There are at least 1,260 hills but there may be as many as 1,776 hills spread over an area of more than 50 square kilometres (20 sq mi). They are covered in green grass that turns brown (like chocolate) during the dry season, hence the name. The Chocolate Hills is a famous tourist attraction of Bohol.

The Chocolate Hills are a group of unusually shaped hills located in the middle of the island of Bohol in Philippines.

It is unknown how many chocolate hills there are. It is known that at the bare minimum there are 1268 hills but some estimates put this number as high as 1776.

The hills are not big, the highest one barely reaches 120 meters in height. Even so, most hills are between 30 and 50 meters. The conical Chocolate hills are scattered within a fifty square kilometer area.

Mystery still surrounds how the Chocolate Hills were formed. One of the more popular local legends is that long ago, two giants fought for days, hurling earth and stones at one another, until they fell exhausted, friends once more, into each other’s arms.

More romantic is the handsome young giant, Arogo, who fell in love with a mortal woman. When, as mortals must, she Chocolate Hills Died, the giant wept, his great teardrops turning into the Chocolate Hills.

However geologists have differing views about how these hills were formed. One plausible theory is that they are weathered formations of a marine limestone lying on top of an impenetrable clay base.

Whatever their origin, being in their presence is a surreal experience, and as landscapes go, one of the most bizarre you can encounter.

At the end of the dry season, the famous hills earn their name when the grass turns from green to brown. At all times, they retain a uniform look as, curiously, no trees or clumps of shrubs will grow on them.