Tel: 871-9358 Fax: 941-8530 Avilon zoo

The town's new name is Rodriguez. Montalban used to be associated with mountain trekking, the Wawa Dam, dumpsite and quarrying. Thanks to Avilon Zoo, Montalban is now included in the mustsee places of animal and nature lovers. There are 3 routes. One is via Marikina-from "Bayan"- go to JP Rizal Ave, straight to San Mateo, the next town is Montalban. Another is via Commonwealth going to Fairview - right turn to SandiganBayan, then along the Batasan Pambansa gate, right turn to a road leading down to San Mateo. The third route is from Commonwealth Litex - pass Payatas, and after about 15-20 minutes travel time, you make a right turn to Montalban Highway. Down the road, pass the bridge and the Montalban public market and at end of the highway, you will see Mercury Drug and take a left turn. Soon you will see the town church and the town hall. Road will turn right, watch out for the TOTAL Gas Station.

Here's how to go to Avilon Zoo ...

If you pass the San Mateo town (1st and 2nd routes above),you will see the Montalban/Rodriguez Welcome Arch and the "AVILON ZOO - This way" signboard. Just follow the road and in less than 5 minutes (no traffic), you will pass Mercury Drug on your right. Still straight ahead, pass the church and the town hall, the road turns right and and farther down you see the TOTAL gas station. Less than 100 meters ahead, you will see the Eastwood Greenview subdivision on your left. Turn left to the subdivision entrance, pass a bridge you get to a rotunda or circle. You don't need to go around the circle, just turn left slowly to make sure there is no approaching vehicle. Again go straight ahead until you reach a dead-end. On your left you will see a bridge road and a river. Turn right and little farther you will see a small dirt road on your left. Turn here and in less than 5 minutes, you will see the Avilon Zoo structure and gate on your right.

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Detailed directions from Cubao/Philcoa (private vehicle or commuting) :

1) From Cubao, you have 2 options. (Philcoa)-Batasan You can go via the Marikina route or the Commonwealth route.

1a) If you choose the Marikina route and you have a car, take Aurora Blvd going to Marikina. You will pass PSBA, Katipunan Rd, Marikina overpass, Loyola Memorial Park, River Banks until you reach the Marikina bridge. You then take a left turn to JP Rizal Ave. Just follow this road and you will pass Concepcion, Iglesia Ni Cristo, Fairlane, Green (Meadows or Heights), then the San Mateo Welcome Arch. 1b) From here, the landmarks on your right are Tropical/Mercury Drug, Jollibee, then road turns right then straight then left, and it goes on and on, just watch out for the arch - Welcome to Rodriguez (new name of Montalban). From here you will see the Avilon Zoo-This-Way signboard. Just follow the road and you will see on your right, Iglesia Ni Cristo, farther down, Mercury Drug, the town church, town hall, then road turns right. Watch out for the TOTAL gas station.

