I’ve mentioned Dusit zoo before as a great place to take children in Bangkok, we went for a return visit yesterday. There are many cool things to do in Bangkok with kids and Dusit Zoo is not one we particularly recommend or not recommend. There is a zoo in Bangkok, it is called Dusit Zoo. This is our review.
Dusit Zoo
Dusit Zoo is one of the oldest zoos in Thailand, dating back to the reign of King Chulalongkorn Rama V and today stands on Rama V Rd near the New Palace. Originally part of the King’s private gardens, the zoo became a public space after his death.
The zoo houses a very large variety of mammals, reptiles and birds but is also a lovely pleasure park with huge lakes, row boats, children’s playgrounds and ornate gardens to explore.
Dusit Zoo has been very quiet every time we’ve visited, we’ve never seen it busy at all. There is no BTS station near the zoo, it’s best to walk or take a taxi.
There are timed events and shows scheduled throughout the day, some of these have an extra admission fee.
Dusit Zoo Admission Price
One of the good things about the zoo is that it’s not purely a tourist attraction. It’s mostly there for the locals and we only saw one or two other western families there yesterday. Foreigners still had to pay extra, but it was only 100 Baht for adults, about $4. Compare that with Bangkok’s aquarium, that will set you back around $100 for family admission.
The aquarium is far more modern than the zoo. Another animal attraction in Bangkok that is family-friendly is the snake show held at the hospital. This is where they produce anti-venoms from Thailand’s native snakes, it’s a highly educational place to take your children.
Chiang Mai Zoo is a much bigger zoo than Bangkok Zoo, and we enjoyed our day at this zoo too, it’s on the outskirts on Chiang Mai, a car ride away. Dusit Zoo is in fairly central Bangkok, near the New Palace.
My degree is in zoology, we try to visit zoos whenever we can and compare them to our home zoo, London Zoo. Dusit feels similar to London in that it has history.
Conditions at Dusit Zoo
The animals’ enclosures and conditions aren’t too bad, as zoos go, and the reptile house is fabulous, they have a huge collection. I’m a zoologist by training, my love of animals, and of the science, comes from visiting zoos and aquaria as a child, I don’t have a problem with zoos on the whole, I realise some people do.
Two slightly out-of-the-ordinary, if not totally bizarre, attractions to share with you today, the two headed turtle and fishing for sharks.
The Two Headed Turtle at Dusit Zoo
The turtle sat in his tank outside the tiny aquarium, we saw him two years ago, he’s grown a lot. I doubt there is any way he’d survive in the wild. You can see that the two front legs are independently controlled, the two heads don’t think as one, they eat and come up for air separately.
Fishing for Sharks at Dusit Zoo
For an extra 10 Baht you can rent a fishing rod with a piece of fish tied to the line, no hook, no sharks are hurt. You can literally fish for sharks, baby ones, loads of them.
The kids loved it, we had a chat about whether or not it was a nice thing to do and decided the sharks were better off in the zoo than in a bowl of shark fin soup (I hate to think what happens to them when they get bigger), so I let them try.
We didn’t see any elephants this time, there seems to be some new elephant show at Dusit Zoo in the evenings, I really don’t like that sort of thing so we stayed away.
You could still bottle-feed the fish and the wild monitor lizards in the lake were amazing, they are huge things!
There is plenty of room for the kids to run around at the zoo and there was a great little playground, so if you’re in Bangkok with children and get templed-out, give Dusit Zoo a go.
Where is Dusit Zoo
Dusit Zoo in in Bangkok Thailand, Dusit District.
Dusit Zoo Address
IBT No.71,Rama 5 Road,
Dusit 10300,
Dusit,
Bangkok 10300,
Thailand
Dusit Zoo Contact Number: +66-22812000
Dusit Zoo Opening Hours: 8:00 am – 6:00pm
Please check opening hours and ticket prices for the time of your visit as these could change.
Hotels Near Dusit Zoo
The area around Dusit Zoo would be a good area to stay in Bangkok. This is a fairly quiet part of the city, close to The New Palace and not too far away from Bangkok’s major attraction, most can be reached easily by taxi. There aren’t a huge number of hotels and apartment rentals near the zoo but our map below will show you exacly where the zoo is in Bangkok and what accommodation options are nearby.
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I agree, that two-headed turtle would not be able to survive in the wild. Just imagine the internal battle they would have to flee against a predator. It’s quite amazing how mother nature can produce such oddities. Overall, it looks like you had a great time.