Somewhere in the mountains of Carmen town, northern Cebu is a huge expanse of land owned by businessman Michel Lhuillier which is home to 111 species of rare animals and more than a million orchids from the Lhuillier family collection. Named the Cebu Safari Adventure Park, Cebu’s much-awaited tourism attraction fully opens to the public in April. (CDN Photo/Junjie Mendoza)
A little over a hundred species of animals, many not endemic to the Philippines, roaming on 170 hectares of natural environment in the mountains of Carmen town, will soon become Cebu’s biggest attraction.
The Cebu Safari & Adventure Park is part of a 2,000-hectare property owned by the family of businessman Michel Lhuillier in Barangay Corte, some eight kilometers from the national road of Carmen, northern Cebu.
The huge property boasts of 111 species of animals including mammals like the Damara sheep and alpaca, primates such as the Philippine macaque and gibbons, small and big cats like the leopard, Siberian tigers and African lions, equines like the zebra, rodents like the Capybara, the mongoose such as the meerkat and semi-aquatic otters.
The safari also has reptiles such as crocodiles, monitor lizards and snakes, the most prominent of which is the albino Burmese python.
The animals are spread across four areas of the huge park called the African Savanna, Safari Outpost, Tiger Turf and Orangutown.
Perhaps, one of the biggest attractions of the safari will be a bird show that could rival that of Singapore’s Jurong Bird Park with its many bird species such as the Philippine hawk eagle, the Lady Amherst’s pheasant, the rufous-necked hornbills, the chattering lory, the Victoria crowned pigeon, the Eclectus parrot and water-borne fowls such as the black and the white swans and the African crowned crane, among others.
The bird show, which will have birds spelling out the names of animals, doing math, throwing trash, and singing will be held at the safari’s amphitheater which can seat about 1,000 people.
Guests will also get a chance to feed the birds at the Macaw Aviary and the Aviary Dome.
Visitors can either tour all these places on board a tram or take a cool walk down the canopy trail under the shelter of young mahogany trees and get glimpses of the cassowaries which are endemic to New Guinea and Northeastern Australia.
Camels, llamas and deer can also be seen grazing on the hillsides of the Safari.
And, as if that weren’t enough, flamingoes, an American black bear and a black panther will soon make the Safari their home as well.
Orchids and plants
The Safari is not all about animals as guests will also be treated to the breathtaking sight of over a million orchids and other decorative plants at Michel’s Garden and Michel’s Pavilion which are part of Lhuiller’s 40-year-old collection.
And, all this is just phase 1 of the Safari.
Safari Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Eduard Jarque Loop said that also set to open this year are four adventure rides — a 1.3-kilometer zipline ride, a bicycle zipline, an obstacle course and a 25-meter swing.
A river that winds around the Safari and two swimming pools, one Olympic-sized, will feature water sports.
Also in the works is a 60-room hotel atop the mountains targeted to open in 2020 and a campsite.
Its beginnings
The Cebu Safari & Adventure Park, owned and operated by the M. Lhuillier Group of Companies, started out as a dream sparked by Michel Lhuillier’s growing collection of exotic animals and plants.
Lhuillier, according to Loop, always wanted to become a farmer but was discouraged by his father who did not see farming as a lucrative business venture.
Nevertheless, the businessman did not altogether let go of his dream and began to collect horses and orchids.
Eventually, a visit to the San Diego Zoo in California, USA, gave Lhuillier the idea of creating a Safari, which is now 10 years in the making, said Loop.
Last December, Cebu Safari soft opened to close friends and employees of the M. Lhuillier Group of Companies as guests.
With Phase 1 nearing completion, the tourist attraction is now open to the public but only during weekends and only with a limited number of guests.
Loop said that for now, they can only accommodate up to 600 persons daily from Friday to Sunday in order to give all their guests a good experience.
Those interested to visit Cebu Safari on its soft opening will also have to book via www.cebusafari.ph.
When the Safari fully opens to the public in April, Loop said the facility can accommodate up to 3,000 guests daily, six days a week. One day will be reserved for park maintenance, Loop added.
At the moment, the Safari charges a promo price of P800 per person inclusive of a lunch buffet. Children who are between 2 to 3 feet tall are charged half while those measuring 2 feet below come in for free.
Once the safari fully opens in April, the P800 entrance fee will no longer include the lunch buffet; but will include the bird show.
Guests will not be allowed to bring food into the premises, to prevent them from feeding the animals with food brought from outside which could be harmful.
The safari will have several restaurants, which offer full meals and refreshments, scattered across the huge property. There will also be a cafe kiosk for guests to enjoy coffee and desserts.
According to Loop, Lhuillier’s love for nature had them not changing anything while putting up the safari including not cutting off trees.
To maintain its natural habitat, all electrical wirings have been installed underground. For now, electricity is provided by several generators as the facility awaits power connection from the electric company.
Income for all
Currently, the safari has opened job opportunities for the residents of Carmen.
Loop said that out of 209 employees who are paid minimum salaries and benefits, 85% were Carmen residents.
Aside from job opportunities, Loop said that they are encouraging local residents to go into businesses that cater to the needs of their guests such as pension houses and transportation.
“We want to generate income for everybody,” said Loop explaining that interested guests have been asking about pension houses and transportation around the area.
As for transportation, Loop said that the SM MyBus will soon be making trips from SM City Cebu at the North Reclamation Area all the way to the safari starting with one trip daily and later on, three trips a day.
The safari will also offer a special package for Carmen residents; while children from public schools in Carmen can tour the facility for free as part of M. Lhuillier’s corporate social responsibility (CSR).
Loop added that a special package is also being prepared for other schools in Cebu wanting to have an educational tour.
As it fully opens to the public, the Cebu Safari & Adventure Park will surely put the third class municipality of Carmen on Cebu’s tourism map in just a matter of months, soon.