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Chiang Mai Zoo

A huge hillside zoo at the foot of Doi Suthep. Foreign adults pay ฿350, the aquarium is ฿450 extra, and the ฿60 tram is worth it on the steep grounds.

3.9(10,550)
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Plan your visit

Hours
Daily 08:00–17:00

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Finding your way around Chiang Mai Zoo

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Tickets, from the zoo's own fee list (foreign visitors)

Zoo admission · ฿350
Children 3–12 ฿120, under 3 free. Thai visitors ฿130 and ฿40.
Aquarium · ฿450
Children ฿350, on top of zoo admission.
SnowBuddy WinterLand · ฿450
The indoor snow zone. Children ฿400.
Dino Island and kids' water park · ฿150
Children ฿100.
Tram · ฿60 a round, ฿70 all day
Children ฿40 and ฿50. 13 stops every 15–20 minutes, 08:30–17:00, last tram 16:45 on weekdays.
Golf cart · ฿350 first hour
฿300 each extra hour. Parking ฿50.

Getting there and around

  • The zoo is at 100 Huay Kaew Road, at the foot of Doi Suthep just west of Chiang Mai University.
  • It's a short Grab ride from the Old City or Nimman, and red songthaews run along Huay Kaew Road.

Details

Full opening hours
Monday08:00–17:00
Tuesday08:00–17:00
Wednesday08:00–17:00
Thursday08:00–17:00
Friday08:00–17:00
Saturday08:00–17:00
Sunday08:00–17:00

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Why go, and how to do it well

Go in knowing this is an old-school zoo on a steep forested hillside, not a modern wildlife park, and you'll have a decent morning. It sits at the foot of Doi Suthep on Huay Kaew Road, just west of Chiang Mai University, and the grounds are enormous and genuinely hilly, so the tram isn't a luxury. It loops 13 stops every 15 to 20 minutes from 08:30, with the last one leaving the first station at 16:45 on weekdays, for ฿60 a round or ฿70 for the day, and ฿40 or ฿50 for children. A golf cart is ฿350 for the first hour and ฿300 for each hour after. Reviewers who skipped both describe a paid hike more than a zoo visit.

Foreign adults pay ฿350 and children aged 3 to 12 ฿120, with under-threes free, while Thai visitors pay ฿130 and ฿40. The big extras are separate tickets on top. The aquarium, with its walk-under tunnels, is ฿450 for foreign adults and ฿350 for children, SnowBuddy WinterLand, the indoor snow zone, is ฿450 and ฿400, and Dino Island with its kids' water park ฿150 and ฿100. Parking is ฿50 a car. For a family that adds up quickly, so pick your extras before you go.

Be realistic about the animals. There are no giant pandas any more. Lin Hui and Chuang Chuang arrived from China in 2003, Chuang Chuang died in 2019 and Lin Hui in April 2023, and their Chiang Mai-born daughter, Lin Bing, lives in China. Two new pandas from China have been announced, but none had arrived at last report, and the panda house ticket has been dropped. The red pandas have a zone of their own. The penguins and the giraffe feeding draw the warmest comments, while several enclosures have closed over the years and a fair few visitors come away saying the place felt tired. If you're coming for one species, check chiangmai.zoothailand.or.th first.

The zoo is open 08:00 to 17:00, and ticket sales are reported to stop around 16:00. Arriving early matters, because some animals, including the elephants, go in by mid-afternoon. It's a short Grab ride from the Old City or Nimman, and red songthaews run along Huay Kaew Road.

Written by Mac Kiley · Updated Oct 2026

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Around here, on foot

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Reviews from Google

Chiangmai Zoo is a very unique place in Chiangmai. The zoo is not too big you can spend around 2 hours here Recommend to pay for the Golf Cart. Kids will love it and of course more flexible than the Zoo Bus. Now there are 2 new zones, Dinosaur Island & Snow Dome. We did not try these new zones this time. In my opinion the Dino Island is looked nice especially during Summer time because there is the water park inside :) Do not miss the Aquarium and Penguin zones !!

