Animal Park/Zoo in Khon Kean

Post by **FrazeeDK** » September 7, 2013, 7:39 pm

so I take it you and yours enjoyed it??

Post by **stattointhailand** » September 7, 2013, 8:25 pm

Much much better than last time we went. =D>
Couple of things did still make me think WTF .... well TIT ...

1) Why didn't they get the four/six seater golf carts instead of the two seater and two facing backwards? This type are OK for caddies on the golf course but dont really meet the needs of a family trip around a zoo.

2) Why only have two "buses" doing the round trip.
We arrived about lunch time and due to the inclement weather the visitor numbers I assume would have been far less than what would be expected on a bright sunny DRY day. Both buses turned up together empty and left packed. I assume there will be more available soon, but it's something that needs addressing quickly as visitors will not be happy standing around for 30 mins until one of the buses returns.

3) Not sure where the Giraffes and Zebras have gone, but they could not be seen from the bottom of the skyway steps (we weren't going to walk all the way up to find they had been moved).

On the whole a very enjoyable afternoon ...... made all the better by the fact that we left Udon in the rain and had sunshine here

The cost of the carts is B300 for 1 hour (plus B200 refundable deposit) and you have to leave your ID card.

Post by **stattointhailand** » September 7, 2013, 8:39 pm

Forgot to mention:-

I'm not sure if there is some kind of "scam" going on at the ticket booth, but they only give you one ticket (marked B70) per two adults (who pay B140)

The guy 10 yds away is happy to accept the 2 for 1 deal, but it made me wonder how many "visitors" the owners/accountants think are going through the gate ................ of course it COULD be that they are just short of printed tickets but this IS Thailand

Post by **noosard** » September 8, 2013, 6:28 am

The family went on Friday
7 adults 4 kids
I paid for 3 adults 210bht got 2 tickets
There were lots of bus running maybe because the number of school kids there
Giraffes and Zebras were in the enclosure you are talking about
If you didn't want to walk to the top should have parked at the top

Post by **stattointhailand** » September 8, 2013, 10:48 am

Looks like they send for extra buses as per the numbers left waiting ......... =D>
Can't understand why they don't give 1 x ticket per 1 x person OR 1 x ticket per party and write the number on the ticket instead of have 1 per 2 people with the price of 1 x person on the ticket

By the time that we got to the skywalkway stairs (parked 50 yds away) both kids were being carried, so when we couldn't see any from the bottom ...... (on previous visits there have been several giraffes and zebras visible from there), we assumed that they had been moved ...................... saved carrying the kids up to the top of the stairs to look

Thanks for the info noosard 4, I'll take an extra bottle of M150 next time and walk to the top

Post by **socksy** » March 10, 2014, 6:27 am

Went there yesterday and had an enjoyable day with my five year old.

Beware the pricing - Clearly displayed in English when you enter in your car 200 baht for "adult foreigner" and 40 baht for "foreign child". The geezer taking my payment reduced to 100 baht for both of us on production of my Thai driving licence. At the payment for the electric bus inside, again on producing my licence we both got a ticket for the electric bus for 20 baht.

There is advertising for a Seal show but when we got upstairs there was a nice pool with a gallery but no Seals

If you have a Thai licence, even as a passenger, take it with you.

The food hall area at the top of the car park, was adequate and well priced although not with extensive choices and all Thai food and barbecued Chicken. Couldn't believe it when I went to "check bin" for my daughters Som Tam the lady said "okay Free" as my girl had the staff in laughter, though I have no idea what she was saying in Issan dialect.

YES FREE!

Many food sellers en route from the main highway to the zoo.

Water park with Pool and slides there as well which we will visit on our next venture.

Because it was so hot many of the animals were sleeping.

Post by **papaguido** » March 10, 2014, 8:20 am

socksy wrote:Went there yesterday and had an enjoyable day with my five year old.

Beware the pricing - Clearly displayed in English when you enter in your car 200 baht for "adult foreigner" and 40 baht for "foreign child". The geezer taking my payment reduced to 100 baht for both of us on production of my Thai driving licence. At the payment for the electric bus inside, again on producing my licence we both got a ticket for the electric bus for 20 baht.

