WonderWanderland

One of the many places we visited in Thailand during our first family trip was Khao Kheow Open Zoo. We were on our way to Pattaya for a 3-day trip out of Bangkok and decided that the detour would be a happy surprise, especially for our toddler. We are a family of four, including my 62-year-old mother. If you are planning to visit this open zoo in Thailand, make sure to save this Khao Kheow Open Zoo Travel Guide.

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How to Get to Khao Kheow Open Zoo

The zoo is located at 235 Moo 7, Bang Phra, Si Racha District, Chonburi 20110, Thailand. It is about 45–60 minutes from Pattaya and around 1.5–2 hours from Bangkok. The zoo sits near the Khao Kheow–Khao Chomphu Wildlife Sanctuary, contributing to a greener, more spacious landscape than typical city zoos.

The most convenient way to get to the zoo is by private car or taxi. Public transport options include a bus and a train, but given their stops, you would still need to take a taxi to the zoo. 

We booked a private car through an app after 6 AM and arrived at the zoo’s drop-off area around 8 AM. We paid around 1,100 THB.

Khao Kheow Open Zoo Tickets and Open Hours

The zoo is usually open daily from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Arriving early is recommended because the weather is cooler and many animals are more active in the morning.

When we arrived, cars were lined up at the gate. We obtained our admission tickets via Klook, and the guard scanned them before we were allowed to drive in. We paid a total of PHP 1,178: PHP 341 each for 3 adults and PHP 155 for 1 child (95-135cm). Prices may change, so please check the official website before visiting.

Klook.com

Since we were going to Pattaya after the zoo tour, we brought some trolley bags. Their customer service team was very accommodating and graciously took care of our bags for safekeeping at no charge.

The Best Time to Visit

It was a holiday when we visited, so the zoo’s transport area and grounds were already buzzing with tourists, locals, and foreigners alike. If you want to avoid the crowd, visiting on a weekday offers the least crowded experience.

The weather was scorching hot – it was October when we visited. It was Thailand’s rainy season, but that day was sunny and humid. The best months to visit would be November through February, as it is the cool season.

Getting Around this Open Zoo

The zoo covers around 800 hectares, making it one of the largest open zoos in Thailand. Animals live in large natural enclosures rather than in small cages. You can walk during your visit, but it is not advisable, given the vastness of the zoo grounds and the terrain. There are several options to get around the zoo easily:

• Private Car – If you have your own car, you can use it to explore the park for a fee.

• Tram – This is the budget-friendly, free-with-entry, or cheap option (approx. 35 THB) for traversing the park.

• Golf Cart – We rented a golf cart to maximize our time and make the most out of our visit since we had a toddler and my mom with us. It turned out that renting one was a great decision, despite the long queue and wait time. It saved us from walking in the heat to reach vastly spaced animal enclosures. Seamless and fun tour. No hurting legs and feet. Renting a 4-seater golf cart costs 500 BHT for the first two hours, while the 6-seater cart costs 700 BHT, with additional hourly fees depending on the cart size.

Click here for the Khao Kheow Open Zoo Map

The Zoo Animal Shows and Schedule

The zoo offers several types of shows: Elephant Show, Penguin Parade, Flying Parade, and Feeding Show. When we purchased our tickets, the show schedules were also available in the app. 

The weekday shows are scheduled twice a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon, except for the feeding show, which is held three times a day. There are usually three shows on weekends and holidays. You may refer to your chosen day’s schedule for the show cadence and exact times.

Khao Kheow Open Zoo Animals

Visitors can see over 300 species, including giraffe, Asian elephant, white rhinoceros, zebra, hippopotamus, and lion. The animals roam in an open, safari-style habitat, making the experience feel more natural. One of the highlights of visiting the zoo is that visitors can buy food and feed the animals. They sell food baskets for a small fee near the feeding areas. In some areas, visitors take turns feeding the animals, which may take some time. Some families stay for 4-5 hours to accommodate the stops and give the kids more time to enjoy the feeding sessions. Below are some of our favorite animals in the zoo.

Read: The Must-Visit Wat Saket (Golden Mount) in Bangkok, Thailand

Klook.com

What to Bring during the Tour

When planning what to bring, always consider the weather and the family members joining the trip. We had our 3-year-old son and my 63-year-old mom, so a huge carry-on bag goes with us wherever we go. Below are the items that we brought with us:

• Bottled water
• Hat or umbrella
• Wet-wipes
• Diapers
• Comfortable shoes
• Extra clothes for our son
• Snacks – cookies & juices
• Cash for family food and extra for feeding animals

Other Important Things to Know

There is a Visitor Centre Service near Parking 2. We were able to leave our trolley bags with Customer Service. There was also an ATM & a 7/11 near it.

Restrooms are conveniently located around the zoo. If you plan to bring family members who are 60 years old and older, it would be best to get a copy of the zoo map to familiarize yourself with the comfort room’s locations.

There are food courts, cafes, fast-food stalls, and convenience stores strategically placed in key areas inside the zoo. We bought burgers and fries from a fast-food stall and ate in our golf cart.

It took us 4 hours to tour the whole zoo. We paid almost 700 BHT for the golf cart: 500 BHT for the first 2 hours and 200 BHT for the extra 2 hours.

Note: Be careful when you reach the road where small monkeys freely roam. Do not try to pet them, and be careful with your belongings as they sometimes snatch food and small bags.

Final Thoughts on our Family Tour

Visiting Khao Kheow Open Zoo turned out to be a wonderful and worthwhile detour on our way to Pattaya. The zoo’s vast, green landscape and open-style enclosures made the experience feel more like a relaxed safari than a typical zoo visit.

Traveling with our toddler and my mom, we appreciated how accessible and family-friendly the place was—from the convenient facilities to the option to rent a golf cart to comfortably explore the huge grounds.

What made the visit even more special was seeing our son’s excitement while learning about and feeding the animals. Overall, it was a fun, educational, and memorable family experience that we’re glad we included in our Thailand itinerary.

Originally published on November 29, 2023, and updated on March 18, 2026.