The Chocolate Hills are a distinctive group of nearly uniform, cone-shaped limestone hills in the interior of Bohol, an island province in the Central Visayas region of the Philippines. Their grass-covered slopes turn brown during the dry season, giving the landscape its name. The hills are recognised as a major geological and natural attraction of Bohol.
Quick facts
- Location: Bohol, Central Visayas, Philippines
- Landscape type: Conical karst hills formed from limestone
- Number protected by proclamation: About 1,776 hills
- Approximate elevation range: 100–500 metres in the UNESCO tentative-list description
- Best-known viewing area: Carmen, Bohol
- Protected status: Chocolate Hills Natural Monument
- National geological recognition: Declared a National Geological Monument in 1988
- UNESCO status: Included on the Philippines’ Tentative List, not the World Heritage List
Location and distribution
The Chocolate Hills are found across the central part of Bohol. The protected landscape extends through several municipalities, including Carmen, Batuan, Sagbayan, Bilar, Valencia and Sierra Bullones. The hills are spread over a broad inland area rather than forming a single mountain or isolated peak.
Carmen is one of the best-known places from which visitors view the formations. The local tourism office describes the landscape as a wide area of smooth, similarly shaped hills in central Bohol. The surrounding countryside includes rural settlements, farms and roads linking the municipalities.
Geology and formation
The Chocolate Hills are a form of conical karst topography. Their underlying material is limestone associated with ancient marine and coral deposits. Over geological time, the deposits were uplifted above sea level and fractured. Rainwater and groundwater gradually dissolved and eroded the soluble rock, while streams and surface drainage helped shape the hills into the rounded, steep-sided forms visible today.
The Bohol provincial tourism office explains the landscape as a karst formation developed from a former platform of coral reefs and limestone. UNESCO’s tentative-list description also identifies uplifted coral deposits and the action of rainwater and erosion as important processes in the formation of the hills.
The hills are notable for their relatively regular shapes and broad distribution. The UNESCO description gives an elevation range of approximately 100 to 500 metres above sea level for the hills and their immediate surroundings. Individual hills differ in size and profile, but their repeated conical appearance creates the landscape’s characteristic pattern.
Why are they called the Chocolate Hills?
The hills are covered mainly by grass and low vegetation. During wetter months, the slopes appear green. In the dry season, the grass becomes dry and brown, making the hills resemble rows of chocolate mounds when viewed from a distance. The name describes this seasonal colour change; the hills are not made of chocolate and are not permanently brown.
The exact appearance varies with rainfall and local conditions. A visitor may see green hills during the rainy season and a more brown landscape during drier periods.
Protected status and conservation
The Chocolate Hills were recognised as a National Geological Monument on 18 June 1988 because of their scientific and geomorphological value. Philippine Presidential Proclamation No. 1037, issued on 1 July 1997, declared approximately 1,776 hills and surrounding areas a natural monument. The proclamation identified the municipalities in Bohol where the protected landscape is located and established protection for its natural beauty.
The Chocolate Hills were submitted to UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre Tentative List in 2006. A Tentative List is an inventory of places a country may consider for future nomination. Inclusion on that list is not the same as inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The hills should therefore be described as a Philippine natural monument and a UNESCO Tentative List property, not as an already inscribed World Heritage Site.
Conservation concerns include protecting the landforms and vegetation, managing development and tourism, and preventing activities that damage the landscape. The legal designation provides a framework for safeguarding the area, while responsible visitor behaviour helps reduce pressure on the environment.
Tourism and viewing the hills
The Chocolate Hills are among Bohol’s best-known natural attractions. Visitors commonly view the landscape from elevated viewpoints in the Carmen area, where the repeated hills can be seen across the surrounding countryside. The wider region also offers opportunities to learn about Bohol’s geology, rural communities and natural heritage.
Facilities, access arrangements and local visitor rules may change. Travellers should check current information from the Bohol provincial tourism office or the relevant municipal tourism office before visiting, particularly during severe weather or periods of maintenance.
Natural and scientific importance
The hills are valuable because they show how limestone landscapes can be shaped by uplift, chemical weathering and erosion. Their repeated forms make the area visually striking, but they also provide a natural example of karst processes. The surrounding Bohol landscape contains other geological and biological features, and the province has developed a broader geopark and natural-heritage programme.
Frequently asked questions
Where are the Chocolate Hills?
They are in central Bohol in the Central Visayas region of the Philippines, across several municipalities including Carmen, Batuan and Sagbayan.
How many Chocolate Hills are there?
Philippine Presidential Proclamation No. 1037 refers to approximately 1,776 hills. The number is an official approximate figure, not a count of every individual mound visible in every survey.
Why do the Chocolate Hills turn brown?
The hills are covered with grass. During the dry season the grass dries and becomes brown, while wetter conditions make the slopes green.
Are the Chocolate Hills a UNESCO World Heritage Site?
No. They are included on the Philippines’ UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List, which is a preliminary inventory of potential nominations. Tentative List status does not mean that a property has been inscribed on the World Heritage List.
How were the Chocolate Hills formed?
They are limestone karst formations shaped over a long period by uplift, rainwater, groundwater and erosion.
References
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Chocolate Hills Natural Monument — tentative-list status, location, elevation and geological description.
- Philippine Presidential Proclamation No. 1037 (1997) — legal declaration of the Chocolate Hills Natural Monument.
- Bohol Provincial Tourism Office, Carmen — local description of the karst landscape and its geological formation.
- Philippines Biodiversity Management Bureau, Protected Area Information System — protected-area profile and physical features.