HomeAsiaPhilippinesVisayasBoholBohol Tarsier Sanctuary: My Search for Tarsiers in Bohol By Marcos Detourist on November 3, 2010Seeing the cute furry tarsiers was my number one agenda when I was in Bohol. Where exactly does one go to experience a close encounter with these highly celebrated critters? Well, there’s a number of places scattered throughout Bohol but the best place would be the tarsier sanctuary in the town of Corella. It’s a bit out of the way from the main tourist trail of Bohol but it was worth the effort. Not only did I get the chance to get real close to a few tarsiers , I also had the satisfaction of supporting the protection of these highly endangered species. Getting up close to “happy” tarsiers housed at the Philippine Tarsier Sanctuary in Corella, Bohol.Getting to the Tarsier SanctuaryThe tarsier sanctuary established by the Philippine Tarsier Foundation is located in the town of Corella, approximately a 25 minute commute from Tagbilaran City. From the city proper, I took a tricycle (P30) to the Dao Integrated Jeepney/Bus Terminal conveniently located beside the Island City Mall. When I got there, I discovered that there were also passenger jeepneys that go from the city proper to “ICM” or “Dao Terminal” for just P7. Jeepney stationed at Tagbilaran’s Dao Terminal located beside the Island City Mall.The tarsier sanctuary is located past the town proper of Corella … so I looked for a jeep bound for Sikatuna, the town after Corella. If you drop off at Corella town proper, you need to take an additional tricycle ride to get to the tarsier sanctuary. There wasn’t any “Sikatuna” jeeps when I arrived and it took (a long) 30 minutes until one made an appearance then another 45 minutes to wait for other passengers. The jeep dropped up off along the highway at the 14 kilometer mark (P10 fare). From there, it was a 15 minute walk to the entrance of the tarsier sanctuary.Close Encounter with the TarsiersI paid P20 for the entrance fee to the tarsier sanctuary and waited at the reception area where a quaint exhibit of the tarsier protection program built up my anticipatory excitement. My guide took me to a fenced up area of the forest where a few of the tarsiers were housed. We then had to navigate through the shrubs and trees to look for the tiny critters. It took us a while but we finally found one shyly hiding behind the leaves of a low branch. It was sooooo cute … it even gave me (what I like to think) was a friendly smirk.I didn’t want to stay with just one tarsier for a long time so we went ahead to find the others. We found another one resting high up a tree. Tarsiers are nocturnal creatures … I probably woke this one up during its sleep because it had its eyes half-shut. I seriously had to restrain myself from climbing one of the trees so I could take a closer look at this Yoda lookalike.After getting a few shots, we went back to the 1st tarsier … I still couldn’t get enough of its cute smile. Luckily, it had moved to a better spot where I could get a unobstructed view of it. I was so ecstatic to find a very willing model for my tarsier photoshoot. I moved in closer, perhaps too close for comfort, when it suddenly gave me a super huge smile and then leaped away from view. Tarsiers are known for their extreme sensitivity to stress, what I thought was a fun smile could have been a sign of agitation for being too “in your face”.I was told there were less than 10 tarsiers in the fenced up area. Not only does it provide a more convenient viewing area for visitors but it also keeps the tarsiers away from stray cats and other predators. Although the fenced up area is basically just a blown-up cage, there’s a lot of room for the tarsiers to move around and, in my opinion, much better than the sorry conditions of other tarsier cages in Bohol.I went to one tarsier cage at Sagbayan Peak (Chocolate Hills Viewdeck) … the caretaker there grabbed one tarsier and put it in my arm for a picture. I felt bad for the tarsier considering how deprived it was of sleep because of the constant disturbance of visiting tourists.The Tarsier Sanctuary takes up 134 hectares of Corella’s forested areas. I skipped going to the inner parts of the sanctuary because I wanted to spend the rest of the day in Panglao Island. If I had more time, I would’ve loved to explore the trails and elevated viewing decks spread out in various parts of the sanctuary, where the tarsiers (hundreds more of them) can be observed in their natural habitat.On my way back to Tagbilaran, I made a stopover at Corella’s town proper to visit its old Spanish-colonial Church before heading off to the island paradise called Panglao.Don’t leave yet. There’s more!Bohol Backpacking Tour via CebuBohol