The Chocolate Hills in Bohol

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.


The shape of the hills, known as a geomorphologic structure, is known as a mogote. Although they have been formed through the solvation of their limestone by thousands of years of rain there is another factor in Bohol.
There is a great deal of erosion by rivers after they had been uplifted above sea level. The farmland that separates the hills is full of rivers and caves with underground springs and these have contributed to the unique shape of the Chocolate Hills.


Once you are there, you will surely marvel at the sight before you. It’s actually quite tempting to cross the borders and take pictures or try climbing each of the chocolate hills but that’s not quite possible. Depending on the season, you will notice that the hills will be either green or brown or even a combination of both. Actually, the name of this tourist spot was due to the color it takes during summer or the dry season. The hills get that perfect chocolate color making them look like a bunch of chocolate products from a well known brand. But during the rainy days, the chocolate hills are usually colored in bright green from the entire plantation given life by the rains.