Visit the Tarsiers Sanctuary on a Panglao Island Vacation
Panglao Island in the province of Bohol is a fabulous destination if you love spending time at the beach. Panglao is a tropical paradise adorned with lush green landscapes and white-sand beaches, and it’s surrounded by beautiful turquoise waters. In addition to fantastic opportunities to swim, dive and snorkel, you can tour many of Bohol’s most famous and picturesque attractions from Panglao Island.
There are plenty of beach resorts in Panglao, and you can find accommodations to suit almost any budget. The three main beach strips on the Island are Bolod, Tawala and Doljo. You can take advantage of terrific hotel bargains in one of these beautiful beachfront locations by booking online at HotelsCombined.com.
One attraction you won’t want to miss during your stay in Panglao is the Philippine tarsier (Tarsius syrichta). The tarsier species is estimated to be 45 million years old, but today tarsiers are highly threatened and endangered. The best place to view tarsiers is at the Philippine Tarsier and Wildlife Sanctuary in the forest foothills of Corella.
The Philippine Tarsier Foundation was founded in 1996, and its sanctuary within the municipalities Corella and Sikatuna in Bohol is approximately 167 hectares. The Tarsier Sanctuary is easy to reach from Panglao by taxi. It is located approximately 10 km from Tagbilaran.
You’ll start your tour at the Tarsier Sanctuary’s Visitor’s and Information Center. In addition to a souvenir and gift shop, the Center contains photographs and literature related to the tarsier. You will also see a scale model of the sanctuary here, plus a partial tarsier skeleton.
Next, you’ll tour a special enclosed area of the surrounding forest which houses tarsiers that are being rehabilitated. These tarsiers were originally kept in captivity, and they are more accustomed to and less disturbed by interaction with humans.
There are approximately ten tarsiers kept in the 7,000 square meter enclosed area at the Sanctuary, and it is here that you’ll have an opportunity to view and photograph tarsiers up close. You’ll spy them sitting in branches or clinging to tree trunks. Although the tarsiers remain motionless much of the time, you may see one leap unexpectedly and effortlessly to another tree or branch.
Tarsiers’ huge eyes are mesmerizing, and their unique ability to turn their head a full 180 degrees is amazing to see. The free-roaming tarsiers that inhabit the open spaces of the sanctuary are elusive and shy with humans, just as tarsiers normally are by nature. The Tarsier Sanctuary provides visitors with an opportunity to view and appreciate this beautiful creature in a safe, legal environment in Bohol.
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