Thailand is many things. It’s a beautiful country, with temples, bluish-green sea water, gorgeous islands, the towns a mix of the old and the modern, and the villages that could work as a time travel machine. You can travel to the Myanmar-Thai border and stand at the foot of the bridge on the River Kwai, you could drive into Cambodia and experience a little more of South East Asia. One could even motor down to Pattaya and revel in the nightlife. But, there’s more to Thailand that just that, if you’re with your family, then a day at Safari World should definitely be on your list of things to do.
Safari World is a massive jungle in the midst of a bustling city. Actually, it’s more on the outskirts of Bangkok, but as the city grows there will soon be buildings that overlook a massive pond with pelicans. That picture might just become reality someday. Safari World is divided into Safari Park, where one can see zebras, giraffe, bears, pelicans, deer and tiger, and Marine World, which has sea lions, crocodiles, walruses, dolphins, various fish, and an interesting collection of birds. Yes, Marine World is a bit of a misnomer, but once you experience the beauty inside, you won’t complain that there’s no mention of birds in the name.
You start your journey into the wild with a drive (windows up with the doors locked) through a massive area that houses animals you have probably only seen at zoos, in pictures or on television. You’ll find zebra, different kinds of deer, tall giraffe, birds that stand four feet tall hunting in water covered with green algae, pelicans that glide across the water searching for fish. Then you reach a gate that takes you even deeper into ‘dangerous’ territory, where you’ll come face to face with the majestic Bengal tigers, lazing around ignoring the visitors. A little further out of tiger territory stands bulls with horns that rise into the sky. Once the Safari Park tour is done, you get driven into Marine World. The rest of the journey is on foot, through the aviary, past the various exhibits, into the different shows, to the lunch hall and eventually out the door to the car to take you back home.
The first thing you see when you enter the Marine Park is the range of colourful macaws, sitting on branches, welcoming you with loud squawks. They are resplendent in blue, red, green or yellow. What’s amazing is the fact that they are not constrained by cages but sit there in the open. The aviary is another wonderful experience, as you walk into a massive cage and are surrounded by birds. If you like, you can buy seeds to feed them and let them sit all over you, while they get fed. Outside you’ll find cages of cockatoos, cockatiels, lories and more, colourful and pretty noisy. Walk further and you’ll find tapirs, kangaroos, prairie dogs, giant iguanas, massive walruses, crocodiles that scare you even though you’re separated by thick iron bars and an orangutan show that does certainly bring a smile to your face.
This is just a little glimpse into the wonders of Safari World. There are a few ways you can experience this. You can drive or get driven straight to the ‘zoo that is not really a zoo’, pay your fares and go on an adventure yourself, or you can get one of the Thailand Tourism affiliated agencies to take you on a partly guided tour. The other way is to ensure that the tour company that is taking you to Thailand has Safari World on its itinerary. The best way is to go through an agency. The advantage of that is that there is someone to book your tickets and handle anything you need at the Parks. If you go yourself, you end up paying for a guided tour through Safari Park, then other tickets for the respective shows and then for lunch. The agency tour is all inclusive and most agencies even pick you up from your hotel in Bangkok, drive you there and drop you home after. Your day will begin at approximately 8am, since it will take you anything between one to two hours to get there depending on traffic. Once you’re there, at around 10am, you’ll have a whirlwind tour for around four hours, including lunch, before you head back home.
