What to see at the National Museum of Natural History: Our first visit 2019

26 January 2019

At last, we were able to visit the recently-opened National Museum of Natural History in the former Department of Tourism Building in Luneta Park in Manila.

Opened in May 2018, this Museum has 6 floors, 5 of which have various displays and exhibits.

Prepare to walk a minimum of 2 hours if you want to visit all the exhibits!

Let's go!

Ideally, it's best to come to the National Museum of Natural History as soon as it opens, at 10AM, Tuesday to Sunday.  It's the newest museum to open and people are still excited to see what they offer so expect a line going in.  They close at 5PM so be there an hour before closing if you still want to go inside. 

Since we were coming from the Museum of Anthropology which was right across this Museum, it was around 1PM when we stood in line.  It wasn't a long wait, roughly 5 to 10 minutes, from the line outside to get inside.

The line at the baggage counter was a little slower because they have to combine bags, especially for those in a groups, and that takes time.  So, if you're able, don't bring medium to large bags so you can skip this part.  Small bags are allowed, those that are smaller than a short bond paper (8 1/2 x 11 inches).  NO tripods and selfie sticks.  NO hats and other headgear.  NO food and drinks. 

The focal point of the courtyard is the Tree of Life - the dramatic, DNA-inspired design by Dominic Galicia architects.  It stands tall, from the Ground Floor to the dome of the building.  It's leaves cover the walls and the floor in an intricate pattern as light shines through them.  The elevator that can take you to the top is set within the Tree of Life.  Unfortunately, when we visited, the elevator was closed.

What's interesting for Dylan is not the Tree of Life but the Dinosaur replicas from the Larry and Pat Gotuaco Fossil Collection, particularly the heads of the Tyrannosaurus Rex and the Ceratosaurus nasicornis and the hind leg of the Camarasaurus grandis.

Close-up of the T-Rex Head Fossil

As we got ready to see the exhibits, we asked one of the Museum guards how best to see the exhibits.  We were told to start from the top.  Apparently, the museum exhibits are planned to represent the Philippines geographic ecosystem, starting from the Highlands (the mountains) at the top to the Underwater Realm at the bottom. 

These ramps are the best way to reach the exhibits.  It can be daunting to walk to the 6th floor but if you pace yourself, it can be done.  The elevator was closed to the public when we visited so we had no choice but to hike the ramp :)  One positive thing about walking the ramp is you get to see the courtyard and the Tree of Life from different vantage points. 

 

 

 
At the top, we saw the exhibit on the Philippine Rise. Honestly, it was tough at first because we were all out of breath so we barely took any pictures and for some reason it wasn't air-conditioned so we were sweating LOL  This was the only exhibit here because the other areas were conference rooms.

THE 5TH FLOOR

Galleries I - IV

Gallery I - Philippine Biodiversity

There is so much to see in this exhibit so it's best to take your time and just take everything in.  Kids will certainly be interested in the animals and plants on display.

 

Lolong, largest saltwater crocodile in captivity

Pull out drawers for more displays

 Gallery II - The Geology of the Philippines

This exhibit has a lot of interactive gadgets to allow visitors a more complete experience.  For instance, touch the screen and you'll see an imprint of your hand.

Dana found the earthquakes portion of the exhibit interesting.  There are soil samples, a vibration display (where you can simulate the shaking when an earthquake occurs as well as see the kind of destruction that can result from the intensity) and other educational and informative videos.

Like Dana, you can also use this magnifying glass to try your hand at identifying and classifying rocks. 

This looks like a porthole of sand :)

Gallery III - Minerals and Energy Resources

It may seem less interesting for some people but they were very creative with the way they displayed the different energy sources.  It makes everything real and easy to understand. 

Solar-powered home

Geothermal energy

Gold mining

 Gallery IV - Life through Time

This gallery certainly sets the mood.  The jaws of the Megalodon set against the smaller bull shark greet you as soon as you go in.  Dylan can't get enough of the fossilized teeth here. 

