Tarsier Sanctuary
A twelve-centimetre primate found only here, which can die of noise.
Duration
45 min – 1 hr
Best time
Early morning
Open
Every day
Entry price
To confirm
The Philippine tarsier is twelve centimetres long, weighs a hundred and thirty grams, and its eyes are bigger than its brain: each eyeball is the size of its whole braincase. It cannot move them, hence a neck that turns a hundred and eighty degrees.
It is nocturnal, solitary and extremely sensitive to stress: in badly run captivity it injures itself against the bars or stops eating. The Philippine foundation's sanctuary at Corella keeps it semi-wild in fenced forest — silence required, no flash, a set distance. The paying roadside enclosures are precisely what to avoid.
Getting there
Philippine Tarsier Foundation sanctuary at Corella, fourteen kilometres from Tagbilaran. Twenty-five minutes by road.
What the price covers
sanctuary entry fee, rate to be checked on site
Rules on site
Complete silence, no flash, never touch: a stressed tarsier can kill itself against a branch. The guides say so, and it should be taken seriously.
