The Rajah Sikatuna Protected Landscape is a

protected landscape Protection is any measure taken to guard a thing against damage caused by outside forces. Protection can be provided to physical objects, including organisms, to systems, and to intangible things like civil and political rights. Although th ...

area of forested limestone hills, grasslands and natural springs in the island province of

Bohol Bohol (), officially the Province of Bohol ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Bohol; tl, Lalawigan ng Bohol), is an island province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas Regions of the Philippines, region, consisting of the island itself and 75 m ...

in the

Central Visayas Central Visayas ( ceb, Tunga-tungang Kabisay-an; tl, Gitnang Kabisayaan) is an administrative region in the Philippines, numerically designated as Region VII. It consists of four provinces: (Cebu, Bohol, Negros Oriental, and Siquijor) and thr ...

region of the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. It is the largest remaining tract of natural forest in Bohol and one of the Philippines' top birdwatching sites. The park was initially gazetted a

national park A national park is a nature park, natural park in use for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state dec ...

in 1987 covering approximately . In 2000, it was reestablished as a protected landscape under the National Integrated Protected Areas System covering its present area of . The park is one of the island's major tourist attractions located just south of the famous

Chocolate Hills The Chocolate Hills ( ceb, Mga Bungtod sa Tsokolate, tgl, Mga Tsokolateng Burol) are a geological formation in the Bohol province of the Philippines.

. It was named after the Bohol chieftain who entered into a blood-compact with Spanish conquistador

Miguel López de Legazpi Miguel López de Legazpi (12 June 1502 – 20 August 1572), also known as '' El Adelantado'' and ''El Viejo'' (The Elder), was a Spaniard who, from the age of 26, lived and built a career in Mexico (then the Viceroyalty of New Spain) and, i ...

on the island in 1565.

Description

Forest in Bohol, Palm trees, Philippines

The Rajah Sikatuna park occupies the low mountain range in the south of Bohol island which corresponds geographically with the municipalities of

Carmen ''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the Carmen (novella), novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first perfo ...

Sierra Bullones Sierra Bullones, officially the Municipality of Sierra Bullones ( ceb, Munisipyo sa Sierra Bullones; tgl, Bayan ng Sierra Bullones), is a third class municipality in the province of Bohol, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a popu ...

, Garcia Hernandez,

Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...

Dimiao Dimiao, officially the Municipality of Dimiao ( ceb, Munisipalidad sa Dimiao; tgl, Bayan ng Dimiao), is a 4th class municipality in the province of Bohol, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 14,889 people. The mu ...

Bilar Bilar can refer to: * Bilar, Bohol, a municipality in the province of Bohol, Philippines * Bilär, a village in Republic of Tatarstan, Russia ** Bilars, a medieval Turkic tribe, founders of Bilär * Elvillar/Bilar, a town and municipality in Bas ...

Loboc Loboc, officially the Municipality of Loboc ( ceb, Munisipalidad sa Loboc; tgl, Bayan ng Loboc), is a 4th class municipality in the province of Bohol, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 17,418 people. Located ea ...

and Batuan. It is characterized by rolling hills with remnants of natural forest on steep limestone terrain surrounded by plantation forest, denuded hills and grasslands. The park has an average elevation of and is composed of 60% limestone forest, 15% grassland, 5% plantations, and 10% permanent agricultural areas. It also contains the Bilar Peak, one of the highest in the province at above sea level, as well as 4 mountain springs that supply water to the surrounding communities namely, the Logarita, Anislag, Mabugnao and Aghuban springs. The park has more than 30 kilometers of marked trails for wildlife observation, over 100 caves, a camping area and a swimming pool. At the summit of Bilar Peak, an observation tower has been constructed providing panoramic views of the park and surrounding countryside, including the nearby island of Panglao and even

Cebu Cebu (; ceb, Sugbo), officially the Province of Cebu ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Sugbo; tl, Lalawigan ng Cebu; hil, Kapuroan sang Sugbo), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, and consists of a main island and 167 ...

. Near the park's entrance is a tunnel that leads to Magsaysay Park, a cleared area situated next to a ranger station and the Logarita spring. The park charges an entrance fee of P100.

