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?

The Philippines: Cebu's Rainforest Park (what's for adults?)

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".

Rainforest Park Cebu is in Ayala Access Road, Panagdaet, Mabolo; here's the location map of Cebu's Rainforest Park, as copied from the park's official website:

The park is open from 9am to 11pm, Monday to Sunday, for everyone who wants to take a stroll or look around the place.  But the Jungle Adventures (rope obstacles) has an entrance fee of Php250 per person or a barkada package for 6 persons at Php1,250.00.

The website says the park has the Oceanarium Restaurant, Jungle Adventures, Amazon Aviary & Tarzan House, Oasis Spa and Salon and the Zoofari Cafe.

Of these, only the Jungle Adventures is fully operational.  This is understandable, as the park is less than three weeks old, at the time of our visit.  So I'd like to suggest to the park management to disclose this in their website, as it is misleading.  Also, the gallery in the website show pictures that are not from the park...that's too bad.  But the adventures are really worth your money, and the fun and memories your children get from the experience!  

Around the Jungle Adventures area, there are picnic tables and chairs where the parents and guardians can sit down and watch over the kids while they do rope obstacles.  But the number of tables/chairs are not enough...if the park management can just add some chairs, even without the tables, that would be a big improvement.

The Oceanarium Restaurant is only a restaurant for now, no acquariums yet. The gift shop is still wanting of novelty items which can really push one to part with cash.

The Amazon Aviary & Tarzan House is still not open but you can already hear recorded birds' tweets and chirps all over the park... quite misleading, too.

When we went there, Oasis Spa and Salon was used for a seminar or meeting?  Need I say more?

Zoofari Cafe was already open but they only serve cakes and coffee blends.  We were expecting there'd be sandwiches, especially after the kids did the adventures were really hungry, but were told sandwiches will be available next week.

There are refreshments around though, Hawaiian shave ice cream, water, cold drinks and ice cream.

We'll see if there will be improvements weeks or months from now.  I'm expecting the place to be a lot improved, as Christmas is just around the corner, and it really is a one-of-a-kind concept here in Cebu!