Taman Safari differences

[NATY]

Hi from Singapore! I just wanted to know the differences between TS Bogor and Prigen such as the pros and cons of each park and other useful tips on the parks. All I know is that Bogor has pandas, Prigen has tarsiers? and some other rarities and that they're on different sides of Java and mostly share the same animals but I'd really appreciate a local's perspective on this. Both parks definitely have a lot of interesting species so it's quite hard to choose. Could also use this thread to share general Indonesian tips to know if I go there someday

- A clueless foreigner

 

[Mossman Joe]

I have not been to Bogor so I can't compare the two very well, but Prigen no longer has tarsiers (at least on show), their Tarsier house now houses Slow Lorises, Small-toothed civets and an Asian Palm Civet

 

[Rizz Carlton]

In contrast to @Mossman Joe, I've not been to Prigen, so I'll try helping from informations that I had gathered myself. I do say that they equally have their own noteworthy species that can't be seen in each others, which further help distinguish one from another.

I can help with more specific questions, but these would be the general overview and comparison;

• Prigen as a park is a lot larger than Cisarua.
• With their Safari trail, Prigen are located within a pine forest and Cisarua are surrounded by montane rainforest, this distinguished the two somewhat aestheticly.
• While they definitely have the same style of exhibits, Prigen can be somewhat more modern compared to Cisarua.
• Prigen has an established breeding project with PCBA with notable noteworthy native species and a large Javan banteng farm. In comparison, Cisarua has a lot more broader species-wise breeding programs (Though not in a specific facility like with PCBA), with animals like Javan leopards, silvery gibbon, and others.
• In term of ticket price, Cisarua costed around IDR450.000 (Guests above 6 Yo) and IDR400.000 (Guests below 5 Yo) for international guests. Prigen is somewhat more cheaper, with the regular weekday ticket costing around IDR95.000 (For children) and IDR145.000 (For adults) and the weekend/holiday tickets costing around IDR105.000 (For children) and IDR.165.000 (For adults). Worth noting that these prices can change overtime.
• Location wise, both are located quite far from each other. Cisarua is the most easily accessible, being located not far from Jakarta (Around three hours ride without congestion). Prigen is far from major cities like Surabaya and Malang, the closest city is Pasuruan and even then you need additional hours to ride from there to the park in Prigen. Both Cisarua and Prigen didn't have access to a tran station, so you can used cars or bus to go there.

In term of species, the facilities have animals that are only present within that one park and both have equally an impresive collection. This are a list of (In my opinion) noteworthy species kept in the two parks (Aside from off-display animals and PCBA):
Taman Safari Bogor (Cisarua)

• African leopard (Panthera pardus pardus)
• South American cougar (Puma concolor concolor)
• Lowland nyala (Tragelaphus angasii)
• Common impala (Aepyceros melampus melampus)
• Scimitar oryx (Oryx dammah)
• Pinon's imperial pigeon (Ducula pinon pinon)
• Lesser birds-of-paradise (Paradisae minor minor & paradisae minor fincshi)
• Red bird-of-paradise (Paradisae rubra)
• Blyth's hornbill (Rhyticeros plicatus plicatus)
• Siberut macaque (Macaca siberu)
• Indo-chinese smooth-coated otter (Lutrogale perspicillata perspicillata)
• Javan leopard cat (Prionailurus javanensis javanensis)
• Asian golden cat (Catopuma temminckii temminckii)
• Steller sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus)
• Grey-headed fish eagle (Icthyophaga ichthyaetus)
• Sumatran mongoose (Urva javanica rafflesii)
• White-striped dorcopsis (Dorcopsis hageni)
• Grizzled tree-kangaroo (Dendrolagus inustus)
• Kloss's gibbon (Hylobates klossii)
• Müller's gibbon (Hylobates muelleri)
• Mitered langur (Presbytis mitrata)
• Javan surili (Presbytis comata comata)
• West Javan langur (Trachypithecus mauritius)
• Balinese palm civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus balicus)
• Gunung Muria small civet (Viverricula indica muriavensis)
• Sumatran masked palm civet (Paguma larvata leucomystax)
• Large bamboo rat (Rhizomys sumatrensis)
• Giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca melanoleuca)
• Himalayan red panda (Ailurus fulgens fulgens)
• Chinese red panda (Ailurus fulgens styani)
• Mishmi takin (Budorcas taxicolor taxicolor)

