Calauit Island is a 3,700-hectare island in the Calamian Island Chain that lies off the coast of Palawan. The island is known for its wildlife sanctuary with a substantial population of African animals, including giraffes, zebras, impalas, waterbucks, bushbacks, gazelles, elands, and antelopes, as well as local fauna that all roam freely in a game reserve created by former president Ferdinand Marcos in the 1970s.
Endemic Philippine animals like the Calamian- and mouse-deer, bearcat, Palawan peacock pheasant, sea turtles and Philippine crocodile can be found in the island. Their numbers have increased from a hundred to well over six hundred as they thrive in their new Pacific home. The island is also a sanctuary for more than seventy species of birds of which ten of them are rare.
The island has a hilly terrain with narrow coastal plains and vast grasslands among low hills. There are mountain ranges covering about 40 percent of the island, with peaks reaching from 500 to 900 feet. There are also small streams and creeks, which usually dry up in the summer months.
Calauit Island Wildlife Sanctuary
The Calauit Island of Palawan was declared a game preserve and wildlife sanctuary in 1977 as the Philippines responded to an appeal by the IUCN or the International Union of Conservation of Nature to save endangered animals in Africa.
The Game Preserve and Wildlife Sanctuary is a natural area where the entire environment and all the plants and animals are allowed to live in a natural state with the absolute minimum human interference or disturbance. In order to protect the sanctuary and preserve it for future generations, certain standards of Visitor Conduct are provided for in the National Integrated Protected Areas Act and the Strategic Environmental Plan for Palawan.
An Isle to Calauit Island!
Calauit Island is very proud of its wildlife sanctuary which is measured as one of the island’s most amazing sites, giving scientific, educational, tourism-related, and recreational activities. The island caters opportunities for greater awareness on the importance and appreciation of conservation of the natural and cultural heritage of this beautiful area.
This island is indeed the Philippine's showcase for wildlife conservation. It is an ideal sanctuary because of its relative isolation. The forests, grasslands, and mangrove swamps are also the habitat of some of the country’s rarest and most endangered species.
Calauit Island is truly a must-see destination for all nature and wildlife lovers!
Venture to Calauit Island!
The island is one of the Calamian Islands that lie in the Sulu Sea to the north of Palawan Island. It is just a short distance from the northwestern tip of Busuanga Island.
Reaching Busuanga Island is accessible by plane from Manila to Busuanga. From Puerto Princesa City, it can be reached by taking a jeepney or bus to Taytay, then by sea from Taytay to Coron, and by jeepney or bus from Coron to Busuanga.
Travel time: An hour-and-a-half flight from Manila. In Busuanga, travel time is half an hour by jeepney to Decalasiao Wharf and three hours by pumpboat to Calauit.
Hotels in Busuanga Island
• Concepcion Divers Lodge - Barangay Concepcion Town, Busuanga Island, Palawan, Philippines
• Puerto Del Sol Resort and Discovery Dive Center Palawan - Coron, Busuanga Island , Busuanga Island, Palawan, Philippines 5317
• Kaniki Point Resort - Kaniki Island, Barangay Bugtong Busuanga, Busuanga Island, Palawan, Philippines
• Dayon Kamo Lodge - Salvacion Street, Poblacion Salvacion, Busuanga, Busuanga Island, Palawan, Philippines