Zoobic Zoopreme!

To kick start The Mediocre Wanderer's travel bits, I dug deep into the recesses of my Fujitsu external hard drive, to a folder simply marked as ZOOBIC.

A 2 1/2 drive from Manila (and 6 hours from Baguio), Subic Bay is a perfect destination for kids and adults alike.  Click here to see the map (courtesy of the Zoobic Multiply Site). Its got everything from water sports and shopping to good food and nature tours. 

A highlight of our 2009 summer was our impromptu stop at Zoobic. We were in town for a birthday party and decided to checkout Zoobic and Ocean Adventure all in the same day before heading off to Manila.

We had just come from Ocean Adventure earlier that day. 10 minutes away was Zoobic, your own safari adventure in Subic's own backyard. 

A quick look at the counter upon entry showed the prizes of the Zoobic Safari: 

Zoobic safari Entrance Rate: 
Adult Rate: 449.00/head 
Child Rate: 349.00/head (3ft. below is free) 

White Tiger at the Pavillion

While waiting for our tour to start, we got to check out the tigers around the Pavilion, or the main building. We also found out that we could get our pictures taken with one of the tigers. The 2 hour tour consisted of us walking through the Zoobic Park that housed various mammals and birds (see pics below):

Don't let this harmless looking bird fool ya, it's beak and claws are made of solid keratin and could just tear into you. the bump on it's head could really hurt you if you got close enough

While documenting how tall I was compared to an adult ostrich, that live one on the lower left hand corner of the pic managed to poke its head where it doesn't belong

Don't need to go to the desert to find one of these =)

Oink!

Asian Albino Water Buffaloes

Further off into the tour, we hit the Bone Museum (where the bones of animals that have died in Zoobic are kept), The Aetas Trail (a replica of a typical Aeta village, complete with Aetas), Croco Loco ( You + Big Caged Pond + LOTS of crocs...and not the ones you buy at the mall), plus a couple more places to see reptiles, birds and more mammals. 

Getting left behind by the tour group as I posed for the cam

And they say I have a big mouth LOL

Converted bomb shelters turned into cool museums. Behind me is the entrance to the Bone Museum

Molting ostriches seen during the Savannah ride

The view below at Croco Loco

One of our meat-eating avian friends at The Birds of Prey

After the Savannah, we got to see the main attraction of the place,  the Tiger Safari / Tiger Close Encounter.  We got  into these customized vehicles to see the tigers in their habitat. These big feline creatures are allowed to roam around, just like in a real safari. Sometimes, these big cats would even climb up a vehicle and allow its passengers to feed it fresh chicken (arrangements must be made prior to the start of the Tiger Safari).

Most of the caged tigers positioned themselves this way 

Feedin' time. See video below =)

All in all, this spur of the moment trip became one of the highlights of our summer. I would love to come back soon and bring the rest of my motley crew to enjoy the sights, learn about ecology and just have fun. There were places to buy souvenirs for those who missed it and food and drinks to replenish all the lost energy. Prices were reasonable.

Oh, and a quick tip, wear comfortable walking shoes, as there definitely will be a lot of walking. Don't forget to bring a hat, sunglasses, sunblock and water as not all areas will be shaded, and of course, bring a camera, just because it's one trip you would want to remember =)

Posing with a rather heavy tiger cub

"No sudden movements"...as if I would

From TMW, may all your wanderings be better than ours!