For a hot country like ours, we once in a while look for and go to cool places to rest and relax. Good thing there's Tagaytay which is just kilometers away from the metropolis. That's why when I got an invite for a Bloggers Trip to Tagaytay, no was just taken out of my vocabulary.
There's this one place along Mendez, Cavite near Tagaytay called Paradizoo where you can enjoy a total feel of environment, a reality and nature's treat! Paradizoo is a farm theme park opened in 2006 and was originally intended as a simple vacation place by its owner, Mr. Robert Yupangco. He turned it into a farm to maximize the 10-hectare space, dividing it into three areas — the Farm Animal, the Flower Garden and the Vegetable Farm.
Paradizoo Cafe is made for the visitors/tourists who are tired and hungry after a long drive. It's an open air resto with roofing. They offer some light snacks and rice meal, and you know what's the fun part here? Some of their farm animals enter and roams around the cafe.
After eating, we had a tour around Paradizoo. Our first stop is the Farm Animal — the home of various exotic animals such as goats, one-humped camels, five-legged buffalo, miniature horses, ostriches, native carabaos, wild pigs, lambs, ducks, love birds, and one-colored peacocks.
You can ride this one-humped camel for P100 per round and have a photo with it for P50.
Biggest baby pony in the world.
And the noisiest sheep I've ever encountered. Haha!
Paradizoo is not only filled with animals, it also filled with beautiful flowers and gardens that visitors can create a different love for nature. Despite the fact that we see these flowers almost daily, it was still a great sight because the garden was beautifully landscaped!
Top View
The flowers were arranged in a wonderful array, grouped according to color and kind. The grass was also in lush green color, and that was a very refreshing sight!
Consistent to the park's farm theme, there's this Vegetable Farm. An area for vegetable plantation where you can purchase fresh vegetables harvest for a reasonable price.
Grand Rapid Lettuce and Pechay.
They also have strawberry, chinese cabbage, ice berg, upo, and patola.
Inside this Vegetable Farm is the Wedding Pavillion. Perfect for wedding celebrations, birthdays or any occasions.
Meet the President and CEO of Zoomanity Group, Mr. Robert Yupangco.
I got to meet Atish Sarker, a Computer Engineer by profession and a Bonsai Enthusiast from Bangladesh, India. Atish recently won the 'Best in Show' on Bonsai Exhibit and Competition in Tarlac. And here, he discussed us The Art of Bonsai.
Guess what I did after? Well.. I tried the Zing Ride. Hahaha! I know some of you may react that riding a zipline is not that difficult to do, but folks, this is my first time! Each person has a different body chemistry and psyche, and what may be easy for one, may be difficult for another person, and vice versa. He-he!
There's a Meditation Garden here at Paradizoo. A place where you can meditate and have some peaceful moment.
Pinoy Bloggers together with the Zoomanity Group.
Beside the Meditation Garden is this Honey House where you can observe the busy bees at work. Bzzz. They also sell the honey procedure from the coffee plant and other souvenirs.
According to the staff, it is sweet with a mild sour taste. He recommends the Honey made from Sampaloc nectar to be better tasting.
Feel the Pet Me Home, Plant Me Home experience here where you can select and pick vegetables and flowers from garden plots to take home. And discover the Discovery Shop where you can buy souvenirs from Paradizoo.
Paradizoo is ideal for picnics, educational field trips, outdoor and group outing programs. Unlike other zoos in the Philippines, Paradizoo lets you interact with the animals. Ride and feed them, try goat milking, touch the birds and the butterflies, and have a fish spa. So bring the whole family and refresh your knowledge here at Paradizoo.
Just when I thought that we'll call it a day, I was wrong. Because included in our itenirary is to visit another paradise — Residence Inn. Let's see what's so special in this place.
Residence Inn is actually a hotel but they are more known and visited for their mini zoo. It has all the essential aspects of appreciating love for animals as you would see a lot of living attractions right before your very eyes. Their animal collections are moderate in number but great enough to be appreciated by all ages.
