Chocolate Hills
More Than A Thousand Conical Limestone Hills Across The Middle Of Bohol, Which Turn Brown In The Dry Season And Whose Origin Is Still Argued Over · Carmen, Bohol
SOMETHING OVER A THOUSAND CONICAL HILLS STAND ACROSS THE MIDDLE OF BOHOL, REGULAR ENOUGH THAT PEOPLE ASSUME THEY MUST BE MAN-MADE, spread over fifty-odd square kilometres and covered in grass that GOES BROWN IN THE DRY SEASON - which is where the name comes from and which means the hills are green for most of the year. THEY ARE LIMESTONE, and HOW THEY FORMED IS STILL GENUINELY ARGUED OVER: marine limestone uplifted and weathered into karst cones is the usual account, but the mechanism that produced such uniform shapes is not settled. THE STANDARD VIEW IS THE CARMEN COMPLEX, up a flight of steps to a platform. THE 2013 BOHOL EARTHQUAKE DAMAGED SOME OF THE HILLS AND THE VIEWING COMPLEX ITSELF. The tarsiers nearby are the other draw and the row has something to say about which sanctuary to use. Use the Philippine Tarsier Sanctuary at Corella, which enforces no touching and no flash; roadside operations that let visitors hold a tarsier are harmful and should be refused.
Chocolate Hills, Carmen, Bohol, Carmen, Bohol, Philippines
THE CARMEN VIEWING COMPLEX IS ABOUT AN HOUR AND A HALF FROM TAGBILARAN, and Bohol is reached by air into TAGBILARAN or PANGLAO, or by fast ferry from CEBU. THE COMPLEX KEEPS DAYTIME HOURS WITH AN ENTRY FEE and the viewpoint is UP A LONG FLIGHT OF STEPS - there is a shuttle up part of the access road but the final stairs remain. SAGBAYAN PEAK is a quieter alternative viewpoint. THE HILLS ARE BROWN ROUGHLY FEBRUARY TO MAY AND GREEN THE REST OF THE YEAR; both are worth seeing and only one matches the name. FOR TARSIERS, USE THE PHILIPPINE TARSIER SANCTUARY AT CORELLA - it is a research and conservation site with strict no-touch, no-flash rules; ROADSIDE OPERATIONS THAT LET YOU HOLD THEM ARE HARMFUL AND SHOULD BE AVOIDED. Typhoon season runs roughly June to November.