A 20-minute flight southeast of Mactan is Bohol Island, which for its relatively small size has much to offer in terms of historical and natural attractions. Legazpi anchored briefly off the island in 1563 and is recorded to have sealed a blood compact with a native chieftain named Sikatuna. The Blood Compact Marker commemorates the site a few miles from the capital, Tagbilaran City. A good road system traverses the entire island. Bohol’s coastline is marked by a fascinating array of picturesque coves and clean white-sand beaches.
But Bohol’s most famous attraction – with which in fact the island has become synonymous – is a unique panorama in the vicinity of Carmen, a town 34 miles (55km) northeast of Tagbilaran. Here several hundred haycock hills formed by limestone, shale and sandstone rise some 100 feet (30 meters) above the flat terrain. These are the Chocolate Hills of Bohol, so-called for the confectionary spectacle that unfolds at the height of summer when their sparse grass cover turns dry and brown.