Ever wondered what it feels like when a zebra walks up to your car window and demands a carrot bite? Dreamt of cuddling with an orang-utan or standing next to a pachyderm and snapping a shot for posterity? Impossible? Think again!
Located amidst serene landscapes in Bogor, a two hour drive away from Jakarta’s International Airport lies an extraordinary drive-through Safari Park. An hour of exciting on-road experience ends only to begin with more adventures of sea lions, dolphins, aviaries, snakes, elephants and a wild western show.
Almost immediately the road starts winding upwards a hill. Dense leafy vegetation is all around you. You pass small gorges and huge boulders, the air outside is fresh and crisp. As you see the big gates of Taman Safari in the distance. Boy, will it remind you of the start of any animal documentary on TV in HD… heck its even better than HD!! Yes Sirie! Sometimes dreams just come true…
As your car inches slowly through its gates, you can’t help but be a little shocked to see the variety of animals that roam freely in the park. Elephants on the left, Zebras on the right, Antelope’s in front of you, Giraffe’s towering over your car…. its just magical!
Renting your own car and driver instead of a taxi is best as you can instruct your driver to stay longer in certain spots to admire the beauty of the animals without having to watch the taxi meter run sky-high. As you pass through the world of herbivours and come to the tall gates and fences, you will be instructed to wind up the windows just before entering the realm of the predators.
Its simply amazing to watch these large cats walk by your car! Gazing at Bengal Tigers lazying around full stomached in the long green grass around them is just breath-taking! It doesn’t stop there. Even after you end the safari trail, you come across more giants cats in other enclosures at the end. Here, you will find beautiful Bengal White Tigers against a miniature Taj mahal backdrop!
Don’t forget to catch the amazing elephant show that is held near the Rainforest Restaurant. A word of caution, no matter how docile the zebra’s or antelope’s look, DO NOT try to pet the animals and DO NOT get out of your car to take photos! It is not safe to do so and it is against park regulations.
It would cost USD 15 per person for an experience of a lifetime! Its a lovely educational trip for children and a chance to see the kid in every adult emerge through wide smiles and wonderment!
Thats me with Ah Ming the Orang-Utan! Any traveller will soon realize that you can find parts of Africa in Asia if you look really hard enough! Open 9am to 5pm, the park is located at Cisarua, Bogor, 16750 West Java.
Amazing! I’ve always loved safaris! It’s the closest I can get to being in the wild. And when I see how these animals are “free” to roam around and interact with people (who almost always exploit them), I feel a sense of joy because I can see what beautiful creatures they really are. I get to admire at their beauty and uniqueness more. I feel happy just to be able to watch them in their “natural” habitats and just be themselves without any threats around. It’s a great feeling to know and be with them even for just a while. 🙂
Wait, are those lions cageless? I rarely see that kind of situation, so I’m a little bit surprised!
Great post Rosemarie! Visiting this safari sounds like a really fun adventure! 🙂
Yes, both the big cats roam freely. The lions have a great big forest for themselves while the tigers have one on the other side. They are not caged. That is why the rangers will not allow you to stop for too long if you are driving in with your own car. However you can stop a while longer to admire the herbivours 🙂 To cross over from the herbivours to the big cats you will drive through at least 2 enclosed border gates where they will ask you to wind up your windows. I have been to the African Safari but I enjoyed myself more in this one. I went to the Singapore Zoo last week and wasn’t impressed after having been to Bogor! The best part about this park is that they have not just 3 or 4 lions or tigers like that of the Singapore Zoo but instead they have huge prides with at least 15 to 17 of them! It was a wonderful experience! They also have a huge aviary!
Wow! That’s a lot! They really make you feel like you’re in a real jungle! Interesting! 🙂
Wow! Exhilarating pictures! I have always been fascinated towards Wildlife of Africa. I would love to visit there.
This is in Indonesia… but very Africa like in its safari 🙂