Our 53rd entry in this blog is our trip to Cebu Safari and Adventure Park in Carmen, Cebu.  This is everyone’s first time since the park is not yet fully opened and still on its preview visit period.  Since we are sooo excited for this day, everyone woke up very early and we left home at 6:30AM for the 2-hour ride to Carmen.  The weather is perfect, cloudy with a chance of rain (but it never rained).  It is perfect for me since I hate long walks on a hot sunny day. 🙂 Since it is still February, breeze is cold and we are set to bring our jackets.  Here is Ate Rei, very excited to start her day at the park.

There have been lots of animals in the park that we only get to see in the zoo.  “The huge property boasts of 111 species of animals including mammals like the Damara sheep and alpaca, primates such as the Philippine macaque and gibbons, small and big cats like the leopard, Siberian tigers and African lions, equines like the zebra, rodents like the Capybara, the mongoose such as the meerkat and semi-aquatic otters.” -cebudailynews.inquirer.net

Our much awaited animal is the Giraffe. We have seen Giraffes in Japan zoos but this is the closest we have encountered.  We also love the big turtles and how yummy their breakfasts are.

Sai’s favorite moment was the pony ride.  He is so happy to ride a small horse as small as he is. hehehe…  The animals are spread across four areas of the huge park called the African Savanna, Safari Outpost, Tiger Turf and Orangutown.  I was not able to group my pictures because… I just did not. lol. We went to African Savanna (which opens at 10AM) to see the zebras up close. And yet again, this is the closest encounter we have with the zebras and other wild looking goats.

The thing I love about this place is that we get to go near the animals and they are not afraid of the people.  Ate Rei and Sai gets to feed the birds at the Macaw Aviary and the Aviary Dome.  The kids also got the chance to really get close with other harmless animals like the capybara and some deers, but of course, not with the crocodiles. 🙂

Entrance fee of the park is P800 that includes a buffet lunch.  Everyone is hungry by noontime so we headed for lunch.  Right after lunch, we visited the plants.  “The Safari is not all about animals as guests will also be treated to the breathtaking sight of over a million orchids and other decorative plants at Michel’s Garden and Michel’s Pavilion which are part of Lhuiller’s 40-year-old collection.” -cebudailynews.inquirer.net

Gooya loves orchids. She used to have a number of orchids at home but no longer have the time to care for them.  So the million flowering orchids is a place of heaven for her.

And, all this is just phase 1 of the Safari. We finished our preview for Phase 1 for half a day. Started at around 8:20AM and ended after lunch around 1PM.

For sure… when the park opens, we will be back. According to their staff, a lot of adventure rides will be added — a 1.3-kilometer zipline ride, a bicycle zipline, an obstacle course and a 25-meter swing. A river that winds around the Safari and two swimming pools, one Olympic-sized, will feature water sports. Also in the works is a 60-room hotel atop the mountains targeted to open in 2020 and a campsite. Now that is really something to look forward to. See you by then! 🙂