An afternoon at Ark Avilon Zoo

Ark Avilon Zoo is the only interactive indoor zoo in the Philippines. With the baby developing an interest in animals, we thought it was prime time to take him to the zoo. Ark Avilon was perfect because it’s very accessible (near the Eastwood area) and it’s shaded (no glaring sun!). So one Sunday afternoon, off we went to Ark Avilon.

Looks like an ark on the outside!

We arrived at Ark Avilon Zoo around 4.30pm. There weren’t that many people, but shortly after we arrived a tour group followed. I’m guessing the morning is the best time to visit the zoo so it won’t be that hot either.

Ticket Area

A ticket costs P300/adult, P200 if you’re a kid, free if you’re one year and below. Timmy got in free. Here’s what the first floor looks like:

Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!

Upon entering the zoo, you’ll encounter a beautiful blue and gold macaw and a white parrot perched on their stands. You can have their picture taken with them, under the supervision of a zoo guide. Both sides of the first floor’s long hall feature various wild animals.

Daddy and Timmy check out the Double Wattled Cassowary.

Eagle Owls… do not disturb!

These birds were quietly perched on their stands but I didn’t want to bug them. They were quiet but sure looked fierce!

Congratulations Mama Bear!

Aw. We only got a glimpse of Mama Bear in her cave. That’s okay, her baby needs her more!

Thinking tiger…

Can you see the White Tiger? He’s up there by the window. He looks like he’s in a deep reflection mode. Maybe he’s enjoying the view of the parking lot.

Fishy Foot Spa

Fish foot spa anyone? These fish eat the dead skin on your feet! I got intrigued by the concept but (a) I wasn’t wearing flip-flops, and (b) I wasn’t (and still am not) sure how hygienic this is.

Where’s Nemo?

Timmy loved this aquarium. Of all the coves in the zoo this was what he was drawn to. If only it were easy to maintain an aquarium, anak!

Candies for the carp?

You can buy food to feed some of the animals in the zoo. But don’t be misled by those sweets. Those aren’t the things you feed the animals!

H and Timmy enjoyed feeding the hungry carp. Just a few sprinkles of the fish food and they’d come swimming wildly towards you.

I’d hate to be a piece of bread in this pond.

If by any chance you find yourself needing to go the clinic, there’s a First Aid station on the first floor right beside the stairs leading to the second floor.

Let’s go to the 2nd floor!

Creepy crawlies…

To the left: All kinds of snakes. At the center: All kinds of lizards. This is not my kind of floor. 😀 To the right: All kinds of birds.

Emerald Tree Monitor Lizard

Lizards freak me out but I can’t say this one in particular wasn’t, well, attractive. Aren’t its greens so vibrant? It probably makes for great camouflage in the woods. This next one though looked pretty scary.

Mangrove Monitor Lizard

If you like snakes, there’s a whole caboodle of them here. I’m not sure if the green one in the second picture is the California King Snake or the Red-Tailed Green Ratsnake. It looks like a garden hose, don’t you think? Better not accidentally step on it!

Sssssssslytherin…

Don’t step on this one!
The second floor has a bunch of trivia signs posted all over like these two:

Nice to know!

The birds on the right side of the second floor were really beautiful. I found this Black Cap Night Heron particularly captivating.

Feed the birds, tuppence a bag…

Beautiful blue bird!

There was one bird that was just loose around the second floor. I think it’s the Victoria Crowned Pigeon. It was really pretty and just minded its own business.

There’s a feeding station on the second floor as well. You can feed the bunnies, goats and sheep all the vegetables they can eat.

Here bunny bunny bunny…

The second floor can get kind of noisy, and you’ll find the noisemakers right here. Baaaa. Noise and all though, I REALLY liked this sheep. Maybe I was a shepherd in my past life. There was one sheep that was just staring at me. As in STARING. I will never forget that sheep stare. I will return to the zoo and see if I can spot that same sheep.

There was something calming about this area. Maybe I wasn’t a shepherd in my past life. Maybe I was a sheep. Baaaaa.

If your children want to rest from animal sightseeing, there’s a play area on the second floor too. There are a couple of swings, a slide, some sandboxes and playsets to the right (not pictured). Timmy enjoyed the slide a lot.

There’s a refreshment area right across the children’s play area. It can get pretty warm on the second floor, so better hydrate! There are lots of different beverages here, as well as some snacks and ice cream.

While you’re resting, check out some of the trinkets you can take home with you as a souvenir. Timmy chose a bright green hummingbird.

Back on the first floor, stop by the souvenir shop and buy something to remember your special time at the zoo. We got a cute little wrist-toy for Timmy which featured a toy turtle, but he ended up not being too fond of it. Oh well.

Ark Avilon Zoo’s operating hours from Mondays to Thursdays are 9.00-6.00 pm, and from Fridays to Sundays and holidays 10.00 am to 7.30pm. We spent a little over an hour at the zoo. I think we would’ve stayed longer if we had fed all the animals, but that amount of time was just right for us as the baby was getting tired.

We’ll definitely go back one of these days. It was a lot of fun and a great break from our usual mall-filled weekends.

And that’s the closest you’ll get to a tiger, Timmy!

Ark Avilon Zoo
Frontera Verde Ortigas Avenue Corner C5, Pasig City
Telephone Nos. (+632) 706-2992/ 706-2993
Email Address: arkavilonzoo@gmail.com
Website: http://www.avilonzoo.ph

Hi! I'm Toni Tiu, and I've been blogging at at Wifely Steps since 2003. This started as a blog to help newly weds adjust to married life. It has evolved into a home and parenting blog. I write about things close to my heart -- good eats, good reads, family, marriage, and the little things that make everyday happy.