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The Chocolate Hills are a Natural Monument, protected under Proclamation No. 1037 of 1 July 1997, which counts 1,776 of them across six towns in the middle of Bohol. They are the image on the provincial postcards and the turning point of every countryside tour. Most visitors see them from one place: the hilltop viewing deck at the Chocolate Hills Complex in Carmen.
Seeing them is easy. The climb is short, the view is wide, and a tour gets you there and back without thinking about the road. What helps is knowing when the grass is brown, how much time you get on the deck, and what you may pay at the gate.
The quick answer
The Chocolate Hills are in Carmen, about 1.5 hours by road from Panglao. The main view is from a deck at the Chocolate Hills Complex, about 214 steps up. Plan 30 to 60 minutes. The grass turns brown in the dry season, December to May, and is green the rest of the year. A DENR protected-area fee (₱100 for foreign visitors since December 2022) applies, and most shared tours collect their entrance and environmental fees of about ₱500 on the day, per the listings.
Where are the Chocolate Hills and how do you get there?
In central Bohol, mainly around Carmen, about 55 km from Tagbilaran and about 1.5 hours by road from Panglao. Most visitors arrive on a countryside tour.
The protected area covers about 14,145 hectares in Carmen, Batuan, Sagbayan, Bilar, Valencia and Sierra Bullones, per the 1997 proclamation. The road from the coast climbs through Loboc and the Bilar mahogany forest, and the hills appear suddenly, first one, then dozens, on both sides of the road.
The Chocolate Hills Complex in Carmen is the main viewpoint and the stop every tour uses. A countryside tour is the simple way to reach it: pickup at your hotel, the forest and the tarsiers on the same road, and back by late afternoon. Our itinerary guide shows where the hills fit in the day.
How many Chocolate Hills are there?
1,776, per Proclamation No. 1037 of 1997, which made them the Chocolate Hills Natural Monument. They rise about 30 to 120 metres.
The proclamation counts "1,776 more or less" hills and puts them under the control of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), with quarrying and other damaging activities banned. That is still the legal count in 2026.
You may read about a lower number. An amended bill in Congress, House Bill No. 831, proposes narrowing strict national protection to fewer hills. It is pending, so nothing has changed on the ground, and the view from the deck is the same as ever.
How were the Chocolate Hills formed?
They began as a coral reef platform under the sea about 2 to 5 million years ago, in the Pliocene. The limestone was lifted up, cracked, and slowly dissolved by rain and groundwater into cones.
That is the geology given by the Bohol Provincial Tourism Office on its Carmen page: a cone karst landscape of smooth, uniformly shaped isolated hills in the centre of the island. Grass covers the limestone.
Local legend has a livelier version. Two giants fought for days, throwing stones and sand at each other, then made friends and left without cleaning up. Guides love telling it. The landscape is a big reason Bohol became the Philippines' first UNESCO Global Geopark in 2023.
Why is Bohol so famous?
For the Chocolate Hills and the Philippine tarsier first, then the beaches of Panglao, the Spanish-era churches and its status as the Philippines' first UNESCO Global Geopark (2023).
Few places put this much in one day's drive. The hills are a Natural Monument since 1997. The tarsier, one of the world's smallest primates, lives in the forest at Corella. Baclayon Church, with roots in 1596, and Loboc Church were both restored after the 2013 earthquake. And off Panglao there are dolphins at sunrise and turtles on Balicasag's reef.
Why are they called the Chocolate Hills? In the dry season the grass on the cones dries out and turns brown, and rows of them look like chocolate drops. From June to November they are bright green.
★★★★★An amazing experience seeing tarsiers and chocolate hills!! Tarsiers are so tiny and cute. The Chocolate hills were as green as matcha and many of it!
A guide and a van for the Chocolate Hills and the tarsiers, at a low price, with pickup in Panglao.
Check dates for the guided Chocolate Hills and tarsiers tourHow many steps are there at the Chocolate Hills?
About 214 steps lead from the car park to the viewing deck at the Chocolate Hills Complex.
