Rajah Sikatuna Protected Landscape

Overview

Rajah Sikatuna Protected Landscape is a protected forest area centred on Bilar, in the interior highlands of Bohol. The park is named after Rajah Sikatuna, the 16th-century Boholano chieftain who signed the Blood Compact with Spanish explorer Miguel López de Legazpi in 1565 — the first formal treaty between the Philippines and a Western nation.

The protected landscape is the largest remaining tract of natural forest on Bohol and serves as habitat for endemic wildlife, including bird species that draw ornithologists and eco-tour operators.

The area was first declared a national park under Proclamation No. 129, s. 1987 (July 10, 1987), then redesignated a Protected Landscape under the National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS Act of 1992) via Proclamation No. 287, s. 2000 (April 23, 2000). The officially proclaimed area is 10,452.60 hectares, spanning eight municipalities: Carmen, Sierra Bullones, Garcia Hernandez, Valencia, Dimiao, Bilar, Loboc, and Batuan. (The Bohol provincial tourism office’s own visitor-facing site instead cites 9,023 hectares, described as comprising 4,700 hectares of natural forest and 1,600 hectares of man-made forest — this figure does not match the proclamation and both are noted here rather than silently reconciled.)

Documented wildlife includes 120+ bird species, among them the endangered streaked reed warbler and Philippine cockatoo, plus the Philippine hawk-eagle, Visayan broadbill, azure-breasted pitta, and Philippine trogon. Six large mammal species are recorded, including the Philippine tarsier, long-tailed macaque, and Philippine flying lemur. The landscape contains over 100 caves with bat and swiftlet populations, rises to Bilar Peak at approximately 1,673 feet (510 m) elevation, and has more than 30 kilometres of marked trails. Four named mountain springs lie within its bounds: Logarita, Anislag, Mabugnao, and Aghuban.

[TO ENRICH: organised birding routes and specific eco-tour operators based in Bilar — not found in available sources.]

Location

Bilar municipality, Bohol. The park encompasses forest land in the municipality’s interior. The main road through Bilar passes through or along the edge of the protected area.

Getting There

From Tagbilaran City, travel inland via Carmen Road toward the Chocolate Hills area, passing through Bilar. Regular bus and jeepney services run between Tagbilaran and Carmen, with stops in Bilar. Travel time from Tagbilaran is approximately 1–1.5 hours. [FACT NEEDED: specific entry point to the park; whether a DENR permit or guide is required; trailhead location.]

Practical Info

• [FACT NEEDED: entrance fee; ranger station contact; guided tour availability; trail map; opening hours — no dedicated visitor-fee source was located distinct from the PENRO environmental fee reported at the Bilar man-made forest (PHP 30 local / PHP 100 foreign, per a January 2020 news report, itself covering the Loboc Watershed Forest Reserve).]
• Birding is a primary activity, best in the early morning before the canopy heats up and the understory goes quiet.
• [FACT NEEDED: full checklist of recorded bird species beyond the headline species named above.]

What to Expect

A forested highland zone in central Bohol, less developed for mass tourism than the Chocolate Hills or Panglao beaches, and — at over 10,000 hectares — the largest remaining natural forest tract on the island. The landscape rewards visitors interested in ecology, birding, or forest trekking, with over 30 km of marked trails and more than 100 documented caves. The Man-Made Forest (a mahogany plantation along the Bilar road) is a well-photographed feature in the same general area; available sources describe it as adjacent to, or partly overlapping, the protected landscape rather than confirming precise boundary overlap.

[TO ENRICH: trail conditions; wildlife sighting frequency; photography conditions under the mahogany canopy.]

Notes

• Named for Rajah Sikatuna — Boholano chieftain, Blood Compact signatory, 1565

• The Bilar Man-Made Forest (mahogany plantation) is a frequently visited feature in this area

• Official DENR protected-area history: national park under Proclamation No. 129, s. 1987 (July 10, 1987); redesignated Protected Landscape under Proclamation No. 287, s. 2000 (April 23, 2000); officially proclaimed area 10,452.60 hectares across Carmen, Sierra Bullones, Garcia Hernandez, Valencia, Dimiao, Bilar, Loboc, and Batuan.

• Rajah Sikatuna Protected Landscape - Wikipedia, accessed 2026-07-17.

• Proclamation No. 287, s. 2000, accessed 2026-07-17.

• Bilar - Behold Bohol, accessed 2026-07-17 (alternate area figure, 9,023 ha).

• PENRO confirms collection of entrance fee at Bilar man-made forest, accessed 2026-07-17.