The Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center is a 24-hectare zoological and botanical garden in the heart of Quezon City, one of the few places in Metro Manila where you can walk among trees and listen to birds rather than traffic. The reserve houses Philippine wildlife — crocodiles, deer, monkeys, and a good collection of native birds — in conditions that are modest but genuinely natural for an urban park.
It is not a world-class zoo, but that is not the point. The point is that this patch of native forest has survived in the middle of one of the most densely built cities in Asia. The butterfly sanctuary is particularly good. On weekday afternoons the place is nearly empty and genuinely tranquil. Admission is very cheap. Children love it.
The center is just a short walk from Quezon Memorial Circle, making it easy to combine both in a half-day outing through the Elliptical Road area.