Which Thai Zoos are Worth Visiting?

Chlidonias said:
there are bungalows inside the park. You should be able to book them through the park website - I just turn up if I go there, so I'm not sure but generally that is the case. The price is higher on weekends and public holidays. There are also a couple of campsites but I guess those are out if you aren't able to camp at Kaeng Krachan. The problem with the campsites is that they aren't anywhere near the restaurants (as in, many kilometres away from them). The bungalows are reasonably close to the restaurants.

There are loads of hotels and guesthouses lining the road right before the park though. You need to pay each time you enter but if you only have a couple of days that's not a big deal. From the gate you can just hitch to the park HQ - lots of buses and trucks go through because the road through the park goes to various villages, and the guards at the gate will flag down vehicles for you.

A possible alternative might be Doi Inthanon in northern Thailand. You can get from Bangkok to Chiang Mai on an overnight bus, and reach Doi Inthanon that morning. Spend a couple of days there, then bus back to Bangkok. It would depend on your parents willingness of course. But the birds up there are different to what you'll be seeing at Kaeng Krachan. And Chiang Mai is a nice city if you have time to look around a bit.
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I'll have another look at trying to book the bungalows, if necessary I can ask someone in Thailand to give them a call domestically which will probably be easier. Camping is not a possibility unfortunately because my parents will not allow me to camp by myself and they will not camp with me, which leaves me a bit stuck. A shame, as I would quite like to camp for a few nights.

About the staying outside Khao Yai, I was under the impression that if you stayed outside the park, you could not be in the national park after dark at all, and I would quite like to do a bit of spotlighting.

I originally discounted Doi Inthanon for being too far, but I'll have another look at the logistics of it at the weekend.

Thanks for the advice/suggestions. :)
 
If looking at zoos and other captive wildlife attractions in Thailand you can check out Peter Dickinson's pages. Just be aware he is brutally honest in his opinions and also covers other aspects of life in Thailand.

http://hubpages.com/@peterdickinson
Zoo News Digest
 
LaughingDove said:
About the staying outside Khao Yai, I was under the impression that if you stayed outside the park, you could not be in the national park after dark at all, and I would quite like to do a bit of spotlighting.

I originally discounted Doi Inthanon for being too far, but I'll have another look at the logistics of it at the weekend.

Thanks for the advice/suggestions. :)
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yeah I'm not sure how the "after dark" rule works because they do night drives in there. Presumably people staying outside can still do these, which means they need to be in there after dark. Perhaps it needs to be some sort of "official" thing where you get driven in and out from the outside accommodation. Staying inside would of course be the best option.

Doi Inthanon would be possible, and you'd get about two days on the mountain if you didn't spend any time in Chiang Mai itself. The problem for you might be that there is no public transport there, so to get up and down the mountain you have to either hitch (which is easy because there's only one road, and is safe although your parents probably won't agree with it) or have your own vehicle.

Sai Yok on the border with Burma is nice and easy to reach from Bangkok.

An idea outside the box is Cambodia - you can get from Bangkok to Siem Reap in a (long) day by road, or fly there quite cheaply. That will give you two full days in Siem Reap and you could visit the Angkor complex. It is amazing and there are lots of birds around the temples.
 
Chlidonias said:
An idea outside the box is Cambodia - you can get from Bangkok to Siem Reap in a (long) day by road, or fly there quite cheaply. That will give you two full days in Siem Reap and you could visit the Angkor complex. It is amazing and there are lots of birds around the temples.
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BTW: Siem Reap / Angkor site is now a rehabilitation site for primates (langurs and gibbons) from the Cambodian rescue center at Phnom Tamao.

Link: Angkor Wildlife Release Project
 
Incidentally: @Chli, what would be your idea of a best value for money trip to Khao Yai (avoiding all the tourist trips and thus being able to actually see wildlife and trekking multiple days in the Khao Yai jungle)?

I hear good things of Khao Sok in southern Thailand too.
 
well, I don't like Khao Yai. It is ruined by tourists and apathetic staff. However, you can just stay in one of the campsites for cheap, or one of the bungalows for not-as-cheap (or perhaps even the very cheap dorms, except last time I was there they refused to acknowledge the existence of them) - and then just go about your business. Once you have checked in at HQ, and if you avoid the experience of the night drives, then you can avoid any hassles from having to deal with the staff.
 
