Fun day with animals @ Taman Safari II, Surabaya ( Part 1 of 2)

Surabaya . 2012 . Nov 18 - 21

This post is a continuation of our previous post on Airline Review: Silkair Flight from Singapore to Surabaya.

Our short weekend getaway to Surabaya brings us to Taman Safari II, an animal conservatory.  Taman Safari II is about 1.5hrs by car from the city centre of Surabaya, Indonesia.  It is only 50km away from Juanda International Airport, and the easiest way to get here is by taxi. Traffic conditions in Surabaya can get quite bad, so do factor in ample time to cater for traffic jams.

Taman Safari II is located on the slope of Mount Arjuno and boosts a scenic journey of Padi fields and blue skies as your vehicle approaches the Safari.

The scenic backdrop of Mount Arjuno. Lovely sunny day..

The entrance to Taman Safari II.

Visitor Centre at Taman Safari II

There is a souvenir shop (in fact, it is the only souvenir shop in the Safari) at the Visitor Centre.  Lovers of plush toys will like this shop, because the cute furry friends sold here are so cheap!  It was love at first sight for me when I saw this trio..

15 inch Elephant: Rp135,000 (SGD $17)
10 inch Porcupine: Rp65,000 (SGD $8)
7 inch Giraffe: Rp45,000 (SGD $6)

General surroundings near the visitor centre. Lots of motor bikes parked, it is no wonder that motor bikes are a common sight in Surabaya.

Into the Safari

In the comfort of our tour bus, we were like the tourists in a cage while animals roam freely in their habitats.   Visitors are requested to keep the windows of their vehicles closed at all times, but this rule is not strictly enforced, for we see some guests feeding animals from their window.

The Safari is divided into 3 distinct zones separated by automated gates – The American-Europe zone, the Asian zone and the African zone.

Our first animal encounter at the American-Europe zone – the American Bisons at their feeding huts. 

Next up, the Lhama, originating from South America and related to the camel, raised for its soft, fleecy wool. 

The maned wolf, which resembles a large fox with reddish fur.  

The grizzly bear, also known as the Brown Bear.  It is such an irony that we travelled to a far off place called Alaska to look at bears from a distance, and barely a month later, here we are, back in Asia, gazing at a bear just a few metres away.  We were told that this particular animal was caught in Europe.  Although it’s natural diet consists mainly of fresh salmon, they are fed catfish instead as salmon are expensive in Asia.

Note the distinctive hump of the grizzly bear.  That's how they are differentiated from the black bears, something that we have learnt during the naturalist talk during our Alaska cruise.

It is an amazing experience to see animals charging towards you in the jungle, your heart freezes, only to realize in a few seconds that your position is safe in the vehicle.

Can you spot the tiger in the background?  This picture was taken from the window of our vehicle and although it is quite a distance away, the tiger still appear huge and intimidating!

A better look at the Malayan Tigers from the other side of the vehicle.

I wonder what happened to the driver of this vehicle.  Aha, just kidding.  It is just a prop for the tigers to rest on.  For some unknown reasons, they seem to like to rest on the top of vehicles.   

Onwards to the next zone. Beware of Lions!!

The lion Enclosure.  Madam and Mr Lion managed to carve some drawings at the back of their cave?

 Best time and safest place to capture a photo of a yawning lion...

Just like the tigers..the lions were also lazing on the vehicle...limited space though..one had to sleep on the grass...

 This is how close we got to observing the animals without the use of binoculars.

Mr Lion got bored of observing us in the vehicle.

That's all for Part 1 of our review of the Taman Safari II @ Surabaya.

Click here for Part 2 of our revew of the visit featuring the Orang Utans, Bambis, Elephants and much more!

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