Chocolate Hills in Bohol, Philippines

Let’s discover the “Chocolate Hills” in Bohol Philippines. They’re a collection of more than a thousand limestone Hershey Kisses shaped hills, spread over 20 miles.

Firstly, I’ll answer why they call them the Chocolate Hills. Secondly, I’ll explain how many hills there are and how large. Further, my favorite part, I’ll share the romantic legend behind it the name. Finally, I’ll also include some photos. Let’s begin!

What are they? Scale – by the numbers

There’s a collection of more than a thousand (1,247-1,776, depending on who’s count you go by) limestone haycock hills spread over 20 miles on the island of Bohol, Philippines. In other words, that’s a lot of hills!

Why do they call them the Chocolate Hills?

While the name sounds like something out of Willie Wonka, it’s not nearly as fun.

During the dry season in Bohol, the green grass turns brown and looks like endless rows of Hershey Kisses. This is why they call these the Chocolate Hills.

Apparently “Muddy Hills” just doesn’t have the same ring to it – or tourist draw.

They look like mini mountains in Bohol. The hills are cone-shaped or dome-shaped hills. These hills are actually made of grass-covered limestone.

The domes vary in sizes from 100-160 feet. The largest ones grow to nearly 400 feet. Trees grow on the base of the hills but the rest of them are bare. They rest of the hills fill with grass, which turns to dirt in the dry season.

The romantic legend behind the name Chocolate Hills (and how they formed)

Next we’ll introduce the legend on how they formed. It’s certainly more fun!

There’s a romantic story of a giant named Arogo who was extremely powerful. Arogo falls in love with Aloya, who was a simple mortal. Aloya’s death caused Arogo much pain and misery, and in his sorrow he could not stop crying. When his tears dried, the Chocolate Hills were formed. Full story of the legend can be found here.

See photos of us jumping over the Chocolate Hills on the island of Bohol, Philippines.

I didn’t think they were quite as impressive as the hype, but they were certainly interesting! Perhaps they would be more intriguing if they were actually chocolate. We’d settle for chocolate-colored.

Imagine coming up with the branding. It’s great marketing by the Philippines government! There’s hills of dirt and they make tourists excited about them!

Wikipedia does a good job summarizing the science behind Chocolate Hills.

Learn more:

Finally, there is a wealth of good resources to learn more. Here are 4 other good websites. Each has additional facts and photos.

Bohol.ph, Bohol-Philippines, Philippines Travel Guide, TripAdvisor.