Playing with Tigers at Tiger Kingdom, Chiang Mai

When I was younger, my favorite movie was Aladdin (it still is actually!). My parents tell me that I would watch it at least three times a day if they would let me. I dreamed of being Princess Jasmine with my very own pet tiger. So when I found out there was a place in Thailand called Tiger Kingdom where I could visit and get up close to tigers, I knew I had to visit!

Getting There

There are a few ways to get to Tiger Kingdom in Chiang Mai. The easiest way is to take a tuktuk or taxi and have your driver wait while you visit the tigers. Depending on which you take, this will cost between 400 and 800 baht. It is best to ask in advance for your driver to wait for you since there are not many options from Tiger Kingdom to take you back into the city.

A cheaper option is to rent a motorbike and drive yourself. This is the option I chose as I did some exploring in the afternoon after visiting Tiger Kingdom. It only cost me the price of the motorbike rental (around 200 baht). You must be comfortable riding a bike and will need someone on the back to navigate. I did the navigation while my boyfriend drove and we had no problem finding it. From the city you go on one road and only turn off when you see the giant Tiger Kingdom sign. Again, I only recommend this option for those who have experience on a motorbike and have someone to navigate.

Pricing

There are many different sizes of tigers at Tiger Kingdom and your ticket price depends solely on which size tiger you would like to spend time with. The smallest and largest tigers are the most expensive. See the breakdown below:

Giant Tiger: 1,300 baht

Big Tiger: 700 baht

Medium Tiger: 600 baht

Small Tiger: 500 baht

Smallest Tiger: 1,000 baht

Newborn(!!!!): 1,200 baht

It is possible to catch a glimpse of the baby tiger through a window of the nursery if you don't want to pay to hold it.

During my visit, my boyfriend and I each purchased a ticket to see a medium tiger. This meant we got to go into the cage together and take pictures of one another with these magnificent creatures! If you are traveling with someone and do not want to pay for a staff member to take pictures of you, buy the same size tiger ticket.

Time with Tigers!

Once you have paid for your ticket, you are placed in a waiting area. When your group is called, you go through the gates and find the enclosure with your size tiger. There are many staff members there to help you as well as signs. Once you find your tiger, all visitors are required to read the safety warnings about how to handle the tigers and leave all bags in a cubby. Then, staff members call people in a few at a time for their time with a tiger!

In the enclosure

I must admit, I was a bit nervous to enter the enclosure. I mean, who wouldn't be, right?Tigers are my favorite animal of all time, so I was definitely more excited than anything. Finally, we got the okay to enter. A staff member opened the outside gate, let us through, and then the inner one. Now we were inside with the huge tigers lounging around. The trainer led us to one that was napping in the shade and I got the chance to finally pet a tiger. The feeling was incredibly – I couldn't stop smiling. The trainer let us try several different poses while we snapped pictures.

Then, we got to pet the other tigers as well. The second and third tigers were much more active and played with their trainers with large sticks…. pretty much like a big cat. Except, I had to remind myself, these were much more dangerous cats. I sat near one tiger as he played with some leaves. I then watched in amazement as he got up and walked around the enclosure. The trainer encouraged me to hold his tail while he walked which was surreal. The tiger walked to one of the large pools of water and got inside with a great big splash. Another tiger close by played with his trainer and ran in and out of the water trying to catch the leaves attached to a stick. It was so incredible to be so close and watch them playing!

Exploring the park

After about 10-15 minutes, our time was up and we left the enclosure. This ended our time close up with the tigers, but Tiger Kingdom allows visitors to walk around to the other enclosures and watch other people get up close with other sized tigers. The cutest were the small tigers, the white tiger, and the newborn tiger! It was so small and inside a nursery. The park requires visitors to wear white jackets, foot coverings and gloves to protect the little baby. Although I didn't get to hold it, it as amazing just to see it through the glass interacting with other people.

Would I go back?

Many people shy away from visiting Tiger Kingdom due to their thoughts on animal cruelty. From what I could see, none of the tigers were drugged. When I visited close to opening time, all of tigers were quite active, running around and playing with the trainers and each other. The staff did tell us that as the day progresses and gets hotter, the tigers do a lot more sleeping, which may appear to visitors like they are drugged.

Do I think the tigers are well taken care of? Relatively, yes. They all seemed properly fed and happy. Do I think they had enough space? The enclosures were a good size, and larger tigers had more space. Like any zoo though, the space was nothing compared to what they would have in the wild. Tiger Kingdom does have a breeding program in an effort to improve the statistics of tigers alive in the world. Also, in the nursery, it seemed they take many precautions to ensure the baby tigers are well taken care of and protected from visitors.

I didn't see any tigers hit in any way by trainers, nor did I notice any other obvious abuses. The trainers do carry small sticks. They use them to reposition parts of the tiger if necessary, never to hit them. There are places that do not care well for their tigers, but I think Tiger Kingdom does try and do a good job.

More Info

Tiger Kingdom Chiang Mai

51/1 Moo 7 Rimtai,

Mae-rim Chiang Mai 50180

chiangmai@tigerkingdom.com

There is another Tiger Kingdom located in Phuket run by the same company. However, the prices there are more expensive than the Chiang Mai location. If you have the option and want to save some money, visit the Chiang Mai location instead of Phuket.

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.

Have you visited Tiger Kingdom? Share your experience in the comments below!