There is advertising for a Seal show but when we got upstairs there was a nice pool with a gallery but no Seals

If you have a Thai licence, even as a passenger, take it with you.

The food hall area at the top of the car park, was adequate and well priced although not with extensive choices and all Thai food and barbecued Chicken. Couldn't believe it when I went to "check bin" for my daughters Som Tam the lady said "okay Free" as my girl had the staff in laughter, though I have no idea what she was saying in Issan dialect.

YES FREE!

Many food sellers en route from the main highway to the zoo.

Water park with Pool and slides there as well which we will visit on our next venture.

Because it was so hot many of the animals were sleeping.

Was there over school x-mas break and I was charged the Thai rate after producing my Thai drivers license when asked if I had one.

Is the water park open/operational??

During our visit at the zoo it was still under construction or not ready to be open to the public.

Post by **socksy** » March 10, 2014, 8:29 am

Papaguido

Didn't actually go to the Water Park I only saw the signs and advertising boards. I will go prepared with my Mankini next time to see if it's open.

Post by **papaguido** » March 10, 2014, 7:24 pm

socksy wrote:Papaguido

Didn't actually go to the Water Park I only saw the signs and advertising boards. I will go prepared with my Mankini next time to see if it's open.

Thanks...

Post by **socksy** » March 12, 2014, 7:39 am

Papaguido - for you and other members

KHON KAEN, 1 March 2014 (NNT) â” The Khon Kaen Zoo has officially opened the Khon Kaen Water Park, a new attraction in the Northeast.
Khon Kaen Zoo was given a budget of 120 million baht for to construct the park, which covers the overall area of around 15 acres and can accommodate at least 3,000 people per day.

There was two adult and one kids’ pool, and there is a whirlpool canal water about 450 meters long, waterslide tower and twisted tube-shaped waterslides that will provide many thrills, especially since the top of the waterslide tower offers a 360 degree bird eye viewpoint.

The Governor of Khon Kaen also said that top security measures are provided for tourists and visitors and that it is now ready to be open. Tourists and their young children are invited to Khon Kaen Water Park. For more details, please call 086-6455 6340-1, available every day.

Don't know if the entry fee to the Zoo includes entry to the water park but I would doubt it.

Hope these images help.

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=kho ... &FORM=IGRE

Post by **papaguido** » March 12, 2014, 8:36 am

Awesome...thanks for the update.

Post by **socksy** » March 12, 2014, 8:50 am

papaguido wrote:Awesome...thanks for the update.

Glad to be of a 'Cervix'

Post by **Techland** » April 27, 2014, 10:04 am

Here is some latest update. Went there yesterday with the whole family and visited both water park and zoo.

- Entrance fee now covers both, adults 100, children 70 Baht.

- The water park is quite popular (problem with parking at the top of the mountain), but after our experience the main reason is that there is nothing similar at all within a reasonable distance, not because it is so good. I wouldn't say it is bad, but the main attraction for us, the water slides, are a total desaster. First there are only 3 slides, 2 identical side by side. Second those 2 are so slooooow that the children have to use their hands on the side to move forward (not enough steepness). Third, the only usable one (orange) is ok for guys that know how to slide quick, but here you see children moving sloooowly downwards. When I went down there I feared I will crash into someones back in front of me who just tries to find out how to move forward...

- But number four finally did it: my 7 year old has used many slides in Thailand, from Bangkok's Siam to whatever. But here he was not allowed to use ANY of those three baby crawlers, because he is under 140 cm! And as expected, no discussion. Slide together with Papa? No. I think the main reason for this restriction is that they noticed how slow the slides are and don't want small children to stand up and fall out of the slides (which are quite high). Of course my little one was terribly disappointed.

Of course you can view it differently: have a nice day at the Zoo (quite nice!) then play around a bit in the several pools just to cool down and refresh.

Here are some tips if you go there:

- easy to miss is the real baby pool with 60 cm deepness and three water mushrooms, as it is outside the surrounding water channel and a bit down (no stairs, have to walk down the hill).

