Subic Bay Special Economic and Freeport Zone (by virtue of RA 7227) is found in Olongapo City, the host to the former US Naval Facility, the homefront of the Seventh Fleet . Since its formal turnover to the Philippine Government in November of 1992, this huge naval facility is transformed into what is now, the country’s first Free Port Zone and Asia's newest leisure and investment zone. From a tiny Spanish arsenal, Subic Bay has grown into a bustling freeport ideal for business and leisure.
POINTS OF INTEREST
Subic Bay - Has been a popular dive site since 1900’s. It has been adjudged one of the best wreck dive sites in Asia, being home to over 20 historical shipwrecks and majestic marine life.
Bat Kingdom - The Philippine Giant Fruit Bats and Golden-Crowned Flying foxes are the largest, while the Lesser Flat-Headed Bats are considered the smallest, both can be found in Subic.
The Subic Bay Ocean Adventure - is the first marine park and aquarium in the country. It showcases Subic Bay marine life and some of the world's most amazing sea mammals like dolphins, sea lions and false killer whales.
Subic's Butterfly Garden - Over 5,000 daytime butterflies can be seen at Subic's Butterfly Garden.
Apaliin Trail - Hike through the trails of Apaliin and discover the wonders of the Subic Forest. Awe at the panoramic view from the tip of Apaliin Point, and enjoy the sight of Subic Bay on a banca ride back to the Central Business District. Bat Kingdom - Get mesmerized at Subic's Bamboo Bats and Flying Foxes. Over 10,000 fruitbats, the biggest of its kind in the world roost in the protected forest reserve of Subic along with the Bamboo bats, which are the smallest in the Philippines.
Bicentennial Park - Enjoy outdoors with family and friends at these scenic picnic grounds. Native fishing gears are available for those who would like to try their hand at fishing in the man-made lagoon.
El Kabayo - Canter around the extensive grounds of the El Kabayo Equestrian Center. Riding lessons and mounts are available for horseback riding enthusiasts.
Grande Island - Live through the grandeur of Grande and enjoy the amenities of a beach resort in an island setting. Enjoy a scenic ride to the island on board a motorized banca.
Hill 394 - Subic's most popular peak takes you 394 meters above sea level and offers a spectacular view of the legendary Mount Natib and Subic Bay, in the northwest. Visit Hill 394 and let its beauty speak for itself.
JEST (Jungle Environmental Survival Training) Camp and Butterfly Garden - Familiarize yourself with jungle survival techniques from US Navy-trained Aeta Training Officers. Visit the Mini Zoo and discover Subic's diverse biological resources or see how the butterflies live and flourish at the Butterfly Kingdom.
Mt. Pinatubo Crater Trek - Sense a relaxing mood while kayaking at the crater lake of this mountain. Discover hotsprings, cool mountain pools, lahar fields and canyons as you take a trip or trek to see remains of towns destroyed by the mudflows.
Pamulaklakin Forest Trails / Pastolan Aeta Village - Take part in the Ecology Tour and trek inside the forests of Subic with the help of a native guide. Immerse yourself in the culture of the Aetas. Educate yourself in the various types of medicinal plants. Camp in the heart of the forest or simply have a unique picnic in the deep parts of the jungle.
Redondo Beaches - Behold the beauty of this undeveloped beach and explore the riches of a newfound land on the shores of the Redondo Peninsula. Shipwrecks - Delve the magnificent underwater world of Subic Bay and come face-to-face with its rare marine inhabitants. Explore relics of history that date back to the Spanish and American eras. (Oryoko Maru. Seian Maru, USS New York, USS Rochester, LCV Landing Craft and LST).
Shipwrecks - Delve the magnificent underwater world of Subic Bay and come face-to-face with its rare marine inhabitants. Explore relics of history that date back to the Spanish and American eras. (Oryoko Maru. Seian Maru, USS New York, USS Rochester, LCV Landing Craft and LST).
HOW TO GET THERE
There are two (2) public buses plying the route Manila - Subic Bay Freeport. Saulog Transit has daily trips from 2:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. with 30-minute to one-hour interval. Victory Liner on the other hand, starts it daily trip at 4:00 a.m. and every hour thereafter up to 7:00 p.m.
HOW TO GO TO SUBIC/ZAMBALES VIA SUBIC-CLARK-TARLAC EXPRESSWAY (SCTex)
Motorists coming from NLEX bound for Subic are advised to take the Spur/NLE interchange located between the Dau and Sta. Ines exits of the NLEX and proceed to the SCTEx Clark Logistics Toll Plaza. After crossing the bridge, follow the loop of the ramp towards Subic. Likewise, motorists at SCTEx bound for Bataan may exit at the Dinalupihan Interchange via the Roman highway. When in Subic Freeport, take the Kalayaan Gate to proceed to Zambales.
