Once known to be a red light district back in the 1990s when the American Naval Base was in temporary occupation in the country, Subic, Olongapo, has undergone extensive clean-up and preservation acts and has been transformed into a booming industrial-tourism hub (which is why I was rooting for Gordon in the 2010 elections, but that’s a completely different story).
One of numerous adult tigers at Zoobic
At present, Subic is considered to be one of the quickest, hottest getaways from the city, with a myriad of waterfront hotels, forest trails and jungle adventures, brown-sanded beaches,dive-worthy shipwrecks and duty-free shops buffeting the area. It is approximately 110 kilometres north of Manila.
A view of Mt. Arayat on the way to Subic
Tunnel to Subic Bay Freeport Zone
While there are tons of things to do in this great urban city, Jigs and I only less than one day to explore it during our 4th year anniversary in ’07. Leaving Bulacan at around 12:30pm, we arrived there at around 3:30pm (the SCTEX hasn’t been built yet during that time). Tired, we spent the next few hours simply lolling around surrounding the Zoobic Lodge @ Tiara (otherwise known as Crown Peak Hotel), where we stayed overnight for P1,000/head together with a Zoobic Safari entrance, tour and breakfast.
The old Crown Peak Hotel
picture courtesy of www.expatforum.com
The Crown Peak is a really oooold hotel up in Upper Cubi (or as one tourist says, “up with the bats and the monkeys”. Indeed. Indeed.). It is quite distant from Subic’s central business district (SBFZ), but lies very close to the beaches (about 5-10 minutes away): Miracle Beach, All-Hands Beach, and Dungaree Beach.
Crown Peak Hotel kitchen area
The hotel actually looks a bit out of place in the mountains, being surrounded by a deep forest with no establishments in sight. Except for a couple of small stores selling soda and junk food, THERE’S ABSOLUTELY NO RESTOS, BARS OR NIGHTLIFE nearby. All street lights are out by 7PM. When you go out of the hotel, all you’ll see are a canopy of trees and bushes, a bunch of riotous monkeys, and a bushy trail to the bat cave down in the deep jungle. Too, aside from the corridors being devoid of any housekeeping staff, there’s nobody manning the front desk from 5PM onward till brunch time the next day. Creepy, eh?
Yep. This forest sat just outside the hotel.
…And these, too.
So if you’re planning to stay here, be sure to pack lots of munchies and drinks. The hotel allows food and drinks to be brought in, and you may choose to cook using the electric range provided in each room (we cooked fried siomai during the evening, although the entire room smelled like it for hours, haha).
Other than that and the fact that the hotel’s ambience and the surrounding area seemed like a scenario straight out of a horror movie, our stay was fine, in general. The appliances worked well, the sheets were clean, water ran fine and clean, and overall, the room was spic n’ span when we got there.Or maybe we just got lucky (’cause I read reviews of guests complaining of moldy smell and rooms being infested with roaches and what-not).
Pre-dinner at Le Man’s Go Kart
Because the hotel suddenly (?) decided to shut the gates to the pool the following day, we decided to go straight to Zoobic at Ilanin Forest (also near the beaches) at 7am and have our breakfast at Zoobic’s Aeta -inspired in-house restaurant, Buho Grill. The resto serves Filipino cuisine – mainly grilled specialties -al-fresco.
Halfway through Zoobic Safari
Buho Grill
Picture courtesy of Tjsdaily.blogspot.com
The restaurant exuded a homey, welcoming ambience. The staff wore smiles all the time and were very attentive. The breakfast sure is something, too. We thoroughly enjoyed our tapsilog and longsilog. Super yummy, I tell you (I suppose these were home-made). Big servings, too.
At Buho Grill, one is greeted by a friendly and adorable resident pet goat , wild boars and several Siberian tigers (all properly caged and guarded, of course – well, except for the goat).
Home to the only Tiger Safari in the Philippines, Zoobic Safari is home to over 20 Siberian tigers (and counting). Most of the tigers are kept in cages, although they are alternately freed after feeding as exercise. Zoobic is a fun, educational and exciting place to go to, especially if you’re bringing kids along.
