Planning a trip? Those who love to travel know the essence of all travel is about you and your enjoyment. Travelers know that the destination is a major part in planning a trip, experiencing and delving deeper into an unfamiliar places, people and culture is paramount.

Expand your horizons and set your sight to the Philippines, an off the beaten path travel site! An undiscovered paradise made of thousands of islands and white sand beaches all around! A tiny dot in the map of the world, and yet a haven for travelers, backpackers, retirees and even passersby.

It offers awesome tourist attractions, magnificent beaches, hot spring resorts, colorful festivals, hundreds of scenic spots and world-class hotels and facilities. Not to mention the tropical climate, the affordable prices as well as the friendly and hospitable, English-speaking people! You will be glad you came, and we’re sure, you WILL come back for more FUN in the Philippines!

 

 

 

ORICHIDARIUM & BUTTERFLY PAVILION

 

Photo from:  virtual-asia.com

 

Despite the so-called Filipino yuppies’ chagrined remarks on Rizal Park, the country’s oldest park remains the top tourist destination for both foreign and local visitors. One of the reasons is the Orchidarium and Butterfly Pavilion, a one-hectare theme park that showcases a rich collection of orchids, bromeliads, mums, poinsettias, roses and other colorful flowers. Originally focused on orchids, the Orchidarium now hosts a variety of blooms, scents and greens.

Aside from its flora collection, the Orchidarium mesmerizes the visitors with its well-designed mystic lagoon, crystalline waterfalls, a climbing wall, a replica of a man-made rain forest, and a butterfly paradise. A pensive experience awaits the visitors who will drop by to commune with the virtual flowers in flight.

 

Photo from:  mywedding.com

 

A sense of awe and admiration fills the visitor’s heart as soon as he passes under the Trellis of Waves, a corner where clinging vines hang. Among the species collected here are the Yellow Bell, Cherry Ripe Bell, Jamaican Sunset Bell, Violet Bell, and Jade Vine.

It is said that most of the beautiful orchid hybrids around the world owe their beauty to the genes of Philippine orchids, notably the rare waling-waling from the Philippine rain forest. Aside from its flora collection, the Orchidarium mesmerizes the visitors with its well-designed mystic lagoon, crystalline waterfalls, a climbing wall, a replica of a man-made rainforest, and a butterfly paradise.

 

Photo from:  philippineweddings.net

 

 

As visitors follow the concrete trail, different varieties of flowers and ornamental plants greet them. Among these are the Song blooms (Song of Thailand, Song of Korea, Song of Jamaica, and Song of India) and the Palm species (Anahaw, Fishtail Palm, Blue Palm, Pinanga, Majestic Palm and the McArthur Palm).

For sure, the best that the Orchidarium can offer is the collection of exotic orchids and different hybrids. Topping the list are Vanda sanderiana, the queen of Philippine orchids or locally known as Waling-waling and Grammatophyllum walisii, the king of all orchids. There are about 25,000 to 35,000 orchid species belonging to 800 genera in the world. Of these, about 944 species in 130 genera were identified in the Philippines.

 

Photo from:  blissfullweddings.wordpress.com

 

Other collections include the vandas, dendrobiums, durantas, mussaendas, medinillas, gumamelas (Hibiscus Patch), bromeliads, and heliconias. There are also different species of ferns, which come in a wide variety of sizes and shapes – from the huge Fern Tree (cyathea) to the tiny water fern (azolla).

The place also reeks with the natural scents of Kamuning shrub, Yesterday Today and Tomorrow tree, Suemi, Sinamomo, Sampaguita, Dama de Noche, Dama del Dia, Lagrimas, Meleguas, Carissa, Tebabuia, Magnolia, Jasmine, and Gardenia. Most of the species found at the Orchidarium came from the UP Los Banos and the Philippine Orchid Conservation Network.

 

Photo from:  ouramericanfamily.us

 

The Orchidarium, which also maintains an orchidia, an orchid gallery, and a fine dining restaurant, is a project of the Clean and Green Foundation headed by former First Lady Amelita Ramos. It is conveniently located at the corner of Orosa Street and Finance Drive in Rizal Park. – virtual-asia.com

 

 

 

Read More on Popular Places in Manila

Read More on Places of Worship in Manila

Read More on Choices of Hotels in Manila

Read More on Tourist Attractions in Manila

Read More on Festivals in Manila

Please click Manila, to find out more from our AMAZON Travel Book Store.

 

 

 

 

One Response to “The Orchidarium and Butterfly Pavilion – Popular Theme Park”