An Unorthodox Experience
Way away in the valleys of Chaguaramas, Amidst the mountains, is the Safari Eco Park. They don't like to be called a zoo as the experience is supposed to be more interactive and more fun. The space is wide open and there are some free roaming animals at the attraction which was quite unorthodox at first. Peacocks and parrots roam as they wish within the compound and they are quite tame and accustomed to people petting and feeding them. There is an entry fee as well as a price for coins that can be used to get feed at each station to feed the animals. It is a lot of fun visiting the Eco Park and the animals seem to be much happier here than at the zoo.
At the payment booth, there was a little menu type thing telling us the animals we were allowed to touch and feed and those that were forbidden. We paid 50 TT to enter as well as some extra for some coins. As soon as we entered we saw peacocks roaming freely with their lovely feathers. I was really hoping that one of them would open up and expose their beautiful plumes but to no avail. They happily accepted our feed and were extremely polite. It was amazing to see animals so unfazed by human presence and not running away at every step or movement. What brought it all together was the amazing surrounding mountains that seemed to protect us from all sides and add to the safari experience.
You can see me taking pictures of the zebras who were in the background and the peacocks just near me!
They seemed to be quite shy!
The first large animal we got to pet and hang out with was the alpaca. He was so hilarious and funny while also being polite and interactive. I must say that he was quite the character and really a crowd pleaser. First we put in our coins into a a gumball machine like dispenser (which was probably just that but repurposed). When we got our feed, it was time to give it to the alpaca. He seemed so happy to play with everyone and enjoyed the company and attention.
Next we saw the ponies where surprisingly short and stocky as they should be but it was the first time I was seeing one in real life I could not help but feel that initial shock. They were so majestic in lieu of their size with such shiny coats, very beautiful creatures. The problem was though, that there were some patrons who were not following the rules and still proceeded to touch and play with the ponies. At least no one was hurt but that's typical Trinidadians for ya, always getting themselves into all sorts of troubles or as we call it, Bacchanal! Yeah we even have a name for it, what a culture we have!
The camels were up next with their long necks and humps. I must say that these were much more intimidating because of their size and the loud sounds they made. They were so much more vocal than the other animals. There were two of them, one larger and a younger looking one. They were also majestic creatures but not as polite as the others. They tended to close their mouths around you hand leaving lost of icky saliva. I wondered how they fared in the rainy weather was it was that day. Maybe they were uncomfortable, who knows.
There were other smaller cages in between here and there containing smaller animals such as parrots and various types of monkeys. These animals seemed so much sadder and there was little to no interaction between patrons.
All in all it was a great experience with lots of animals to see that were not native to the Trinidadian island at all. For most of us who visited, it was the first time seeing those animals in real life, up close and personal which was awesome. I would never have expected to see a camel in this location on the globe! We ended the trip with a nice picnic at a nearby park and it was a perfect end to such a brilliant wild life experience!
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