Will you be afraid to visit the Pattaya Tiger Park?

Thailand, a country that offers tourists whatever they want. For nature lovers, Thailand has stunning beaches and islands; visit the walking street to experience an amazing nightlife; Buddha temples for religious souls. On our busy schedule in Pattaya, we squeezed the Tiger Park in the itinerary. After visiting the Big Buddha, our next tuk-tuk ride was to the Tiger Park. Few friends were against animal torture. So they didn’t want to visit. I was very much excited to see a Tiger and sit next to one.

Pattaya Tiger park

The tigers are classified into four groups according to their age as

1. Tiger cub
2. Small tiger
3. Medium tiger
4. Big Tiger

We opted for a Medium Tiger because the Big Tiger package was expensive. Pattaya Tiger park’s official website gives an overview of all the tiger types.

Timings: It is open every day from 9 am to 6 pm.

Professional Photography inside the park

Extra fee will be levied if you want to get clicked by a professional photographer. Their picture quality is good, so worth the money. In the end, once you come out, you can have the pics in a CD and/or USB stick.

Touch of fear 

I saw a hoarding ‘Tigers are not drugged’, instantly moment of panic started. I panicked more on seeing signs of the ‘Dos and Don’ts‘ inside the cage. One of the strictest rules ‘Don’t run inside the cage or anywhere around the premises’. This would create unwanted attention, therefore, the tiger may become active. We had to wait for our turn to enter the cage. 

Inside the cage

Once we stepped into the cage, it was altogether a new feeling. Everyone is our group became silent. The whole cage was wired so the cage keepers instructed us to be careful. The cage had 3 Tigers and they were moving around freely. We started clicking pics with one of the Tiger. But internally, the fear built up when I imagined that another tiger would attack me from behind. Later, the instructor asked us to touch the second Tiger which was resting.

Touching the Tiger was the scariest moment so far 😨. My heartbeat was raising and I had a feeling that at any moment the Tiger will turn pounce on me. Yes, of course, the cage keepers are present for rescue. But it couldn’t stop me from imagining. This is one of the MUST TRY experiences in your lifetime.  Our package included walking around the park. So we strolled a bit clicking lots of pics, admiring all other Tigers groups.

Lunch Buffet

Tiger Park also offers a buffet lunch for 300 THB. The food was delicious offering a wide variety of options. It also had a section for Indian food. Try the Tiger park, if you wish to something different in Pattaya other than visiting Coral islands, massages, partying or beaches. Inside that cage, you will know what fear is !!! Time of visit: April 2019

“Live your life by a compass not a clock” – Stephen Covey