Below are some of the thrills Zoobic offers during the Zoobic Safari experience (P395 for a day trip; 2007 rate):
1. Tiger Safari
A heart-stopping experience where you ride an armor-reinforced safari jeepney as curious tigers jump up the vehicle and inch close to you. Guests may also choose to watch the tigers eat raw chicken meat up close while a trained caretaker feeds them from inside the jeepney (additional P100 per whole chicken, 2007 rate). An absolute favorite. A must for guests.
A tiger jumps on the roof of the jeepney
Tiger feeding on raw chicken meat
Here’s a short clip of that exciting Tiger Safari experience:
2. Savannah
A haven for wild animals such as boars and full-grown ostriches. An optional train ride is provided to guests as they tread the savannah alongside free-roaming ostriches (P20/head; 2007 rate). The train also takes you to other parts of the zoo including the Menagerie and Croco Loco. Recommended as the whole Zoobic property spans hectares and it could be quite taxing getting by on foot.
Parental guidance! Haha.
That’s one cool train ride
As per the tour guide, these ostriches shed feathers during the mating season.
3. Serpentarium
Hosts a wide variety of reptiles, including snakes, monitor lizards, iguanas, turtles and other cold-blooded creatures.
4. Croco Loco
Guests get to walk on a bridge over a pit of more than 200 hundred hungry crocodiles. They may also choose to feed the crocodiles with live chicken using a bait for extra fun (P50; 2007 rate).
A video of the crocodile feeding experience at Zoobic:
5. Rodent world
Features several species of rodents
6. Hip Hop Bay-a-wak
Guests must hop through elevated logs with several bayawaks (Philippine monitor lizards) keeping watch of their every step below.
7. Menagerie
Showcases a collection of various stuffed animals including avians, reptiles and mammals. An educational tour for the kids.
8. The Aeta Show
A mini tribal show depicting the various dances and acts of the indigenous Aetas (yup, the natives perform the guitars and dance themselves). Truly entertaining.
Have a glimpse of the Aeta culture through the dragonfly dance, monkey dance and the war dance in the video clips below:
Monkey dance
Swarming Dragonfly Dance. A means of weather forecasting.
Tribal war dance
Tons of other interesting activities await guests at Zoobic. Capture that rare moment of bottle feeding a tiger cub, or holding a python or iguana on cam. Or ride a horse or a caribou.
Be sure to also check out their souvenir shop located at the entrance for interesting PX finds and Safari-inspired souvenirs such as shirts, toys, mugs, glasses, hats, bags and more. Jigs got me a trendy faux animal skin purse for only P300 as an anniversary gift.
Fab shoulder bag for only P300
If you’re looking for an interesting alternative to the usual trip to the zoo, Zoobic is the perfect adventure for you. With its innovative rides and attractions, even adults will surely enjoy this wild world of animals.
How to get to Subic (From Manila, via the old route):
By Car
Take the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) to San Fernando Bataan . You will pass through the towns of Bacolor, Guagua, Lubao in Pampanga and Dinalupihan in Bataan. You will see a monument of stone soldiers (Bataan monument). Turn right. This road leads to Olongapo/Zambales/SBMA.
Within 15 minutes, you’d reach the hills. Shortly after the Roosevelt National Park
From the APEC gate, make it through Argonaut Highway by making a right at the first junction then turning left at the stoplight.
If you’re aiming for Cubi Point, simply go straight, following the main road. Past the Cubi Airport, the main road ends with an intersection. Turning left takes you to Ocean adventure and Camayan Beach, and turning right takes you to All Hands Beach.
Map from Balintawak to Olongapo:
Map of Subic Bay Freeport Zone:
Amazing trip!!Those crocs look so lovely.If u want more suggestions and ideas on safari,find me on my-travel-mate.com
Yes, but they were also downright scary 🙂 Thanks, mate.
Hi, do you have the contact number of crown peak? and do they have wifi?
Hi Lara! Try this: (+63 47) 252-3144. You may also want to try contacting Jhoye of Zoobic at 09239927753. Zoobic has affiliate packages with Crown Peak.
As for the wifi, I'm not so sure. The term WiFi doesn't exist yet when we went there. Hehe