Sleeping tarsiers
Close up on the branches.
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A small forest sanctuary run by the Philippine Tarsier Foundation, where visitors see one of the world's smallest primates in its natural setting. The tarsier is a nocturnal animal the size of a fist, with huge eyes fixed in their sockets, so it turns its head instead of its eyes, and it leaps between branches on long hind legs. The species lives only in the south-east of the Philippines, Bohol among them. A guide walks you along a short forest path and points out the tarsiers asleep by day, clinging to branches, so you see them up close without touching them. Spotting them among the leaves is a pleasure in itself. Tarsiers are very sensitive to noise, light and disturbance, so the sanctuary insists on silence and bans flash and touching. Elsewhere in Bohol, roadside places keep tarsiers in cages or on nearby branches for photos; this sanctuary is the kinder choice for the animal. The visit is short, so combine it with the Chocolate Hills and the Loboc River in one day. Come in the morning, and wear clothes that keep off mosquitoes.
Close up on the branches.
Its most striking feature.
A guide shows the way.
Corella town, about 30 minutes by road from Tagbilaran
At the Tarsier Foundation sanctuary in Corella, where they live in the forest and are seen quietly, without flash. Avoid places that cage them or bring them close for photos.