Paradizoo is the ultimate haven of nature, plant and animal lovers, located in Mendez, Cavite but is accessible and only a few minutes away from the city of Tagaytay. It is a zoo and farm fused together to create a paradise which children and adults would surely appreciate. They have a mini zoo mainly housing farm animals, a flower garden, a vegetable farm, a perpetual park for your beloved pets, a playground area, a decent cafe, a souvenir shop and overnight and camping accommodations.
They have available tour guides to lead you every step of the way, so that you'll have a pleasurable stay and not waste time going astray (ooh, rhyme *chuckles*), ours was a petite, young lady who was so accommodating and so nice. But their service is not compulsory, if you wanna go on your own, you can do, they'll just show you the map and it's all up to you.
First part of the tour is the animal section, where you can see camels, ostriches, bulls, goats, sheep, and miniature horses. Here you will find a five-legged cow named Bull-tez five, you can try your hand at goat-milking, you can shear the thick wools off the sheep, and you can mingle and smell the goats, lots and lots of goats.
The second stop is the piggery, with its lingering smell and all, here you will find a five-legged pig, which I don't have a photo of *sigh*. Next on the itinerary is the honey bee farm and the butterfly garden, where you can be the butterfly fairy, on picture, of course.
After playing with the butterflies, it's time to take a look at their vegetable farm and flower garden. At the time of our visit, we only had the pleasure of seeing papaya and banana trees and rows and rows of lettuce, but according to the guide, they also have cacao beans, strawberries, pineapples, eggplants, tomatoes, and other herbs and spices. They have different kinds of flowering plants - lavender, marigold, violet bell, red and purple mayana, gumamela, and a lot more, arranged beautifully in their sunken and floral garden. Here, also, lies the infinity pond of positivism which has a mini-pavilion in the center, a perfect place for a photo op.
After that, you will meet Peggy, the PBB pet pig, and her children, some pot-bellied pigs, and yaks. Do you know that yaks spit when they get surprised? I think, that's really yak-kie, but, that's what the tour guide said, so, better be careful.
Paradizoo is a 10-hectare property, that's why I suggest that you ride a golf cart, a two or four-seater or you can opt for the more traditional carabao (and an albino carabao, at that) ride, both at the same price of 150php for 15minutes, you will be charge for the additional time that you use the carts. A photo opportunity with the miniature horse can be done at 10php and a miniature horse-riding experience is also possible at 30php. I almost forgot, lettuce is also available at 160 a kilo, harvested right before your eyes.
The entrance fee is a little bit higher than the usual zoos at 199php but you can visit Residence Inn mini zoo without shelling out any more cash, and I think, it's worth it. Just a little precaution, check the weather before going there because it could be one hell of a mud ride if it rains.
Note: Underlined words are linked to specific photos. More photos can be seen at our Paradizoo photo album.
Paradizoo Theme Farm
Km. 63 Panungyan, Mendez, Cavite
Tel +632-8983695 ; +632-8957142 ; +632-8999824
Txt +63-09178351111
Fax +632-8999829
