National Museum of Natural History

The post on social media of the National Museum of the Philippines, wherein they informed the public that the museums are now open 7 days a week, reminded me of my desire to visit the National Museum. Since the public opening of the National Museum of Natural History in 2018, it has been one of the places I wanted to see with the kids. And this 2025, we finally made it happen.

National Museum of Natural History

The National Museum of Natural History showcases 12 permanent galleries highlighting the Philippines' diverse biological and geological heritage. The museum features thoughtfully curated exhibits of botanical, zoological, and geological specimens, each representing our distinctive natural history. The "Tree of Life" structure is at the heart of the museum, which beautifully links the country’s exceptional ecosystems, from its towering mountain ridges to its remarkable marine reefs.

The museum follows the concept of showcasing its collections from the mountains to the sea, presented through interactive displays, video guides, diagrams, and illustrations. These are seamlessly integrated with zoological, botanical, and geological specimens across the 12 galleries and halls.

How to get to the National Museum of Natural History

Private Car and Parking

Using a private car, you can drive to Taft Avenue in the direction of Luneta.

The museum is along Kalaw Avenue fronting Manila Doctors.

According to the National Museum of the Philippines, there is free parking at the grounds located southwest of the National Museum of Natural History (NMNH), near the old National Parks and Development Committee (NPDC) building. Furthermore, there are paid parking spaces that are not managed by NMP available along Kalaw Avenue.

We opted to take public transport on our visit so I don't have photos of the parking spaces.

 

Public transport

Using public transport, whether you are coming from Quezon City or Taguig, you can take any bus, jeep, or modern jeepney that goes along Taft Avenue and alight at Kalaw Avenue. 

But for us, the fastest and safest route was to take the LRT-1 Train. From the Fernando Poe Jr Station (formerly Roosevelt Station), we took the LRT-1 train going south. We alighted on UN Station and took a very short 3-5 minute walk to the museum. 

Entrance Fees Registration, and Operating Hours

The museum has free entrance and there's no need to pre-register. You can walk in at the museum, but you or your group needs to present 1 valid ID at the registration table. It was just me and the 2 kids when we visited the museum on a Wednesday morning. The museum is open Monday to Sunday from 9AM to 6PM.

For big groups, contact the museum at reservation@nationalmuseum.gov.ph or call (+632) 8298-1100 local 3000 or 0947-997-3520 to arrange a tour. Groups of 20 or fewer are welcome to walk in.

Visitor Guidelines

Check out the guidelines when visiting the museum. 

There is a baggage/checkroom for your big bags to leave when you enter the museum. Food and drinks are not allowed.

Galleries

The National Museum of Natural History has 5 floors with more than 10 galleries for visitors to explore. We suggest starting on the 5th floor by taking the scenic elevator at the Tree of Life.

Click to enlarge: What to see at the National Museum of Natural History

Tree of Life with the scenic elevator

The kids enjoyed the galleries, but I don't recommend the museum to younger kids as they will tire from all the walking. Moreover, the displays in the museum would appeal to people who are into history, geology, and biology. But it is an excellent way to show the kids how animals, plants, and fossils are preserved, and an introduction to scientific names.

Here are some of the things we saw and experienced inside the museum.

Tusk of Stegodon sp.
Elephant Hill, Kalinga-Cagayan

Courtyard

The sign says not to throw coins, but you can see a lot of coins thrown there. Hayy

There are some stations with a hand lens so that you can view the displays closer, like these rocks.

Another feature that I liked was the drawers, which you can pull and open to inspect the different collections. There are stools near these drawers which you could use to spend more time studying them.

 We were amazed with the preserved animals. The kids particularly liked checking if the specimen was older than their grandparents!

Another favorite was the display of a copy of Lolong on the 5th floor.

If you are up to it, you would enjoy inspecting the collections for hours. However, the kids were getting hungry so we left by lunch time. Across the museum is the Manila Doctors, and at the ground floor is the Pancake House. For kids, there's a Jollibee branch right after the museum at the corner of Kalaw Avenue and Ma. Orosa Street. When we walked back to the LRT Station, we found a Jollibee branch inside the Times Plaza. 

We will definitely check the other museums in the area next time.

National Museum of Natural History

National Museum of the Philippines

Rizal Park, Manila

https://www.facebook.com/nationalmuseumofthephilippines

inquiry@nationalmuseum.gov.ph

https://www.nationalmuseum.gov.ph/