Safari
The journey to Calauit started at around 5:30AM, it was a very long boat ride, approximately three and a half hours. Thankfully, the waters were placid and there were no turbulent winds that could have made the trip longer. We passed through different islands, some of which were inhabited by locals, others were nameless. This reminded me of some of the other provinces where people lived very far from the mainland or the most developed town. I wondered how they managed, there is a difference between surviving and reaching full potential. However, it also made me realize how different my perspective was from theirs? Are we really better off because of our commercialization? The degrees from the so-called best universities in the country? Are we wiser because we are more educated? Or is simplicity another form of wisdom?
After several hours on a boat, we finally made it to Calauit Safari!
Calauit Safari Park was declared a wildlife sanctuary and game preserve by former President Marcos on August 31, 1976. This was a response to the call for help of Kenya to preserve wildlife during a tumultuous time in their history.
The animals in the park were already third generation, not all of them survived because the caretakers had to figure out which plants to feed them when the supplies that came from Africa ran out. It took some testing and studying, but the locals managed to identify the right types of food to feed the giraffes, zebras and others.
The landscape of the park reminded me of a savannah, who would've thought I'd see one in the Philippines?
Zebras! First time I saw these animals in the wild.
There were a bunch of other animals in the park, I can't remember and name all of them. The best part about it was I got to pet, feed and see giraffes.
Dibutunay Island
The trip was supposed to include Black Island, I was really looking forward to seeing it because of all the good things I've read and heard about it. However, it was not meant to be because our boatman told us it was already high tide and it would be dangerous for the boat to dock. The alternative was Dibutunay Island.
As an alternative, it wasn't too bad; the waters were clear blue and the sand fine.
The glass-like waters were enticing to swim in, I couldn't resist.
There were only a handful of other visitors because of the island's distance. Palawan has so many beautiful islands waiting to be discovered and explored.
Look at how clear the water is! And there's very few tourists here!
I thought our adventure to Calauit was about to end uneventfully, but our boat's engine failed during the return trip. We were already an hour away from Coron Town, when we got stranded in the middle of the sea. It was already dark when a rescue team came and literally dragged our boat back to town. It was the first time that happened to me in all of my trips. It was a different kind of experience, but at least I had good company and the clear night sky had plenty of stars.
*I booked a Calauit Safari Tour with Aqua Blue Travel and Tours for somewhere around P2,700+++ which included guides and entrance fees, and breakfast and lunch.
Contact them through: 09164003405, 09294328559