We pulled up to gates that looked like they were straight out of a scene from Jurassic Park. The tall fences kept the wild beasts in as we drove through the Badaling Wildlife Park. My friends and I had wanted to take our little girls on a road trip and show them some beautiful animals, so why not a 50-ish-minute drive to this notorious wildlife park?
Badaling Wildlife Park is perhaps more infamously known in Beijing as the place where multiple locals have been injured. Back in 2016, a staff member was trampled to death by an elephant in heat. Later that year, a visitor was mauled to death by a tiger when she exited the car she was in. And most recently, in 2018 a visitor was injured when he fell off a camel.
But, unfortunate injuries aside, the Badaling Wildlife Park makes for super fun day trips.
To get there, you’ll need to drive or book a Didi or private car. Click here to find tried and tested drivers.
Pro tip: Since recent Covid transmissions, Badaling Wildlife Park now requires everyone who enters to bring their IDs. Regardless whether you’re Chinese or a foreigner, a physical ID will be required at the ticket office. Photocopies or pictures of your ID will not suffice.
Badaling Wildlife Park recommends that you purchase tickets in advance, but if you don’t know how to use their mini program to do it, you can still purchase tickets at the entrance. Ticket prices are RMB 150 for adults and RMB 90 for children and students. If you’re planning on driving your own car into the park, you’ll need to pay an additional RMB 200 for a car with fewer than six seats.
Pro tip: There are bathrooms within the park but the most convenient one is the one right at the entrance.
After signing a (not so detailed) waiver about how if you get injured the park won’t be held liable, you’re off to explore!
Driving into Badaling Wildlife Park you’ll first come to a parking lot surrounded by bears, wolves, tigers, and (for whatever reason) dogs behind cages. Don’t worry. This isn’t all you’ll get to see.
The driving route is designed so that you can have semi-up close and personal encounters with animals. After the unfortunate incidents that have taken place at the park, all the carnivores are now behind fences to prevent another person from potentially wanting to hop out and pet a tiger.
After each dangerous animal enclosure, you’ll come across a parking lot where you’ll be able to get out of your car, wander around, and see even more animals.
For those visiting the Badaling Wildlife Park with young kids, a stop at the petting zoo is a must! The petting zoo section charges an additional RMB 30 per person, and doesn’t seem to have any time limit on how long you can stay there for. There’s nothing exotic here, but the small pigs, bunnies, and lambs are more than enough to enthrall your kids.
In the same parking lot as the petting zoo is the monkey sanctuary, where you can observe the monkeys from above, and a little bit up the hill is one lone elephant. For an additional RMB 20, the staff will let you feed it snacks.
For those with really young kids, by the time you leave the petting zoo they’ll probably be super exhausted already. But the highlight of the park is yet to come.
Right before you drive out of Badaling Wildlife Park you’ll come across a section where you can either park and get out of your car, or feed horses and deer right from your window. These animals are super used to people and getting fed. As soon as your car window opens, something curious and hungry is going to wander up looking for snacks. And they’re not shy! If you’ve got veggies they like, these horses and deer are not going to hesitate to stick their heads in for more.
Pro tip: Be sure to bring some veggies from home for the animals.
Is it the most amazing wildlife park I’ve ever been to in the world? No. It’s not even the best one in China. But the Badaling Wildlife Park provides the opportunity for a fun day trip with family and friends for a bit of fresh country air and fluffy animals, without leaving Beijing’s city limits.
Find it:
Badaling Wild Park 八达岭野生动物园
South across the highway from Badaling Great Wall Center, Yanqing County
延庆县八达岭长城南
Tel: 6912 1842
Open daily from 8am-5pm between March-October
Open daily from 8.30am-4.30pm between October-March
Images: Mina Yan
