Animal attractions in Pattaya
By Steve Harris
Elephants shows are popular in Pattaya
Thailand as a whole enjoys a reputation for fantastic wildlife pursuits and sights, and Pattaya is no exception. There is more than one kind of animal attraction on offer in Pattaya, a city where keen naturalists can see elephants, monkeys and tigers, visit all manner of tropical sea creatures in purpose-built parks and even swim with dolphins.
The elephant is the mascot and lucky symbol of Thailand, so a trip to see and play with them while here is a must. Many Thai resorts have elephant camps as tourist destinations, and Pattaya boasts a fine example in the Pattaya Elephant Village, around a 15-minute drive outside the city centre. Here you can see elephants working, playing football, painting and living in the wild in the nearby jungle. It goes without saying that you can enjoy a ride on one of these peaceful pachyderms.
Popular with visitors of all ages, the Monkey Training Centre, located a short drive outside of Pattaya city, offers visitors the chance to see trained coconut harvesting monkeys at work and play. These skilled monkeys can live for up to 40 years and learn how to collect coconuts over the course of a year, becoming valuable employees in their own right. The Monkey Training Centre also stages snake shows and displays of one of the less child-friendly traditional Thai blood sports, cock fighting.
Thailand is home to a massive variety of snakes, and Pattaya's Snake Show gives visitors a thrilling and for some, scary series of shows featuring huge pythons, lightning-fast cobras and highly venomous kraits.
Journey to the Jungle at Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Pattaya enjoys a worldwide reputation for excellence and operates under the royal patronage of HM Queen Sirikit. Set in a stunning jungle landscape, the zoo houses over 8,000 animals from more than 300 species, including rare white tigers brought to Pattaya as part of an exchange agreement with Memphis Zoo in the USA.
Sriracha Tiger Zoo gives visitors a chance to see and interact with majestic Bengal tigers, being home to over 200 of these beautiful creatures. The zoo prides itself on its commitment to conservation and ethical treatment of the tigers but nevertheless has shows in which the tigers perform tricks and feats. The Tiger Zoo is not all about tigers as it houses more than 100,000 crocodiles and a fantastic circus in which bears and chimpanzees perform.
Get cuddly with an Asian tiger!
Khao Kheow also employs a successful ongoing breeding programme for endangered species, with current projects including the preservation of the clouded leopard, the Asian wild dog and the Malayan tapir. The zoo also offers visitors a night safari, elephant trekking and Asia's second largest aviary, set in a jungle mountainside walk-through environment. This is a fantastic excursion for all the family.
Being located on the gulf coast of Thailand means that Pattaya is home to some spectacular and fascinating marine life, much of which can be seen and experienced at Underwater World. Here visitors can stroll through the 100-metre long underwater tunnel and see beautiful rare fish such as butterfly and angel fish and cleaning wrasse, soft-boned fish like shark and stingray while further along still is the shipwreck-themed display of Napoleon fish, groupers, hawksbill turtles and green turtles. Visitors can even scuba dive with the sharks and rays while their friends and family watch from inside the tunnel! For those not wishing to scuba dive, snorkelling in the park's coral reef zone is also available.
Ever wanted to swim with dolphins? Not many people are aware that this is possible in Thailand, but at Pattaya's Oasis Seaworld visitors can experience the peace and joy of swimming with these majestic creatures. The Oasis Seaworld is a conservation centre for aquatic mammals and while swimming with the dolphins is the centre's main attraction, visitors can also learn about breeding programmes for Thailand's indigenous Irrawaddy and pink humpback dolphins. The park also has an ongoing project to rescue and care for dolphins hurt in fishing accidents off Pattaya's coast.
For a more formal and educational underwater creature experience, Pattaya's Institute of Marine Science Aquarium & Museum showcases a huge collection of fish, crustaceans and marine vegetation indigenous to Thailand in a more academic environment. Visitors can learn about conservation projects and techniques while seeing some of the most spectacular sea life to emerge from the waters of the Gulf of Thailand.
A fantastic alternative way to see the aquatic sights of the Gulf of Thailand is by submarine trip, and there are a couple of tour operators offering these excursions from Pattaya. Hynix of the Sea tours out around the island of Koh Larn and the Vimantaitalay takes submariners out around nearby coral reefs. For the music fan, both submarines are yellow so you can enjoy a sing-along while you cruise along beneath the waves.
If the watery depths are not quite peaceful enough for you and you fancy really getting away from it all, the Saithip Butterfly Garden is a world away from everything. Visitors can lose themselves surrounded by hundreds of species of butterflies alighting on one of the thousands of orchids grown at the farm here. Also adjacent to the magnificent gardens are a pretty lake and a bee farm.
Note! When travelling with kids it’s essential to make sure you have your travel insurance in order. Short trip insurance gives you peace of mind in strange countries should your family be at risk from health issues, animals, mishaps and local negligence. Although Thailand’s hospitals are very good, and cheaper, you’ll need to foot the bill. Travel Insurance booked online is the most convenient.
