Detour

PRECIOUS PRIMATES For visitors staying along the Loboc River on Bohol Island, the first introduction to tarsiers, the world's smallest primates, will come courtesy of the local transport. Every boatman worth his tiller has a mini zoo of the fist-size fur balls available for a quick cuddle or photo shoot. They could have been the model for Gollum in The Lord of the Rings: the saucer-eyed prosimians have oversized (considering their 11-cm length) humanlike hands and tiny ears.

But it's a wiser idea to support the official Tarsier Visitors Center, where the animals can be found frolickingand thrivingin their natural environment. And...