At the “heel” of Negros island (the island is shaped, roughly, like a foot, or a sock), Cauayan in Negros Occidental, is a town of quiet coves and thickly-forested mountains that seemed to have defied the march of time and stood obstinately still. Off its coast, in the island of Danjugan, nature thrives unhampered by human encroachment.

“Danjugan Island is a privately-owned island. It’s owned and managed by the Philippine Reef and Rainforest Conservation Foundation. The waters around it, 500 meters from the shore of the island, belong to the Danjugan Marine Reserve and Sanctuaries,” explains PRRCFI’s executive director Dave Albao. Sustainability mechanisms, like the “No Take Zones,” are in operation in the marine protected area, so fishing is not allowed in these zones.

Covering an area of around 100 hectares, the marine reserve and sanctuary is one of the largest marine protected areas in southern Negros. Despite its small size, Albao says that the sanctuary holds a diverse species of marine life including more than 200 species of hard and soft corals, and more that 500 species of fish.

The island itself is a 43-hectare wildlife sanctuary. Its forests, caves, mangroves, and beaches are home to a variety of terrestrial animals such as 10 species of bats, including flying foxes, more than 70 species of birds (including the Stork-billed kingfisher). There are multiple white-sand beaches and if you’re not loath to share the surf with the island’s resident creatures, you’ll find a tranquil slice of paradise in any of these places.

On this little island, visitors may go kayaking in the surrounding seas or lagoons, trek in the thick forests, or do yoga and meditation to the primeval sounds of nature wild and untouched.