My little man loves animals so much and since we cannot keep a pet of our own yet as I am reserving that for when he is much bigger, I aimed to bring him to zoos where he can enjoy watching all the animals. Two months ago I purchased a couple of tickets for the Avilon Zoo at half the price. It was to expire on July 25^th so when the sky promised a clearer weather that day, we set to travel for Rizal.

The Rodriguez, Rizal location might put you off, but it was really just an almost 2-hour drive from Batasan Hills in Quezon City. What is actually worrisome is the road in Rizal that leads to the zoo. For the first time, we experienced crossing a river. Thankfully, it was very sunny that day and the water in the river was low.

We arrived a little after 1pm and the big pond is what greeted us upon entry. The mat of moss that covers its surface made the pond more appealing. We went straight to the cashier to have our vouchers validated. A regular entrance pass sells at Php400 {which I got for half the price}. The visitors also have the option to hire a tour guide to help them navigate the huge expanse of land for another Php400, which we passed, thinking with a toddler in tow, we will never really know how far we’d be able to walk and explore. Snacks and refreshments are available inside the zoo, but we decided to put off food for another hour and see a bit of the place first.

I noticed that there are a number of on-going repairs at the zoo at the time, including the Pettisimo area where children can come face-to-face with pets and feed them. Too bad, Jared was not able to experience this, I bet he will really be thrilled.

The first animals that greeted us are the ducks in this big pond. The little man had a wonderful time watching them and having his photos taken with them. In a smaller pond with a fountain a dozen or so of big and colorful koi fish are swimming peacefully.

When we get to the main zoo birds, we are treated to hundreds upon hundreds of different animals, in varying colors and species. We saw a lot of turtles in different colors and sizes, with the tinier ones swimming in aquariums while the bigger ones {I never thought turtles can grow that big} wading peacefully in open air enclosures. We also made a quick visit to the Reptile section of the zoo and saw all these scary and interesting looking snakes, lizards, and related creatures.

A welcome treat was this Zen-inspired garden-like section of the zoo that features this lovely big pond, a couple of stone-made chairs with tables where visitors can sit and catch their breath, and these big bird houses on the sides.

There are also tons of birds in different colorful shades and species, including mainas, owls, cuckatoos, and macaws. Their cooing and hooting, mixed with an assortment of other animal sounds, lend a very relaxing air about the place, like you are actually visiting a jungle faraway.

There is no way I can recall all the animals we have seen that day, but if my memory serves me right, this is probably the biggest gathering of animals that I have seen in a zoo. There are Shetland ponies and a bunch of other horses, goats, wild boars and pigs, donkeys, peacocks, a cassowary, a pygmy hippo, a Bengal tiger, a white tiger, and a pair of lions. What interests me the most are the huge fishes swimming in the pond where the lions are caged, the arapaima. I think they are even bigger than my little man. I have never seen those before so it was such an experience. Visitors can even feed them for Php30 per cup of meat, which we skipped knowing how our little man can be squeamish at times.

Another interesting attraction in the zoo is this big monkey, I am not sure whether it is a gibbon or a gorilla as I have entirely forgotten it now. It was rather huge and am sure the other monkeys are careful not to mess with him. We also get to see this American black bear. Too bad he was resting at the moment so we failed to get a good look at him. And, of course, I won’t forget about the white carabaos. I am not sure whether they have a worse case of albinism or if they were born that way, but seeing a carabao in an entirely different color is really quite fascinating.

Apart from all the lovely creatures, I also enjoyed marveling at the lush greeneries as well as the colorful fauna that you will see everywhere in the zoo. The flowers in different colors are really such eye candies and I wish I can bring some home.

The lone souvenir shop sells quirky novelty items, as well as an assortment of stuffed animals. I really wish they would also sell postcards of the animals that take residence in the zoo. It will be quite an interesting piece of memento that will surely remind anyone of this beautiful place.

We have completed the tour after a couple of hours and was surprised that Jared was so up to the task, apart from asking to be carried a few times, he was very much willing to walk and wander along with us to see the animals. Oh and somewhere in between our tour, we grabbed a quick bite at the snack bar. For Php200 we had 2 single-sized pizza, a pineapple juice in can, a big bag of Tortillos and a can of Nescafe latte.

This trip is really quite worthwhile and enjoyable and I am glad we took it. This is something you can also do with your family, even when you are on a budget.

Avilon Zoo
Brgy. San Isidro, Rodriguez, Rizal
:computer:http://avilonzoo.ph
:mail: avilonzoo@gmail.com
:phone: {632} 948-9866