Tulapos Marine Sanctuary — Attraction in Enrique Villanueva

Title: Jewel of Siquijor! Forget the under 4 Stars ratings here, they have no clue! One of the best, big, colorful and clean fish kingdom coral and clamp sanctuaries in Philippines!

You need to have a guide but every peso you spent here is worth the money, the experience is awesome! The guides and the staff are very kind and experienced Good equipment The guides collecting the garbage from the corals and seabed ❤️ Big sanctuary areal, very clean and a very good visibility Many intact healthy corals and big colorful clamps Many small fishes but also big fish swarms, we saw a big group of Baracudas and many other big fish groups too, they don't escape it's absolutely amazing you can watch and follow them. Sometimes I had the feeling they surrounded us, I never had this experience before with big fishes We saw a group of 6 big Turtles absolutely stunning To see some baby sharks it's better to arrive this place very early (7 am) You can buy drinks and little snacks

o You need to walk a while in the water to arrive the snorkeling place. I think it was low tide at this time. o The area is really big so the guide knows the best places and bring you there. o The tour with the guide takes 1h. The last 30 minutes is tireing, the guide is moving quickly. For someone who doesn't make any sport you can be pulled from the guide with the red rescue can a la baywatch. o The guide is interacting with you, gives you sometimes information sometimes he shows you something, very good 👍

The fees for the guide, sanctuary and equipment I can understand but they or the landlord take also a fee for the car and scooter parking and this is not ok. There is enough space and no other business.

o Unhappily I couldn't make any videos or photos but the experience and impressions was therefore more intensive. Enjoy every moment there 🤙

Explanation of my votings

Pro Contra o Only for your information

5 Stars: It was really special, you must try it 4 Stars: It was nice, you should try it 3 Stars: Nothing special, you could try it 2 Stars: Try only if you have no alternative 1 Stars: Bad, don't bother trying

To understand... Why do I give 5 stars so rarely? Out of over 365 reviews, I realised that there are no businesses that are 100% perfect. I rate businesses in relation to an area, such as a city and the surrounding area. Most businesses in an area sell similar products of different qualities, and I rate these products up to a maximum of 4 stars. Therefore, I decided to give 5 stars if a business in this region has a unique selling point. This could be a unique product, an awesome view, or cosy surroundings that set them apart from other businesses in the area. Even if their products are not perfect, I can still give a five-star rating if there is something spec...

Well-managed and quiet, but frustratingly restrictive for responsible snorkelers

This marine sanctuary was peaceful, clean, and the staff were very kind—which we truly appreciated. However, we found the overall system imposed on visitors quite limiting, so I wanted to share my personal opinion.

As in many other sanctuaries on the island, you pay an entrance fee, but are also required to hire a private guide (max. 2 people) for an additional cost—regardless of your experience or training. Snorkeling time is also capped at one hour.

While we fully support marine conservation, we believe true protection doesn’t come from mass tourism guided into the sea with life jackets, but rather from limiting overcrowding, educating visitors, and empowering experienced snorkelers and divers to act responsibly.

Ironically, requiring guides and life jackets for everyone may encourage people with little swimming ability or marine awareness to enter the water—often causing more harm than good.

It’s worth knowing in advance that most snorkeling here at the island now happens through structured tours and payfees closed spaces—not the kind of free, immersive experience many ocean lovers may...

Marine sanctuary? Tourist attraction? rubbish littered everywhere no changing rooms no toilets I saw spear guns and fishing gear in the main hut no educational efforts made staff including the police officer were all on their phones and no effort was made to talk marine sanctuary with us.

Snorkeling trip: guide is mandatory no briefing no safety checks walking out was ok but there were plenty of things that should not be stepped on (again no effort to prevent that) on our arrival we spoke with an Irish tourist and he told us that the conditions were great but I think that he had a better guide. our guide wasn't that great and I think that he didn't knew where to look. communication was not good and we were struggling to keep up while he was searching for barracuda. We probably chased him for a kilometer. the sea was choppy and my snorkel got submerged a few times bad luck on the water being murky and that we had to freedive to see things the big clams in the shallows were great but again no effort to...