Let’s cast a spell & join in the fun as Bianca visits for the 1st time the Enchanted Kingdom (EK), still the country’s 1st biggest theme park & a Pinoy pride at that. It’s another day full of adventures for the whole family ending the year with a big bang. Let's see what it's like strolling in EK this Holiday season. Personally, this is our 4th visit here since the EK opened its gates to the public on October 19, 1995.

Just a bit of trivia on the park’s historical foundation: in the early 90s, its founder, Mario Mamon together with his family used to check on local theme parks such as Fiesta Carnival, Boom na Boom & Big Bang sa Alabang as well as Ocean Park in Hong Kong – all of which inspired the Mamons to open a theme park of their own.

The Enchanted Kingdom was one of Asia’s largest & leading theme parks before Disneyland & Universal Studios burst onto the attraction industry across the continent. It still is the 1st of its kind in the Philippines. The world-class EK attractions, now totaling 31 rides & shows are produced with educational & Filipino values putting up their own characters & other intellectual property.

For instance, the main mascot of the park is Eldar the Wizard who was conceptualized to embody “knowledge & integrity”, a jolly, old wizard from the distant land of Marsynthea. Another character is Princess Victoria. So EK does not pay royalties to outside sources regarding its characters & attractions.

Then there’s the Agila EKsperience, a magical flight that takes you on a thrilling journey across the Philippine’s majestic mountains, breathtaking beaches & incredible islands right in the comfort of your seats. This is similar to the Flyover Canada that we watched in Vancouver back in 2015. The Canada flight takes you soaring across the country from coast to coast sweeping over Niagara Falls, vast prairies & massive mountain peaks.

Agila the EKsperience is the 1st flying theater in the country & might be the largest of its kind in the world. Named after our National Bird, the mighty Philippine Eagle, our nation’s enduring symbol of hope, pride & spirit, it’s truly a national masterpiece that makes one “proud to be Pinoy”.

This EKstraordinary attraction is not just a ride but every facet of the experience appreciating the beauty & diversity of our country’s destinations from a bird’s eyeview of an eagle providing stunning clarity. The building alone that houses Agila is an imposing 9-storey, 6,000 square meter glass-encased structure, an attraction by itself adding to the iconic EK landscape. Inside the theater are moving seats equipped with multi-sensory special effects of wind, water & eagle-like motion.

Before taking the flight, the wizard Eldar welcomes guests to the Enchanted Forest & reveals his urgent high-flying mission – a task that can only be completed with the help of his mighty dear friend, Agila. From hereon, it will be a larger than life aerial cinematography splashed across the enormous 544-square meter screen – a film unfolding in vivid colors & accompanied by 80-piece Philharmonic orchestra magical music.

The Agila EKsperience is located in the Cultural Village, one of 9 main themed zones in the Enchanted Kingdom. The 2nd zone is the Victoria Park which includes the main entrance patterned after the Victorian era with the Grand Carousel. The 3rd one is Boulderville, a small zone for children similar to the fictional town of Bedrock from the Flintstones.

The 4th zone - Midway Boardwalk is based on 1930s Coney Island & features the most rides. The 5th, Jungle Outpost is based on the Amazon jungle in South America. The 6th, Spaceport is dedicated to the Space Age. The 7th, Brooklyn Place is based on 1940s New York & the silent film era. The 8th, Portabello is based on the Caribbean & West Indies. And the 9th & last zone, Eldar’s Village.

Overall, the EK hosts dozens of rides & attractions sitting on 25 hectares of land & still expanding. Among the most popular attractions are the Space Shuttle, a roller coaster, Jungle Log Jam, the Wheel of Fate – a 39.62 meter high Ferris wheel with 36 gondolas with each having a 6-person capacity & the Agila, the EKsperience, a flight motion simulator ride.

Though EK remains the single most popular themed park in the country, it was a roller-coaster ride since its infancy. It experienced financial difficulties during the 1997 Asian economic crisis. Another tough year was in 2013 when big storms battered the country culminated by typhoon Yolanda. In 2015, it received 1.8 million visitors, the largest attendance in its 20-year history.

Then the COVID-19 pandemic struck in March 2020 totally halting its operations. It resumed & halted multiple times due to unpredictable surges throughout the pandemic with the last reopening in June 2021. Yet, again it was suspended in January 2022 due to Omicron variant of the virus. It re-opened for good the next month with new thrills in store & safety guidelines in place.