, and even the cottage we stayed eh mganda nearby beach, malaki din ung cottage, furnished with beds,cable tv,bathroom, airconditioned and pwede kyo mag luto or mgpaluto ng food. we tried snorkeling and dolphin watch also. for more details and # of kuya Jun you could send me an email at iegnisaban@rocketmail.com.
mary joy wrote:
Thursday, 10 November 2011 11:21:40 PHT
hi tanong lang po magkano ba entrance fee sa chokolate hills kasi my plano kaming mag punta ng bohol this coming november 19, 2011?????? thnx

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