
Giraffe
Wildlife park in Coron
One of the strangest sights you can come across in the Philippines, is the giraffes and zebras running free in the Safari Park on Calauit Island in the Busuanga chain.
Busuanga is famous for its scuba diving and snorkeling but there are other things to check out too.

Safari Park
Patrick from Manila and I took motorbikes from Coron up to Busuanga and caught a small boat in Malacatio across to Caluit Island.
The boatman charges 400 pesos for the round trip and he waits for you to finish the tour to bring you back again.

Zebras on Road
You can make a day trip out of it, leaving Coron in the morning, grab some lunch in Busuanga and then head over to the Safari Park.
The trail is not well marked and there are not many people around to ask directions so you just have to wing it a bit.

Calamian Deer
Be advised that it is a long ride over a dusty gravel road and it might not be everyone’s cup of tea.
Also use a bit of caution when you hit rough gravel because it can make your ride a bit wobbly. I figure that there is about 3 hours of actual driving time each way.
In the Safari Park itself there is a jeepney to take you around and to some of the pens where the crocodiles and porcupines and other animals are kept.

Palawan Bearcat
The Calamian deer like the one in this photo are free to go where ever they want and small herds can be seen resting in the shade.
There was only one Palawan bearcat because the mate had died.

Stripes
This is a picture I took of a bearcat at the crocodile farm in Puerto Princesa. They are a beautiful but fierce animal.
The zebras are fun to photograph too.
There is a park entry fee of about 350 pesos but I don’t remember the exact amount. You must use a guide and there is a driver too.

Tall Giraffe
I apologize for not writing down that information – if someone wants to update my info just use the comment section below.
After the tour you can grab something to eat at the restaurant. New visitors facilities are being built right now so likely there will be a price increase.
I am happy to have seen the Safari park still in a simple setting.
There is an El Nino weather pattern causing the ground to be exceedingly dry and it has affected some of the animals dramatically.
The giraffes and zebras seem to be taking the the hot dry conditions in stride.
I find these Palawan bearded pigs to be comical.

Palawan Bearded Pig
They are actually quite a rare animal found only in Palawan, Balabac, and Borneo.
The park also around 5 palawan porcupines in one of the cages.
Our guide, Florante, took us over to the crocodile pens and tried to stir a few up to the top with a bamboo pole but it was hot and the crocs just weren’t into being hassled.
I think that Patrick and I were the only guests the day we went but the park some times get crowds, especially on the weekends.

Florentine Feeding Giraffe
One way to get here would be to find a group of people that are willing to share the cost of a shuttle van from Coron.
I asked around and it looks like that option would cost around 7500 pesos for a shuttle van and driver for the day.
The driver could take you to the pier where the small boat transfers you to Calauit Island where the animal park is located.
It is also possible to rent a pump boat that will take you all the way to Calauit Island but the charge would be at least 10,000 pesos. It might be an option if you can share the costs with othere because you would be able to stop at remote beaches on the way.
Safari Park