I’m an animal lover so was thrilled when I moved to Bangkok, Thailand to discover there are tons of animal attractions here, even if it is one of the world’s largest cities. Animal attractions in Bangkok range from a zoo to a snake farm, an enormous aquarium to a crocodile farm – Bangkok really does have it all.
Dusit Zoo – One of the most popular zoos in Thailand is Dusit Zoo. First opened by King Chulalongkorn, it was donated by the King of Thailand to Bangkok in 1938, so you can see how long it has been open. Dusit Zoo is absolutely enormous with almost 2,000 animals from the normal Thai animals like elephants and monkeys to wallabies, camels and penguins (definitely not native to Thailand!).
Dusit Zoo also has an Animal Hospital, a Reptile House and a very good Play Land for the kids. It’s also on Rama V Road, so is very easy to get to as it’s in the center of the city.
They open at 8am-6pm and, the last time I was there, admission fee was very cheap at only 50 baht ($1.50) for kids and 100 baht ($3) for adults. Call 02 282 7111 for more information.
Bangkok’s Snake Farm – If you love snakes, you’ll love Bangkok’s Snake Farm. It too is in the center of Bangkok, within walking distance of the sky train, and is a very fun morning or afternoon out. Bangkok’s Snake Farm was actually set up as a place to make anti-venom for the many victims of poisonous snake bites in Thailand every year. It’s since developed into a tourist attraction, with poisonous snakes in cages and glass showcases to see as well as a fascinating snake show.
The snake show shows off some of the snakes, as well as has performances by snake handlers who will ‘milk’ snakes for you (get the venom from them) and even handle an enormous python. If you’re so inclined, they’ll often also allow you to have the python placed around your shoulders after the show is over, and have your photograph taken with it.
Located on Rama IV Road, admission is 75 baht (around $1.80).
Crocodile Farm and Zoo – About a 30 minute drive outside the center of Bangkok in Samut Prakan (any taxi will take you there), the Crocodile Farm and Zoo in Bangkok is the largest crocodile farm in the world, with thousands of live crocodiles. They also have an amazing “Crocodile Wrestling” show and a show they call “Elephant Battle” where you can see elephants and their mahouts doing old Thai-style fighting. Plus, you can even ride an elephant if you want to.
To go to the Crocodile Farm, you can take a tour, but as they tend to be expensive at more than $30 each, it’s much cheaper to hire a taxi and go there yourself as entrance fee is only 200 baht ($5.50) for kids and 300 baht ($8.50) for adults.
Siam Ocean World Aquarium – Billed as the largest aquarium in south east Asia, the Siam Ocean World Aquarium is a 10,000 square meter aquarium on two floors of the enormous Siam Paragon shopping mall. It’s right next to Siam sky train station, so amazingly easy to get to. Just walk through the doors of the shopping mall and go right down to the ground floor – can’t miss it.
The Siam Ocean World Aquarium has more than 30,000 marine animals, a plexiglass tunnel you can walk through with fish and mammals swimming either side of you and up above, and even a glass bottomed boat ride.
There are seven different zones that feature sharks, giant crabs, jelly fish, lung fish, penguins and more. At 450 baht ($13) for adults and 280 baht ($8) for kids, it’s very expensive for Bangkok, particularly as non-Thais get charged far more than Thais to see it – but to see south east Asia’s largest aquarium is probably worth it. Maybe?
These are just four of the many animal attractions in Bangkok. Also check out the Butterfly Farm, Safari World and don’t forget Chatuchak Weekend Market, where you’ll see just about every animal (except elephants!) and fish for sale.
