Must see!
The Chocolate Hills is an unusual geological formation in Bohol, Philippines.It is composed of around 1,268 perfectly cone-shaped hills of about the same size, spread over an area of more than 50 square kilometres (20 sq mi). They are covered in green grass that turns brown during the dry season, hence the name.
The Chocolate Hills is a famous tourist attraction of Bohol. It is featured in the provincial flag and seal to symbolize the abundance of natural attraction in the province. It is in the Philippine Tourism Authority’s list of tourist destinations in the Philippines; it has been declared the country’s 3rd National Geological Monument and proposed for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The Chocolate Hills is a rolling terrain of haycock hills – mounds of general shape which are conical and almost symmetrical. Estimated to be at least 1,268 individual mounds to about 1,776, these cone-shaped or dome-shaped hills are actually grass-covered limestone hills. The large and numerous perfect domes vary in sizes from 30 to 50 metres (98 to 160 ft) high with the largest being 120 metres (390 ft) in height. Aesthetically extensive, they are scattered throughout the towns of Carmen, Batuan and Sagbayan in Bohol. Bohol’s “main attraction”, these unique mound-shaped hills are scattered by the thousands on the island’s central plain, concentrated near the town of Carmen.
At dawn or at sunset, the Chocolate Hills are an alluring sight; the whole area picturesque amidst the rice fields and the clusters of houses made of the diamond patterned sawali or bamboo slats.
During the dry season, the precipitation is inadequate such that the grass-covered hills dry up and turn chocolate brown. This transforms the area into seemingly endless rows of “chocolate kisses”. The branded confection is the inspiration behind the name, Chocolate Hills.
What To Do:
Sightseeing.
Where To Eat:
Sagbayan Peak is a 5-hectare (12-acre) mountaintop resort and recreation center. Its viewing deck offers a 360-degree perspective of the Chocolate Hills plus the blue sea that separates Bohol and Cebu. The peak now has a restaurant and a children’s park with Bugs Bunny, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and various other Toontown figures. Aside from the function hall and viewing deck, a hotel, swimming pool, driving range, a butterfly dome and even a tarsier sanctuary are now on the drawing board. In addition a full 100-hectare (250-acre) golf course is also planned.
Where To Stay:
Bohol Tropics Resort Club (Graham, Tagbilaran City, Bohol). Bohol Beach Club (Panglao, Bohol)
How to get there:
Air Philippines to Tagbilaran Airport, Daily Trips of ferries from various harbor in the Central Visayas.
When To Go:
| Photography | |
| Nature |
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