Are the Chocolate Hills in Bohol Worth Visiting?

Visiting the Chocolate Hills in Bohol

The Chocolate Hills in Bohol are one of the most famous attractions in the Philippines.

Before my visit, I imagined rolling brown hills stretching to the horizon like giant chocolate drops.

Instead, I found hundreds of perfectly shaped green hills.

Lots and lots of green hills.

Don’t get me wrong—they’re unique and worth seeing. But I also couldn’t help wondering whether the name “Chocolate Hills” might be the greatest tourism marketing campaign in Philippine history.

After all, people get excited about chocolate.

The hills themselves only turn brown during the dry season, and when I visited they looked more like giant green gumdrops than chocolate kisses.

Still, standing at the viewpoint and seeing hundreds of nearly identical cone-shaped hills scattered across the landscape was undeniably fascinating.

Here’s what it was actually like to visit the Chocolate Hills in Bohol.

Why Are They Called the Chocolate Hills?

The Chocolate Hills get their name from the dry season, when the grass covering the hills turns brown.

From a distance, the landscape supposedly resembles thousands of chocolate candies spread across the countryside.

The catch?

For much of the year, they’re green.

Very green.

When I visited, there wasn’t much chocolate about them at all.

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

That’s one reason some travelers leave feeling slightly underwhelmed. Expectations are built around the famous name, but whether you see “chocolate” hills depends heavily on the time of year.

Even so, the unusual shapes make the landscape unlike anything else I’ve seen elsewhere in Southeast Asia.

Are the Chocolate Hills Worth Visiting?

Yes — but with realistic expectations.

The Chocolate Hills aren’t the most dramatic natural wonder I’ve ever visited.

They don’t have the scale of the Grand Canyon, the wildlife of Borneo, or the wow factor of swimming alongside whale sharks.

What they do offer is something unusual.

More than a thousand nearly identical hills rise from the landscape in every direction, creating a scene that almost feels artificial.

From the main viewpoint, the pattern becomes obvious and surprisingly impressive.

Would I fly to the Philippines just to see them?

No.

Would I visit them if I’m already exploring Bohol?

Absolutely.

They’re one of those places that’s worth seeing once, even if your reaction ends up being, “Huh… that’s actually pretty weird.”

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!

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.

Why do the Chocolate Hills in Bohol sometimes not look like Chocolate?

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.

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.

More Than Just the Chocolate Hills

Most travelers visit Bohol to see the famous Chocolate Hills, but the island offers more than just unusual landscapes.

One of my favorite experiences was seeing the rare Philippine Tarsier, one of the world’s smallest primates. With enormous eyes and the ability to rotate its head almost 180 degrees, the tarsier looks like something straight out of a science fiction movie. If you’re already making the trip to the Chocolate Hills, I highly recommend adding a visit to see the Philippine Tarsiers as well.

Together, the Chocolate Hills and tarsiers make Bohol one of the most unique destinations in the 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 other good websites. Each has additional facts and photos.

Other quality sources: Bohol.ph, Bohol-Philippines, TripAdvisor.

Bohol Was Just One Stop On My Philippines Adventure

While the Chocolate Hills are one of the Philippines’ most famous landmarks, they were only a small part of my time in the country.

Elsewhere in the Philippines I snorkeled with whale sharks, searched for thresher sharks off Malapascua Island, sampled unusual local foods, and experienced some of the country’s most memorable wildlife encounters.

If you’re planning a trip, check out my complete Philippines Travel Guide, where I’ve collected all of my Philippines stories, travel experiences, and destination recommendations in one place.