Parenting and home schooling

RAVE Pasig Rainforest: Rainforest in the city

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I came across a blog about RAVE Pasig Rainforest late last year.  It was a just a short post, but with really great shots. We’ve been in stuck in the city for far too long, anything that will give my kids an opportunity to experience nature is good news to me.

RAVE’s website provides a list of many different things to do and visit at the park: There’s a butterfly farm, a flower park, a zoo, an aviary, Adventure park where you can rock climb and ride the zipline, a mini train station, a giant maze, and a lagoon where you can row a boat. You can go for a picnic at the picnic grove or take pictures at the giant chess area.

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If you want to swim, you can do so at the public pool or you can take the kids to play at the playground.

It will take you hours to go around the park.

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Jay and I decided to take the kids last Monday, the day after our 11th year anniversary. We’ve been celebrating our anniversary since Saturday and thought it would be a fun thing to do on the last day of our weekend. (Monday is the only day that Jay and I don’t have work)

So we took the cab to the place and got ready to enjoy the afternoon with our kids.

Big Dinos

The place was huge! The first thing we saw the minute we walked through the gates were the lifesized Brachiosaurus and T-Rex statues.

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We also saw a Pterodactyl and Triceratops along the way. I wanted to take so many pictures right away but stopped myself. We were told that the park would close at 5 PM  that day and we only had less than four hours to spare. We were after the kids observing the live animals and real plants more, so after a couple of clicks, we walked on to see what else there was to see.

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Take note, I was already impressed.

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Butterfly farm

The butterfly farm was big, but the butterflies were visible in the more enclosed area.

It was as if the butterflies were excited to see the kids! They came out and started fluttering around. There weren’t too many of them, nevertheless, the kids were thrilled and so was I!

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The flower farm

We went looking for the flower farm after that. It was a bit of a walk from the butterfly farm but there was so much to see. I really liked walking around the paved walkways. With all the trees along the way, none of us minded the distance despite the heat of the afternoon sun.

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We came upon a maze of flower bushes, mostly with small flowers. I remember seeing Kuishias and Forget me nots and I took pictures of the kids by the little Sunflowers. You could tell that summer has just arrived as some of the flowers were not yet in full bloom.

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There was fountain in the middle that was made to look like a well, but we couldn’t enjoy it that much because there were so many people having their pre-nuptial and pre-debut shots by it. It was taking them so long that it was hard to show it to the kids while trying to avoid getting included in their photos.

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The Zoo and the Aviary

The kids couldn’t wait to see the zoo, so we went there afterwards.

There were no elephants or tigers at the zoo, but there was an Ostrich, a really big crocodile that I thought wasn’t real at first because it had its jaws apart for a very long time.

There were ducks swimming in the man-made pond and turtles sunbathing by the rocks. (Can you tell how much I loved the place by now? Haha!)

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There were some unfamiliar animals, too.

The kids stayed long with the farm animals. Pablo touched the bunnies’ noses and Judah fed a goat. Lukas, on the other hand, befriended a sheep. They were all thrilled! It makes me want to go to  the province and live in a farm.

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There were some carabaos, wild boars, pythons and horses.

We also went around the aviary where the kids observed doves and parakeets. All this time, we let Pablo use his own camera to take videos and pictures.
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The mini train

The kids wanted to ride the train so we did. The train circled the place and we saw all the other areas we have not gone to yet.

Judah loved riding it because unlike the other mini trains they have ridden, the trip on this one  is quite long.

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Boating at the Lagoon

I was nervous about the boating part because I had to take one of the oars which means I cannot hold any of the kids. Lukas, also, had to sit at the back. There were no seatbelts on the boats, but we were all donned in life jackets.

We instructed the kids to sit properly, to not stand up nor stoop down too low into the water as they might accidentally fall over.

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It was my first time to actually row a boat. There were only two other boats in the lagoon so there was a lot of space for our boats. We propped Judah between us and tried to coordinate with each other as we rowed.

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We went around twice, going under the bridge. The kids seemed very happy with the experience, but after a while the two little ones started to get up, so I urged Jay to go back to the dock to avoid any of our kids tipping over into the water.
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The lagoon was Jay’s favorite part of the park and I have to admit, it was very calming. The place is pretty!

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The playground

The playground was our last stop. Unlike the one in Market Market that had a huge play structure, it was easier to monitor the kids here.

The play structures were small enough and separated from each other, so the kids were running across from the bars to the slides, to the swings and levers.

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The park guards came at 5 PM to ask the kids to leave, so we walked out and thus, ended our first trip to the rainforest in the city.

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Budget-friendly family venue

We paid Php 140/head which was a discounted package rate for non-Pasiguenos. Of course, Pasiguenos get asked to pay a lower fee. Our rate included access to all the areas except the swimming pool and the Adventure park.

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We didn’t know about the Rapid rides when we were there, so we don’t know if that is for a special fee, as well.

You might be interested to note that once you enter an area, you will not be allowed re-entry. The people manning each area will mark your receipts as you enter.

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You can choose to just pay the entrance, then just pay for the areas you want to see separately. Rates are as low as Php 10 to Php 50.

There’s also an ampitheater you can rent out for your events. When we were there, there were setting up the place for a debut happening that evening.

You can download a PDF copy of the rates here.

Rainforest in the city

I don’t know why they call it a rainforest. Maybe because during rainy seasons, it gets damp and muddy in some parts, and water drip from the trees? I really don’t know.

But I think the place is amazing! It’s well-maintained and they seem to have enough people on the ground doing it.

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We can’t wait to go back and try the other areas we’ve not gone to yet. Jay’s a bit hesitant about the public pool, but I sure would like to try the zipline which I’ve not done yet in my entire life, and perhaps, if I’m a few pounds lighter when I go back, try wall climbing.

For me, RAVE can both be a fun and educational experience for you and your kids.

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Just a few suggestions if you’re planning to see the place this summer: Wear light, comfy clothes. Bring your camera. Be ready to have fun.

Rave Pasig Rainforest
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rave.pasig
Rainforest Admin: (02) 642 5280
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