Chiang Mai Zoo, Aquarium and Night Safari: Which to Pick

Go to Chiang Mai Zoo by day: a foreign adult pays THB 350. Go to Night Safari after dark, where trams start at 17:30 and the ticket price is set at the counter. The aquarium is a separate ticket inside the zoo, THB 450 for an adult on the English fee list.

For a day out with young children, go to the zoo; for an evening out, go to Night Safari; and treat the aquarium as an add-on you buy once you are inside the zoo.

Night Safari costs more than the zoo, so ask at the counter for the current foreigner rate. Pick it for the tram ride and the shows, not as a cheaper zoo.

Checked November 2026. Zoo and aquarium prices are the foreigner rates from each operator.

Prices and opening hours at the zoo, aquarium and Night Safari

Chiang Mai Zoo

A foreign adult pays THB 350 at the gate and a child pays THB 120, and a foreign child under 3 gets in free. The zoo opens at 08:00 and the gate closes at 16:00, while the tram keeps running until 17:00.

Several attractions are separate tickets on top of the gate price. Dino Island and the kids’ water park cost a foreign adult THB 150 and a child THB 100. Parking is THB 50 for a car and THB 10 for a motorbike.

Zoo Aquarium

The aquarium has its own ticket, THB 450 for an adult and THB 350 for a child. It is open 10:00 to 16:00 on weekdays and 09:00 to 17:00 at weekends, so on a weekday it closes with the zoo gate.

Chiang Mai Night Safari

Night Safari offers a tram ride and the Jaguar Trail walk; its public price page does not list foreigner prices, so ask at the ticket counter.

The park is open 11:00 to 22:00 and the ticket office closes at 21:00, while the walking trail zone closes at 20:00. Children under 100 cm are free, and children from 101 to 140 cm pay the child rate.

Book online at least one day ahead for 20% off.

What to see at the zoo, the aquarium and Night Safari

Chiang Mai Zoo

The tram is how most visitors cover the grounds. A foreign adult pays THB 60 for a round or THB 70 for the whole day, and a child pays THB 40 or THB 50. There are 13 stops where you can get off, including Panda, Aquarium and Koala, and a tram arrives every 15 to 20 minutes.

Because you can hop off at any stop, buy the all-day ticket if you plan to stop at more than a couple of exhibits. The last tram leaves Station 1 at 16:45 on weekdays and 17:15 on festival days.

Zoo Aquarium

The Aquarium is stop 4 on the zoo tram, so you can ride straight to it. Its freshwater tunnel has a feeding show at 10:30 and 14:00, and the marine tunnel’s show follows half an hour later. Those were the times on the zoo’s November schedule, so treat them as the usual pattern rather than a promise.

Chiang Mai Night Safari

The night tram ride is the main event. It runs daily from 17:30 to 21:00 with a tram every 30 minutes and takes about 60 minutes through two zones. The first zone has giraffes, zebras and red kangaroos, and the second has white tigers, lions and spotted hyenas. English-language trams run as well as Thai ones.

The Jaguar Trail is a 1.2 km walk around a lake with more than 57 species of wildlife. It suits you if you want to see the animals on foot rather than from the tram.

Who suits which: the zoo, the aquarium or Night Safari

Go to the zoo if you have a toddler or a small budget. A child under 3 is free, a child aged 3 to 12 pays THB 120, and the tram lets you cover the grounds without carrying anyone far.

Go to Night Safari if the tram ride after dark is what you want. A toddler under 100 cm is free there, but the tram ticket costs a foreign adult more than a zoo day, so ask at the counter for the current rate. We recommend booking online a day ahead for the 20% discount.

Add the aquarium if you want the tunnel feeding shows. Skip it on a tight budget, because a foreign adult pays more for it than for the whole zoo gate.

How to get to the zoo and Night Safari

The zoo is on Huay Kaew Road, Suthep Subdistrict, and its phone number is 053-221179. Take a red songthaew or a Grab, and show the driver Chiang Mai Zoo (สวนสัตว์เชียงใหม่). Parking is THB 50 for a car and THB 10 for a motorbike. For fares and how to flag a ride, see the red songthaew guide, the Grab vs Bolt comparison and the getting around Chiang Mai guide.

Night Safari is about 10 km from the city centre, at Nong Khwai in Hang Dong. The night tram takes you around the park. Show the driver Chiang Mai Night Safari (เชียงใหม่ไนท์ซาฟารี), and book your Grab home before the last tram, because you will leave after dark.

Open Chiang Mai Zoo in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)

Open Chiang Mai Zoo Aquarium in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)

Open Chiang Mai Night Safari in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)

When to go and how long

Go to the zoo in the morning, because the aquarium’s first feeding show is at 10:30 and it gets hot later: the average daytime high is about 29 degrees in December and about 37 in April. January mornings average about 16 degrees. August is the wettest month, with about 21 rainy days, so a wet visit is likeliest then.

For Night Safari, arrive before the first tram at 17:30. The tram ride alone takes about 60 minutes, and the dancing shows start at 18:00, so plan the whole evening around it.

Nearby and how to combine it

You can do both on one day: the zoo in the morning, since its gate closes at 16:00, and Night Safari for the first tram at 17:30. That is a long day for small children, so split it across two days if yours are under 6.

For more family ideas, see Chiang Mai with kids and the rainy-day indoor play guide. For other days out, read things to do in Chiang Mai.

Before you go

• Book Night Safari online at least one day ahead for 20% off.
• Ask at the Night Safari ticket counter for the current foreigner rate.
• Buy the all-day zoo tram ticket if you plan to stop at several exhibits.
• The last zoo tram leaves Station 1 at 16:45 on weekdays.
• The Night Safari ticket office closes at 21:00, and the walking trail closes at 20:00.

↑ Contents

Not confirmed: Zoo gate hours come from its Maps listing only. The aquarium's THB 450 and 350 rows say "Thai nationals" on the English fee list; treat them as foreigner rates. Night Safari ticket prices and the Thai work-permit rate are not shown on the operator's public price page; ask at the ticket counter.

General information checked against the sources listed above. Prices, opening hours and other details change; confirm them with the provider before you act. See how guides are checked.

Spotted an error? Report it.