The staircase is steep but simple, with railings and landings to catch your breath. At the top a wide deck gives a view in every direction. Tours give you 30 to 60 minutes here, enough for the climb, photos and a slow look around.
- Go early or late if your tour allows it: the light is softer and the heat lower.
- Wear real shoes, not flip-flops, for the steps.
- Bring water and a hat: the deck has little shade.
- Expect more people on weekends, at Holy Week and around Christmas.
How much is the entrance fee to the Chocolate Hills?
DENR has charged a protected-area fee since December 2022: ₱100 for foreign visitors, ₱30 for Filipino adults. At the complex, around ₱100 to 150 has been reported. On most shared tours the fees are collected as about ₱500 per person on the day, per the listings.
The DENR receipt is valid for three days and covers other sites inside the protected area (Philippine Information Agency, 2023). Children under 7, seniors and persons with disability are exempt from that fee. The ₱500 that tours collect bundles the entrance and environmental fees for the main stops of the day.
Prefer to have it all paid? These tours include the entrance fees, per their listings:
| Tour | From | Hills fee |
|---|---|---|
| Fees and paddleboard included | $44 | Included |
| Private van and driver-guide | $38 | Included |
| Fees and river lunch included | $64 | Included |
| ATV ride and river lunch | $110 | Included |
| Countryside tour from Panglao | $41 | ₱500 fees on the day |
The full loop with every entrance fee paid, Baclayon Church at the end of the day and a paddleboard session on the Loboc River.
Explore the countryside tour with paddleboard Tour detailsWhat is changing at the Chocolate Hills in 2026?
In October 2026 the province, Carmen and DENR began reviewing fee collection and viewpoint management at the Chocolate Hills; no change for visitors has been announced.
The talks, held in Tagbilaran on 21 October 2026 with a public consultation the next day, covered trimming trees that block the view, maintaining the hills designated for ecotourism, and how entrance fees are shared to fund the protected area's management board (Bohol Island News). No closures, new hours or fee amounts came out of them.
The background is the 2024 controversy over Captain's Peak, a resort inside the protected area in Sagbayan that was shut down in March 2024. Our post on the 2026 measures follows the story.
What else can you do at the Chocolate Hills?
Ride an ATV on trails between the hills, climb Taytay Hills for a quieter view, or stop at Sagbayan Peak in Sagbayan.
The ATV trails near Carmen are the favourite add-on. The ATV tour with the river lunch includes a 1-hour, 12 km ride, the hills and tarsier entry, and the buffet on the Loboc River. Per the listing, it does not suit pregnant women or people with heart or blood pressure conditions.
For space and quiet, Taytay Hills in Carmen offers wide views over the countryside, hiking and bird watching (Carmen tourism page, tourism.bohol.gov.ph). Sunrise and late afternoon give the softest light anywhere in the hills.
An hour on an ATV trail between the hills, then a buffet lunch on the Loboc River, with the fees included.
Explore the ATV ride with the Loboc River lunch Tour detailsFrequently asked questions
Are the Chocolate Hills a UNESCO site?
They are a Natural Monument, protected since 1997, and part of the Bohol Island UNESCO Global Geopark, the Philippines' first, designated in 2023.
When are the Chocolate Hills brown?
In the dry season, December to May, when the grass dries out. From June to November they are green.
How long do you spend at the Chocolate Hills?
Tours usually give 30 to 60 minutes: enough to climb about 214 steps to the deck, take photos and come down.
Can you visit the Chocolate Hills from Cebu in a day?
Yes, with a long day: the fast ferry to Tagbilaran takes about 2 hours, and day tours from Cebu City take about 14 hours with the ferry, fees and lunch included.
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Choose your tour
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before on every option. Prices are from-prices in USD and move with the season.
Bohol Countryside Tour: Chocolate Hills & Tarsiers
- Hotel pickup and drop-off in Panglao
- Air-conditioned van
- Local coordinators who handle the lines
Chocolate Hills & Countryside Tour with Paddleboard
The full loop with Baclayon Church and a paddle on the Loboc
Chocolate Hills ATV Ride & Loboc River Lunch
An hour on an ATV trail near the hills