We used tontantravel when we were in Thailand and had a unique experience. Run by Dutch born Ton and his Thai girlfriend Tan, they offer trips to many of Thailands' National Parks. They took us camping in Huai Kha Kaeng for three days and then three days into Khao Yai. You could consider going with them, or they would be a good resource for information at least...
 
Thanks for all the suggestions and links, I'll have a proper look (and discuss with parents and brother) at the weekend when I have a bit of free time (pretty busy at the moment).
 
I was at Dusit Zoo today. There is a current species list here now: Dusit Zoo - Species list, 5 February 2017

Of particular note for you, the palm trees where the wild Greater Short-nosed Fruit Bats used to roost have been entirely removed, and the sign which used to be there for the bats has also gone. After some looking I did find a new roost (about twenty bats) in the leaves of the huge fan palm right next to the entry stairs of the south aviaries (i.e. the two-storey aviaries on the southern side of the zoo lake). If you enter the zoo from the gate opposite the palace, which is the gate at which the tuktuk drivers drop people, you head right after coming through the gate, following the path between the fenceline and the lake. The aviaries are the first animal enclosures you will come to. The palm tree is the huge one right at the stairs on the end with the wreathed hornbills (the other end has Lyle's fruit bats). There is currently a Bactrian camel at that end as well. Look inside the leaves which are folded into a tent shape - the bats roost along the ridge inside. You'll need binoculars to see them.

A wild colony of Openbill Storks is also new since my last visit, beside the lake and visible from several points in the zoo. On my last visit, Red-bellied Squirrels and Variable Squirrels were common around the zoo - today I only saw one of each, which may just be down to random chance but keep an eye out. If they have red bellies they are Red-bellied Squirrels, otherwise they are Variable Squirrels.
 
So I've had a proper look at all of the stuff suggested, and although I really like the idea of some of the national parks like Mae Wong or Sai Yok, I think it's going to be logistically a bit difficult and since we're already doing a long period at Kaeng Krachan, it will also be difficult to persuade my family to do another national parks bit. I did look at Tontantravel and Huai Kha Kaeng and that may have been doable since an organised tour would have made the logistics much easier, but unfortunately it seems they are not doing any tours until January next year.

Although the idea of Doi Inthanon or Cambodia sounds interesting, I think it would be stretching the time too fine with too much time travelling (also my mum would need a visa for Cambodia which would be an additional pain). Also, the rest of my family is quite keen on the Khao Kheow area and I'd quite like to visit the zoo and also go birding at Bang Pra so we'll probably do that for two days, leaving the other two days for somewhere else that could be Khao Yai or somewhere else that is near enough. An alternative to Khao Yai just looking at the Thai Birding page is Sab Sadao Bird Watching at Sab Sadao though logistically that doesn't look so easy. Anyone been?

And thanks very much @Chlidonias for the information on Dusit. Much appreciated.

I'll also note that we will be hiring a car which will make a lot of things easier.
 
@LaughingDove another consideration might be (Sea Life) Bangkok Ocean World, in Siam Paragon mall. In the past I've left friends to wander around the excellent malls and paid the extortionate entry fee. It's not very difficult to see in an evening after a busy day in the city. Fortunately this is one of the less typical Sea Life aquariums, with quite a few more interesting animals on display, including Tam Dao salamander, payara, giant freshwater stingray, pacman catfish...
 
is that a Sea Life now as well?! I visited it in 2006 and really liked it, but haven't been back on any of my Bangkok visits because it is so expensive.
 
Chlidonias said:
is that a Sea Life now as well?! I visited it in 2006 and really liked it, but haven't been back on any of my Bangkok visits because it is so expensive.
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Yes they acquired it in 2011 but by the time of my 2013 visit still hadn't made their mark very strongly (thankfully!) but now it well and truly feels like one of their aquaria, albeit not as uniform as others I've been to. A look online suggests they transformed it back in late 2014.

I tend to go quite late in the evening and politely ask for a Thai resident / expat ticket. After a bit of persistence and charm(?) they gave in on my first visit but in 2016 my endeavours failed. Online if you book over 24 hours in advance you can get a ticket for entry after 5pm for 645 baht - a 35% discount - still pricey though!
 
devilfish said:
@LaughingDove another consideration might be (Sea Life) Bangkok Ocean World, in Siam Paragon mall. In the past I've left friends to wander around the excellent malls and paid the extortionate entry fee. It's not very difficult to see in an evening after a busy day in the city. Fortunately this is one of the less typical Sea Life aquariums, with quite a few more interesting animals on display, including Tam Dao salamander, payara, giant freshwater stingray, pacman catfish...
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Hmm... thanks for the suggestion. I just looked at the location, and that coupled with the fact that it seems to be open until 9 PM means it could be a good place to visit on the same day as Dusit.

