Seoul Traveler’s Guide: Seoul Grand Park Zoo

As part of Seoul Grand Park, the Seoul Grand Park Zoo has over two thousand different animals and welcomes millions of visitors each year.

Growing up, some of my fondest memories with my family was visiting different aquariums and zoos near home and it instilled a fascination with nature. 

Getting to the Seoul Grand Park Zoo is fairly easy by subway. The Seoul Subway Line 4 exits at Seoul Grand Park Station and you can either walk from the entrance or take one of the sky lifts or Elephant Train. The Sky Lift costs 6,000 won, while the Elephant Train costs 1,500 won each way. Personally, I liked the Sky Lift because of the great view that you get off the lake alongside parts of the zoo.

Tickets for the Seoul Grand Park Zoo itself cost 5,000 won for adults (19 or older) and children admission ranges from 2,000-3,000 won. 

The openness of the zoo made the area feel not so crowded. One of the largest attractions at the zoo is the different species of tigers that they have. When visiting in the summer, I’d recommend visiting in the morning or evening. Just like people, animals like to rest and get out of the sun when hot weather hits. 

I made two attempts to see a particular animal during my visit. There’s something about the Red Panda that makes it an adorable animal. Unfortunately for me, both times I went he/she was sleeping peacefully in their outdoor treehouse.

I only had a small glimpse of it from afar even with some of my longer lenses. Interestingly enough, Korea (along with a few other counties) refer to it as the lesser panda.

One of the things I really liked about the zoo was its dedication to the wellbeing of the animals and conservation efforts. Eurasian otters are considered an endangered species in Korea and in 2020, the zoo was training otters the skills that they would need to be able to adapt to life in the wild on Seoul’s Han River.

Up until 2013, the zoo maintained a dolphin house, but released their dolphin Jedori back into the wild; a first for a zoo in Asia. Recently they finished converting the dolphin house into a place where visitors can learn more about conservation. 

Another one of my favorite spots inside the zoo is their Peafowl Village. You can walk alongside their white and normal colored peacocks and it really made for some unique photo opportunities.

The size of the zoo really makes it hard to see everything in one trip, so it’s something you can visit multiple times and not feel bored.

If you love seeing animals and want to experience something outdoors in Seoul, I recommend visiting the Seoul Zoo at Seoul Grand Park.

Within the zoo is a botanical garden and nearby is even a small theme park. Whether you want to go as a family, by yourself, with friends, or even on a date, you really can’t go wrong with the zoo.

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