The Hills

24/12/2017

Day trip to Chocolate Hills in Carmen

The Pier in Baclayon

If you are in Bohol and never been to Chocolate Hills then you should go there. We went by hired motorcycle from Tagbilaran and our first stop was the pier in Baclayon. We admired the nice view and took some photos. We also asked around about the boats going to Pamilacan Island. It's funny coz we started ask one guy about this and that and soon there was a bunch of friendly people around us, all smiling and chatted with us. In Baclayon they have one of oldest churches in Bohol, well worth a visit if you are interested.

Baclayon, Bohol Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

The pier in Baclayon

Man-made forest

At Loay we left the busy Tagbilaran East Road and turned left towards Loboc. The traffic is less here and the landscape is beautiful. At Loboc you can do lot's of stuff. Everything from cruise the Loboc River to be adventurous at Loboc Eco-Tourism Adventure Park. We did nothing of that, we just took a short break for lunch since someone was hungry despite breakfast. Kinilaw, lumpia and ampalaya with rice and suddenly someone become happy again. On our way to Carmen we passed the cool and beautiful man-made forest. Cool in the sense not hot. So for me it was a blessing to cool down here for a while in the shadow.

The man-made forest

Carmen and Chocolate Hills

We went on straight for Carmen and the Chocolate Hills. We passed the Tarsier and the Butterfly sanctuary on our way. But we didn't stop there. Finally we arrived at the hills, the entrance fee is 50 PHP per head. You can go with the motorcycle almost all the way up to the observation deck. But the last bit you need to walk. Be prepared for roughly 250 steps in a steep staircase, so load up with water and be handy with your camera. There is an astonishing view waiting for you at the top.

The Chocolate Hills, Carmen, Bohol Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

The entrance up to the observation deck... 250 steps to go

The hills

An explanation how the hills were formed

This is heaven for all selfie photographers

Also heaven for me...

Urduja and Vinta

The typhon Urduja which had hit Philippines a bit more than a week ago and also just the other day, it was the Severe Tropical Storm Vinta which struck in the Northern Mindanao. We here in Bohol were lucky, we had just a couple of days with rain. Today, the day after the storm Vinta, it was sunny, clear and very hot weather here in Bohol. Our thoughts are with those who suffered so hard from these disasters.

Butterfly, Bilar, Bohol Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

The butterfly sanctuary

On our way back to Tagbilaran we passed the Butterfly sanctuary again. This time we stopped and paid a visit, the entrance fee was 45 PHP per head. It included a guide who will teach you about the butterflies and will help you with your selfies. It was nice and interesting to get to know the butterflies a little bit more. There are 10-15 species of butterflies and moths there in the sanctuary. They also have a restaurant where you can refresh your self so you can load your batteries before the next stop which would be the Tarsier Sanctuary.
When we arrived at the Tarsiers, it was too crowded with people so we just sat outside and had some fresh and delicious buko juice. Just 30 PHP each. After finishing our drinks we went straight back to Tagbilaran.