1c) From the gas station and less than 100 meters ahead, you will see the Eastwood Greenview subdivision on your left. Turn left to the subdivision entrance, pass a bridge you get to a rotunda or circle. You don't need to go around the circle, just turn left slowly to make sure there is no approaching vehicle. Again go straight ahead until you reach a dead-end. On your left you will see a bridge road and a river. Don't go in there. On rainy days, that path is dangerous. Turn right and little farther you will see a small dirt road on your left. Turn here and in less than 5 minutes, you will see the Avilon Zoo structure and gate on your right! 2) If you will be commuting from Cubao to Marikina, take an FX taxi in Aurora Blvd or Farmer's Market with signboard "Montalban". You will see all the landmarks in #1a above. Better yet, tell the driver you will be going to Avilon Zoo and to drop you at the Eastwood Greenview Subdivision (after theTOTAL gas station). For an extra fee, the driver can probably bring you directly to the zoo. Or you can take a tricycle ride from the entrance of the subdivison. This will be rough ride though. There are a number of tricycles near the Avilon Zoo gate to take you back to TOTAL or you may contract the tricycle driver to fetch you after the 2-hour zoo tour 3a) If you're in Cubao and choose to take the Commonwealth-Philcoa-Batasan route, drive your car to EDSA to the direction of Monumento. On your right, you will pass Nepa QMart, Kamias/Kamuning flyover, then take a right turn to East Ave. If you went over the flyover and missed East Ave, don't panic, you can take a right turn to Quezon Ave. Straight ahead, East Ave and Quezon Ave both end at Quezon Memorial Circle. Passing QC Hall, take right turn to Commonwealth Ave. and you will be in the Philcoa area going to UP, but don't stop here, just go straight ahead. 3b) If you're commuting from Cubao, take the Fairview or Lagro buses. Both buses will take a right turn to East Ave, QC Memorial Circle, Commonwealth Ave. and you will be in the Philcoa area. If you see Jollibee on your right, then it's time to get off the bus. 4a) From Philcoa and you're driving, go straight ahead. Keep you car at mid road, and after a U-Turn slot, move your car to the left side and go up the overpass by the main Iglesia Ni Cristo church. After the overpass, you can take the middle road again. On your right, watch out for the castle-like peachcolored Ever Gotesco Dept. Store, an overpass, the St. Peter Church, and by this time you will see a bigger overpass and the Sandiganbayan farther right. You will take a right turn before Sandiganbayan, but don't keep your car to the right yet. Watch out for the jeeps and buses here, they just stop when they want to and block your path. At right turn to Sandiganbayan, you will be passing by the Batasan Pambansa compound on your left. On your right you will see a main road going down to San Mateo. Just follow this road, on your left you will be passing by a Church of the Latter Day Saint, farther down, a wide bridge road. At end of the road, take a left turn to San Mateo. From here, you will see all the landmarks in #1b above. 4b) From Philcoa and you are commuting, go to Jollibee (before U.P. entrance) and ride the jeepneys or FX taxis marked San Mateo (or Montalban, if there are any). You will see all the landmarks in #4a above. At last stop in San Mateo, take a jeepney or an FX taxi for Montalban and tell the driver to drop you at the TOTAL gas station and that you're going to Avilon Zoo. See #1c - 2 above

Im going to be describing 2 routes, the first of which is the LITEX Route. From the Quezon Memorial Circle, turn into Commonwealth, the same road that will take you to Philcoa, and much further on, Fairview.

Sandiganbayan Building- Watch out for the Sandiganbayan Building. Only Gas Station- About 1.5km from the Sandiganbayan Building, turn right at the market. Stay on the left side and take the left fork, which is 10m from the corner. If you need to gas up, this is the only gas station on a 7km winding road that will pass the Payatas Dumpsite. San Isidro, Montalban- Watch out for this road, which is quite easy to spot because its the first street that youll see with an island, plus all the tricycles are marked San Isidro at the back. First Avilon Sign- At the end of this 2km stretch, you will see Mercury Drug and the first Avilon sign, which is lost amidst all the rest. Turn left. Total Gas Station- This is the next landmark. A few meters away will be a small sign saying Eastwood Greenview Subd. Turn left. You will cross a bridge and navigate a rotonda. At the end, turn right, which should take you out of the subd. Avilon Zoo Sign- The concrete will turn into a dirt road. Take the first dirt road on your left. You should see the Avilon sign a few meters away. First View of Avilon Zoo- You will see Avilon Zoo on your right.

The San Mateo-Batasan Route Im sorry but I dont have pics of this route because my digital cameras memory card was full at this point. This is a much shorter and simpler route, but its the one used by public transportation, so expect some traffic. But its a very comforting route because theres a lot of establishments, unlike the LITEX road, which is relatively deserted. But be very alert as well of the sudden appearances of nearby residents who cross the LITEX road at a full run (thank God I was quick enough to hit the brakes when that happened). As for the directions, there are some landmarks that will apply for both. When you see the Sandiganbayan Building, turn right immediately. Watch out for a sign saying San Mateo, at which you will turn right. Go straight the highway, which is roughly a 4-5km stretch. At the very end, turn left. Stay on the main road and then you will see Mercury Drug and the first Avilon sign. Public Transportation Take a Montalban jeep from Cubao, and you will pass through either Marikina or Commonwealth. The fare is Php 26. The jeep will pass by Total Gas station. Ride a tricycle going in to Avilon Zoo for Php 30. Make arrangements to be picked up after a certain number of hours because its unlikely that a tricycle will pass by Avilon Zoo.