It’s a cool, old-school zoo. It’s more grand than I expected and definitely bigger than I remembered. I used to go there when I was very young, mostly to see the pandas 🐼 (RIP). The zoo itself is HUGE. You literally cannot walk the whole thing as a human being. Be prepared to buy a tram ticket (or rent a golf cart), unless you want to add a mini marathon into your zoo trip. With the tram, you can see around 80% of the zoo from the road in about half an hour. Add another one or two hours if you want to explore it more thoroughly. The animals look well-fed but also quite lonely. Some sensitive Western visitors might feel that certain enclosures are too small. Personally, I don’t think it’s that bad. The zoo is clean, well maintained, and the animals seem to be taken care of properly. The only real con, I’d say, is that the staff here are a bit too chill. The local stereotype about northern Thais being slow might actually be true. I went specifically for the red panda feeding session and arrived before the scheduled time. The staff didn’t show up at all, even after 40 minutes. In the end, I had to call the zoo and report it before anyone came. This was especially frustrating because I had just seen an official press post from a week ago informing the schedule, and I rushed my whole morning just to be there on time. I’ve never had this kind of issue at other zoos. I liked the experience overall. It’s very sparse and literally located in the jungle, so the animals are actually living within nature. The vibe is great. I even got to feed hippos, so my life feels complete now. Compared to the Night Safari, this is a very different experience. This is a true old-school zoo: animals in cages, animals in boxes, boring their lives while you wander through a vast green, almost empty space at a relaxed pace. Night Safari, on the other hand, are packed with shows and activities, forcing you to rush from one spot to another to catch everything. I still prefer the Night Safari, though. PS: The dinosaur zone is basically a kid water park. Don’t fall for it, unless you think 5–6 dinosaur animatronics are worth the extra price.

No pandas (died)! No koalas (one old theoretically exists). No zebras! No reptiles - closed. Elephants (3) are closed in very tight woden cages from 15.30. Zero Australian animals-plastic koalas only. Birds park: several chicken & peasants, peacoc, 4 horn birds, several cranes. Big territory has a potential if good care. Very empty, very few animals to see: 3 gyraphs, 3 hipos, 10-12 kapibaras, 1 red panda, tiger, 3-5 lioness, 1 black puma, young flamingos. Bears didnt show off. From 5 "cats" listed only 1 exists, empty with no labels. 350 THB is not worth visiting. Make it 50 for all you propose. Additional fees: 50 for golf/tram car, 450 for aquarium- without any shows.

A sample of visitor reviews from Google. Read all 10,550 reviews on Google.

100 Huay Kaew Rd, Tambon Su Thep, Amphoe Mueang Chiang Mai, Chang Wat Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand

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Tips for Visiting Activities & Tours

Do Outdoor Activities in the Morning

Heat and humidity peak from noon to 3 PM. Schedule jungle treks, cycling tours, and outdoor cooking classes for early morning. Water activities are more flexible since you're in and out of the sea.

Chiang Mai Zoo: Frequently Asked Questions

How much is Chiang Mai Zoo for foreigners?

฿350 for adults and ฿120 for children aged 3 to 12, on the zoo's own fee list; under-threes go free. The aquarium (฿450), SnowBuddy WinterLand (฿450) and Dino Island (฿150) are extra, and so is the tram (฿60 a round).

Are there pandas at Chiang Mai Zoo?

Not giant pandas. Chuang Chuang died in 2019 and Lin Hui in April 2023, and their daughter Lin Bing, born at the zoo in 2009, lives in China. Two new pandas from China have been announced but had not arrived at last report. The zoo has a red panda zone.

What are Chiang Mai Zoo's opening hours?

08:00 to 17:00. Ticket sales are reported to stop around 16:00, and the last tram leaves its first station at 16:45 on weekdays.

Do I need the tram at Chiang Mai Zoo?

Almost certainly. The grounds are large and steep. The tram loops 13 stops every 15 to 20 minutes for ฿60 a round or ฿70 for the day; a golf cart is ฿350 for the first hour.

Is Chiang Mai Zoo worth visiting?

Chiang Mai Zoo holds a 3.9★ rating from 10,550 Google reviews. Reviews are mixed, so check recent visitor feedback above to see if it fits your plans.

When is the best time to visit Chiang Mai Zoo?

The best months to visit Chiang Mai are November – February, with the most reliable weather. Crowds peak in December – January & Songkran (April) — going early in the day usually means fewer people. Months to think twice about: Mid-February – April (smoke & heat).

Where is Chiang Mai Zoo located?

Chiang Mai Zoo is at 100 Huay Kaew Rd, Tambon Su Thep, Amphoe Mueang Chiang Mai, Chang Wat Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand, in Chiang Mai. Getting around Chiang Mai: Red songthaews (shared pick-up trucks); Grab (available in city center).

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