Baluarte
2:10 PMWhere: Baluarte
Fees: Free
Location: Ilocos Sur , 10 mins drive from Vigan City
Baluarte is a famous free admission Zoo located along the western seaboard of Northern Luzon 408 kilometers north of Manila. Owned by the famous Governor Chavit Singson. Just a 10 minute drive from Vigan City you can treat yourself for a free educational tour in Baluarte. Yes, it is educational because you will not only enjoy the atmosphere but you will also learn from considerable numbers of rare and domestic animals
Baluarte is 80 hectares which started of as a rest house of the famous Singson Family. The generous Governor known for his love for animals; gently constructed the place.Baluarte's mission is to enlighten people about the bond between animals and humans through interactive opportunities, in the most natural therapeutic measure. If you want to bond with your loved ones specially with your kids, this is really one of the cheapest and coolest place to be.
As soon as you enter the Zoo, you will be greeted by friendly staffs who will also be your tour guide as you enjoy your ride on a small carriage pulled by a pony for FREE. (they call it Tiburin ride)
While enjoying our ride, we got a chance to see animals roaming freely around the zoo. I was able to see peacocks, ducks, deers, pony, horses, ostrich, and some unfamiliar animals. These animals came from different countries.
Roaming around the place requires a lot of walking, so make sure you bring a bottle of water with you. There's also picnic area around so you can also bring your own food or buy on the food stands they have inside.
The tall gold building is the main house of the prominent family of Singsonand the structures surrounding it are the guest house and entertainment house. Yes, a very large property.
I got so excited running after the deer. I'm happy to see them graze not kept in fences or cages.
As i said, this is an educational tour as well because you'll be equipped with knowledge on the animals that you will see. Scattered around are these tarpaulins with the name of the animals and its origin.
One of the caretaker handed me the Snake and Large Lizard but I was really scared. There are several rare animals that you can only see in Baluarte.
There's also a Butterfly Garden but unfortunately when we went there, it was closed. So i just had to take a picture on the butterfly props scattered around. There's also a Live Animal Show held 4 times a day, 7 days a week, the animal encounter show allows the visitors to come up close and personal with 8-10 exotic creatures.
Kids and even Adults will surely enjoy Life-Size Dinosaurs statues. Felt like I was in Dinosaur Era!
There's also a souvenir shop available where you can buy cheap stuff toys, headbands and a photo booth with Baluarte as the Backdrop.
Overall, I was very happy with the few hours i spent in Baluarte. This is better than the other zoo because it's more like a Zoo Park where you can bond with your loved ones while enjoying the interactive wildlife sanctuary. Thank You Governor Chavit Singson for being so generous in sharing your property with us. Considering the maintenance, food of the animals, salary of your employees; you are so kind not to charge even a single centavo. Go and experience an educational and fun day with your Loved ones at Baluarte.
0 comments