Chiang Mai Zoo

The Chiang Mai Zoo is located at the Huay Kaew road on the left, a short distance after the entrance to the University area (take bus no. 3 or a songthaew). The entrance area does not really give away how large the area is, but it is really quite large.

Most of the animals are concentrated fairly close to the entrance, - beyond the flower garden there are few animals, so a walk in this area is almost like having a forest to yourself. The front part of the zoo is more like an ordinary zoo, though this one is prettier than most, partly because of the luscious vegetation (many flowers) and partly because the zoo is positioned on a slope which makes for many fine views. In places you can look right down to the center of Chiang Mai 6 kms away. Even inside the large walk-through aviary there are considerable altitude differences, which has the effect that you don't really notice the wire surrounding it. Many animals still live in cages, but the tendency is toward open enclosures. The gibbons now live on several small islands in a lake.

Luk and I always laugh about our last visit to the Zoo. One of the exhibits she had trouble with was the "Cape Fur Seals". That is hard to say if you are a native speaker she had a real problem with that tongue twister. Their building is one of the few places you can cool off, it's air conditioned, inside the zoo and it's always fun to watch their antics. If you are going to walk around the zoo be warned that it's a real workout. You change altitudes constantly and the zoo covers a lot of area. There is a mini tour train and we would recommend that for your first visit. This will allow you to get a general overview and an idea of the lay of the land. You can spend a large amount of time if you are walking and want to see everything so prepare to spend the better part of the day. Also take some water (Nam) with you if you are walking. All in all, this is a very impressive zoo, one of the best in the region and comparable to the finest zoos abroad.

Chiang Mai Night Safari

T^he Night Safari was opened shortly after we left Chiang Mai and we have not been there yet. The reports we hear are that it is a first class facility. We will post some info and a link to their site so you can read more about it.

Chiang Mai Night Safari is a government nature theme park which is built to promote Chiang Mai tourism regarding to the government's policy apart from arts, cultures, traditions, and the beauty of nature which are the main fascinating tourist attractions. The government also works for the promotion of Chiang Mai Airport in order to make it an international airport which will allow Chiang Mai to be the tourist center in Indo-China and Southeast Asia. Therefore, if you are looking for a place to visit, a place to hang out at night amid the real natural environment where you can relax and learn ecosystem, wildlife and natural resources not only in terms of quantity but also quality, Chiang Mai Night Safari is the best answer for you,