Chocolate Hills: Sagbayan and Carmen ViewdecksMisty morning at the Chocolate Hills of BoholCebu to Tubigon, Bohol via Starcraft Ferry3 Days Bohol & Panglao Itinerary - DIY Solo Tips & GuideCebu, Bohol, Cagayan de Oro, Ozamiz - DIY Travel Tips &…Comments pizzalicious saysNovember 5, 2010 at 12:23 pmCuties indeed :) Interesting, informative and helpful post as always Marc. This will be a sure stop the next time we visit Bohol. chymera00 saysDecember 2, 2010 at 3:23 amThanks pizzalicious! cheap flights philippines saysJanuary 17, 2011 at 11:55 amTarsiers are quite 1 of our country’s treasures, so lucky that you have seen one up close already. Living the city life makes me envious of your journeys. Give us travel tips rin ok so that when we decide to go astray, may mga guides :) bem & weng saysFebruary 2, 2011 at 10:55 pmVery cute photos of tarsiers! They are also one of the reasons why we went to Bohol. And not to mention the fishes in Balicasag. They are so beautiful. :)Bohol. One of our favorites. :) chymera00 saysFebruary 11, 2011 at 11:26 amBalicasag sounds interesting, I’ll consider it next time I go to Bohol. Thanks for the heads up! Rayman saysMarch 7, 2011 at 11:02 amI went to bohol back 2009 and went back again recently to adventure. I just feel sad when I’ve heard that tarsiers are being exploited by many locals as tourist attraction. Tarsiers got easily stress if you hold or touch them. This is not good for them. I hope local goverment will put more effort on protecting the species.Bohol is a nice place to unwind, adventure and relax.If you don’t mind I would like to show you the videos when we went their.Thanks. more power to your blog. chymera00 saysApril 1, 2011 at 2:27 amI feel saddened too. I experienced witnessing tarsiers getting aggravated by tourists and cage handlers first-hand at one of the major tourist spots in Bohol. I hope the LGU can regulate these kinds of activities. dodge_dj saysApril 2, 2011 at 6:42 pmvery informative… I admire you for pursuing what you really wanted and that keeps you for a living… I’m also a nurse, photo “hobbyist” and a traveltologist (in my own right)… but more on “nurse-traveltologist”… . I’d like to ask ’bout the model of Nikon you using in this shoot? chymera00 saysMay 5, 2011 at 2:27 amThanks Dodge. We’re on the same boat! hehe … I used a Nikon D5000 with a Sigma superzoom lens Posting of new comments is disabled temporarily.Connect with Marcos on:Detourista.comMarcosDetourist.comFacebookInstagramTwitterDetourista.comDiscover more travel guides and blogs about the Philippines and beyond by Marcos DetouristChoose your next destination: Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam
pizzalicious saysNovember 5, 2010 at 12:23 pmCuties indeed :) Interesting, informative and helpful post as always Marc. This will be a sure stop the next time we visit Bohol.
cheap flights philippines saysJanuary 17, 2011 at 11:55 amTarsiers are quite 1 of our country’s treasures, so lucky that you have seen one up close already. Living the city life makes me envious of your journeys. Give us travel tips rin ok so that when we decide to go astray, may mga guides :)
bem & weng saysFebruary 2, 2011 at 10:55 pmVery cute photos of tarsiers! They are also one of the reasons why we went to Bohol. And not to mention the fishes in Balicasag. They are so beautiful. :)Bohol. One of our favorites. :)
chymera00 saysFebruary 11, 2011 at 11:26 amBalicasag sounds interesting, I’ll consider it next time I go to Bohol. Thanks for the heads up!
Rayman saysMarch 7, 2011 at 11:02 amI went to bohol back 2009 and went back again recently to adventure. I just feel sad when I’ve heard that tarsiers are being exploited by many locals as tourist attraction. Tarsiers got easily stress if you hold or touch them. This is not good for them. I hope local goverment will put more effort on protecting the species.Bohol is a nice place to unwind, adventure and relax.If you don’t mind I would like to show you the videos when we went their.Thanks. more power to your blog.
chymera00 saysApril 1, 2011 at 2:27 amI feel saddened too. I experienced witnessing tarsiers getting aggravated by tourists and cage handlers first-hand at one of the major tourist spots in Bohol. I hope the LGU can regulate these kinds of activities.
dodge_dj saysApril 2, 2011 at 6:42 pmvery informative… I admire you for pursuing what you really wanted and that keeps you for a living… I’m also a nurse, photo “hobbyist” and a traveltologist (in my own right)… but more on “nurse-traveltologist”… . I’d like to ask ’bout the model of Nikon you using in this shoot?
chymera00 saysMay 5, 2011 at 2:27 amThanks Dodge. We’re on the same boat! hehe … I used a Nikon D5000 with a Sigma superzoom lens