Tools for Researching

Dana was excited to try looking into this electron microscope.  There was supposed to be a sample of bacteria that you can see.  However, the frustrating thing with these hands-on displays is that if you come after someone who fiddles too much with them, then you won't be able to see anything at all because they've messed it up, which is what happened to me when I tried it haha 

Elephant's Tusk

Horse skeleton

Deer and Pig Skeletons

THE 4TH FLOOR

Galleries V - VIII

Gallery V - Montane and Mossy Forests of the Philippines

We have to give credit to the museum staff for creating such real displays.  It helps us to relate to what we're seeing.  It helps us to better imagine what we're looking at.  We've probably been to areas such as these but we never knew what they were called or took the time to actually discover what their hidden treasures are. 

Camping Ground

Gallery VI - Tropical Lowland Evergreen Rainforest

The best thing about the Museum of Natural History is that it lets you walk through the "rainforest" like this.  You get to see replicas of the trees, plants and animals.  You also hear the sounds of the forest.  It's cool!  It's certainly an immersive experience!

There are also animals on display.

Dylan tried his hand with this "Insect Vision" tool that allows you to view an object from a bug's perspective. 

There is also a kid's corner which is the venue for scheduled activities.

Gallery VII - Ultramafic and Limestone Karst Forest

While there are plenty of plant displays here, what attracted us was the "Symphony of Nature" area.  It's a circular section, draped in black to give visitors the sense of being in the forest and hearing only distinct vocal recordings of animals.  

As each recording starts, you'll see the specific animal lit up.  It can be disorienting at first being surrounded by darkness but it's memorable :)

There was also this mock limestone cave.  Dylan was creeped out by the spiders and bats :)

Gallery VIII - Freshwater Wetlands

This was the only picture we were able to take.  By this time, the kids were already feeling hungry and wanted to hurry up. 

Outside, on our way to the 3rd Floor, we saw this specimen of a whale being prepared in a separate, inaccessible room.  I took this picture between the metal grills hehe  This is something to look forward to when they're done with it :)

THE 3rd FLOOR

Galleries IX - X

Gallery IX - Mangrove Forest, Beaches and Intertidal Zones

For people can easily relate to the displays they will see here.  There are crabs, reptiles, mangroves and an exemplary depiction of different tidal areas. 

Even this display of baby turtles hatching and crawling to the sea is cute :)

Gallery X - The Marine Realm

Every time we enter a new exhibit area, the kids' hunger seem to be put on hold, particularly when we entered "The Marine Realm".

The first thing you'll see is this sea floor imagery that when you walk over it seems to mimic your path across it :)  It's surreal :)  They would have liked to keep walking on it but of course, there are other people who want to try it too :)

 

This part of the museum buoyed their lagging energies probably because it's about the sea.  Who's not attracted to it's mystery and stories??

There's a "submarine" which is cool :)  When you go inside and look "out" through the portholes, you see videos of undersea creatures.

The hanging displays are also a sight to behold!

There's another sensory enclosure called "The Abyss", which like the "Symphony of Nature" tries to immerse you in the world of the Deep Sea.

THE 2nd FLOOR

Galleries XI and XII

Gallery XI - The Pioneering Naturalists in the Philippines

This exhibit is mainly about the people and the processes of curating, researching and preserving artifacts for display in our museums.

There's a section where you can try your hand at illustrating different plants.

Gallery XI - The Ayala Hall

The skeleton form of Lolong was also on display, hanging from the ceiling.  

And that's about it for the National Museum of Natural History.  Believe me, there's a lot to see, much more than I was able to take pictures of and more than I'm able to post online.  It truly is a worthwhile visit and I recommend that you visit as soon as you can.

But, make sure that you have had a hefty meal and are wearing comfortable clothes and shoes because you're going to be walking and walking for hours :)  But the time will just pass you by with all that you're about to behold!

So go and visit now! :)