Taman Safari Prigen

• Himalayan black bear (Ursus thibetanus laniger)
• Northern cassowary (Casuarius unappendiculatus rufotinctus)
• Brown-cheeked bulbul (Alophoixus bres)
• White-necked myna (Streptocitta albicollis)
• Violet-necked lory (Eos squamata)
• Tenggara hill myna (Gracula venerata)
• Philippine slow loris (Nycticebus menagensis)
• Sumatran slow loris (Nycticebus hilleri)
• Mainland wombat (Vombatus ursinus hirsutus)
• Raffray's bandicoot (Peroryctes raffrayana)

 

[Mossman Joe]

I second @Rizz Carlton 's statement about Prigen's accessibility, you could ride a train to a station about an hour away or use a shuttle that stops somewhere nearby, but you'll still need to use the local transport service (ie. Gojek, Grab, etc.) to get into the park.

If you have the funds, it's recommended to stay at the nearby Baobab Safari Resort as it is difficult to get a ride out of the zoo if you exit in the evening. It's a nice resort (if not overpriced) with a view of giraffes, impalas and cape buffalo. With additional fees you can have breakfast with giraffes, as well as feed certain animals like meerkats and white rhinos.

Alternatively, you can rent a car with a driver to take you around from Surabaya or Malang. Although more expensive, this gives you the freedom to go anywhere at any time without worrying about not finding a driver. It also makes it easy for you to go to Malang to visit Batu Secret Zoo, another place I'd recommend you visit.

I would definitely try and contact PCBA if you are planning to come to Prigen, to see if you can get a guided tour. As seen in the gallery, there are a number of wonderful species not shown in the zoo and which are not present in captivity anywhere else including Sumatran Rabbits, Bawean Warty Pigs, Maratua Shama, Wangi-Wangi White Eye, Bornean Crestless Fireback and others. The facility itself is also top notch, very well kept and showcases the forefront against the extinction of so many threatened animals.

 

[Fargusno]

In contrast to @Mossman Joe, I've not been to Prigen, so I'll try helping from informations that I had gathered myself. I do say that they equally have their own noteworthy species that can't be seen in each others, which further help distinguish one from another.

I can help with more specific questions, but these would be the general overview and comparison;

• Prigen as a park is a lot larger than Cisarua.
• With their Safari trail, Prigen are located within a pine forest and Cisarua are surrounded by montane rainforest, this distinguished the two somewhat aestheticly.
• While they definitely have the same style of exhibits, Prigen can be somewhat more modern compared to Cisarua.
• Prigen has an established breeding project with PCBA with notable noteworthy native species and a large Javan banteng farm. In comparison, Cisarua has a lot more broader species-wise breeding programs (Though not in a specific facility like with PCBA), with animals like Javan leopards, silvery gibbon, and others.
• In term of ticket price, Cisarua costed around IDR450.000 (Guests above 6 Yo) and IDR400.000 (Guests below 5 Yo) for international guests. Prigen is somewhat more cheaper, with the regular weekday ticket costing around IDR95.000 (For children) and IDR145.000 (For adults) and the weekend/holiday tickets costing around IDR105.000 (For children) and IDR.165.000 (For adults). Worth noting that these prices can change overtime.
• Location wise, both are located quite far from each other. Cisarua is the most easily accessible, being located not far from Jakarta (Around three hours ride without congestion). Prigen is far from major cities like Surabaya and Malang, the closest city is Pasuruan and even then you need additional hours to ride from there to the park in Prigen. Both Cisarua and Prigen didn't have access to a tran station, so you can used cars or bus to go there.