On the other hand, motorists from Subic and Bataan bound for Manila are advised to enter the SCTEx through the Tipo Toll Plaza or the Dinalupihan Toll Plaza respectively, and follow the road signage towards the Clark Logistics Toll Plaza. Upon reaching the Clark Logistics interchange, take the first ramp to the right that will lead to the toll plaza, then the Spur/NLE interchange connecting to the NLEX. Travel time from Clark to Subic is only 40 minutes. From NLEX in Balintawak to Subic, travel time is only 1 � hours.
SCTEx HOTLINE: (02) 3-5000/(02) 362-9997/362-2246/(045) 865-2030
WHERE TO STAY
INCLUSIONS FOR SUBIC PACKAGE:
* 3D/2N aircon accommodation
* Daily breakfast
* Two(2) lunch, one(1) dinner
* Roundtrip private van transfer (Manila-Subic-Manila)
* Use of hotel/resort's non-rental facilities
* Tours as specified on Tour Highlights
* Government taxes and service charges
* Rates are quoted on a per person basis
* Subject to change without prior notice
TOUR HIGHLIGHTS:
JEST Camp Tour with Basic Training in Jungle Survival and Jungle Trekking with actual presentation of the techniques of surviving life in the jungle
Visit the Bat Kingdom, Butterfly Pavilion, Mini Museum, Mini Zoo with close encounter to the monkeys with tour guide, Whale and Sea Lion show at the Ocean Adventure Park
LIST OF HOTELS
Forest Hills Village Resort
Legenda Hotel
Legenda Suites Hotel
Subic International Hotel
White Rock Resort
Subic Bay Health & Wellness Package
Location Subic Bay Freeport Zone
Description Health and wellness packages
Participating Establishments: Aletheia, Larossa Spa, Legenda Palace Spa & Fitness Club, RITZ Tropical Spa, Taiwan Pro Massage, and Ton Ton's Thai Massage
Contact: SBMA Tourism Tel. Nos. (63 47) 252-4123/4242
Website www.sbma.com
The tourism office for the area calls Subic Bay the �Pearl of the Orient� and much like a pearl, it value is hidden unless you know where to look. While scuba diving is becoming increasingly popular in the Philippines and more international divers are arriving, the growth of diving in Subic Bay while growing is doing so at a slower rate. The area offers a wide variety of wrecks to dive as well as reefs. Unlike Coron where you ride for hours to get to a wreck site, the majority of Subic sites are within 20 minutes of the dive centers. In addition, unlike most other places in the Philippines, the dive boats used are conventional boats not local banca. Just how many wrecks are there in Subic Bay and around its entrance? That is a very difficult question. Unlike Coron or Truk, whose wrecks occurred over a relatively short period, Subic�s WWII wrecks covered almost the entire war period. No less than 25 Japanese ships were reported sunk during the war years. Some of these may have been removed in the late fifties as salvage operations were done to open up the bay for shipping Additional ships were sunk after the war either as targets or victims of mother nature. It is widely believed that an additional ten large ships may lie within the Bay. The area is not limited to WWII wrecks, at the entrance to the bay alongside Grande Island, is the remains of the Spanish American war wreck San Quintin. Outside the bay in deep water lie the remains of a Spanish Galleon as well as a 16th century Chinese Junk (beyond diving range).
The eruption of Mount Pinatubo in 1991 did an enormous amount of damage to Luzon and the Zambales/Subic Bay area was very hard hit. A meter of ash covered the area including homes and business. Within days, a typhoon entered the area turning the ash into mud. Many homes and business collapse under the weight. One resident stated that the river looked just like the cement coming out of a cement mixer. A large percentage of the coral was killed lying under the ash. When the Navy occupied the naval base at Subic, many of the wrecks were closed to diving. Divers however had the advantage of diving in water that was crystal clear with 40 or more meters of visibility on the wrecks that were open. The bay was the home of different varieties of sharks, dolphins, and turtles. While a few turtles still nest on the beaches the visibility, sharks and dolphins are no longer here. The visibility is returning slowly and the coral is recovering. Hopefully the turtles, sharks and dolphins will return in abundance also. More turtles and rays have been seen this year than last and the number of sharks just outside the bay also seems to be on the rise
The last few years have seen a dramatic growth in the number of dive operators in the Bay area. http://www.visitsubic.com/diving.html In 1998 there was only one full time operator at Subic today there are seven. Three dive centers also have integrated accommodations, Johan�s on Baloy Long Beach, Barrio Barretto, Olongapo has very nice simple rooms to service it dive clients and their friends. Located on the beach you are just steps away from the beach to your rooms. Also in Olongapo with their own beach is the 2N2 dive center. This center with its hotel caters mostly to Korean Divers. On SBMA, Masterdive has Vascos, a restaurant and small hotel combination. The owner of Masterdive has an extensive background in wrecks in the Philippines. A few dive centers are located at or tied into hotels. Blue Rock resort has changed its name to Blue Rock Resort and Dive center. Diver Down International is located at Subic International Hotel. Scuba Shack is located on the waterfront next to the new marina. Scuba Shack is the oldest dive center in Subic Bay. Ocean Adventure also has a dive center. Grande Island has just opened a dive center.
