Historic
Dusit Zoo
'back to its best'

Youthapong Charoenpan

Although we visited Dusit Zoo on the weekend, fortunately the queues weren't too long so we were soon able to buy a ticket and begin our visit to Thailand's oldest zoo.

Originally established by King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) as a private botanical garden, Khao Din Wana, as it is referred to by Thais, opened to the public in 1938 under the management of the city administration. In 1954, responsibility for running the zoo was transferred to the government's Zoological Park Organization.

The zoo is located in a historically interesting part of the city, lying between Chitralada Palace and the Ananda Samakhom Throne Hall. The lush and green grounds were the first thing to make a significant impression as we entered the park. The official map was easy to follow and the park proved to be a great place in which to enjoy a leisurely stroll and take in all the animals and plants.

On the up

The zoo has regularly attracted up to 2.5 million visitors per year, but it could do even better following its recent refurbishment. The park covers 118 rai (about 19 hectares), of which the lake accounts for 4.8 hectares. It can get particularly crowded on the weekend, so if you'd prefer a bit more privacy during your visit, I suggest you go on a weekday.

While the zoo wasn't quite as large and comprehensive as I expected, it was still pretty impressive. There is certainly a huge variety of animals (2,000 species), including bears, crocodiles, elephants, hippopotamuses, giraffes, kangaroos, monkeys, penguins, tigers, and zebras, along with numerous other exotic creatures.

Among the more intersting animals we encountered were an infant albino barking deer, white tiger, and elephant.

Since most parents these days believe that kids need to be kept active during their free time, there are quite a few opportunities to do so at Dusit Zoo.

While the zoo certainly doesn't offer the same kind of variety of shows as say Safari World or Samphran Elephant Ground, it does present bird shows in the aviary. There are three shows per day on weekdays and five per day on the weekend. Adults pay an extra 20 baht (US$0.60) to enter, while there is a 10-baht charge for children. Younger children (smaller than one meter) can join the show for free. Our hosts during the bird show were most welcoming, while the birds did a great job of keeping the kids entertained.

The zoo also offers a night safari at present, although it's not clear whether this is a temporary attraction or not at this stage, so it might be best to call beforehand to check before setting off.

Other activities you might wish to consider are an elephant ride or a ride around the park on the zoo's handy trolleybus system. You pay 20 baht per ride and can get off at any one of four stops.

While it is easy to be critical when comparing Dusit Zoo with rival attractions, it is worth bearing in mind that I managed to spend four whole hours there during my visit.

While I'd initially been a little concerned that I'd feel rather helpless and sad, as many people do, when watching animals in captivity, in the end the beautiful park setting and the fact that the animals seemed happy and well looked after left me feeling upbeat.

Dusit Zoo opens seven days a week during 8 am-6 pm. Admission for Thai nationals is 50 baht for adults and 10 baht for children, while foreigners pay 100 baht for adults and 50 baht for children. For further information, please call Tel: +66 (0)2 281 2000, or +66 (0)2 281-9027-8.

Transport connections:

Bus: Regular bus numbers 18 and 28 pass the entrance to the park, along with air-conditioned bus number 10.