Safari World, Bangkok

Singapore experienced her worst haze in history two weeks ago. When the PSI hit 400, we made a quick decision to take the family out of Singapore for some fresh air. We decided on Bangkok since it was sufficiently far away so it is not affected by Indonesia's forest fires, near enough so air fares are not too expensive, and also because Dean had some work engagements there. It's funny how we were going to Bangkok for fresh air, but seriously, at that point in time, the air in Bangkok was way fresher. 

I never really thought that Bangkok was a family friendly destination... people hardly talk about bringing toddlers to Bangkok for a holiday. But I was pleasantly surprised. We enjoyed all the attractions we visited, and Bangkok is now hailed as Nathan & Noah's favourite holiday destination. So if you are planning a trip to Bangkok with kids, read on! If you have other kids friendly holiday destinations, do leave me a note. :)

Budget air has made the world a 'smaller' place

We took the first morning flight out and arrived at our hotel at 10am. We stayed at Renaissance Bangkok which is walking distance from two of the attractions we were planning to visit. After a hearty breakfast, we set off for Safari World. Safari World is located at the outskirts, near Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport. It is a 40 minute journey from our hotel. You may want to consider renting a cab for the whole day (typically 8 hours) and have the cab driver wait for you at the Safari World. Unlike the city, it is not as easy to get a cab out of Safari World when you are done for the day. A full day rental means you'd have the cab for the entire day, and can proceed to other destinations after you are done at the park.

Tickets are available at the gate and entry for kids under 4 are generally free (if child's height is under 100cm). Nathan is turning 4 in a few months and he is short enough for free entry. Just made it in fact. 

Short enough for free entry

Ticket prices includes entrance to the safari park and the marine park. Separate  tickets are required for the jungle river cruise. We do not recommend buying additional tickets for the jungle river cruise. I initially thought that the cruise takes us into the safari park and we'll get to see the animals. All we saw were motorised statues! Worth missing!

On the jungle river cruise

One of the motorised animals we saw

The safari park is a drive-in safari, and you are allowed to drive your own vehicles in. Since we did not have a car, we boarded the bus. Bus boarding point is at the entrance, so it is recommended that you do this either right at the start of the visit, or leave it till the very end. It would have been nice if we had a open top jeep to take us thru the jungle... it would've made the experience more "real". That said, I was amazed at the numerous animals we got to see on our safari drive.

Beware!

Zebras

Rhinos

Camels

Lions

Tigers

Bears

Deers

Thereafter, we proceeded to the marine park on foot. There are 7 exciting shows daily. We loved the dolphin show (not to be missed!) and the boys had a good laugh at the orang utans at the boxing show. The spy war show can get a little too scary for young kids given the loud sound effects. The set looks almost identical to Universal Studio's Wild Wild Wild West Stunt Show. Several families with young kids walking out midway thru the show, and we too left before the show ended. Otherwise, we really enjoyed the shows we managed to catch. Try to schedule in as many as you can during your visit.

Dolphin Show

Spy War Show

Orang Utan Show

Orang Utans at the boxing ring

The highlight of our visit was feeding the giraffes. For the equivalent of S$2, we got a bucket filled with about 10 bananas and a long stick. It was our first time getting so close to the giraffes who were just waiting to devour the yummy bananas. We held the fruit out using a long stick that was provided, and the giraffes promptly gobbled down the bananas.

Noah was sure glad to share one of his favourite fruits with the giraffes. Giraffe feeding is available all day during park opening hours. An experience not to be missed!

This is part 1 of a series detailing our child-friendly holiday to Bangkok. Stayed tuned for our visits to Siam Ocean World and Kidzania.