Baluarte ni Chavit is a wildlife sanctuary and park located in Vigan City and usually included in Ilocos tour package . It is home to a variety of animals, including exotic species such as tigers, zebras, and ostriches, as well as local animals like carabaos and Philippine deer. The park is named after its owner, former governor and congressman Chavit Singson, who started the sanctuary as a way to educate the public about wildlife conservation.
Visitors to Baluarte ni Chavit can take a guided tour of the park and see the animals up close, as well as participate in interactive educational activities and demonstrations. The park also has a souvenir shop and a restaurant serving local and international cuisine.
How to Get there:
To get to Baluarte ni Chavit, visitors can fly into Laoag International Airport, which is the nearest airport to Vigan City. From there, they can take a bus, taxi, or rental car to Vigan City, and then make their way to the park. Alternatively, visitors can take a bus from Manila to Vigan City. The park is open daily from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.
Baluarte / Photos by: Mark Albert Alejo Cruz
Lying in acres and acres of land, the Baluarte also known as the Fortress is located in an area where one can see great angles of the entire Vigan and South China Sea. The Baluarte is a mini-zoo where different animals are caged and fenced. Some of these animals are even endangered while others are well-tamed that visitors can feed and get up close with them.
The 80-hectare mini-zoo and shooting range is owned by the famous political figure and a well-loved son of Vigan, then Governor Chavit Singson. It used to be the site of his multi-storey building houses which he later on transformed into a recreational facility for tourists of Vigan to enjoy.
You can start your tour in Baluarte by visiting the cages where lions, peacocks, civet cats, pythons, iguanas, Bengal tigers, endangered reptiles and birds are placed. The Philippine cloud rat which is endemic to the Cordillera region can also be found in these rows of cages.
If you want to get up close with some animals like the monkeys, flamingos, ostriches you move over to the fenced areas where you can visit and feed these animals. Children can also sit on top of bigger animals in this fenced area. Horseback riding is also offered in this part of Baluarte.
Aside from the mini-zoo, visitors can also do horseback riding, stroll on its butterfly farm or play some guns in their shooting range.
