THE ISLAND

Rising steeply from the Sibuyan Sea at the geographic heart of the Philippine archipelago, Sibuyan Island is one of the most biologically exceptional places on the planet. Its long isolation has produced extraordinary levels of endemism, with species found nowhere else on Earth. At its center stands Mount Guiting-Guiting, one of the most technically challenging peaks in the Philippines, rising to 2,058 meters above intact protected forests that extend from ridge to reef.

Often hailed as the Galápagos of Asia, Sibuyan in fact surpasses the Galápagos and every continental country in Europe in endemic land mammal diversity, with five species found nowhere else on Earth. Relative to its size, Sibuyan is the crown jewel of Philippine biodiversity.