Wildlife

The Rajah Sikatuna Protected Landscape is an important bird area being home to over 120 bird species, many of which are endemic to the Philippines, which include the endangered

streaked reed warbler The speckled reed warbler or streaked reed warbler (''Acrocephalus sorghophilus'') is an Old World warbler in the family Acrocephalidae. The species was first described by Robert Swinhoe in 1863. It is found in China and the Philippines. Its ...

and

Philippine cockatoo The red-vented cockatoo (''Cacatua haematuropygia''), also known as the Philippine cockatoo and locally katala, abukay, agay or kalangay, is a species of cockatoo. It is endemic to the Philippines though pressured by various environmental degradat ...

, as well as the

Philippine hawk-eagle The Philippine hawk-eagle or north Philippine hawk-eagle (''Nisaetus philippensis''), earlier treated under ''Spizaetus'', is a species of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. Many taxonomists consider the Pinsker's hawk-eagle, a former subsp ...

Visayan broadbill The Visayan broadbill (''Sarcophanops samarensis'') is a species of bird in the family Eurylaimidae where it was previously conspecific with the wattled broadbill. It is endemic to the islands of Samar, Leyte and Bohol in the central Philippine ...

Samar hornbill The Samar hornbill (''Penelopides samarensis'') is a species of hornbill in the family Bucerotidae. It is found in forests on the islands of Samar, Calicoan, Leyte and Bohol in the east-central Philippines. As is the case with all Philippine t ...

Mindanao bleeding-heart The Mindanao bleeding-heart (''Gallicolumba crinigera''), also known as Bartlett's bleeding heart dove, Barlett's bleeding heart pigeon and the hair-breasted bleeding heart, is a species of bird in the pigeon family. It is endemic to the Philippi ...

Philippine eagle-owl The Philippine eagle-owl (''Ketupa philippensis'') is a vulnerable species of owl belonging to the family (biology), family Strigidae. It is endemic to the Philippines, where it is found in lowland forests on the islands of Catanduanes, Samar ( ...

Philippine oriole The Philippine oriole (''Oriolus steerii'') or grey-throated oriole is a species of bird in the family Oriolidae. It is endemic to the Philippines. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. The species is fairly comm ...

Philippine frogmouth The Philippine frogmouth (''Batrachostomus septimus'') is a nocturnal bird that can be found throughout the Philippine archipelago. It is common in lowland forests and maturing second growth. There is little information about the bird. It feeds o ...

azure-breasted pitta The azure-breasted pitta (''Pitta steerii'') is a species of bird in the family Pittidae. It is a striking and colorful bird having colors of red, azure, green, black and white, It is endemic to the islands of Mindanao, Bohol, Leyte and Samar in ...

rufous-tailed jungle flycatcher Rufous-tailed jungle flycatcher has been split into the following species: * Philippine jungle flycatcher, ''Cyornis ruficauda'' * Sulu jungle flycatcher, ''Cyornis ocularis'' * Crocker jungle flycatcher The Crocker jungle flycatcher (''Cyornis r ...

rufous-lored kingfisher Winchell's kingfisher (''Todiramphus winchelli'') or the rufous-lored kingfisher, is a species of bird in the family Alcedinidae, the kingfishers. It is endemic to the Philippines, its natural habitat being lowland forests. It is threatened by ...

southern silvery kingfisher The southern silvery kingfisher (''Ceyx argentatus'') is a species of bird in the family Alcedinidae that is endemic to the Philippines found in Mindanao and Basilan. This species and the northern silvery kingfisher, found in the Visayas, were f ...

yellow-breasted tailorbird The yellow-breasted tailorbird (''Orthotomus samarensis'') is a species of passerine bird formerly placed in the "Old World warbler" assemblage, but now placed in the family Cisticolidae. Distribution The species is endemic to Samar, Leyte and B ...

, yellow-bellied whistler,

black-crowned babbler Black-crowned babbler has been split into two species: * Visayan babbler, ''Sterrhoptilus nigrocapitatus '' * Calabarzon babbler, ''Sterrhoptilus affinis'' Birds by common name {{Short pages monitor