Surviving the Chocolate Hills Adventure Park challenge

The last stop of our whole-day countryside tour was a visit to the Chocolate Hills Adventure Park (CHAP). Since the original view deck has been damaged by the earthquake in October, tourists are instead brought to this new establishment in Carmen, Bohol.

Welcome to Chocolate Hills Adventure Park (CHAP).

To get a breathtaking view of the famous chocolates hills of the province, you need to climb 248 steps to get to the CHAP’s view point. But it’s worth the sweat when you get to see the sweeping panorama of grass-covered hills.

248 steps. Let's do this!

Easy!

The hills are alive.

You can also see the original view deck from the CHAP view deck. It's not as high as the original but the view is breathtaking nonetheless.

The original view deck (top, extreme left) as seen from the CHAP view deck.

This writer at the CHAP view deck.

It’s also up there that you can experience the CHAP Bike Zip. It’s basically riding a bicycle in the sky—suspended 100 ft from the ground! The Bike Zip is 275 meters per way so just imagine the thrill and chills you get when you’re up there. You get to bike from one chocolate hill to another.

Unfortunately, it was raining at the time of our visit so we were not given the green light to try the Bike Zip.

Are you game?
Photo courtesy of the park's Facebook page

But the Bike Zip is only the appetizer. Down the view deck is the 9-course adventure trail that four of us from the Bohol media team (Inquirer's Walter Villa, DZRH's Ruth Abao and boyfriend Jon) tried to conquer. The course became even more challenging because the rain would not stop pouring down. Hence, the slippery steps in all nine courses.

Thanks to Walter Villa’s GoPro camera, we have proof that, yes, we completed all nine courses to join the elite circle of only a few people who finished this adventure. 

And oh, I am proud to say that the staff told me I AM THE FIRST FILIPINA TO COMPLETE THE CHALLENGING NINE COURSES AT THE CHOCOLATE HILLS ADVENTURE PARK (CHAP)!!!

These are the nine courses that tested our strength, endurance, strategy and most of all, patience:

1. Hanging Bridge (2 stages)

2. Islands in the Sky

3. Burma Loops

4. Burma Planks

5. Earthquake

6. Vine Walk

7. Jacob’s Walk

8. Tyrolean

9. Zipline

The last two courses are actually a combination of zipline and tyrolean. You only get to zipline on half of the course and then you do the tyrolean traverse for the rest of the course. Leaving the course is as adventurous as you rappel your way down.

The park also features a restaurant, souvenir shop, events place (there was a wedding reception going on when we were there), pockets gardens, and serpentarium.

Pathway to the restaurant and souvenir shop (to the left) and events place (to the right).

Souvenirs, anyone?

Viewing deck, straight ahead. Serpentarium, turn left.

The place was not yet fully operational when we were there. But it has already been visited by tourists, including America’s Next Top Model winner Sophie Sumners (who wasn't able to finish the course because she's afraid of heights). I believe CHAP is now open to the public. Check out details here.