The Hong Kong Zoo is, frankly, small and unimpressive. While there are a handful of highly successful animals, such as primates and alligators, most of those that compete for the crowd are missing; There are no lions, elephants or giraffes. If you are prepared for the lack of animals, the park grounds are attractive enough and can make for a very decent half day. If not, head to Ocean Park.
Pros
- Very good botanical gardens
- Central location
Cons
- Poor selection of animals
- Small size
Description
- Address: Robinson Road, Central
- Price: free
- Nearest MTR: Central
- Open: 6 am – 7 pm
Guide Review – Hong Kong Zoo
Hong Kong Zoo and Biological Gardens have a history dating back to the 1870s, making it one of the oldest public zoos in the world.
Despite the name, visitors should view a visit here as a visit to a park rather than the zoo. The grounds are located in a limited space, which means that there is very little room for large mammals. Most of the animals on display are actually birds, although you will find alligators, orangutans, and pythons. Entrance is free.
The zoo actually plays the second violin in the collection at the Ocean Park theme park, which not only has a formidable selection of marine life, but also the pair of pandas from Hong Kong. Ocean Park is expensive and still not a full zoo, but the critter lineup is much better if you have kids to impress.
The best thing about the Hong Kong Zoo is actually the beautiful botanical gardens. Divided into several separate thematic sections, such as Bamboo Garden, Magnolia Garden and Palm Garden, between them they feature more than 1000 species of plants and trees with a special emphasis on regional examples from Asia.
