As I mentioned in my previous post, we wanted to keep things as simple as possible for our first trip to Bali as a family of five, so we only planned to visit the Bali Safari Marine Park, and the Jimbaran Fish Market. We hired a random taxi driver to bring us to the Jimbaran Fish Market one morning, since it was pretty near our hotel, and C wanted to just take a quick look at the market.
We got to the market pretty late, so we didn’t get to see the fishermen returning with their catch, nor the unloading of the fish. The market was still in operation, but there were hardly any customers by that time, so we could walk around leisurely. N complained about how wet and dirty the floor was, but soon got over it, because he was so fascinated by the different types of seafood on sale.
The view
Roadside stalls
Big fish, small fish
Prawns
N liked this colourful fish
Checking out the different types of fish
The driver who brought us to the Jimbaran Fish Market was a pretty nice chap, so we booked him for our trip to the Bali Safari Marine Park the next day. The drive took slightly less than an hour from our hotel, and our driver even called ahead to pre-book the tickets for us.
We had to queue to board one of the buses that brought visitors around the safari, and the first stop was the piranhas. We arrived just in time for the piranhas’ feeding session, and N was amazed by how fast the piranhas ate the chicken that was thrown into their tank.
On the safari bus
Piranhas
We then made our way to the White Tigers exhibit, because we wanted to catch the tiger show, which was nearby. It was really hot and crowded that day, so we decided that we would only visit selected exhibits, and take the safari bus as much as possible. N loves white tigers, so he was absolutely thrilled to see them in the enclosure. He spent quite some time showing Tiger “his friends”, and we only managed to convince him to leave by telling him that we were going to watch the tiger show.
Showing Tiger “his friends”
Posing with his fav white tigers
Waiting for the tiger show to start
The tiger show was easily the highlight of our visit to the safari, and we were all captivated by how majestic and agile the tigers were. Do get there early, because the seats fill up very quickly, and people will squeeze to sit on the stairs and floor even.
After that, we went on a tour of the safari on the safari bus. It was rather different from our safari experience in Bangkok, in that we were in a bus, which gave us a slightly better view of the animals. I didn’t take many photos because N was seated next to the window, and it was difficult for me to take photos properly.
Looking at the animals
Some of the animals we saw
We decided to leave after the safari bus ride, even though we hadn’t seen some of the other exhibits, nor did we let N try out the funfair rides there, because it was way too hot. We stopped by a gift shop and stayed inside for a really long time because it was air-conditioned. Meimei got to try on the giraffe headband, and I regret not buying it for her because she looked so cute! N convinced C to buy him a large tiger that came with a baby tiger, because “Tiger is lonely”, and was happy enough with his new soft toys to leave the safari.
Meimei the giraffe
We figured we could always visit the safari the next time we go to Bali, and it didn’t make sense to force ourselves to suffer in the heat for an entire day, just so we could see all the animals that day. It was still a pretty interesting trip for us, and N wasn’t too upset about having to leave early, because he got to see his favourite white tigers.
If you’re planning a trip to the safari there, do remember to use sunblock, and wear hats! You can bring your own water, but you can also purchase bottles of cold drinks there. Food-wise, we didn’t stay long enough to eat there, but we did see some snacks being sold. Have fun!
Taman Safari Indonesia Bali Jalan By Pass Prof. Dr. Ida Bagus Mantra Km 19,8 Kabupaten Gianyar, Bali Indonesia Phone: +62 361 – 950 000 Website HERE