November 24, 2021

Chocolate Hills in Bohol, Philippines

Dry, with a chocolaty finish. Chocolate Hills

Each year as the dry season begins in late November, the green grass that covers the rolling, conical mounds in the Bohol province of the Philippines begins to turn brown, transforming the area into endless rows of what look like hills of chocolate. Because of this, the Chocolate Hills has become a robust tourist attraction for the province. The regional government has even constructed a viewing complex in Carmen, a town about 30 miles from the regional capital of Tagbilaran.

While local legend describes the formation of the 20-square miles of hills as either being leftover wreckage from a battle between two giants, or the tears of a heartbroken giant, scientists theorise they were formed over a long stretch of time through a combination of erosion and tectonic processes.