Get up Close & Personal at Tiger Kingdom

This might not be everyone’s cup of tea but it is Phuket’s latest ‘attraction’ for the bold and daring. Located next to the age-old Go-Kart race track, just before embarking on the hill that leads to Patong Beach, to everyone’s surprise this kingdom is large, clean and well organized. Once you enter, you will see the several options available to visitors.

The Tigers at Phuket Tiger Kingdom

The tigers here come in all shapes and sizes, from small to big. They are hand reared, loved and cared for and are well trained. These animals are taken care of since birth until old age. Every tiger usually has a trainer to care for as well as train. The tigers found at Phuket Tiger Kingdom are very safe. So if you are brave, you can be safe with one in a cage – of course when the trainer is present. You can pet them, hug then and even take pictures with these big cats. Much as these big cats are well trained and tamed the trainers are there to guide people on how to behave around the tiger. The trainers can also move the tiger around and change their positions so that the visitor can take a better photo with the cats. If you are not brave to get into the cage with these magnificent cats, you can watch them from a far – from the restaurant. The Tiger Zoo restaurant has a view over the cages where you can catch these tigers being fed, playing, as well as resting.

Cost

As you might have guessed, the most popular tigers at the Tiger Kingdom Phuket are the cute cubs. The massive adults are popular as well. Depending on your budget, you can choose to see any size of tigers while here. The smallest cubs will cost you more that’s for sure. But you can choose a combined package. The smallest ones go for 1000 baht, small at 900 baht, whereas the medium and big go for 800 baht. As for combination prices, two tigers (say big and small) can go for 1400 baht, a combo of 3 tigers could go for 2300 baht and the full packaged deal (all four sizes) goes for 2000 baht.

Safety measures

Besides there being trainers in the cages there are some restrictions set for kids visiting particular cages at the Tiger Kingdom Phuket:

• Children who are 90cm and above can go into cages with infant tigers. They however MUST be in the company of an adult.
• Children over 16 are allowed into the cages with teenage tigers.
• Those over 17 can be admitted to cages with adult and young tigers.

Besides the above age restrictions, here are a few other safety rules

• Wash your hands before going into the cages
• Don’t go into the cages with your bag as tigers love playing with straps,
• Do not use the flash when taking pictures
• Never walk alone
• Desist from making loud noises.

Now that you know, it’s up to you to decide whether to visit the Phuket Tiger Kingdom and take pictures with these beautiful big cats adding to the wide range of things to do while in Phuket.