Dusit Zoo (Khao Din)
King Chulalongkorn's private royal garden became Thailand's most-visited zoo — then closed its gates in 2018.
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Originally King Rama V's garden adjacent to Dusit Palace, it opened to the public in 1938 and grew to 188,800 square metres with over 1,600 species. At its peak it drew 2.5 million visitors a year. The site sits alongside Dusit Palace and the old parliament house, layering royal, civic, and natural history into one Dusit District block.
What to look for
- The grounds between Dusit Palace and the old parliament house, where the royal garden origin shaped the zoo's layout
- Accounts of the Albino Indian muntjac and white tigers — the rare animals that anchored the zoo's reputation as Thailand's most popular
- The former Play Land, boat-peddling circuit, and sightseeing train route that ran until the September 2018 closure
Closed permanently in September 2018; the collection relocated to Thanyaburi District, Pathum Thani Province — verify current use of the original site before going.
Dusit Zoo (Khao Din) is one of 38 sights worth the detour in Bangkok, all bundled offline in Voyage GO — download the Bangkok pack and it sits on your map with no signal, filling your travel passport the moment you walk past.
More to see in Bangkok
- Grand PalaceIn 1782 a king moved his entire capital from Thonburi to Bangkok and built this walled city — Thailand's seat of power for the next 143 years.
- Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha)Every Thai king since 1783 has personally added to this temple — and the reigning king still presides over state ceremonies here today.
- Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn)Named for Aruna — the Hindu charioteer who drives the sun at dawn — this riverside spire was built to face the light it honors.
- Baiyoke Tower IIBangkok's tallest hotel stacks an observatory, a bar, and a revolving roof deck across three floors at 309 metres.
- BTS SkytrainBangkok sits in chronic gridlock — three elevated lines run above it on 70 kilometers of track connecting the city end to end.
- Rajamangala National StadiumThailand's largest stadium swells like a concrete wave — narrow at each end, rising steeply until the stands crest exactly at the halfway line.