- at the lowest point behind this pool are perfect showers, western toilets and change facilities, that are mostly unused (read clean and undisturbed) because most people miss them (no signs...).

- there is a big blue building, an open food court, beside that baby pool. It is not empty like it looks from above - all the stalls are hidden one level lower, accessible from the pool side. There you have a lot of shadow, chairs and tables (!) to rest and sit. Also the variety of food and drinks is bigger than at the entrance. It's like a hidden gem down there.

- now that they finally do have white tigers they changed their name. The former website has already been taken over by some beauty dontaskme. The official name now is Khon Kaen Zoo (and yes, from Udon it is not half way but shortly before KK), the website is http://www.khonkaenzoo.com/.

Post by **merchant seaman** » November 25, 2014, 5:31 pm

Went to the zoo this past weekend. A very enjoyable day. When we arrived at the entrance the cashier wanted to know how old I was. Over 60, got in for free.

Post by **Nick@AUA** » November 25, 2014, 7:56 pm

I went to the zoo in Udon recently. It only had one dog. it was a shitzu.

Post by **FrazeeDK** » February 18, 2015, 6:39 pm

The Khon Khean zoo continues to expand and improve.. We took some friends down today and found the entrance larger and fancier.. No double pricing with 100 baht for adults but over 60's (for us old farts) FREE!! Once inside the visitors center has clean western style bathrooms (no TP though) and a covered queue to get on the people movers which cost about 20 baht per person.. Additional animals and new enclosures are there with the "Monkey House" having Chimpanzees and Orangutans in open areas. Near the entrance is a covered auditorium for seal performances which for now are free and frankly not to entertaining but they're getting there. Up the hill from the "Zoo Zone" is the "Water Park Zone" near the top of the hill along with the "Africa Zone" which has giraffe's zebras, ostriches, camels and other herbivores along with the "Sky Bridge" where you can walk over the very large savannah like enclosure.. Today it was raining on and off so some of the enclosures had put their animals back in their sleeping areas. This place is a fantastic day trip from Udon, cheap, relatively close by (about 65-70km from the ring road) and well worth your time.. Their FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/%E0%B8%A ... 0082085345

Post by **Barney** » March 4, 2015, 5:35 pm

Good half day trip to the zoo today.
100 bht for the missus and free for the young one. They asked how long I have lived in Thailand wanting 150 bht from falang. Drivers license fixed that double pricing issue.

Good drop off/pickup was had by the buses ( 25 bht adults and 10 bht kids, maybe 4 on duty and one a double carriage ) Prices for the golf carts same as reported earlier, 300 bht / hr plus 200 deposit. Not many people today, maybe a god send as it would have been hard in the heat with a crowd.
Not a huge amount of animals on duty with the heat but the Bird aviary was a highlight for me.
A good day out and if the water park further up the hill is needed next time won't go late. Parking would be a nightmare on a crowded day.

Post by **panmotor** » April 2, 2017, 2:05 pm

Passed this place many times over the last 10 years and finally bit the bullet and went today.

As per previous notes THB 100 for adults (including falang with driving licence) and my 2 grandchildren (4 & 2 years) were free

Golf buggy was THB 300 for every hour which was just enough time. As a tight Yorkshireman I floored it through the final deer enclosure to avoid the 2nd hourly charge!

Saw signposts to the water park but never looked in.

An enjoyable morning and worth a visit.

Post by **wazza** » April 3, 2017, 9:11 am

Good to see you werent part of any vehicle incident

http://www.thephuketnews.com/five-kille ... -53080.php

Post by **panmotor** » April 3, 2017, 10:12 am

wazza wrote:Good to see you werent part of any vehicle incident

http://www.thephuketnews.com/five-kille ... -53080.php

Yeah, I knew about this. Plenty of signs now where the incident occurred warning of a steep hill and to go slow. Given it appears to have been caused by mechanical failure, it wouldn't have prevented this accident.

Not sure if it was as a result of the accident or whether it was always the case but, I was told off on a couple of occasions when I stopped my golf cart in a non-specified parking area (I didn't understand the signage at first). Good for them if so - too late for the deceased but, good practice.