Getting there was easy enough, and luckily we had decided to go early, so we beat the crowds (they did show up later on!). There was a 15 Dirham entrance fee (about US$4) and it was definitely worth it - heck, I would paid more! It is a really nice zoo!
We decided to sort of go in a clockwise pattern to make sure that we didn't miss much, so we started with the birds. There was a great walk-through aviary housing several different birds that are native to the Arabian peninsula (many of which we have seen in the "wild"). There was also a fun penguin exhibit (not native to the area...haha).
There was a farm exhibit that we couldn't really tell if it was open or not, but looked like fun - rabbits, ponies, peacocks, camels...we will definitely go in next time!
From there we just continued around checking out the animals. There were loads to see - everything from flamingos to monkeys to hyenas to rhinos, reptiles and lions. The best part was, we could actually see all of the animals! You know how sometimes you go to the zoo and see the lion area and look and look, but the silly lions are sleeping just out of view? Not here...everyone was out and picture perfect! For the most part it seemed like all of the areas where the animals lived were well kept and spacious, so it gets a thumbs up from me as far as zoos go (I don't like the ones where you wander around feeling sorry for the animals).
On the way home we wanted to swing by Al Ain Paradise. It is a garden that is created each year, and holds the Guinness World Record for number of hanging baskets (pretty impressive if you ask me...) Unfortunately Paradise was closed, so we will have to try again another time.
We are slowly working our way through the things to do in Al Ain, and will keep you up to date with other things we find!
No comments:
Post a Comment