Not cheap though!
 
LaughingDove said:
So I've had a proper look at all of the stuff suggested, and although I really like the idea of some of the national parks like Mae Wong or Sai Yok, I think it's going to be logistically a bit difficult and since we're already doing a long period at Kaeng Krachan, it will also be difficult to persuade my family to do another national parks bit. I did look at Tontantravel and Huai Kha Kaeng and that may have been doable since an organised tour would have made the logistics much easier, but unfortunately it seems they are not doing any tours until January next year.

Although the idea of Doi Inthanon or Cambodia sounds interesting, I think it would be stretching the time too fine with too much time travelling (also my mum would need a visa for Cambodia which would be an additional pain). Also, the rest of my family is quite keen on the Khao Kheow area and I'd quite like to visit the zoo and also go birding at Bang Pra so we'll probably do that for two days, leaving the other two days for somewhere else that could be Khao Yai or somewhere else that is near enough. An alternative to Khao Yai just looking at the Thai Birding page is Sab Sadao Bird Watching at Sab Sadao though logistically that doesn't look so easy. Anyone been?

And thanks very much @Chlidonias for the information on Dusit. Much appreciated.

I'll also note that we will be hiring a car which will make a lot of things easier.
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An area close enough and in which you would definitely see more wildlife in 2 days is Khao Sok park south of Bangkok. It is doable after Khao Kheow!
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
An area close enough and in which you would definitely see more wildlife in 2 days is Khao Sok park south of Bangkok. It is doable after Khao Kheow!
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Thanks for the suggestion, but I think it's a bit too far since we would have already been down that direction after doing Kaeng Krachan, but mainly because on the last day, we would need to drive back to Bangkok for a 7PM flight and a 10 (realistically 12-14) hour drive would be too much. Just looking at sites on the Thai Birding website, places like Sab Sadao, Khao Soi Dao, or Khao Yai look like good possibilities.
 
I've just been at Kaeng Krachan for a week. I'm behind on blog-writing so it'll be a little bit before I've done this one. However:

Right now it is bone-dry - really really dry - which isn't fun on the road when a line of cars go past in a cloud of dust! Zero leeches though! No giant bees either. When I was there last, there were great swarms of them everywhere but now I saw only one small hive and none in flight. Even the sweat bees were few.

Birds were difficult to find. I saw 15 species of mammal though, including Fea's Muntjac which was the sole reason I went there.

The Brush-tailed Porcupines were no longer living under the lower toilet block at the lower campsite (Ban Krang), but still check when you go there just in case they have moved back by then.

Did you manage to book in at Ban Maka? I stayed one night at Samarn Bird Camp (in a tent) and that's right outside the park checkpoint (literally five minute's walk) so it is closer than Ban Maka. It is a very nice place and I think your family would like staying there. Both places use the same bird hides. I didn't visit the hides but they are all privately-owned by the local villagers and not owned by the bird camps. You do need to book the hides on the days you'll be there - but booking them (200 Baht per day) doesn't mean you have the hide to yourself.

A note on the road - to get between the lower and upper campsite you need a four-wheel drive. A regular rental car won't make it. So if that's what you'll have then you can arrange a ride with the park (or the bird camp you're at) but there are set times for going up and down. Up is 5.30-7am and 1-3pm, down is 9-10am and 4-5pm. For Fea's Muntjac and Banded Leaf Monkey (and some of the birds like Ratchet-tailed Treepie) you do need to be up in the higher parts of the park to have a chance at.


These are the mammals I saw there:

*White-handed Gibbon (really common)
*Dusky Langur (really common at all levels of the park)
*Banded Leaf Monkey (in the higher areas - I found them to be common and easy to see this visit, but only saw them once last visit)
*Crab-eating Macaque (I only saw one animal, in a fig tree by the lower campsite, in a tree with Gibbons and Dusky Langurs)
*Fea's Muntjac (one on the road between the upper campsite and the viewpoint, at about 10.30am)
*Common Muntjac (in the lower campsite at night)
*Lesser Mouse Deer (at the lower campsite at night)
*Asian Elephant (one trouble-maker in the lower campsite)
*Black Giant Squirrel (pretty common)
*Grey-bellied Squirrel (very common)
*Himalayan Striped Squirrel (a few seen in the higher areas)
*Red-cheeked Ground Squirrel (only one, higher up on the road)
*Berdmore's Ground Squirrel (only one, on the same road as the Fea's Muntjac)
*Malay Crested Porcupines (at both campsites at night)
*Common Palm Civet (at the lower campsite at night)


Some other people saw a Yellow-throated Marten at the upper campsite area during the day, and a couple I was hanging out with saw a troop of about 60 Stump-tailed Macaques on the road into the park.
 
