| Thai-Online | Date: Tuesday, 09.07.2019, 10:12 | Message # 1 |
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Khao Kheo Vip - Description of the excursion to the Khao Kheo Zoo in Pattaya
In Khao Kheo Zoo we have been many times. But having gone there according to the program “Khao Kheo Vip”, it was as if they had not traveled before. On this excursion, so much of new and interesting things happened that I hasten to share my impressions and I hope this information will be useful for you too.
Khao Kheo - Pattaya Zoo
The first public zoo in Thailand opened its 18 March 1938 in Bangkok. They became the Dusit Zoo, which was originally a zoological garden for royal persons.
It all started with the fact that the king of Thailand, Rama 5, ambassadors from different countries began to present rare animals as gifts. So there was Khao Din Wang (Dusit Zoo in the future). The animals multiplied, kings were given new animals and birds, and soon it was time to expand.
The choice of royal assistants fell on a beautiful and protected area in the Chonburri region, which is called Khao Kheo - “Green Mountain”. Thus, in the 80 of the 20 century, the Khao Kheo National Reserve and Zoo was established.
Khao Kheo is still under the patronage of the royal family of Thailand and it is felt both in taking care of animals and in the absence of commerce in the park, where drinks, food, snacks, ice cream cost as much as in ordinary shops in the city. That is, no extra charge.
Khao Kheo Zoo Animals
The very first animal that was presented to King Rama 5 and which became the very impetus for the discovery and development of zoos throughout the country was the deer of Lira.
The descendants of that very first deer of Lyra are still living in the Khao Kheo Zoo and are its symbol. At the entrance to the zoo is a statue of one of these and the deer of Lira, the first animals that are greeted by guests.
Deer Lyra are very friendly animals that you can feed and pet, they are safe for children, you can be photographed with them.
The territory of the zoo Khao Kheo is huge. It occupies several hectares in the high hills and animals, birds, fish, live here in conditions as close as possible to the wild nature.
Khao Kheo is a contact zoo, which makes it possible not only to learn about the history of the origin, occurrence and population of rare species of animals, but also to communicate with them as close as possible, touch, take a picture, feed.
There are several research laboratories on the territory of the Khao Kheo Zoo, where work is underway to study, improve the population and help preserve rare species of animals. Funds for this from the personal budget allocates Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn. The national favorite, who devoted her life to serving the people, abandoning the institution of family and children. Princess Sirindhorn personally controls and participates in the life of the zoo, and in addition helps many other research organizations and charity centers, for which the people call her angel princess.
In the Khao Kheo Zoo you can see many very rare animals that are on the verge of extinction. More than 80% of the inhabitants of the park are listed in the red book.
In the Khao Kheo Zoo alone or with a guided tour?
This question arises from many tourists coming to Pattaya.
We visited Khao Kheo both on our own and with a guided tour and it is possible to compare all the advantages and disadvantages.
It’s easy to get to Khao Kheo on your own. You can rent a car or bike and overcome 35-40 km on the highway in the direction of Bangkok.
In the zoo, you can move in the car, on a rented golf cart or on foot. On the bike can not.
Advantages of independent travel - you are on your own and manage your time as you see fit.
There are also disadvantages to this trip. Firstly, for riding a bike without a license of the appropriate category, a very large fine has now been introduced, which makes such a trip unsafe.
Secondly, the entrance to the zoo without Thai rights or other documents indicating your residence in Thailand will be worth almost as a tour.
And it will be very difficult to build your own program at the zoo on your own so that you can watch all the most interesting things, catch the 3 show at a time. We did not succeed even once, although we were there on our own at least 5-6 times.
For the price of an independent trip there it turns out generally unprofitable venture.
In my opinion, the trip with the group is optimal, provided that you get a good program, on which you will not carry on shopping and customized.
And with children this option is easier and more comfortable.
The Khao Kheo Zoo has been taken for many years, but the Khao Kheo Vip program has appeared recently. It also carries on the island of lemurs, the existence of which even I was unknown.
How is the excursion to the Khao Kheo Zoo?
Khao Kheo VIP Day Program. Tourists are starting to gather from the hotels with 10 in the morning and around 10: 50-11 in the morning we leave Pattaya towards the zoo.
