An unmissable visit to Visayas
It’s on the island Bohol , to Philippines , that you will find the famous "chocolate hills". You can’t eat them and they’re not made of chocolate but you’ll surely enjoy the beautiful landscape they offer. ♪ Chocolate Hills Looks like giant supines and reminds us exactly how to draw a mountain or a hill when you're tiny. The hills are a true wonder of nature, not an artificial creation. We don't count less 1,268 hills (some of them have up to 1,776 hills), spread over an area of over 50 square kilometres. The hills are mostly uniform in shape measuring between 30 and 50 meters high. Green grass cuts, the hills are transformed into "brown chocolate" during the dry season (March to May).
Flickr – The Original Ki
Some legends explain the formation of Chocolate Hills . Here's the most romantic:
A giant struggle
A legend tells us that the hills exist because of the quarrel of two giants. They threw themselves blocks of sand and rock each other. The struggle lasted for days. Exhausted, they forgot their feud and became friends. The giants have since left the island and have forgotten the disorder they have left. And that is how Chocolate Hills would have been created.
The true story of their formation
♪ Chocolate Hills are a rare geological formation in Bohol and the world. No one yet knows how the hills have been formed to date, even the geologists have not reached any consensus on their exact cause. However, their underwater training dates from about two million years ago and is due to accumulation successive layers coral and shelling . The process of tectonic plates then caused the removal of the sea and the formation emerged out of the water. The erosion due to rains and winds has given this over time conical form To the hills. You will have the opportunity to read an explanation on a bronze plate when you have successfully climbed the 214 steps leading to the top of the hill observation of the Chocolate Hills .
Flickr – dibaer
How to get to the Chocolate Hills?
From Manila you can take a plane for Tagbilaran (1h15 approximately). If you are in the Visayas region, you will find regular ferries to Tagbilaran. From Tagbilaran or another village on the island of Bohol, you have several choices: take a bus to Carmen (and ask the driver to take you to the Chocolate Hills), take a tricycle (not very comfortable), or rent a scooter or a motorcycle and go by its own means. This last solution turns out to be the best (for those who know how to drive a two wheels) because you are then free to go see what you like in the surroundings. The surrounding villages and landscapes are superb. To find cheap flights to the Philippines, check out our partner's best deals Skyscanner .
What else can I see in Bohol?
An attraction that you should not miss on the island of Bohol is the discovery of the smallest primate in the world: Tarsier ! On site in Bohol, ask yourself to go see this monkey at the edge of Master Yoda, who is actually an endemic species of the island of Bohol. Unfortunately the last typhoon in the Philippines in November 2013 would have extinguished most tarsiers... For scuba diving lovers, read our articles on the diving on the island of Balicasag .
Flickr – Roberto Verzo
Where to sleep on Bohol Island?
The ideal is to get away from Tagbilaran to find a quieter and more beautiful corner on the coast, such as in Panglao. To find a hotel on Bohol Island, check out our Compare hotels .
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