PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan (PIA) — The Calauit Safari Park (CSP) in Busuanga is one of the most visited tourist destinations in Palawan, not only during the summer season but throughout the year.
Data from the Provincial Economic Enterprise and Development Office (PEEDO) of Palawan showed there were 24,235 tourists who visited the said park in 2024, resulting in the revenue collection by the CSP Maintenance Program of more than P11 million from entrance fees.
Established on August 31, 1976 through Presidential Proclamation No. 1578 by former President Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr., the park has a total land area of 3,700 hectares and is home to exotic animals such as giraffes, zebras, elands, and waterbucks that originated from Africa. It is also a home to calamian deer, mouse deer, birds, and other animal species found only in Palawan.
According to the Palawan’s Tourism Promotion and Development Office, most animals in the park are not caged and live freely on the island. Some wild animals in the Calamian Area that have been surrendered to the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD) have also been brought into the park for safekeeping and rehabilitation.
Calauit Safari Park is also a game preserve and wildlife sanctuary managed by the provincial government of Palawan. It is one of the Local Economic Enterprises (LEEs) of the PEEDO.
To maintain the beauty of the park, the provincial government implemented various initiatives in the area. They installed a mobile floating dock at the wharf of Sitio Macalachao, Brgy. Buluang and Calauit Island for boats traveling to the island.
The giraffe feeding area has also been renovated, and a new gazebo made of steel has been built to allow personal interaction with the giraffes by feeding them.
The renovation of a mini zoo or animal rescue center has also started. This center is for local wild animals and rescued animals such as porcupines, civets, monkeys, bearcats, wild boars, crocodiles, and others.
Aside from Busuanga’s Calauit Safari Park, Palawan’s other tourist destinations include the Black Island also in Busuanga; Maquinit Hot Spring, Kayangan and Barakuda Lakes in Coron; beautiful islands in El Nido, and Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park in Cagayancillo, among others. (OCJ/PIA MIMAROPA-Palawan)