In term of species, the facilities have animals that are only present within that one park and both have equally an impresive collection. This are a list of (In my opinion) noteworthy species kept in the two parks (Aside from off-display animals and PCBA):
Taman Safari Bogor (Cisarua)

• African leopard (Panthera pardus pardus)
• South American cougar (Puma concolor concolor)
• Lowland nyala (Tragelaphus angasii)
• Common impala (Aepyceros melampus melampus)
• Scimitar oryx (Oryx dammah)
• Pinon's imperial pigeon (Ducula pinon pinon)
• Lesser birds-of-paradise (Paradisae minor minor & paradisae minor fincshi)
• Red bird-of-paradise (Paradisae rubra)
• Blyth's hornbill (Rhyticeros plicatus plicatus)
• Siberut macaque (Macaca siberu)
• Indo-chinese smooth-coated otter (Lutrogale perspicillata perspicillata)
• Javan leopard cat (Prionailurus javanensis javanensis)
• Asian golden cat (Catopuma temminckii temminckii)
• Steller sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus)
• Grey-headed fish eagle (Icthyophaga ichthyaetus)
• Sumatran mongoose (Urva javanica rafflesii)
• White-striped dorcopsis (Dorcopsis hageni)
• Grizzled tree-kangaroo (Dendrolagus inustus)
• Kloss's gibbon (Hylobates klossii)
• Müller's gibbon (Hylobates muelleri)
• Mitered langur (Presbytis mitrata)
• Javan surili (Presbytis comata comata)
• West Javan langur (Trachypithecus mauritius)
• Balinese palm civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus balicus)
• Gunung Muria small civet (Viverricula indica muriavensis)
• Sumatran masked palm civet (Paguma larvata leucomystax)
• Large bamboo rat (Rhizomys sumatrensis)
• Giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca melanoleuca)
• Himalayan red panda (Ailurus fulgens fulgens)
• Chinese red panda (Ailurus fulgens styani)
• Mishmi takin (Budorcas taxicolor taxicolor)

Taman Safari Prigen

• Himalayan black bear (Ursus thibetanus laniger)
• Northern cassowary (Casuarius unappendiculatus rufotinctus)
• Brown-cheeked bulbul (Alophoixus bres)
• White-necked myna (Streptocitta albicollis)
• Violet-necked lory (Eos squamata)
• Tenggara hill myna (Gracula venerata)
• Philippine slow loris (Nycticebus menagensis)
• Sumatran slow loris (Nycticebus hilleri)
• Mainland wombat (Vombatus ursinus hirsutus)
• Raffray's bandicoot (Peroryctes raffrayana)

For a smaller park, Cisarua's pricing for their tickets are insane for an Indonesian zoo, whilst Prigen is cheaper.

 

[Rizz Carlton]

For a smaller park, Cisarua's pricing for their tickets are insane for an Indonesian zoo, whilst Prigen is cheaper.

Cisarua is fairly close to Jakarta and major cities in the Jabodetabek, combined with a long-time popularity and the presence of the giant pandas (Which cost a lot of money to took care of and to loan from the PRC) obviously resulted in the incredibly high ticket price.

 

[Fargusno]

Cisarua is fairly close to Jakarta and major cities in the Jabodetabek, combined with a long-time popularity and the presence of the giant pandas (Which cost a lot of money to took care of and to loan from the PRC) obviously resulted in the incredibly high ticket price.

Figures, because it wasn't that expensive before during my visit back in 2018.

 

[NATY]

In term of ticket price, Cisarua costed around IDR450.000 (Guests above 6 Yo) and IDR400.000 (Guests below 5 Yo) for international guests. Prigen is somewhat more cheaper, with the regular weekday ticket costing around IDR95.000 (For children) and IDR145.000 (For adults) and the weekend/holiday tickets costing around IDR105.000 (For children) and IDR.165.000 (For adults). Worth noting that these prices can change overtime.

That's an enormous price gap. Seems like admission would be about the same price as a ticket to any of the Singaporean zoos about 38 SGD and is bigger than each one individually. I guess hiring a car would also make going there even more expensive