The Philippines: CEBU's Rainforest Park

Rainforest Park Cebu "is the first of its kind in Cebu of a well-thought unique concept that encloses an inspired mix of entertainment, adventure, recreation, leisure, educational, dining and unwinding for the entire family".

For lack of parks and family outing venues in Cebu City, the opening of Rainforest Park last Aug. 12, 2011, was a welcome development.  Located in Ayala Access Road, Panagdaet, Mabolo, the place is very accessible.  See location map here.  The place is open to the public from 9am to 11pm, Monday to Sunday; so we didn't need to pay anything to get inside the park, it admits everyone and anyone.

To try the rope obstacles at Jungle Adventures, is another story.  Entrance fee is at Php250 per person for an hour, or there's a barkada package for 6, at Php1,250.

Looking forward to the long weekend at the end of August AND catching a promo voucher on the internet for group booking, was a bonus!  Entrance fee to Jungle Adventures at Php625 for 6persons?  What a treat! 

So off we went to Rainforest Adventure Park with my son's  friends.  The Jungle Adventures is fit for kids aged 8 up.  There are 9 rope-obstacles kids can enjoy.

Climb up the Cargo Net (1/9) to the zipline platform.

Zip through Zig-Zag, a mini zipline to the Burma bridge platform...not so challenging especially for kids who have tried longer outdoor ziplines.  But for younger ones, this is a hit!

Walk on Burma Bridge (3/9), kind of easy to walk on as the ropes provide secure passage on a V-formation.

Walk on the Earthquake Bridge (4/9), a "bridge" made of wood held by ropes, hanging one by one on mid-air.  Once you're mid-way, there's no turning back!

Brave girls do it, too!  Tests kid's balance, agility and strategy!

After the earthquake bridge, try another knee-wobbling adventure with the Deep Bucket Bridge (5/9), a U-formed rope bridge.  This is more shaky than the Burma bridge (v-form).

Wall Climbing (6/9) - A friend's brave little daughter climbed up an artificial wall with artificial rocks.

My son made it halfway on the Wall Climb the first time...

... and made it to the top on his second try!  Going down is a breeze, as he only had to rappel down the wall.   (Wall Climbing and Jacob's Ladder)

Climb up again, this time on a pipe ladder called Jacob's Ladder (7/9) to get to the Catwalk Bridge...

....and walk across a Catwalk Bridge (8/9), a slim metal bridge, to the next platform ...

From the catwalk, swing, or rather walk on the Vines Bridge (9/9), to test balance and knee strength!

The obstacles take only around 45 minutes to accomplish.  The entrance fee, regularly priced at P250 per person, lets you spend an hour inside the adventure zone.  But that one hour was enough to make our kids sweat plenty and have minor muscle pains.

My son and one friend completed all the obstacles.  Some of the kids in our group skipped some obstacles, from fright, exhaustion or being still too little in physique. 

What to wear:  long sleeved shirts to protect arms from sunburn, long pants to protect the legs from cuts or bruises, rubber shoes or comfortable footwear with socks, and sunscreen for the face.  Bring towel and extra shirts, one to change into after the adventure and one after all the running the children are going to do inside the park.

And don't forget to bring and let the kids drink lots of fluids!

It was time well spent with friends, conquer fears, test physical strength and simply ENJOY!

To borrow my son's words, "It was awesome".

So, what's in the park for adults?