Where to see animals in Bangkok: zoos, parks and sanctuaries

Where to see animals in Bangkok without leaving the city? Start in its parks, where water monitors, kingfishers and herons live wild, then add an aquarium, a snake farm and a safari park, plus day trips to an open zoo and a wildlife rescue centre. This guide covers ten places in and around Bangkok, with what you can see, how to get there and the visitor rules each one sets out. Hours and prices are given only where the venue or a recent source publishes them; otherwise, check the official page before you go.

At a glance

Place	What you can see	Where	Hours and prices
Lumphini Park	Wild Asian water monitors	Central Bangkok, Rama IV Road	04:30-21:00 daily; free
Benjakitti Forest Park	Wetland birds, migrants	Central Bangkok, near Sukhumvit	05:00-21:00 daily; free
Bang Kachao	Forest birds, water monitors	Phra Pradaeng, across the river	Park 05:00-19:00; free
Bang Pu	Migratory gulls, November to April	Samut Prakan coast	Check the official page
SEA LIFE Bangkok Ocean World	Sharks, penguins, rays, jellyfish	Siam Paragon, B1-B2	10:00-20:00, last entry 19:00; from 799 baht online
Snake farm, Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute	Native snakes, museum	Rama IV Road, Pathum Wan	Check the official page
Safari World	Drive-through savannah park	Khlong Sam Wa, north-east Bangkok	Tue-Fri 09:00-16:00, Sat-Sun 09:00-17:00; check prices
New zoo, Khlong 6	Not open yet	Thanyaburi, Pathum Thani	First public look planned for April 2027
Khao Kheow Open Zoo	Open zoo, Moo Deng	Si Racha, Chonburi	See our day-trip guide
Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand	Rescued elephants and wildlife	Tha Yang, Phetchaburi	Daily tours from 10:00; from 1,100 baht

For more animal stories, see the BKK News 24 animals section.

Wild animals in Bangkok’s city parks

Lumphini Park: water monitors

Bangkok’s first public park covers 360 rai beside Rama IV Road and is open daily from 04:30 to 21:00, according to Time Out Bangkok. Its best-known residents are Asian water monitors, which roam the lawns and swim in the lakes. A March 2026 report put their number at probably hundreds in the park alone.

Early morning is the best time to see them, often from the canal bridges. A reptile expert quoted in the same report advises visitors never to touch the lizards and to step back if one inflates its throat, which is a warning sign. Feeding the park’s fish draws more monitors, so watching rather than feeding is the welfare-aware choice.

Benjakitti Forest Park: wetland birds

Benjakitti Forest Park, near Sukhumvit Road, combines a lake with wetland islands designed to clean water and hold storm runoff. An elevated skywalk of about 1.67 km crosses the wetlands, and entry is free, with the park open daily from 05:00 to 21:00 as listed by Thailand Magazine.

For bird-watching in Bangkok it is one of the easiest starts. The thaibirding.com guide names stork-billed kingfisher, Indochinese roller, Brahminy kite, Javan pond heron and little egret, and says spring and autumn migration bring the most species. The nearest MRT stations are Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre and Sukhumvit; mornings are busiest, especially at weekends.

Bang Kachao: the green loop across the river

Bang Kachao, in Samut Prakan’s Phra Pradaeng district across the river from Khlong Toei, is reached by a short ferry from Wat Khlong Toei Nok Pier. A 2026 travel guide lists ferries from 06:00 to 20:00 at 10-20 baht each way, with bicycles for rent near the piers; the pier is a taxi ride or about 30 minutes’ walk from MRT Khlong Toei.

Sri Nakhon Khuean Khan Park, inside Bang Kachao, has recorded more than 100 bird species, and water monitors are often seen there. It has a 2.2 km bike lane and a bird-watching tower that looks over the canopy. The same guide lists the park as open from 05:00 to 19:00 with no entrance fee.