Chlidonias said:
I've just been at Kaeng Krachan for a week. I'm behind on blog-writing so it'll be a little bit before I've done this one. However:

Right now it is bone-dry - really really dry - which isn't fun on the road when a line of cars go past in a cloud of dust! Zero leeches though! No giant bees either. When I was there last, there were great swarms of them everywhere but now I saw only one small hive and none in flight. Even the sweat bees were few.

Birds were difficult to find. I saw 15 species of mammal though, including Fea's Muntjac which was the sole reason I went there.

The Brush-tailed Porcupines were no longer living under the lower toilet block at the lower campsite (Ban Krang), but still check when you go there just in case they have moved back by then.

Did you manage to book in at Ban Maka? I stayed one night at Samarn Bird Camp (in a tent) and that's right outside the park checkpoint (literally five minute's walk) so it is closer than Ban Maka. It is a very nice place and I think your family would like staying there. Both places use the same bird hides. I didn't visit the hides but they are all privately-owned by the local villagers and not owned by the bird camps. You do need to book the hides on the days you'll be there - but booking them (200 Baht per day) doesn't mean you have the hide to yourself.

A note on the road - to get between the lower and upper campsite you need a four-wheel drive. A regular rental car won't make it. So if that's what you'll have then you can arrange a ride with the park (or the bird camp you're at) but there are set times for going up and down. Up is 5.30-7am and 1-3pm, down is 9-10am and 4-5pm. For Fea's Muntjac and Banded Leaf Monkey (and some of the birds like Ratchet-tailed Treepie) you do need to be up in the higher parts of the park to have a chance at.


These are the mammals I saw there:

*White-handed Gibbon (really common)
*Dusky Langur (really common at all levels of the park)
*Banded Leaf Monkey (in the higher areas - I found them to be common and easy to see this visit, but only saw them once last visit)
*Crab-eating Macaque (I only saw one animal, in a fig tree by the lower campsite, in a tree with Gibbons and Dusky Langurs)
*Fea's Muntjac (one on the road between the upper campsite and the viewpoint, at about 10.30am)
*Common Muntjac (in the lower campsite at night)
*Lesser Mouse Deer (at the lower campsite at night)
*Asian Elephant (one trouble-maker in the lower campsite)
*Black Giant Squirrel (pretty common)
*Grey-bellied Squirrel (very common)
*Himalayan Striped Squirrel (a few seen in the higher areas)
*Red-cheeked Ground Squirrel (only one, higher up on the road)
*Berdmore's Ground Squirrel (only one, on the same road as the Fea's Muntjac)
*Malay Crested Porcupines (at both campsites at night)
*Common Palm Civet (at the lower campsite at night)


Some other people saw a Yellow-throated Marten at the upper campsite area during the day, and a couple I was hanging out with saw a troop of about 60 Stump-tailed Macaques on the road into the park.
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Thanks for the information.

I have booked into Baan Maka so I will be staying there, but judging from the Thai Birding page I should get a few easy species (and different to the ones in the forest) from the grounds at Baan Maka itself. I have also managed to book a birding guide from Baan Maka (he seems to be a genuine birding guide and not just a general tourist guide judging by the name and results for the name on various birding blogs from Kaeng Krachan) and I have booked the guide with a 4x4 vehicle for two of the three full days that I will be at Kaeng Krachan at 2500 baht per day (for a full day with 4x4, I think that's not too expensive). Hopefully that will give me a better chance at identifying some birds and some calls. Having a guide with a car will also allow my dad and brother to get up late and go to the beach all day while my mum (who is more interested in birding. Or maybe I should say more tolerant of birding :p) and I to do the national park.

I am considering whether it's worth trying to do Kui Buri on one of the days I'm at Kaeng Krachan, or just focus on Kaeng Krachan for three full days. Thoughts? (I'm staying there for four nights so will have three days + evening and morning around there)
 
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