The Bohol Chocolate Hills are one of the biggest attractions in the Philippines. These unique formations of grass-covered hills are a must-visit destination for any adventurous traveller. Don’t skip it – there’s so much fun you’ll be in heaven!
It’s very easy to reach the Chocolate Hills located on Bohol Island. Initially, we flew from Manila to Bohol-Panglao Airport (AirAsia 45USD one-way) and stayed in Tagbilaran city (located 16 km from the airport).
Bohol Chocolate Hills - how to get there?
To get to the Bohol Chocolate Hills in Bohol from Tagbilaran, you need to reach Dao Bus Terminal.
Take any tuk-tuk to reach the bus station (it should not cost you more than 50 pesos). It’s a decent terminal, quite well organised with plenty of buses taking different directions across the island, the one you are looking for is to Carmen – the nearest town to the Chocolate Hills.
Buses are well marked and you will have no problem in finding the right one – most of them are yellow (bright green) colour. Some buses take a slightly longer route to Carmen, leading through local towns – the ride will take 1.5-2h. Buses from Tagbilaran Dao Bus Station to Carmen run daily every hour from 6 am.
The Dao Bus Station is in the below photo.
On the way back, just catch a bus on the main road. Sometimes the buses are full, so to avoid this, you may reach Carmen town to secure a seat in the bus.
If you miss any of the buses, there is always an alternative – a habal-habal, motorcycle taxi. I have only see it in Philipines and it’s brilliant! In the rest of Asian countries tuk tuks would be common transportation. Negotiate the price before you get in but the fares are really acceptable. The 16 km ride from the airport cost us 500 pesos for two people with luggage.
If you prefer to see the Bohol Chocolate Hills from Sagbayan Peak, take a bus from Tagbilaran to Sagbayan and use habal habal to take you to other free viewing decks.
Where is the best viewing point for the Bohol Chocolate Hills?
One thing you won’t be able to do is hike the Bohol Chocolate Hills. It is only possible to reach the viewing point and admire the landscape from a distance. There are many viewing points around the Chocolate Hills in Bohol. The best one and most favourite viewing deck is the ‘Chocolate Hills Complex Viewpoint’.
It’s located just ahead of Carmen town, so ask the bus to drop you off near the viewpoint. It is located 55 km from Tagbilaran and gives one of the best views of the surrounding green hills.
Best time to visit Bohol Chocolate Hills.
Despite the fact we were traveling out of dry season, these grass covered hills were beautiful green colour with great visibility and no rain.
Dry months are from January to May.
September falls i the middle of hot and rainy season lasting from August till November. We had 33 degrees with quite windy and humid weather.
Check the most popular ‘Chocolate hills tour with Tarsier & Loboc river Buffet Lunch (half-day tour)’.
Entry Fee to Bohol Chocolate Hills.
First, you need to obtain a ticket – which is ONLY available at the PARKING PLACE! (see the photo). The entry fee is 100 Pesos (updated price, September 2023). Once you get your ticket, you have two options:
- you can take a FREE shuttle bus (4 minutes ride), which will drop you at the top of the hill (with only 200 steps to take to the Complex viewing top), or
- you can walk all the way to the top, which is a lovely, pleasant 15 minutes walk and gives you a chance to see the biggest spiders on this globe! – just look aside for spider webs!
Best place to stay near Bohol Chocolate Hills.
We spent a few days in Bohol around the Chocolate Hills, so we had plenty of time to explore all the attractions, and we changed our accommodation a few times.
Absolutely brilliant place, with great, friendly and helpful reception is in Tagbilaran – RedDoorz@Caimito Drive Dampas for around 12-14 USD per night. The complex is brilliant, the staff is amazing and always ready to advice on any transportation query, food order or transport organizing. Massages are available for 650 pesos/booking in advance is required. All accommodation options can be explored on agoda.com.
A convenient option is Gomez Guest House in Tagbilaran, highly rated around 20 USD per night.
If you choose to stay near Carmen town and Chocolate Hills Viewing Point, there’s plenty of fabulous and cheap accommodations:
- MIOKI Hometel – SuperB: around 11-12 USD per room,
- Fely’s Homestay – around 9-10USD.
Best activities to do in Chocolate Hills.
Here are some of the best activities you can enjoy while exploring the Chocolate Hills:
- Amazing BOHOL Countryside tour – the tour starts with a hassle-free pick-up from your Tagbilaran City or Panglao Island hotel and takes you through most beautiful spots!
- Enjoy BOHOL Day tour from Cebu or amazing Bohol Countryside Tour by Southwest Tour to discover coral reefs, unusual geographical formations and beauty of Bohol island.
Are Bohol Chocolate Hills worth visiting?
You decide 😉 You will find different opinions online about whether the Bohol Chocolate Hills in Bohol are worth visiting. In my opinion, it is a very unusual landscape, the area is not too crwoded and there’s plenty of fabulous attractions.
It is a lovely destination for a 1 or 2-day trip, as long as you merge it with other adventurous activities in the area. There are plenty of things to do, especially for adrenaline lovers!
Once you are at the top, you only need to climb 200 steps to reach a viewing terrace for memorable photos. The crowd was manageable in early September.
I would recommend these 3 top-rated tours to see tarsier and the best of the hills:
Adventures in Bohol Chococlate Hills.
One of the most amazing attractions in the area is Chocolate Hills Adventure Park – you can get a ticket on Klook. However, this outdoor attraction is purely for adventurous travellers – especially the bike-zipline.
Chocolate Hills Adventure Park is located within walking distance from the Bohol Chocolate Hills Viewing point, but if you don’t feel like walking you will be offered a motorbike ride (even for free – they get comission for bringing visitors to the Adventure Park).
The whole package costs 1300 Pesos (while a single attraction would be around 550 pesos). The whole fun is for at least 2hours depending on how actively This includes:
- 550-metre BIKE-ZIPLINE
- SURF ZIPLINE
- TREE ROPE CHALLENGES (wasn’t that easy at all 😉 but it’s lots of fun!)
All these activities run among charming surroundings of the Bohol Chocolate Hills.
ATV in Bohol Chocolate Hills.
There’s a brilliant ATV in Bohol – riding an ATV is a very enjoyable way to explore the Chocolate Hills. You can choose from a guided tour or simply enjoy exploring on your own. The roads between the Chocolate Hills are well-maintained and it’s not possible to get lost. Few local companies are offering the tours, the cost will be around 900-1000 pesos for a one hour tour on an ATV and 1500 pesos for a buggy. The ATV adventure is located just on the way to the Chocolate Hills Viewing point.
ATV adventure (All-Terrain Vehicle) ride through the Chocolate Hills is a thrilling off-road adventure, navigate through the rugged landscape and explore the hills up close!
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