Baluarte, Ilocos Sur

Baluarte is just a ten-minute drive from Vigan City. This place is owned by Governor Chavit Singson. It was his rest house before he decided to open it to the public so that more people could enjoy his animal collections. Construction of the facility is still ongoing. Here's what will pique your interest in visiting his zoo: there are no entrance or parking fees here. Yes, it is free!

 

Outside the area, stalls sold souvenir items and snacks.  Some tigers had their cages outside as well. The restrooms are located only at the entrance. Note this: it's better to use the restroom before entering the zoo.  Picnic tables, animal shows, and riding small donkeys in carriages are all free!  My children love animals very much, and they enjoyed their visit here; of course, us adults enjoyed it too.  Masarap talaga basta libre! Sulit ang malayong byahe namin. =) 

Friendly parrots will welcome you here

 

While riding the pony, you'll get a closer view and could even touch some of the animals here, such as the ostrich, camel, sheep, goats, and donkeys freely roaming around. 

Animal Stage Show happens here

We had a chance to witness their animal show, which started at lunchtime.  I enjoyed the show so much that I forgot to take photos.  They exhibited five tamed animals that the audience could touch, carry, and take photos with.  To recall, the animals included an iguana, an eagle, a flying squirrel, a civet (musang), and an albino python.  See that white cockatoo on stage?  It was not part of the animal show, but we learned that the bird can put on his own show.  He knows how to dance. As lots of children jumped and chanted, he started to join in the fun.  It was very entertaining to see that cockatoo dance and sing with his cooing voice.

I also love the butterfly garden.  I love butterflies, plants, and flowers.  In this place, children can actually see and learn about the stages of a butterfly.  There's a huge difference when you get to experience and observe things.  We gain a better understanding and can explain more clearly when in a real scenario.

Chavit Singson has many tigers in this zoo.  We also seized the opportunity to pose with a tiger.  This tiger is tame and knows how to pose for the camera.  It is tame, and I tried patting the tiger's fur before taking a picture. There are more cages of tigers uphill, where I saw a mother tiger give birth to her cub prematurely.  I assume it was premature because the cub didn't survive after being born.  It didn't even move at all.  Poor mother tiger and little cub. 

There are lots of ducks and chickens of different breeds there. They have tarsiers, too, but we failed to see them because they were always inside their houses and didn't even go out of them.

Grab this chance to visit Chavit's zoo for free. You can spend longer here, freely bring food inside, and have a picnic with the whole family. Baluarte is open daily from 7 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Here's more of our Vigan Experience.