We finally made it to Taman Safari! For two years I had been wanting to take the kids there and the traffic seemed daunting, which is why we decided to make it into a 2 day mini holiday:
- Day 1: left central Jakarta after breakfast and spent half day at Kuntum Nurseries (1h30 drive), + checked into Pesona Alam Resort (about an hour away from Kuntum Farmfield and less than 10min away from Taman Safari)
- Day 2: half day at Taman Safari, left around 3, back home at 5 (which is probably quite lucky)
Taman Safari was great, much nicer than I had expected. The safari itself is set in the lush mountains of Puncak, the animals seemed healthy and mostly had a decent amount of space.
The kids loved feeding the animals and seeing them up close (the lions and tigers roam freely and some were standing only 2m away from the car).
The safari was really empty when we went (weekday), allowing us to move freely and stop whenever we wanted to feed animals (carrots and bananas can be bought before entering into the park).
The park is huge, with many different parts: the safari, the waterpark, a traditional zoo with caged animals, and many live animal shows. Although we arrived at 9 and left at 3, we didn’t have time to see everything.
Visiting tips:
- It can be done in one day, leaving very early (friends say 5am) and coming back before 3pm
- Pack sweaters and umbrellas, the weather up in Puncak is cooler with regular rainfalls
- If you’re an expat, bring your KITAS in order to enjoy the domestic rate (Rp180,000/pax instead of Rp300,000!)
- Pack bathing suits (for Taman Safari’s waterpark and swimming with the dolphins)
- Snacks if you are specific (there are restaurants inside Taman Safari)
- Binoculars
Where to stay
For those looking for accommodation, I can highly recommend staying at Pesona Alam. Very family friendly and strategically located only 10 min away from Taman Safari.
The views from the hotel onto the green mountains of Puncak were very soothing and the kids enjoyed the playground and the “mini-zoo” (a small garden with rabbits and turtles).
IMPORTANT
Do NOT attempt to go to Puncak/Taman Safari on weekends. Traffic is terrible as there is one main road to go up and down. Friends have tried it and drove for 6 hours on their way back!