Philippine Tarsier Sanctuary

Overview

The Philippine Tarsier Sanctuary protects the Philippine tarsier, Carlito syrichta, in a forest reserve in Bohol’s interior. It is one of the world’s smallest primates — four to five ounces, no larger than an adult hand — with brown eyes fixed in their sockets, so the animal turns its whole head to shift its gaze. It is nocturnal, sleeping in the foliage by day, which is the reason the sanctuary is laid out the way it is.

The site is a managed patch of natural forest where tarsiers roost undisturbed, watched from set paths rather than handled or caged. Access stays regulated to keep stress on the animals to a minimum — this is a conservation site first, with viewing controlled in manner and duration rather than left open to whoever shows up.

Note on which facility this is: Bohol has two distinct tarsier-viewing operations that are often confused — the Corella site run by the Philippine Tarsier Foundation, Inc. (PTFI), and a separate, commercially run “Bohol Tarsier Conservation Area” near Loboc/Bilar that has drawn press criticism for closer, more exhibit-like viewing conditions. A SunStar Cebu editorial contrasts the two directly: it describes the Corella site as a 167-hectare “social forestry site” with a guided Tarsier Trail through wild habitat, versus the Loboc site where animals are kept in more accessible enclosures for quick photo-stop tours. The regulated, no-caging, conservation-first description in this file matches the Corella/PTFI model, not the Loboc site — this entry is assessed as describing the Corella sanctuary (the same facility as philippine-tarsier-foundation-inc.md and tarsier-sanctuary-corella.md in this database, each covering it from a different angle). IUCN status of Near Threatened is confirmed by general reference sources, not the original inventory source.

Location

Corella, Bohol — specifically Barangay Canapnapan, per the Philippine Tarsier Foundation’s own visitor materials. Corella is approximately 7–10 km northeast of Tagbilaran City, in the forested interior of the island. The separate Loboc-area commercial site is further inland along the Loboc–Carmen corridor.

[FACT NEEDED: GPS coordinates of the main sanctuary entrance more precise than the municipal-level estimate in this file’s frontmatter.]

Getting There

From Tagbilaran City: habal-habal or multicab to Corella, approximately 15–20 minutes. The sanctuary is frequently included in Bohol countryside tour itineraries, which typically combine it with the Chocolate Hills, Loboc River, and Baclayon Church. Hired vans from Tagbilaran for full-day tours pass through Corella.

[FACT NEEDED: specific road directions to the sanctuary gate; whether signage is clear from the main road]

Practical Info

• Species: Philippine tarsier (Carlito syrichta) — endemic to southern Philippines
• Conservation status: Near Threatened (IUCN)
• Interaction policy: regulated — no handling, no flash photography
• Viewing: along set paths, animals observed in natural roosting positions
• Admission fee: ₱60 per person, per PTFI’s own visitor information
• Hours: 9:00 AM–4:00 PM
• Guided tours are included with admission; no advance reservation required
• The sanctuary is run by the Philippine Tarsier Foundation, Inc. (PTFI), a non-profit founded in 1996

What to Expect

Along the forest trail, tarsiers are visible on low branches and thin trunks, asleep in their daytime roosting posture — small enough that spotting them takes a deliberate look. Their eyes are proportionally the largest of any mammal relative to body size, and the fixed-socket, full-head-rotation trait is easy to observe at close range from the path.

The setting is secondary-growth forest rather than dense primary jungle, with trails kept maintained and passable. Flash photography and loud noise are restricted for a specific reason: chronically stressed tarsiers are known to self-harm, so the no-flash rule is welfare policy, not atmosphere management.

Notes

• The tarsier is often framed in promotional material as Bohol’s mascot or symbol; the conservation angle is the more accurate framing — the species faces habitat loss and was previously exploited in the roadside pet trade.
• The sanctuary model (natural habitat, no caging) was established specifically in response to earlier practices of keeping tarsiers in small cages for tourist photography.
• [FACT NEEDED: current visitor capacity limits.]
• This entry, philippine-tarsier-foundation-inc.md, and tarsier-sanctuary-corella.md all describe the same real-world Corella facility/organization at different levels of detail; kept as separate files per the source inventory rather than merged.
• Visiting the Tarsiers – Philippine Tarsier Foundation, Inc., accessed 2026-07-17.
• Editorial: Tale of two ‘sanctuaries’ – SunStar Cebu, accessed 2026-07-17.
• Philippine Tarsier Foundation – Wikipedia, accessed 2026-07-17.