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Entrance to Night Safari |
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Night Safari tram |
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Night Safari laser fountain |
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A spectacular sight to enjoy for people of all ages is a trip to the Chiang Mai Night Safari. It is considered by many to be the most beautiful Night Safari in the world. Twice the size of the Singapore Night Safari it stands on over 300 acres, just 10km from the centre of Chiang Mai. You can arrange you own transport to get to the Chiang Mai Night Safari or there is a free return mini bus that runs every evening from outside the Tourist Police office in the middle of the Night Bazaar.
The Night Safari is essentially a zoo set out like a theme park. For animal viewing it is separated into three main areas.
There is a day time area called the Jaguar Trail Zone and consists of a 1.2km walking trail around a lovely lake. There are over 400 animals to see here including White Tigers, Jaguars, Leopards, Tapirs, Monkeys, Camels, miniature Horses, Cranes and they even have wallabies and koalas. The walking trail is open from 11am till 10pm daily and costs 100THB adults and 50THB for children. If the walk is too long for some they have Segways for hire (2pm to 10pm) (check out the Segway facebook page).
The night time area is split into two zones, the Savanna Safari Zone and the Predator Prowl Zone. These sections are open from 6pm till midnight daily. Visitors travel through the different zones in the Night Safari in an open sided tram. The tram ride is around 5km and takes about 1hr to get around it all. Trams run from 7pm till 10.30pm, with a tram every 15mins. Cost for the night time area is 800 THB adults and 400 THB children which includes tram rides and other entertainment.
The Savanna Safari Zone houses over 300 animals including White Rhinos, Hyenas, Lions, Cheetahs, Wildebeests, Giraffes, Ostriches, Zebras, and Water Buffalos and there are even Kangaroos, Dingos and Emus.
The Predator Prowl Zone houses over 200 animals including Tigers, Lions, African Hunting Dogs, Vultures, Wolves, White Tigers, Canadian Wolf, Asiatic Black Bears and Crocodiles.
Open every night the Night Safari is a real zoo with a difference. Here you will get to see all the zoo animals from the safety of an open sided tram. As you drive around the zones the tram operator puts a spotlight on to the animals in the different enclosures and his assistant tells you about the different animals you will see. In some sections that you drive through the animals like deer and antelope are standing right beside the roadway. (PS. Don't worry, all the nasty animals are well fenced in)
One of the features of a trip to the Night Safari is the nightly musical fountain and water screen Laser Light Show. There are two shows one at 8pm and one at 9pm, and they are absolutely spectacular. You stand or sit around the foreshore of a really huge fountain (about the size of a football field) and watch the display broadcast through cascading water sprays and out over the waters with the accompanying music washing over the whole area.
While you are there check out the Photo Corner open from 6.30pm to 9pm where you can have your photo taken by a professional photographer with some of the baby animals like lions, tigers, crocodiles and bears. The availability depends on seasons. On our visit last year we were able to hold a pair of 6 week old baby tiger cubs. They take about a dozen photos, put the best shot in a presentation sleeve and give you a CD with all the photos taken on it. Well worth the small cost.
There is a restaurant for those who are hungry, a fun plaza for the children and a well stocked souvenir shop. They now have carabet shows from 5.30pm till 9pm including a white tiger show at 5.30pm and 7pm (not on Wed).
For those wishing more information on this wonderful venue you can visit the Night Safari website.
If you like zoos or animals in general see our Chiang Mai Activities page for a big range of choices.
Night Safari - Chiang Mai
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