Area Wrecks
USS NEW YORK - A 120m-long hull. 27m of water between Alava Pier and the northern end of Cubi Point runway.
EL CAPITAN - A 3,000-ton freighter, about 130m long that crashed down the mouth of Ilanin Bay.5m below the surface.
SAN QUENTIN - The oldest known wreck in Subic, a wooden gunboat scuttled by the Spanish in 1898.
LST - Situated between Grande Island and the southern tip of the runway. 32m deep.
ORYOKU MARU - Located 400m off Alava pier. 20m (60ft) deep.
PATROL BOAT - In Triboa Bay at a depth of 20-25m (60-75ft).
LCU LANDING VESSEL - Triboa Bay. 5-20m (25-60ft).
Area Dive Shops
Subic Bay Aqua Sports - Bldg. 249 Waterfront Road, Subic Bay Freeport Zone, Phone (6347) 252-7343 / 3005 Fax No: (6347) 252-6084
Blue Rock Dive Center - Baloy Long Beach.
Dive Vacations
Seahorse Tours & Souvenirs- Times Square Cinema Complex, CBD, SBFZ (6347) 252-5617 [email protected] provides dive and vacation packages using the areas leading hotels and dive operators. http://www.seahorestours.com
[edit] Zoobic Safari
Zoobic Safari is one attraction you will find at Subic Bay Freeport's Forest Adventure Park. Embracing a 25 hectare land - local and foreign guests can expect an astonishing sight of diverse exotic animals roaming and frolicking in their natural habitat. It features a wide range of habitats present in the forest due to the terrain, presence of streams and fringing grasslands. These represent the major habitats for varied exotic animals featured in Zoobic Safari Forest Adventure Park.
Zoobic Safari has the following attractions to look forward namely:
The Zoobic Park - a Petting Zoo area in a walk through tropical jungle like were you can have a live interaction with deers, ostrich, albino carabao, bear, monkey, eagle, miniature horse, ducks and a lot more.
Savannah - A sanctuary of the wild that features a wide range of ostriches, potbellies, wild boars and guinea fowls.
Serpentarium - A real view of snakes, lizards, iguanas, turtles and a lot more cold blooded animals.
Honey Bee Farm - See how honey is produced by hard working bees.
Rodent World - An amazing collection of rodent animals. Be amaze in Mice Surprise trick in the area and watch guinea pigs being groomed in a Rodent Salon.
Egg-Ziting Story - An area showcasing the cycle of the eggs.
Animal Bone Museum - A collection of various real animal bones.
Close Encounter - An exciting close encounter (2 ft away) with Siberian and Bengala tigers and be a witness to their huge appetite.
Tiger Safari - A once in a lifetine adventure experience riding in a safari jeep were you will enter in a close fence structure and be fascinated to see the live tigers roaming around as they thrilled you with their vibrating appetite.
Zoobic Safari also has an educational show featuring live animals, jungle survival with Aetas and the newest Mini Moe Show were you can have fun as you see unique mini animals perform live!
Added attractions to the Croco Loco section is the guided tour which gives visitors a trek through an Aeta Village (Aetas are native Filipinos), a Hip-hop Bayawak (Bayawak is Filipino for Gecko) area and a view of the Garden of Adam which features an Aeta Adam.
One of the highlights of Croco Loco area is a brief stunt show of a man dressed as a chicken walking over the crocodiles in a small walkway above them.
The crocodiles section of the Safari is set to complement the other animal attractions in the25-hectare wildlife sanctuary which includes tigers, a serpentarium, ostriches and other exotic animals that can be viewed along with entertaining and informative animal shows presented by animal experts.
For more information, visit their website at [www.zoobic.com.ph]
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