Unless you are a kid, a zoo may not be on a short list of places to visit in most cities. I think it’s a mistake. Arguably, the zoo can serve as a barometer of city’s well-being. After all, it’s hard to imagine any self-respected city allowing its zoo to display an emaciated tiger in a filthy cage. We saw the aforementioned tiger once, and, without naming names, the city matched the state of the zoo.
And so, without further ado, we went to check Chiang Mai Zoo. It is located just past Chiang Mai University within an easy walk from the city.
With 200+ acres of land and a lot of new construction, it is the impressive venture.
My personal preference would be to explore it on foot, but, due to steep climbing, it might be not for everybody’s liking. Hence, they have trams and even a monorail for less adventurous visitors.
The zoo is a private enterprise run by the Zoological Park Organization under the patronage of the King of Thailand, and the owners definitely take their animal business seriously. Aside from having more than 2000 animals according to their website, it’s also provides fantastic views of the city. Chiang Mai Zoo has the honor of having the world´s longest tunnel aquarium opened in 2008. The aquarium contains freshwater and saltwater sections.
We spent 2 hours walking, climbing up and down and watching antics of many zoo’s inhabitants, but easily could have stayed for at least another hour or two.
Sadly, by the end of the day, the white tiger, the lion and the giraffes decided to skip their respective open enclosures, so we haven’t seen them. The orangutan was nowhere to be seen too.
If you are up to for some extracurricular activities there is a number of premium choices: koala encounter, riding elephants, feeding some animals. Hippos were very keen to get some snacks. However, they were not overly impressed with tiny rice cookies that a little girl was trying to feed them: naturally, something more substantial should be considered.
Ok, enough talking. Enjoy the pictures.
How much is it to ride the elephants
Unfortunately, I do not have recent information. Back in January 2014, the price was 250B. Frankly, feeding animals there would be more enjoyable. The riding elephant didn’t look too happy 🙁
Looks great!
Thanks!
Looks like you had a wonderful visit to the zoo. Funny how some things are familiar and some so different. I love the hippos!
Thank you, Lori. I was really impressed with this zoo. Somehow, no offense to Chiang Mai, I did not expect to find such an impressive aquarium in this relatively small city. We tried to make some photos there, but it was too dark.