If you’ve been following along with us on a regular basis, you would know that we don’t often visit zoo’s in the cities or countries that we go to. We took a trip to the Bali Zoo though, and it was well worth it.
The Bali Zoo isn’t the most popular zoo in Asia, and it rarely makes the lists for top things to do in Bali, but it was one of the most fun days we’ve had since being in Bali. We started our morning with the Breakfast with the Orangutans program, where we we had a chance to get photos and hang out with the baby orangutans that call the Bali Zoo home. We were surprised by how playful and strong they were, and how cheeky they were for the camera!
Everyone who attends Breakfast with the Orangutans gets their turn to spend time with the orangutans individually, so while you’re not hanging out with the orangutans, you can help yourself to the buffet breakfast, or watch the elephants play in the swimming hole. The entire area is open and it feels as though you are eating breakfast in the middle of the jungle.
Following breakfast, we took the safari jeep over to the zoo and began to explore. The Bali Zoo features animals that are native to Indonesia and the surrounding countries. This was one of our favorite parts about the zoo; although it’s cool to see exotic animals like polar bears, it’s best for the animals to be in a climate that is similar to their natural habitat.
The other thing that we loved about the Bali Zoo was that many of the enclosures were open air, including the lion enclosure. Apparently lions hate water, and so a water moat around their living quarters is good enough to keep them at bay! Tigers, on the other hand, love water and they can be found in a fully enclosed pen.
We enjoyed hearing the gibbons sing, watch the sassy sun bears play, and watch the porcupines waddle about. We also were able to see cassowaries, peacocks, and the grown orangutan, Jacky.
Jacky is a highlight at the Bali Zoo. He’s 39 and single (apparently they have tried to bring in mates for him and he’s rejected them all!), and enjoys throwing fruit peels and his own feces at passing tourists! Watch out!
We had lunch at the Wana Restaurant right at the zoo, and enjoyed a delicious plate of fish, as well as lamb kabobs. We may not frequent zoo’s very often, but this was easily the best food we’ve ever had at a zoo. We had come in expecting burgers, french fries and pizza, so yummy plated dishes was an extra treat!
Bali is hottest in the afternoon, so we spent the afternoon cooling off at the neighboring Sanctoo Villa, before heading back for the Night at the Zoo program.
The program started with more photos with the animals, including elephants, a snake (eek!), and again the baby orangutans. We had a welcome drink and a snack before we took the safari jeep back to the zoo to start our tour.
Our tour guide was very informative, and he told us about how the zoo had bred the porcupines and released 9 of them back into the wild last year! We also got to see a zoo keeper feed the tigers and the cassowaries, and we had a chance to feed the deer before we headed for a buffet dinner. One of the things that we loved about the Night at the Zoo program was that we were able to learn so much more about the animals at the zoo. It’s interesting to look at them, but when you learn about where they come from and some of their habits, it becomes even more enjoyable of an experience.
Our buffet dinner was amazing! The array of food to choose from was plentiful and we both stacked our plates high with goodies, before we sat down to enjoy the fire dance show. This was our first experience with a Balinese fire dance show, and we both left impressed that the dancers were able to move so eloquently while spinning fire!
The Night at the Zoo program ended around 8:30pm, and we made our back to the villa feeling full, exhausted and happy from a great day at the zoo.
We booked our Bali Zoo trip through Voyagin. They offer the best rates on fun activities in Asia, like the Bali Zoo. You can book your discounted trip here.
Although part of our trip to the Bali Zoo was sponsored, all opinions are our own and we would never recommend an experience that we truly didn’t enjoy.
