The 5 Facts About Bohol’s Chocolate Hills that You Might Not Know

Chocolate Hills Bohol Philippines

After more than 10 years, I was able to revisit Bohol once again; I was there way back years ago when I was still little with my parents for an all-expenses paid by the company where my parents are employed. And this revisit was also paid by the company, but the company that I am now working as an Ambassador.

One of the tourist posts in Bohol Philippines that I visited way back before that I can’t forget is the amazing view of the Chocolate Hills.  I used to only see it on books and posters at our school way back before, and as a little girl who was given a great opportunity to see a famous destination in person.

Before going to the Chocolate Hills (when I visited it when I was little), one of the colleagues of my parents that I called uncle told me that I shouldn’t eat a lot of chocolates (because I was eating a big one on the road) because there’s a huge chocolate that I can eat for FREE when we get to our destination. Yeah, it was the chocolate hills he was talking about, and I was like “Uncle, are you sure I can eat that?

This time around, no uncle can fool me. But still I am amazed by the view even though it have been through a rough earthquake.

The 5 Facts About Bohol’s Chocolate Hills

Let me share with you a few facts about Bohol’s Chocolate Hills that you might not know or need to recall. These facts are actually things I’ve learned during my revisit since my tour guide was really informative and shared it with me.

The Chocolate Hills

When you reach the top, even if you turn 360 degrees you’ll see the hills! Plus of course the rice fields in between the hills. It’s very windy too! So wearing skirts is not advised, but a Korean girl did and her photos are like Rose of Titanic.

According to people there, there are at least 1,260 hills but there can be more than that spreading through the towns of Carmen, Sagbayan and Batuan in Bohol, and that is about 50 square kilometers.

Chocolate Hills Bohol Philippines

But two have been industrialized into resorts for tourism, wherein the original resort is placed in Carmen, Bohol specifically at the Barangay Buenos Aires (yes, it’s in Bohol. Not in Buenos Aires) which is a couple of minutes’ drive from the center of Carmen. The resort in Carmen is called Chocolate Hills Complex, and which is where I was and most of the foreigners or tourist are brought while the other one is in Sagbayan and is called Sagbayan Peak.

The Sagbayan Peak

Speaking of the Sagbayan peak, it’s now the other way to view the Chocolate Hills which is just about 75 km from Tagbilaran City and 18 km from the complex. The viewing from this resort is also through the deck of a raised edge just like in the complex that gives you an unbarred view of the Chocolate Hills plus the sea off Cebu City of the province of Cebu Philippines.

I wasn’t able to go to the Sagbayan peak, so there’s nothing much to share about the area but maybe next time?

The 4 Legends

Filipinos love legends and stories; and there are at least 4 legends that are shared with me about the Chocolate Hills: From the two feuding giants who forgot to clean up their mess; the town that is plagued by the giant carabao leaving behind a mount of feces, and the feces dried and shaped to this Chocolate hills; the greedy giant so-called Miguel that eats anything and everything in his path, who fell in love and decided to lose weight for the girl, and defecated everything he ate and obviously formed into these hills; and lastly, the romantic legend of a giant named Arogo who was really powerful and young, who fell in love with Aloya, a simple mortal who died. So Arogo was in too much pain that he can’t stop crying and his years formed into these hills.

Chocolate Milk Hills?

These cone-shaped or dome-shaped hills are actually made of green grass-covered limestone, wherein the grass will turn brown (like chocolate) in the dry season, and that’s why they named it the Chocolate hills because it’s chocolate colored and probably because it’s shaped like the Hershey’s Kisses. But due to the earthquake they have last year, some of the hills cracked (and even the complex have cracked) and saw the middle of the Chocolate hills, discovering that the Chocolate Hills is actually a Chocolate Milk Hills – because it’s white inside.

Stairway to Heaven Cardio

Going up to the complex, you’ll already see the hills but to appreciate the view more it’s best to climb up these stairs.

Chocolate Hills Bohol Philippines

There are a total of 214 steps that you must take before you get the best view, so that’s why I don’t call it a stairway to heaven, but a stairway for a good cardio. Prepare! Good thing I was already doing my workout, so I was able to make it.

I was actually about to cry when I climb up because I remembered my Dad. The last time I was here, is when I was with my Daddy. I remember and can hear his voice saying “be careful, look at your steps” because I was running up the stairs when I first visited the Chocolate Hills. So combine the emotion and the cardio, it’s a great way to pump up my heart!

It’s totally free to use the complex but if you’re bringing a car you’ll have to pay for the parking fee. There’s also an ATV below the complex that you can rent for P250 (if I recalled it right) for about 30 minutes of use.

More of my trip to 1 day trip in Bohol coming soon here at the Exotic Philippines blog!



Do you appreciate what this blog do? Want to send help for this blog? Your every cents goes a long way

DONATE TO EXOTIC PHILIPPINES!