Beijing Daxing Wildlife Park Day Trip

This is my first travel diary, I'll try to be as detailed as possible~ Hope it helps everyone~~~

Saturday night my husband spontaneously decided to visit Daxing Wildlife Park on Sunday. We don't have kids ourselves, and honestly, I was a bit worried about going somewhere packed with children on a weekend. The night before, we consulted a few families with kids about Daxing Zoo, and they all mentioned crowds and this and that, which made us a little hesitant. But!

[Key point: It's really fun~ At least for animal lovers, it's definitely worth visiting~]

We're not backpackers, but we don't like wasting money either. However… some expenses really stung, both my wallet and my heart. With a helpless smile.

First, let's talk about ticket costs. For the whole day, we spent 751 yuan total at the zoo.

We're two adults with a car: adult tickets 125 yuan x2 + vehicle fee 195 yuan = 445 yuan [bought on Taobao, every bit saved counts~], these are must-buys.

As for the rest of the money, I'll give a rough breakdown and explain as best I can. At the gate, we bought 4 packs of vegetables for 50 yuan. Inside the park, feeding small animals cost 120 yuan, and lunch was a whopping 116 yuan—a huge rip-off. Drinks cost about 20 yuan altogether.

First, [Key tip: Go early, go early!]

We set off from Guomao at 7 am, a smooth ride all the way, arriving at the park entrance before 8 am. The gate wasn't even open yet, but quite a few cars were already queuing. There were scalpers directing traffic = = hahaha, and then they tried to sell you vegetables! [Another key point here] The day before, a friend told us they bought vegetables from a scalper at 10 yuan a pack, but when we got there, they said 50 yuan for 2 packs. My husband, who absolutely refuses to get ripped off, started haggling~ We finally got 4 packs for 50 yuan~ Just after we bought ours, the driver in the next car asked how much per pack—the scalper instantly replied, "100 yuan for 2 packs." We were stunned.

Now, a note: if you drive into the safari area, you can bring your own vegetables—just bring some carrots and cabbage. But if you enter on foot, they'll check your bag and won't let you bring them in. However, I happened to put my vegetables at the bottom of my bag after getting out of the car, and they didn't spot them, so they weren't confiscated—otherwise they'd have been taken away~ And oh~ if you plan to smuggle in veggies, definitely bring lots of carrots, ignore everything else, because once inside, the animals go crazy for carrots.

The gate opened at 8 am, and we swarmed in, heading straight for the self-drive ticket check. They'll make you get out, exchange your e-voucher for a paper ticket, so listen to me: park where you won't block your own exit, hop out quickly to get the tickets, then dash back to your car and queue at the entrance! Without stopping, the ticket check opened at 8:20 am. If you queue early, the ladies will check your tickets first and give you wristbands for easy access to the walking area later~

At 8:20, we were literally among the first ten cars to enter, and then! Then!! First we passed a group of swan lakes, but the car ahead almost stopped dead to take photos, holding up a long line. We really didn't want to wait, because while they could see something, we saw nothing. My husband overtook like crazy, to the point where there was no car ahead and none behind—it was pure bliss.

Being early with hardly any cars around, every time we reached a self-drive feeding area, the animals swarmed over. The park staff were also really nice, pointing out where we could stop to feed the animals. In the morning, the animals probably hadn't had their fill, so they were super enthusiastic—one even knocked our side mirror askew. A staff guy came over, fixed it for us, and told us where to park and feed them~ Very good, very nice~~

I don't remember which area this was, but these "little ones" literally mobbed us, desperate for the cabbage and carrots in our hands.

The rest of the safari route was a leisurely drive, with no cars ahead or behind, so taking photos and feeding was smooth and uninterrupted.

One more thing, haha, I forget the zone, but there was an uncle standing by the roadside with a donkey. We wanted to stop and feed it, afraid the uncle might not let us. But since it wasn't crowded, the uncle was super welcoming, even adjusted the donkey's head for our photos and told us, "He doesn't like cabbage. If you feed him carrots, he'll come to you."

Also got a bonus shot of the uncle's smiling profile~~

Oh, by the zebras, you can sneak a touch. I personally love the feel of zebras~ Hahaha

Alright, that basically covers the self-drive area. You can see the animals for yourselves—you can keep the windows down the whole time, but don't get out of the car~.

We finished the loop by 9:30 am. Why I emphasize going early? Also because after the safari, there's a massive parking lot. Park close to the entrance if you can, or else it's a long walk. We were the fourth car there, basically parked right at the entrance, and the security guards even directed us to park as close as possible.

Now, on to the walking area. They check tickets and bags at security—basically just opening for a glance. Any vegetables are confiscated. I'd put the leftover veggies at the bottom of my bag, not realizing they'd be taken, but by chance, the security guy didn't see them because there were heaps of confiscated veggie packs by the gate. Hahaha.

Once inside, right at the entrance, they sell animal feed packs and there were a few cute white alpacas. We wanted to press on, so we didn't feed them, but when we left they'd already clocked out. The veggies at the entrance: a big bag of carrots for 80 yuan... others started from 40 yuan. I thought it was expensive and didn't buy any... because there's really not much in those packs. Walking further, there's a place to rent electric cars for the day. Two-seater 500 yuan (deposit forgotten), four-seater 900 yuan... I thought it was pricey but didn't want to walk, so I wanted to rent. My husband said no, "With 500 yuan, I'd rather buy 500 yuan worth of carrots to feed the animals!"

