Calauit Island National Park

Getting up close with real live giraffes and zebras was a remarkable experience. These magnificent animals roam freely on the island, giving you a taste of their natural habitat. Plus, the highlight - feeding the gentle giraffes! While the safari was amazing, I do have a concern about their mini zoo. The crocodiles, civet cat, and Philippine porcupines are housed in rather tiny enclosures. I hope they can work on improving their living spaces for these animals. It's important to note that getting to Calauit Safari is a bit of a journey, nearly a 2-hour drive from Coron town proper. The surroundings may not be teeming with attractions, but the experience of being so close to these incredible creatures is truly worth the trip!

If you're a fan of giraffes and zebras, don't miss the opportunity to visit Calauit Island National Park. The park tour costs 725 PHP per person and a boat ride to the island costs 700 PHP per boat. If it's raining, it's essential to take a ride, as the paths can get slippery and hard to navigate. Once inside the park, you'll find numerous giraffes and zebras lazily strolling around the grasslands. There's a center where visitors can feed the giraffes. Holding a bunch of leaves, you'll see the giraffes gravitate towards you. It's a moment when you can gently embrace them, or even lean your head against theirs. A visit to this unique place is indeed a worthwhile experience.

I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND ANYONE TO GO TO THIS SAFARI PARK. I attended as part of a week long organised trip with a tour company. The initial impressions were that it was a cool place where the giraffes and zebras were free to roam. However, this quickly changed when seeing the first giraffe with large bloody and oozing cuts along his back legs. The large majority of the giraffes also had these injuries. When I asked what they were from the tour guide mentioned that the giraffes like to rub on the sharp bamboo and injure themselves, I don't know if this is true but it looked very unnatural. Then we were brought to the 'small zoo' which had porcupines, turtles, givet cats, alligators, monkeys and a python. My heart broke when I saw these animals and the conditions that they were being kept in. The cages were tiny and unsanitary. It looked like they hadn't been opened in years and the water the animals were living in was stagnant and disgusting. The space provided to the animals was disgraceful, especially after seeing the giraffes and zebras 'roam free'. The guide was also quiet unfair to the animals in my opinion, touching and aggrivating them purposely trying to get a reaction for the audience. The porcupines were terrified, the monkeys were depressed and the givet cats looked like they had completely given up. The python was HUGE and needed an enclosure 5 times the size to what was provided to him. I understand that Busuanga Island is a poorer island and that I shouldn't have expected alot from a Safari park, but I really thought all animals would be roaming free or with at least humane living areas. If you can not provide ethical and humane treatment DO NOT keep these animals for show. I am embarrassed to know that I even paid towards funding this place. So heartbroken after attending. PLEASE READ THIS REVIEW AND DO NOT ATTEND. UNETHICAL AND INHUMANE.

You can rent a motor to get there (from 500 pesos - 9$). 2-3 hours from the Coron city (200 pesos road fee -4$). Then you need to take a boat (700pesos - 12$). And entrance fee 600pesos - 11$ (400 pesos for Filipinos). The bus inside cost about 200pesos - 4$ but not worth it. Take raincoat, hat, water, food. Better to use the road near cost. Worth to go if you like animals.

Visiting the Calauit Safari was our main goal in visiting Coron last week, and the experience we had did not disappoint! It was fun feeding the giraffes 🦒 and walking along with them, plus the zebras 🦓! The staff has enough knowledge to make the experience not just fun but educational, too, and they constantly remind the visitors to always observe distance (not get too close) as we might get accidentally kicked by the giraffes or zebras. There is also a mini zoo with a few other animals - turtles, monkeys, civet cats, and crocodiles. The Calauit Safari, by the way is in another island so the animals are isolated from the people. Overall it was a memorable experience but we hope someday there will be resident vet to check on the animals regularly.