Go far. During this time, we get to know and listen to interesting stories about the emergence and development of the park, the Russian guide gives useful tips and talks about how our day will pass.
Guide Sergey is wonderful. From the first phrase I endeared myself, greeted me, introduced myself, thanked us all, that everyone had gathered on time and literally with a couple of phrases created the necessary mood for the upcoming trip.
It would seem that being polite and pleasant is an integral part of the profession of a guide, but from my own experience I can tell you that not everyone can set a positive tone and win over.
I immediately recall a female guide on one of the programs, which instead of “hello” at the entrance to the bus began to sort out roughly “who was it late here” (although no one was late) and we all felt like guilty schoolchildren. Introduced this “Madame” after 3 hours after the trip, well, the whole tour went on awry.
So everything is relative, and thanks again to Sergey for the wonderful trip, optimism and smiles of our children.
We come to the Khao Kheo Zoo near 11: 40, feed the deer, get acquainted with gibbons, goats and turtles, and then go to the first show at 12: 15.
In the zoo we will spend 4 hours, which is more than enough to inspect everything without haste and nerves, at a measured pace.
We will visit the island of lemurs, see the bathing of elephants, feed the animals and birds, visit the 3 show.
Tips for tourists before the trip
Since the excursion to Khao Kheo does not begin on 5 in the morning, but on 10, you will have time to have breakfast. But! I sincerely advise you to take various snacks or lunch box with your children and children.
The tour does not include lunch, and after a long walk you will definitely want to. Yes, there is a cafe in the zoo, but we will not have time to visit it.
In the numerous stalls and at the entrance to the show you can buy: sausages on a stick, fried chicken (30 baht), slicing fruit (from 25 to 40 baht), ice cream and drinks. Snacks like cookies and chips, too, there is, but it's not really food, you see. So some kind of non-perishable food for snacking will definitely come in handy.
Take small money or just money. Small bills are preferable because at the entrance you will want to buy pet food (50 and 100 baht), and all tourists are as sinful with the 1000 m bills. The girl-saleswoman had to run to look for exchange in the morning.
Every small things like ice cream, grass and food for animals, water, usually costs 10-30 baht.
Wet wipes to wipe yourself and children hands, as well as for the toilet.
The zoo clean and washstands with soap at each enclosure, but paper towels are not everywhere.
Comfortable and preferably closed shoes.
What kind of animals are there in Khao Kheo?
There are so many animals in the Khao Kheo Zoo that it’s almost impossible to see everyone all in one day. But we will try very hard.
Of the rare for us - Binturong. A mixture of a bear and a cat. It looks dangerous, but in fact quite peaceful and almost herbivore animal.
Binturong can be photographed and they also participate in the show.
It turns out that these teddy bears are popular with Hollywood stars because of their uniqueness and good character. They are bought for big money from breeders and shipped abroad.
Sloth. We are lucky, because the sloth crawls out to people once every couple of weeks, to fulfill the natural needs of the body. More often he does not need.
Very slow metabolism makes this animal almost immortal.
Did you know that sloths get into the zoo at a rather old age? About 70-80 years, because before that they live quietly in their environment, and only after this age should they be protected and protected from external influence.
Rare pink hippos. Imposing and rather dangerous animals, which, although herbivorous, can develop such speed that they cannot escape from their anger.
Flamingos, tapirs, gibbons, white lions, koalas, wombats, penguins, ostriches, zebras, elephants, bears and many others.
Our guide Sergey is such a smart girl! He could call all-all animals so that we could communicate and feed with them. Even the Thais were open mouth from such unexpected wit.
The traditional favorites of children and adults are giraffes. Which so carefully take corn from a palm that it is even not terrible to feed.
They love bean pods and greens of acacia. In general, they are so sated with attention that it is difficult to surprise them with food. There are always people near the giraffe Safari.
Speaking of feeding the animals. What people feed animals is not considered a diet. That is, the animals have their own menu, on which they are fed staff. So there are no hungry or skinny animals. All beautiful and well-fed.
Animals are forbidden to feed harmful food for them. Near each aviary there are restrictions on the photo.
