Zoobic Safari
Group I Ilanin Forest
Subic Bay Freeport Zone, Philippines
(+63)929-7072222 | Telefax: +63 (47)252-2272
25 October 2010Visiting this place was a dream come true. Thanks to a promotion my mom's friends at work saw online, they decided to avail of it so they could enjoy a day out of town together. My mom gave me a call and asked me if I wanted to come... and of course I didn't hesitate anymore; it was my chance to set foot in Zambales!
It was a rainy day, but that didn't stop us from traveling. It was still raining a bit when we got there, which made us cancel some plans (like visiting the Aeta Village and/or Ocean Adventure... but the thought of visiting Zoobic Safari was enough to make us happy this day came.
The Zoobic Safari is a 25-hectare safari located at the former US Naval Magazine in Subic. With the help of Subic Bay Metropolitan Area (SBMA) and the Yupangco Group of Companies, this park came to life to showcase different kinds of animals - both wild and farm animals.
They offer different tours and packages, and since mom's colleagues took care of our tickets, I just stayed and them and wait there this day will take me.
We were asked to stay at the reception area where a guide welcomed us and gave us a teaser of what lies ahead. Aside from the guidelines given to us, some Aetas also performed cultural dances. Nearby were cages with some tigers, which made us snap some pictures, but of course, they didn't allow photographers to use flash as this might distract the tigers and cause them to panic.
First place we visited was the
Serpentarium. Just walking distance from the reception area, this room showcases different cold-blooded animals - like snakes and lizards - enclosed in their own terrariums.
After that... it was time for us to hop on the orange train, which took us to different locations:
Dear Deer...
...
Animal Care Clinic...
... and the
Forbidden Cave. Entering the Forbidden Cave reminded me of Zoori's World at the Enchanted Kingdom (which by the way, is by the Yupangco Group of Companies as well). It was quite dark inside, and my mom and her friends stopped by a bit to check out a real snake.
After that, it was time for that one thing we've all been waiting for. The
Tiger Safari ride. It was a bit difficult to be inside the jeep filled with people, but they do accommodate people in groups. At that time, we thought we should've just divided the group into two, because the other jeep carried only 5 people - more space for them to find their spot while taking pictures.
These were the closest I got to a tiger in the "wild." Each group can opt to feed the tiger with chicken (p250 pesos per chicken), but of course, there will be one park staff inside the jeep to ensure the guests' safety.
If the Safari wasn't enough, then the
Close Encounter will give you more chance to come near the tigers, though the animals were inside the cage. The smell here wasn't really that pleasant, but the park staffs do try their best to sanitize the place and keep it as clean as possible. Although... you have to pray you get out of this place as dry as possible, because my mom and her friend's husband had a little pee spray from the tiger. Gross, but it sure cracked us all up. :)
The
Savannah features farm animals such as chicken, pigs, and ostriches among others. The ostriches at the moment go through their phase of shedding some feathers, which according to our guide is totally normal. The train just passed by this area, we didn't come down anymore.
The train then took us to the
Animal MuZOOeum, a place filled with different animal bone structures and fur - for academic purposes.
Last stop for the tour was the
Croco Loco, which was amazing and quite scary place (for me) because we got to walk on a metal bridge which can make us see the crocodiles under. This picture was my favorite because it looked as if the crocs were in a middle of a meeting and the one at the upper right side of the picture was speaking his thoughts out. :)
It was a blessing that when we started the tour, the rains stopped and poured again right after we left Croco Loco. However, because of the rains, we immediately left the area to go look for a place to eat at before we went to PureGold to buy some imported goods.
This was a very memorable day for me, but I still am hoping to visit the place again and maybe check out other attractions nearby.
