Last updated on April 7th, 2026 at 02:56 pm
Review: The Chiang Mai Night Safari
Two nighttime tram tours, a spectacular water-light show, and giraffes close enough to steal your phone.
Animal welfare note: Since this review was written, TripAdvisor has flagged the Chiang Mai Night Safari as not meeting its animal welfare guidelines and no longer provides bookings for this attraction. Some recent visitors have raised concerns about animal treatment practices, particularly involving tiger cubs. Tom's review reflects his 2015 experience. Travelers should research current conditions and make their own informed decision before visiting.
Getting there: The Grab app is now the standard way to get around Chiang Mai. Note that Grab availability at the park may be limited at closing time — arrange return transport in advance or ask park staff for assistance.
Third zone added: Since our visit, the park has added a third animal zone — the Jaguar Trail, a walking trail — to the original Savanna Safari and Predator Prowl tram tours.
You'll never see a show like this in the U.S. or other western countries. Tours bring you up front and close with wild animals.
Worth a visit, especially if you're from the west
If you visit Chiang Mai, you'll note signs all over town championing a visit to the Night Safari. Is it worth it?
If you're a tourist — yes. Here's why.
You'll never see a show like this in the U.S. or other western countries. Tours bring you up front and close with wild animals. This would never happen in the rule-bound, liability-conscious and heavily regulated countries in the west.
This is a must-see destination event! The operators of this place offer something for everyone.
Two Tours and a Spectacular Post-Tour Water Show
This place offers two tours over a 3-hour period. Before and after the tours you can enjoy other informal presentations.
After check-in, you'll enter a panoramic open area. Mahouts guide elephants around for visitors to feed and touch.
Ladyboys serenade visitors with singing and dancing. But don't try to snap photos of them without their permission! These guys are in it for the tips! You'll see them wagging their fingers at you if you try to snap pix without paying a tip. It's the only place in Thailand where we've seen this behavior by lady boys. Take a walk thru the cosmetics section of any major department store in Chiang Mai, and you'll see lots of lady boys.
Other animals are paraded about by handlers.
The first tour at dusk affords you an opportunity to get up front and personal with the animals. You can pet them as you drive by in the park tour buses. This tour features the “non-dangerous” animals: giraffes, ostriches, and the like. But pay attention. More than one tourist has been known to leave the park less a cell phone or other piece of property or with a bleeding finger thanks to an ostrich.
The second tour features the well-known predators: lions, tigers, bears, and more. But getting pix of them can be problematic as nighttime falls. They're behind moats and several layers of fences.
READER ALERT 1:
Since these are night tours, you'll find it difficult to get net-post ready pix. The conditions can be ultra low light. If you have a GoPro, set it up for low light photography. If you have a cell phone — good luck. You'll get some pix, but many of them will not be usable.
Also, tour drivers stop quickly and take off again. The roads are rough, and it's tough to gain good pix under rough-and-tumble low light conditions. Again, a GoPro might be your best bet.
READER ALERT 2:
IMPORTANT! At the end of your tour, the park starts a gorgeous water-light show. This is a great reason to visit this place if for no other reason. The first show is about 4 minutes long. Make sure your camera or camcorder is ready! A second show is of equal length. You can see it, almost in its entirety, here. But it's best to see it in person.
How to get there
Use the Grab app, or grab a tuk-tuk or Songthaew, and go for a 20-minute drive just south of the city and the international airport, and you'll arrive at the Chiang Mai Night Safari. There you'll see elephants and other animals paraded around among the visitors and entertainment by local lady boys.
Contact
Chiang Mai Night Safari
33 Nong Kwai, Hang Dong District
Chiang Mai 50230, Thailand
Tel: +66-53-999000
A must-see destination event
You'll never see a show like this in the U.S. or other western countries. Tours bring you up front and close with wild animals. The water-light show alone is worth the trip. Just bring a GoPro.
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