This is especially true of rhinos, which cruel tourists fed a can of beer and instead of three rare animals, only two remained.
Island of Lemurs at Khao Kheo Zoo
I will say right away that you can get to the island of Lemurs only on weekends or holidays. So if you go on this program on a weekday, unfortunately, there will be no island of lemurs.
What is an island of lemurs?
I think everyone who has children, saw the cartoon "Madagascar", where one of the main characters is the lemur - King Julian.
That's it to "Julian" we go to the island.
We leave all the things in the storage room, buy special salads for lemurs (from whom salads, in addition, and lemurs), clean hands, put on gloves and step in a special antibacterial solution.
On a raft, the workers of the park are transported to the island, where unforgettable emotions from communicating with these warm fluffies, curious and not at all aggressive, await us.
Bathing elephants at Khao Kheo Zoo
Having fed the lemurs we go to the elephants. There are several elephants in the zoo, including a pregnant elephant, which is about to give birth to a cub.
At certain times, guests of the park can gather in a special room with transparent walls and watch the bathing of elephants.
Well, what happened next was what I had dreamed of for so long. The opportunity to chat with koalas and take pictures with them.
That's how many times I was in Khao Kheo, I saw koalas only from a distance, and since they sleep 22 hours a day, they mostly turn to us booty.
And then such luck!
At the end of the walk we are waiting for the last, third show, from which both adults and children are delighted.
People do not take part in the show. Only animals. According to the scenario, animals “tell” us about how they live in the wild, what they eat, how they play and so on. Interesting, look necessarily.
But all good things sooner or later come to an end and we have to go home. On the way back, we drizzled rain and we walked so much that we slept all the way to Pattaya.
How to get on a tour of Khao Kheo Vip
Please do not confuse the program Khao Kheo Vip with the usual program Khao Kheo.
It differs in that you are taken to the island of lemurs, do not carry on shopping and you have plenty of time for everything. Nobody drives, good and educated Russian guide.
She sold recently. If necessary, write, give contacts where to buy.
Price - 800 baht adult and 500 baht children's ticket. (admin note  at this link cheaper)
It includes a transfer to both sides, a visit to the zoo and all shows, the island of Lemurs.
Not included - food for animals, lunch
Results and conclusions
Dasha and I really liked it. On our own, we never had enough time and patience to plan everything and go everywhere. Moreover, we never got to the show !!!
About the island of lemurs and bathing elephants generally keep quiet. Excursion attracted for proper planning without haste and layout.
Sergey did not drive us anywhere, we moved at a good pace. Part on foot, part by bus (travel). Enough time for everything - and feed and take pictures.
Children can and should be taken. Such trips are made mostly for children. They are delighted with how many impressions immediately fall on them.
The trip is not long and not difficult. For security, everything is fine. Animals raised, all vaccinated.
Only wild monkeys have to fear, but this is the case everywhere. The guide will remind you that you should not approach them and try to take a selfie.
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| Delicate | Date: Wednesday, 21.08.2019, 15:36 | Message # 2 |
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| We were in Pattaya 6 years ago, then we decided to go to the Khao Kheo Zoo on our own so as not to strain others around with the child who at that time was 1.8.
So, as it was, we left the hotel, caught a taxi without much bargaining (error number 1, by the way, did not even try to do it) agreed on a price and that the taxi driver would wait for us and take us back.
He bought us tickets, because on our own it would have been more expensive for us and bought animal feed.
First of all, we agreed with a taxi driver where we met how to get out, rented a golf car (an original passport is enough for this), we have already purchased tickets and animal feed. (mistake number 2, take more food ... by the middle of the zoo we have already run out of it).
We set off on a journey purely intuitively, stopping wherever we wanted and spending there as much time as our heart desires.
Later they handed over a typewriter, took their passport and returned to their hotel with our taxi driver.
The advantages of such a trip are obvious: this is the disposal of time at your discretion.
Cons, because of which, by the way, I would now like to visit this trip with a guided tour: it’s much more expensive, we didn’t visit some shows, because we didn’t know about the time of their holding, and the island of Lemurs was left unattended, because it works only on weekdays.
Therefore, I will supplement my review as soon as we visit the zoo with an excursion from this site.
Hakuna Matata
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