My favorite place so far... Theme Park Zoo Zoo

Hi! I am just a stardard, non-issued, military wife who found herself in Korea. So what was I suppose to do? Sit in the apartment for 2 years? NO WAY! We have used every form of transportation I can think of to go to some really cool places, children in tow! My first blog is going to be about my favorite place yet! I will put the essentials (bathroom info, parking, etc) and directions at the bottom of the page. So if you want to skip all my fun antedotes and need to get to the facts, head to the bottom of the blog page!



THEME PARK ZOO ZOO        

Theme Park Zoo Zoo is the most interactive zoo you will ever encounter! It isn't too large, you can walk around it in 15 minutes, but what takes so long is the petting, watching, and feeding of the animals. I have never seen animals move around as much as they do here.

Yes, I am kissing an orangutang! 

The staff doesn't speak much English, and you have to guess at what they are saying. I can give you some hints! They have an aligator show and a bear/tiger show. These are a must see! Soooo worth the extra money! Point at the picture and shake your head yes :)

Panoramic view of the entrance

Bring 1,000 Won bills because at the entrance you can buy bags of apples and carrots at the front (I saw many Korean nationals pulling fruits and veggies out of their bags that they brought from home. Nobody cared!). These are to feed to the goats, monkeys, pigs, kangaroos, bunnies, guinea pigs, horses, donkey, and camels. I know I left some animals out of that list! They give you a wooden kabob stick so you don't have to feed the animals straight from your hand and get icky animal slobber on you.

There are animal petting times and shows throughout the day. The seals have a show, well, I call it a "show". The very nice Korean lady comes out in her rubber boots, doesn't say one word (which really, we don't understand anyways!), and has the seals do tricks for food. They are very talented. In the center of the zoo they have an orangutang come out and he is a gentle, sweet, well-dressed fellow who would love to give you a kiss and have his picture taken with you. There is a monkey that rides a goat. You can pet the horses, baby llama, bunny, persian cat, turtle, and hold a cockatoo and/or lizard. I wish I could give you times for these shows, but we just "happened" upon them. If you have a translator or a translating service you can call, I'm sure you can get more specific details. Details are the hardest thing to find out while living in Korea. We just keep travelling and smile when it all works out!

Don't miss your assigned Alligator and/or Lion/Bear show times. They are in the dome building  surrounded by the koi pond. (You can buy food for the fish, too.) The alligator show is in the front building. These Thai men are very brave. After the show, you get to prove how brave you are. You can pay some Won and get your picture taken next to the alligator. The men stand very close, but just out of your picture so it looks like you are standing there alone. Only my husband and eldest daughter were brave enough for that!  The bear/tiger show is in the further back building. They were just as exciting, and the tigers seemed a little naughty! LOL. Afterwards you can pose with the moon bears for a fee.

There is a petting zoo where you can feed the animals and the monkeys. Make sure you go behind the enclosed petting zoo (something we didn't do the first time we went!) because there are a lot more animals back there to feed. Save some carrots and apples for the FAT pigs, they will thank you for it!

One last thing, my daughter's favorite animal. The lions. If you have a small child and they run up and down the fence of the lions, they will chase them! My daughter played with them for about an hour. Hiding around the wall edge and then running out. It was like playing with a 200 pound kitten, thank goodness for the fence!

The playful lioness

PICTURE PAGE

 

Essentials:
1. 10:00∼19:00(Mar.-Oct.), 
    10:00∼18:00 (Nov.-Feb.)  
     Zoo is open year round

The prices are on top.  I imagine the more expensive ones are the ones with the shows. I just handed over my card and said "surprise me!"  If you can find someone to translate, rock on! The times below are for the tiger/bear show on the left, alligator show on the right. You don't really get to pick the time, the attendant will pick for you.
2. Bring hand sanitizor.
3. Parking is free and plentiful.
4. There is a gift shop, small cafe, snack bar, and regular bathrooms (no squatty potties!)
5. Bring 1,000 Won bills for animal snacks, or bring your own apples and carrots from home. Seemed like it was acceptable.
6. The monkeys can not eat the carrots, only the apples.
7. Strollers would be ok here.
8. Most of the staff does not speak English
9. Point to the alligator and bear/lion pictures and shake your head yes if you want to go to these extra shows (highly recommended!)
10. They do take credit cards for the entry fee, gift shop, and snack bar. Not for the carrots, apples, and fish food though.
11. You should pack a lunch if you have any picky eaters. They let you bring in food and have picnic platforms for you.

DIRECTIONS


There are some directions on this website for the train: http://eng.gg.go.kr/entry/Theme-Park-ZooZoo-eco-friendly-learning-museum-gyeonggi-do-Goyang-si-korea  

Starting out near Pyeongtaek (I'm trying to be a little vague of my exact location, OPSEC first!) We took 17, to 400 toward Bongdam,. 400 turns into 309. Then we took 100 towards Anyang. Then I believe we got off on 363 ( you might have to get off on 39 and it takes you to 363). We followed the GPS once we got on 400. If you have an older GPS like us, most of the new interstates like 17 aren't on there yet, so you have to improvise. It is near the Kintex Exhibition area. It was about a 2 1/2 hour drive for us, but it is soooo worth it! There are signs when you get closer. As with everything in Korea, it is a bit of a guessing game on top of really good luck to find these places ;)

Alternate driving route: 40, to 15, to 100 towards Bucheon. then the same applies from above.

Click on the map link below, it really helps! Hope you visit Zoo Zoo soon!