First, we got the chance to take a picture with the tiger here at Animal Encounter while the staffs lure the tiger's attention with a feeding bottle. It is a bit scary that they have to do that because otherwise the tiger might just attack us if it doesn't like the way we move or touch him.
Then we headed to the Serpentarium. An aquarium area that showcase various species of fishes, cockroaches, turtles, spiders, scorpions, iguana and snakes.
Fishes, cockroaches and turtle.
Spider, iguana, and snakes.
At the end of the Serpentarium, there's a photo op with this huge yellow Python for 50 pesos only. Looks like my friend Amae enjoyed it. Haha!
There's a mini theater here at Residence Inn where you can watch their well-trained animals perform. The host will call for a volunteer to come on stage and have a close encounter with the animals. At the last part of the show, I am one of the chosen out of six. The host ask us to position our two hands in a certain way. Unaware of what animal he will call, we are all nervous. The host called out the name and it's France the Python! The fuq. I have to face my fear! Watch the video here.
After the animal show, the audience have a photo op with the animals. As I have said, their animals are well-trained. Amae and I face our fears and carry France the Python for 10 minutes. This python is so heavy and his skin is so cold. It was one of the craziest things I did in my life. I never thought I'd do this but yep, I survived!
When you're hungry, they have Gazebo. It is a restaurant that serves the famous bulalo, tawilis, and the dangerously good dynamite or chili cheese rolls that will surely compliment with the weather. Just in case your phone, powerbank, or gadget's battery is low or empty, there's a charging station within the dining are for free. Just make sure that you have your charger with you.
And if you're up for a thrill like me, then this one is for you. The Residence Inn's zipline and cable car adventure!
I tried both with my other blogger friends. We got a good view of Taal Lake and Taal Volcano from afar and an adrenaline rush for 5-minute ride. At first, I was too scared to try because of the heights, but thank God I did it! I enjoyed being up in the air, savoring the cold wind and warm sun, and just being with nature and friends.
How I wish I could've tried biking, wall climbing and horseback riding but we seem to have a very few time to do that. We are already tired and we needed to go back to Manila.
Overall, Paradizoo Farm and Residence Inn are a must-visit attraction in Tagaytay. And not to mention, all the staffs and zoo keepers are very accommodating and friendly too!
My gratitude goes out to all the people behind Zoomanity Group especially to Mr. Robert Yupangco and Mrs. Grace Nicolas. Thank you so much for making this possible. I'm looking forward to more of Zoomanity Group adventures! ☺
Zoomanity Group of Companies
#339 3rd Floor Yupangco Building, Senator Gil Puyat Avenue, Makati City, Philippines 1200
Tel No.: (02) 899 9824
How I wish I could've tried biking, wall climbing and horseback riding but we seem to have a very few time to do that. We are already tired and we needed to go back to Manila.
Overall, Paradizoo Farm and Residence Inn are a must-visit attraction in Tagaytay. And not to mention, all the staffs and zoo keepers are very accommodating and friendly too!
My gratitude goes out to all the people behind Zoomanity Group especially to Mr. Robert Yupangco and Mrs. Grace Nicolas. Thank you so much for making this possible. I'm looking forward to more of Zoomanity Group adventures! ☺
Zoomanity Group of Companies
#339 3rd Floor Yupangco Building, Senator Gil Puyat Avenue, Makati City, Philippines 1200
Tel No.: (02) 899 9824
For more info, visit Zoomanity Group official website or follow them on their official Facebook page.
Disclaimer: This is an all expense paid trip for bloggers. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this post are solely my own and were not influenced by any of the people mentioned.
5 comments
Your photos are superb ♥ i would like to try the zipline :D
ReplyDeleteHazel
Thank you, Hazel! If you want to go there, I'll send you a copy of the tickets for two :)
DeleteI haven't seen a camel in real life. Haha It looks cute! Scared to ride tho 'cause of the hump on its back! That little pony is tooo cute! haven't heard of this place. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteOchi | Ochi In The City
You should visit this place. Try the zipline and cable car!
DeleteWow, Mich, I missed this place on my two trips to Tagaytay, great blog!!
ReplyDelete