Spending Time with Animals: A Visit to Zoo Negara Malaysia
When traveling, I always look forward to visiting local parks or places with plants and animals. It's exciting and is a great way to recharge. Do you feel that way as well? It must be the good energy that creates that relaxing atmosphere.
Today, I'll take you to Zoo Negara Malaysia and show you a few animals! 🐯 Feel free to save or share this guide for future travels. Let's go!
Where to find Zoo Negara Malaysia
Address:
Jalan Taman Zooview, Taman Zooview, 68000 Ampang, Selangor, Malaysia.
Where to Get Tickets
Walk-ins are accepted, but it's best to book online to avoid hassle. You can get your tickets via Klook or KKDay.
🎫 Book via Klook: https://invol.co/clm67jq
🎫 Book via KKDay: https://invol.co/clm67jj
Zoo Negara | What You Need to Know
Malaysia’s biggest zoo is conveniently located in Gombak, Selangor (around 25-30 minutes) from Kuala Lumpur.
According to their website, they have over “3,575 specimens from 305 species of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish”.
Here are other things you need to know about Zoo Negara before you go:
It is managed by the Malaysian Zoological Society;
It is the biggest zoo in the country- 110 acres (45 hectares);
The zoo focuses on reptiles, mammals, amphibians, birds, and fish animal groups;
It has been around since the 1960s.
The Experience at Malaysia’s Biggest Zoo
Before starting the tour, we stopped by the store first to get some iced Milo. It was very hot that day, and while we had water, we thought we needed a bit of sugar to keep us going.
I highly suggest that you bring your water flask to stay hydrated. There's plenty of walking to do.
So…since we arrived in the afternoon, we went to see the multi-animal show first (this was at 3 PM). I'm glad we were just in time to catch the show because it would have sucked to miss it. They did a great job! It was very entertaining and interactive. I liked how sea, land, and air animals participated in the show (with the birds as the main stars). Make sure to catch this, especially when you have kids or nieces.
Not Sure Where to Start? Take the Tram
A tram service is available for those who want to see all the different zones inside the zoo. I highly recommend you try it because it will help you strategize which areas to prioritize and visit last. That way, you don't walk around aimlessly. It is a massive zoo, after all.
If you want to walk and explore freely, you can check out the map to plan your navigation. Click here to view.
The Animals
There are so many animals you can find in this zoo. Here are some 🧡
African Chimpanzees
These are African chimpanzees. Did you know that we share 98.8% of our DNA with them? That's the reason we have similar traits and behaviors. Of course, we're not exactly alike since we have evolved and human brains are more advanced than theirs, but wow, they were fascinating to watch.
💡 Trivia: Chimps are the closest relatives of humans.
Water Buffaloes
Carabaos, also known as water buffaloes, are large mammals commonly used in traditional rice plowing in the Philippines. They are also used to make delicious carabao milk, which has higher calcium and protein benefits.
💡 Trivia: The carabao is the national animal of the Philippines.
African-Spurred Tortoises
Check out these giant tortoises- they are called African-spurred tortoises and are the third largest in the world.
💡 Trivia: Tortoises smell with their throats.
Hippopotamuses
It was my first time seeing hippos up close. They were adorable! Hehe. Someone was feeding them as we watched. Here's me trying to take a selfie with them before they go back to the water hehehe.
💡 Trivia: Hippos can hold their breaths for up to 6 minutes.
The park grounds are spacious and perfect for those who want to take a break. There are also little huts that visitors can use for free.
Camels & Capybaras
Going back to our tour, we also found camels. They looked tired, though. So we were only able to catch one.
💡 Trivia: Camels have two rows of eyelashes.
The capybaras were so cute. It was funny because a cat was sitting amongst them (capybaras are rodents, the same family as rats…got it? hehe).
💡 Trivia: Capybaras are the world's largest rodents.
Lion
Now, let’s give it up for the king of the jungle, the lion! This was my favorite animal during our visit (with the second one being the hippo). I liked how big the lion’s den was and how spacious the walkways were.
💡 Trivia: A lion's roar can be heard as far as eight kilometers away.
Flamingos
The flamingos looked so elegant and pretty. They were all over one section of the zoo.
💡 Trivia: Flamingos stand on one leg when they rest.
Giant Panda Conservation Centre
Want to see giant pandas? 🐼 The Giant Panda Conservation Centre is the place to be. It's the building close to the ape center (with the Malaysian flags). Here, you can watch them play and roam freely. You cannot touch them, though.
Other Animals
Aside from the ones above, there were a whole lot more to see, like leopard cats, birds, monkeys, elephants, etc.,
There were also cheetahs, and they were fierce. The only thing that separated us from them was a chain link fence that did not look strong enough if they ever decided to throw a tantrum (it also had a few damages). They are still wild animals, you know.
Final Verdict
⭐ 9/10
Zoo Negara is not the most up-to-date zoo I’ve visited, but it was massive, and they sure had a lot to offer. The staff members were also friendly. I liked how they were happy to help and answer our questions. Highly recommended!