Bang Pu: winter gulls on the coast

Every year between November and April, migrating gulls gather at the Bangpu Recreation Centre on the Samut Prakan coast, The Nation has reported. November is the start of the season, so this is the time to go. Hours are not published on an official page we could find, so check locally; many visitors throw seed from the pier, but watching from the walkway is the lower-impact option.

Indoor animal attractions in central Bangkok

SEA LIFE Bangkok Ocean World

The aquarium fills the B1-B2 floors of Siam Paragon, 991 Rama 1 Road, and is reached from BTS Siam exit 5, according to its directions page. Zones include jellyfish, a rainforest area, a shark walk, coral reefs, ocean tunnels and a penguin area with gentoo penguins, and the largest shark reaches about 4 metres.

The official site lists opening hours of 10:00 to 20:00, last entry 19:00, with single tickets “from ฿799 per child” when booked online. It also notes an early close on 12 November 2026, with last entry at 17:00. Shark, penguin and otter feeding times are listed on the site.

The snake farm at the Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute

The Thai Red Cross institute at 1871 Rama IV Road, Pathum Wan, runs a public snake farm alongside its research and conservation work. Its own page describes a museum of preserved specimens, a room where visitors can watch venom being extracted, indoor and outdoor snake enclosures, an outdoor reptile area and education panels. It also runs live demonstrations by its staff.

Opening hours and fees vary between published listings, and the institute’s website does not state them, so check the official page or ask the institute before you go.

Safari World and Bangkok’s new zoo

Safari World

Safari World in Khlong Sam Wa, on Bangkok’s north-eastern edge, opened in 1988 and has two parts: the Safari Park, a drive-through savannah of about 8 km that takes around 50 minutes, and the Marine Park. The official ticket site lists hours of 09:00-16:00 Tuesday to Friday and 09:00-17:00 at weekends; Monday hours are not listed.

Prices vary by package and are not shown on the ticket site’s front page, so check before booking. The Marine Park’s programme includes animal shows; BKK News 24 does not list or recommend performances that use animals.

Dusit Zoo’s successor at Khlong 6

Bangkok has had no city zoo since Dusit Zoo closed in 2018. The Zoological Park Organization of Thailand is building its replacement on 300 rai at Khlong 6, Thanyaburi, Pathum Thani, about an hour north of central Bangkok. A Thaiger report of 15 August 2026, citing the organisation, said phase 1 was 92.54% complete, with a free first public look planned for April 2027 and all four zones pencilled in for early 2029.

Earlier timelines have moved: in 2022 the organisation’s director told Thansettakij that the zoo would open in 2028. Until an official opening date is announced, treat these as plans.

Day trips: open zoo and wildlife sanctuary

Khao Kheow Open Zoo

The Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Si Racha, Chonburi, is the nearest large open zoo and home to Moo Deng the pygmy hippo. Our Khao Kheow Open Zoo and Moo Deng day-trip guide covers tickets, transport and visitor rules.

Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand

For an animal sanctuary near Bangkok that states a hands-off policy, the Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand (WFFT) runs a rescue centre at Tha Yang, Phetchaburi. Its visit page describes an ethical, hands-off elephant experience and lists elephant riding and posing with animals for photos as things to avoid. Animals are meant to behave naturally without physical contact with visitors.

Tours start at 10:00 every day. The half-day tour with lunch costs 1,100 baht for adults and 700 baht for children; the full day, which adds a safari bus ride and ends at 15:30, costs 1,600 and 1,100 baht. Daily guest numbers are limited, so book ahead.

From Bangkok, WFFT offers a round-trip transfer at 3,500 baht per car or 4,500 baht per minivan, with pick-up at 07:00. Its contact page also suggests a bus to Cha-Am or Tha Yang from the Southern Bus Terminal, then a taxi; the centre is visited by appointment or booked day trip only.

Visitor rules worth knowing

• Keep your distance from wild animals in parks; never touch or chase monitor lizards.
• Follow posted signs and staff instructions at every venue.
• Choose sanctuaries that say clearly they offer no riding, no performances and no hands-on photos.
• Bring water, sun protection and insect repellent for the outdoor sites.