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If you’ve ever wondered whether there was anything to do in the Philippines besides visiting the beaches then I’ve got a wonderful surprise for you!!!
Yes, there are some beautiful beaches in the Philippines and if you love to snorkel or dive traveling there is a must!
But there are some other awesome activities that can be enjoyed and The Cebu Safari and Adventure Park is not to be missed!
Just make sure before you go to have these items with you so you can enjoy your trip!
- Sunscreen
- Sunglasses
- Sun hat
Now, of course this is not an extensive list. So, please head over to my Resources Page for even more suggestions for you and your chilld(ren)!
And now that we’ve got those covered, let’s get into it 🙂
(Now, just so you know, I have family in the Philippines. Our trip was planned out and organized by a family member. Not only that but they were the ones who drove us.)
Getting to the Park
The Park is located about an hour north of the city of Cebu in Carmen.
My biggest suggestion would be to rent a car and driver. If you are feeling extremely adventurous you can take public transportation. Or, if you’re feeling even more adventurous 🙂 and/or have driven there before you can rent a car and drive yourself!
Just to give you a little more reasoning behind this. Driving and traffic has gotten much better there but it is still crazy?
There are lines painted on the roads but they are not always followed. Children, dogs, motorcyclists (basically anything smaller or faster than the vehicle you are in) will be weaving in and out of traffic, etc..
So….rent a car and driver 🙂
Cost
The cost and what’s included is always subject to change. Even as we were planning our trip they changed their pricing a few times. See their website for the most up to date info.
Also, make sure you check out the current conversion rate to find out your correct pricing.
The Cebu Safari and Adventure Park
Please note, as of December 2018 , they are still in a ‘soft ‘ open, so they haven’t officially opened even though you can totally visit.
Which would explain why the adventure part of the park isn’t open yet but it looks awesome!!! And definitely something we’ll explore the next time we visit.
Don’t miss the great experience of
How you’ll get around and What to expect
The ‘lobby’ area is a beautiful open air space that has your ticket counter, souvenir shop, food options and of course the entrance to the park.
When you go through the entrance you will be greeted by open air jeeps that can seat around 16 people each.
My 1st thought: Oh.My.Gosh, Jurassic park, lol! But I’m not even kidding! It was a little eerie and I will admit I had a few minutes that I was worried for our safety lol!
Needless to say we survived and it was great!
The jeeps are there to take you to your first stop and are constantly going from stop to stop so you can ride to each animal rather than walking if you’d like.
The Park is not like a zoo you’d find in the US. It is much more spread out but ‘enclosed’. Meaning, from the main road where the jeeps drive, most of the animals cannot be seen without walking into the specific area.
They do have walkways through part of the Park which are beautiful and will allow you to walk through other areas.
One of these areas has llamas, and the path is open. There is no barrier between the llamas and people walking through the area so it was a little disconcerting.
At one point I’m pretty positive a llama was following us!!!!!
Now, to see the African Savannah area you had to get back into the jeeps. There were again, no barriers between the vehicles and animals. The drivers were great tour guides explaining what animals we were seeing and additional information about them.
Where to Eat
They have several different eating areas to chose from.
Not only will you have to chose between what to eat but what view you’d like when you eat!!!
We chose, as a family, to eat at the Safari Outpost. While we ate we could see giraffes, meerkats and many different types of birds like ducks, swans and geese.
The menu happened to be perfect for our blended family. Not only was there the traditional Filipino dishes available (variations of rice and meat) but they also had American food (hamburgers, hot dogs and french fries).
Side note: If you’ve done a lot a traveling you know that a hamburger in another country will not taste the same as in the States. This holds true in the Philippines too. Even when you go to a McDonald’s there, it will not taste the same.
However, the cheeseburger at the Safari Outpost was absolutely delicious!!!! (Yes, I had one too :)) And they offered garlic french fries (which I love but always seem hard to find) which of course I was all over lol. And they were some of the best I’ve ever had.
Now, I don’t know if it was the heat, dehydration or all the walking we’d done that made it taste so good, I’d actually venture to say it was none of that. The food was just perfectly delicious!
Shows to See
We made sure to take time to see the Bird show.
It was in an amphitheater which served the show perfectly.
The highlight of the show for me was when they had big birds of prey flying right over our heads! They really got so close but it was awesome!
Don’t Miss Spots
There are two areas at the Park that I would suggest you not miss!
The first is the beautiful fountain you’ll actually pass on your way in. It is a favorite place to take pictures and when the fountain actually runs it is wonderful!
The second is the botanical garden. It is a beautiful, serene place that will also provide you with some extremely beautiful views of the Philippines countryside.
Souvenirs
Don’t forget the souvenirs!!!!
Their souvenir shop is fairly small compared to ones you’d find in other sightseeing venues but they’ve got great options.
My son chose to get a stuffed alligator while I went with an awesome sticky note/notepad.
Where to Stay
There are plenty of places you can find to stay in the Carmen area but staying in Cebu will serve you as a more central place to stay. And with it only being about an hour away the Park it’s an easy day trip from Cebu.
I have three very different options for you in the city and I’ve stayed at all of them!
Mango Park Hotel – This is more of a high-rise/apartment-style hotel. It is located in the heart of the city. It has a restaurant, swimming pool and air conditioning!
Escario Central Hotel – This is a very unique style hotel set-up. It’s laid out behind a strip mall that houses a convenient store, salon, restaurants and more.
The rooms are all on ground level and are set up in what I would call quad cottages. The rooms are ‘simple’ but they do have air conditioning, cable and hot running water.
Bluewater Maribago– A beautiful high end resort right on a beautiful beach. It has two/three restaurants on site, a few kids areas, a souvenir/toiletry area, hammocks and great service.
As a future option, the Park is in the process of building a hotel on site too! So, definitely, I think this would be the way to go. Not only will you be right there but, especially once the Adventure Park is up and running, you’ll have easy access to all there is to offer. Plus, like I mentioned before, the views are just amazing!
In Conclusion
Even though it’s not even fully open yet, it is wonderfully set up and a great place to take the family. (We had four generations go and every loved it!)
I hope you’re inspired to add a trip to Cebu, Philippines and The Cebu Safari and Adventure Park to your next adventure!
Have you started mentally planing to visit The Cebu Safari and Adventure Park?
Want to know what you should pack? I’ve got you covered! Check out my How to Pack post and grab your free Never Forget Anything Again and Toddler Packing lists now 🙂
Also, since most likely you’ll be traveling internationally make sure you get these 8 tips before you go.
Please let me know if you have any questions!
