Chiang Mai Zoo is a place catered to families with young children
Believe me when I say that visiting a zoo was never my priority when I travel overseas. Not unless my friend decided to slot the following destination into our itinerary. We took a red taxi from one of the temples and arrived at the main entrance of Chiang Mai Zoo.
Aside from the animals from across the world, the zoo also has several special exhibits that requires separate admission. There is an aquarium, panda house as well as a snow buddy winter land that includes a snow dome. The snow dome features artificial snow where visitors can experience artificial snow.
After purchasing the entrance tickets for 150 baht each, we headed in to explore. There were groups of tourists and families with young children from around the world. Most of them all sharing a common curiosity for the animal kingdom.
There are 3 different options of exploring the zoo. You could either walk through the zoo under the scotching hot sun or take a tram at a separate charge. We referred to the zoo map and walked from enclosure to enclosure, visiting each animal. Some of these enclosures such as the elephant’s and giraffe’s ones sell vegetable and snacks for feeding. I felt that it was depressing to watch these animals excitedly gobbled down these snacks.
It was really tiring hiking up steep slopes and walking through the entire Chiang Mai Zoo. At least we could drop by every enclosure to visit and take photos of our favorite animals. My personal favorite would probably be the fennec fox, Malayan sun bear and squirrel monkeys. There is even an Nakornping Bird Park where you can stroll among peacocks, roosters and other birds.
I could also see the zoo’s commitment to conservation and education, evident throughout. There were educational signs providing valuable insights such as their habitat, diet, lifespan and breeding of the animals.
By the end of the trek around Chiang Mai Zoo, I was already perspiring profusely. I grab an ice cream along the way as there were kiosk stationed around. I also love the fact that the enclosures mimic each animal’s natural habitats, catering to their habits. You may want to visit this place if you have spare time to spend in Chiang Mai.
Do check out which other destinations you can also visit.
