Discovering the Natural Wonders of Bohol, Philippines

We’re about two-thirds of the way through our 21-day tour of Southeast Asia and so far we’ve experienced the beautiful city of Singapore, the world’s oldest Chinatown in Manila, the tribal lagoons of Coron, and the resort-heavy island of Boracay. Today, we’re packing up and heading southeast to experience the natural wonders of Bohol—and to find out why this destination is one of the most popular in the Philippines. But once again, getting there means first flying back up to Manila and then catching the connecting flight back down.Unlike the tiny island of Boracay that we just left, Bohol is on the bigger side—it’s the 10th largest in the Philippines. It’s actually one big island and 75 minor surrounding islands. We flew into and staying on one of those minor islands—Panglao—just off the southwestern tip of the main island. In fact, it’s so close that you can drive to it using either of two bridges that span the causeway.The most popular attraction in Bohol is Chocolate Hills: 1,776 limestone hills stretched over 50 square kilometers of the island. They are covered in green grass that turns brown during the dry season, hence the name. Formed by tectonic shifts that pushed them upwards and then smoothed into conical hills by water erosion. These iconic hills are even featured in the 200 Philippine Peso bill.