Later, he was proven right—the park is big, but you can consider the 8-seater shuttle bus. It has stops and saves you a lot of walking. But... we didn't get it... and I didn't even check the price because I was too busy sulking about why he wouldn't let me rent the little electric car. Haha. Sorry~

Then after going in, we didn't take the miniature train because we'd already driven the same route. I heard the self-drive and train are on the same track, and since it was still early, the train hadn't started yet, so we didn't have to dodge it—though I don't know how it gets later.

First, we went to some eco-feeding area or whatever, where you can feed ostriches. There's a vending machine selling ostrich food with a special spoon, 10 yuan a pack. We bought one, fed a bit, and moved on. Further ahead is a zone for feeding little goats, alpacas, and camels. At that gate, we bought a bag of veggies for 30 yuan. Then I stuffed our leftover veggies into that paper bag, so our bag was mostly veggies. Haha.

The early-bird advantage struck again! With few people around and just after opening, the animals were super enthusiastic! There were so few visitors that each family practically had a "personal" animal to feed, all circling around you, eating whatever you offered. Later, when we looped back to finish our veggies, they were already full... wouldn't touch cabbage, barely nibbled carrots, totally indifferent.

After that, we followed the signs to whatever pavilions we fancied, nothing special.

Next, a key point: [Carnivore Zone] the beast vehicle. When we arrived, the queue was winding and full of kids. We practically speed-walked to the front and hardly waited. But! [Key tip] The only zoo animal feed worth buying—definitely get the 50 yuan meat box in the Carnivore Zone! Buy it!!!

It's limited to 300 portions a day, and once gone, it's gone. And!! Experience!!! By chance, all the passengers who bought the feed, including us, ended up sitting in the same column. The driver only opens the windows for those who bought it, so you can feed. Those interactive bears are smart, and the driver will herd them to your side. Listen to the driver—when he says feed a lot, stuff them. Don't worry about later; the ones further back are lazy and won't interact—basically, if you toss meat, you might not even see them pick it up.

This bear kept clinging to our spot, and my husband practically gave it all the meat... hahaha

The ride lasts about 30 minutes, really fun, and it's included in the ticket. Going early makes it even better, and since it's early, they haven't eaten yet.

After getting off, we wanted to eat. Wandering around, we reached the food court, and here's the shocker: I ordered what seemed like the cheapest thing—a chicken nugget set for 58 yuan... I hope you can imagine. The cheapest item priced sky-high. My husband, not a fan of such food, got a bowl of noodles... 58 yuan... The portion... well, I'd say for a grown man not too hungry, it was just... whatever. Honestly, that 116 yuan felt very much not worth it. We normally don't like carrying heavy things while touring, so we thought we'd just pay a bit more and eat there—but I really didn't expect scenic spots to be this outrageously expensive! A sausage 20 yuan?! Basically everything starts at 50 yuan. Sigh... Scenic spot pricing, I accept it. But along the way, we saw a family tucking into self-heating hot pots they'd brought, and I was really envious.

There's a lake boat ride, we didn't check the price, but heard it's a one-time payment with unlimited time and includes waterfowl food. We didn't go because the lake... was very small... at least the part we saw was tiny.

Nearby, you could feed elephants and giraffes, 30 yuan each. Since the giraffe area was swarming with kids, we bought elephant feed—30 yuan for a small basket of watermelon. Haha, I really like elephants~

There's also a special zone where you "buy" a little electric cart, get a basket of veggies, and go in to feed. We'd tried it once very early when it was 40 yuan per cart, I think, with veggies provided. That time, the animals literally sprinted after you for the basket, really scary, hahahaha, they'd chase right behind you, your little cart couldn't outrun them, scared us half to death. This time, it was a single-person cart 150 yuan with 100 yuan deposit, double cart 250 yuan with 200 deposit. At that moment, my husband's never-overpay mindset kicked in and he said we'd skip it since we'd done it before, and the animals are really fierce. He told me to use the money for souvenirs instead! But, again... basically any little plush toy was over 200 yuan. As a fridge magnet collector, I looked for fridge magnets: they were all 30 or 40 yuan each, so I didn't buy any either. Hahaha, in the end, we used that money for a nice dinner that evening, hahaha.

We never really looked at the map, just followed signs and the park's large maps, heading wherever we hadn't been. Then, when we felt lost, we checked the WeChat map and realized we'd covered everything, so we headed back. Walking that whole loop was actually quite tiring, especially for sedentary folks like us, but it's definitely doable for anyone.

We left around 1 pm and headed home. By the time we were leaving, it was already super crowded. I saw the line for the miniature train had grown so long it could wrap around the Earth like a cup of Xiang Piaopiao milk tea. Apart from the exhibits you can walk to, for anything that requires queuing, go early! Otherwise, I think a lot of time gets wasted. And my husband absolutely hates waiting in line, especially with hordes of kids—he just can't. Haha, no offense, they're your little angels but not ours.

This is my first travel diary; it feels a bit rambling, but oh well. Hope it helps you.

Below are a few animal photos from the park.

This is from the self-drive feeding: at first, my husband said he was too ugly to feed, but he charged over and I fed him anyway. Turned out to be the most handsome animal I photographed.

Horses in the self-drive area—forgive me for not remembering their species.

A family of monkeys in one of the walking area pavilions, not afraid of people~

Feeding bears in the carnivore zone.

This is some animal from some pavilion in the walking area, hahaha, I can't remember. There's a vending machine outside selling feed, 20 yuan for a few pecan nuts. We didn't buy any; since we were early, almost no one else was feeding, and they were all free-roaming, lots of them. I crouched down to take photos, and this one probably hoped for food, rushed over and posed for me. I took the most photos of him. Hahaha

That's it. If you've read this far, thanks for reading~~

Oh, and for parents with little kids: I think you should rent a cart or at least bring a stroller, because the place is still quite large.