About a 30 minute drive from your hotel in Pattaya, the Sriracha Tiger Zoo is home to a large collection of tigers, crocodiles, chimpanzees, pigs, and all sorts of other creatures. Situated on 100 acres, the zoo contains 200 Bengal Tigers and over 100,000 crocodiles (yes you read that right). There are many activities to do here that will keep you going for hours. If you are looking for a fun way to spend time during the day in Pattaya, this is one of many options.
Getting to the Pattaya Tiger Zoo
You will find many places around Pattaya that will be willing to sell you a tourist package to bo visit the Tiger Zoo. From touts on the street, to specialized tourist agencies, you can become inundated with offers if you look. My prefered choice, as I have mentioned in other articles, is to book your trip through your hotel tour desk. You can be assured that they are on the up and up, and will organize the best trip for you. Typically this involves transportation from your hotel to the Tiger Zoo and back. It is pretty much a full day trip, so be prepared. The ride is short, 30 minutes by hired bus from your Pattaya Hotel.
Things to do at Sriracha Tiger Zoo
You will have no trouble filling your day at this tourist trap. At the Sriracha Tiger Zoo you can observe the benagal tigers in their habitat as well as get your picture taken with a tiger cub. You can go to the amazing circus and watch the tigers perform for you. There are elephant rides, feeding of elephants and pigs, and the whole host of creatures not to be missed. The zoo also has a crocodile show which is quite amazing. Performers get up close and personal with these animals, kiss them on the mouth, and put their heads inside the crocodile jaws. (this is not to be confused with the crocodile farm, also a day attraction of Pattaya).
The Tiger Zoo Pattaya also has a lush tropical garden for you to walk through and enjoy. Some have said that you could almost spend an entire day in the gardens, that might be true. However if you get hungry, you will find a wide assortment of food available on the grounds. From Thai to European and some things in between, there will be plenty of choices of restaurants to eat in.
Some of the main attractions are the aforementioned Amazing Circus and Crocodile show. You can also see the Scorpion Queen, a lady with way too many scorpions on her clothes for my tastes. Then again, one would be too many for my tastes. There are also the Pig Races, and the Crocodile egg breaking festival if you are there between May and August. The tiger zoo Pattaya has something for everyone.
If you have the time, this is definitely one place you should check out.
This is the first installment of many in a series focusing on things to do in Pattaya during the day time. If you are like me, you don’t just enjoy the nightlife, but you want some fun things to do with your day as well. I just jotted down a short list, and I already have ten things for you. I’m sure that list will grow as my memory starts to uncloud.
Till the next time…put Sriracha Tiger Zoo in Pattaya on your list.
I haven’t been to the Pattaya zoo, but I did stop by the Tiger Temple in Kanchanaburi. My photos came out ok, but with a new camera I’ll have to go back (but I’ll wait until visitors are in town).
I haven’t been over to Kanchanaburi province yet, but there are still so many places I want to see in Thailand. I’d also like to see the Bridge on the River Kwai while I am there.
Pete I’ve never been to Sriracha Tiger Zoo but I have visited the Crocodile Farm on numerous occasions and enjoyed every trip. I was always fascinated by the crocodile man putting his head into the crocodile’s mouth, how did he do it, I think I now know how. Apparently they use a stick to tickle the roof of the crocodile’s mouth which in turn makes it open it’s jaws wider until it eventually dislocates and is left open wide. It’s takes the crocodile a few seconds to unlock the jaw by which time the crocodile man has had his head inside the mouth and back out again. Fascinating but risky. I will check out Sriracha Tiger Zoo next time I’m in Pattaya. All the best.