One of the excellent ways to experience nature in the Queen City of the South is to visit the Olango Island Wildlife Sanctuary where tens of thousands of exotic winged creatures can be observed from a distance.
The Olango Island Wildlife Sanctuary (OIWS) is situated in the southwestern part of Olango Island. The island, located in between Bohol Strait and Camotes Sea, is part of Mactan Island, just four kilometers off from its coast and under the jurisdiction of the City of Lapu-Lapu.
Olango Island considered as a diverse coastal ecosystem, houses a vast tidal flat with a total land area of 920 hectares. It is a protected wetland consisting mostly of coralline sandflats, mangrove forests, sea grass beds, sandy ridges, coconut grooves and offshore coral reefs.
The wetland is essential for spawning, feeding and for shelter of hundreds of fishes, crustaceans and invertebrates. With the abundance of marine life in the area, thousands of birds come to feed and make their habitat.
Because of the profusion of food supplies and partly sheltered from monsoons and strong winds, it has become a vital stopover for thousands of migratory birds traveling the East Asian Migratory Flyway, one of the most important flyways for shorebirds and water birds in the world. Some of the bird species are endangered and at the peak of extinction. Olango Island now hosts the largest concentration of migratory birds found in the country so far.
From the breeding places of birds like Siberia, Northern China and Japan the migration starts. By the instinct anticipation of the winter climate and the scarcity of food brought by it, birds migrate thousands of miles as far as Australia and New Zealand from late July to November to escape harsh winter and to search for food. This migration is termed the “Southward Migration”. From late February to May, these birds resume their journey back to their breeding grounds. This journey is referred to as the “Northward Migration”.
In each journey, these birds stop and rest in the sanctuary. The OIWS serves as their major “refueling” grounds. Feeding on invertebrates and other marine faunas, the birds replenish their lost fat reserves. These reserves allow the birds to continue on their next lap of non-stop flight.
In order to watch these birds flock in the area, better check the local calendar for the high-tide schedule. The best tide ranges from 1.2 to 1.4 meters where a large concentration of birds basking under the sun, feeding. Other than those levels, birds cannot feed and usually found under the mangroves for shelter.
The best time to visit Olango Island Wildlife Sanctuary is around the months of July to November during the Southward Migration.
Olango became famous after PWCF ( Philippine Wetland and Wildlife Conservation Foundation Inc.) discovered the existence of 40,000 to 60,000 migratory birds in the land. The discovery has been very crucial to bird studies as well as to the birders.
It was found out that there are 97 species of birds in Olango alone. Most of it are migratory birds and some are resident and of unclassified species. There are water birds, waders (those with long legs), waterfowls and seabirds. Most frequently-seen birds are Chinese Egrets, Asiatic Dowitchers, Eastern Curlews, Plovers, Sandpipers, Black-tailed Godwit, Red Knots and many more.
To protect these exotic winged creatures, the 1,020 hectares of tidal flats in Olango was declared by the late President Corazon Aquino as a protected area on May 14, 1992 under Proclamation No. 903. Eventually, OIWS was included in the RAMSAR List of Wetlands of International Importance on July 1, 1004. It is currently one of the best-known flyways for migrating birds in the whole world.
The Olango Island Wildlife Sanctuary is the first wetland of international importance for waterfowl in the Philippines. Department of Environment and Natural Resources managed the area through a locally constituted Protected Area Management Board with representatives from both national and local government and the private sector.
The OIWS receives visitors through the operated visitor center of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources or through Olango Birds and Seascape Tour, a locally organized and community-based eco-tourism group.
The OIWS receives visitors through two entrances: the Department of Environment and Natural Resources operated visitor center and through a locally organized and community-based ecotourism group called the Olango Birds and Seascape Tour. Part of the tourism proceeds are given to the Suba, Olango Ecotourism Cooperative wherein it is paid out as salaries and wages to workers and a corresponding amount to Mactan Island based boats or tour organizers.
How To Get There:
To reach the Olango Group of Islands, one has to take a jeepney or taxi from Cebu City to Lapu-Lapu City at the North Reclamation Area. From Lapu-Lapu City, proceed to Angasil by multicab or by other available means of transport. At Portfolio Beach Resort, take a pump boat to Sta. Rosa pier in Olango Island, The sanctuary can be found in Barangay San Vicente and reachable by foot or by tricycle.
If you are joining the Olango Birds and Seascape Tour, everything is being prepared by your tour operator.
