I visited multiple animal safari parks and zoos, such as Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Orlando, Atlanta Zoo, Pine Mountin Animal Safari park in Georgia, Guangzhou Zoo… When my friend recommended Chimelong Animal Safari Park in Guangzhou, I did not expect it to top my past experience. Well I was wrong. Chimelong safari park was amazing.
Chimelong Safari park was part of Chimelong Resort. It is at the south part of Guangzhou city. Guangzhou subway number 3 line put exit E right at the resort entrance. It is estimated 8 minutes walking time to the Animal Safari park. Chimelong resort provides free shuttles to different fun parks, which includes Animal Safari park.
The Safari park consists walking section and car section. Walking section is fair good size. The major exhibits are Amazon Rain Forest, Tiger Hill, Panda Center, Primate Areas and Swan Lake. It took me more than four hours to cover most of them.
Giant Panda Center
The Giant Panda Center is the main attraction. It houses 10 giant pandas. All of the giant pandas are separated from visitors by a chest high glass wall and a 1 meter (3 ft) wide ditch. Giant Pandas sit in the exhibt. Most of them were less than 4 meters (12 ft) away from visitors. That was the closest I ever been (except separated by floor to ceiling glass). The giant pandas are so close to visitors, you can see muscle movements under their skin.
Tiger Hill
Tiger Hill is another major attraction. The park boasts that there are more than three hundred tigers in the park with the highest albino tiger head count in the world which is more than 100. I was doubtful on this claim before the trip. However, I was surprised to find out that the claim was true – there were a least 50 adult tigers walking in the tiger hill area with another 20 to 30 baby tigers either in the cub incubators or in the nursery, and two nursing tiger mums in the tiger caves, not to mention tigers in the safari section and with the circus. This could be the biggest tiger colony in the world. If not, this was no doubt the biggest white tiger family in the world.
Animal Shows
Chimelong Animal Safari park offers various animal shows. The shows combine education, entertainment and charity donation together. For example, the bird show introduces multiple species to audience with each specie showing its characteristics. The show was fun. When the show introduce Macaw, the trainer asked anyone who wanted the bird to stop on his/her hand to hold money in their hands. The Macaw would recognize the money and fly there to pick up the money and fly back. The money would be donated to bird research center.
Automobile Safari
Visitors can drive their own cars to tour the automobile section or take the free tour tram. The major sections are Asian section, East African section, North African section, predator section.. The scenery is beautiful, the animal species are comprehensive. In my personal opinion, the automobile section was good, even close to Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Orlando. The tram tour takes about one hour with the last tram leaving at 5:30 PM.
Recommendations
- Get to the park no latter than 10:30 AM. Visit the automobile safari section first.
- Visit swan lake and tiger hill after the automobile tour and finish lunch before 12:30 PM.
- Schedule your shows base on your preference. Shows start from 12:30 PM to 4:30 PM. They concentrate around the south gate. The park just leaves enough time for audience to walk from one show to the other.
- Giant Panda Center and Tiger Hill are must see. Koalas are cute if you have time to visit Koala House.
- Each person can bring one water bottle, bring as much bottle water as possible in summer – it is hot in the park.
- The zoo offer chances to pet baby tiger or baby lion. This is the only zoo offer such opportunity. So do not miss it.
