Welcome to the jungle
Sashia Samira | April 25, 2011

Want to spend a wonderful day up close and personal with your favorite animals? The Bali Safari and Marine Park offers visitors a great adventure and a unique combination of natural wildlife and Balinese culture.  

You might remember a song or a book about going to the zoo to watch elephants swing their long trunks and monkeys hang upside down from their tails. At the Bali Safari Marine Park you can revisit your childhood memories and even stay overnight: as well as the animal shows and enclosures, the park also has a hotel.

Want to experience an ambient and authentic African wilderness? Dare to be different and stay at the Mara River Safari Lodge where you sleep just three meters away from wild African animals. Fear not, the majestic lions, amazing zebras and strong African Rhinos are there to entertain you - or perhaps it’s the other way around.

If you’re wild at heart, spend some quality leisure time venturing into the park or just relax at the Kiboko pool. A cute tame baby lion might even arrive and beg you to cuddle him. If you need time by yourself, a tranquil and unique setting between the African savannah and the pool, the Shifaa Spa offers signature and heavenly treatments.

The spa features two indoor treatment rooms overlooking the African panorama and the amazing zebras that will company your blissful state.  

Bed and breakfast with the lions

After all the action head to the Tsavo Lion Restaurant, Bali's latest lifestyle and fine dining destination and Asia's first themed restaurant especially designed to allow close encounters with the creatures prowling the grounds. Lodge prices range from $135 to $280 per night. The lodge also offers visitors two-night family rates and honeymoon packages.

Starting from $375 to $550, guests have free entrance to the park, a safari journey, an elephant show and ride and a shuttle service outside the area. Drawing upon more than 20 years of knowledge and experience gained from running two sister parks in Java, the Manansang family, owners of PT Taman Safari Indonesia, certainly know how to welcome you to the jungle.

Located on 40 hectares of pristine forest in Gianyar, the park allows visitors to get up close and personal with the wildlife. The layout of the Bali Safari and Marine Park encourages interaction and close encounters. Numerous animal shows can be viewed at Hanoman stage, where you will be blown away by the elephant conservation and educational show which features endangered Sumatran elephants at Kampung Gajah.

Don't forget to visit the Rantahmbore to see the Indian white tigers at feeding time, a combination of thrill and excitement, and jump on the exploration bus where a personal tour guide will point out interesting facts about the history and life of the animals. Not your average zoo, the park is especially designed to educate visitors about the wildlife. “Many animals we have here are facing reduced numbers even extinction,” says Astrid Iswulandari, the park’s spokeswoman.

On the other hand, it is also great fun. Japanese tourist Yuki Yonezawa was having a blast when GlobeAsia approached him at the elephant show.  After being kissed by a flirtatious female elephant, Yonezawa said he was thrilled to have the chance to see rare animals he would never find in Japan and learn about how they live. “This park is very interesting, visitors can actually feel like they’re having an actual wild adventure,” he says.

Whether you’re spending time with the family, friends or enjoying your honeymoon, Bali Safari and Marine Park, home to more than 400 animals from 60 different species from Indonesia, India and Africa, is the perfect way to go wild. 

Theater in the park

Besides wandering around in the wilderness, the park offers visitors the chance to watch a Balinese epic story. The spectacular performance of Bali Agung is inspired by the historic and legendary accounts of King Sri Jaya Pangus from the Balingkang Kingdom, his beloved Chinese wife Kang Ching Wie and his intertwining romance with Dewi Danu, the water goddess of the volcanic Lake Batur.

When the show starts with a father-and-son prologue, visitors are transported to the paradise of Bali in the 12th century. As the story unfolds, a parade of well-trained elephants, ducks, fowls, vibrant costumes and talented dancers uplifts and dazzles. The show includes a talented group of dancers, musicians and master puppeteers headed by Peter Wilson, a well-known and highly respected Australian director, writer, producer and puppeteer.

He has worked on highly acclaimed theater productions such as The Hobbit and The Fall of Singapore, collaborated with Balinese puppet master I Made Sidia, lectured at Richmond Virginia University and led many projects across the globe.  The performance sets off a remarkable experience unlike anything else in Indonesia’s fabled Island of the Gods.   GA        

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