Brief Introduction of Dalian Forest Zoo : it covers an area of 7.2 square km and is the city zoo with the largest area in the country.The zoo is composed of enclosed raising field and open wild raising field which are connected by cable cars. The Zoo has more than 3000 animals representing more than 150 species.
The 1200 meter air cable encompasses the highest peak in urban area of Dalian-West Mountain.
Bus route:
Enclosed raising field entrance:#60 Yingchun Rd –Bus #4,17,404,407,706(get off at Nanshidao Street),525,529,715(get off at the forest zoo)
Free raising area entrance:Silver Beach,West Binhai Rd –Bus #5,501,541,702(get off at the wild zoo)
Tel:82472535
Web:www.dlzoo.com
Entrance fee:120rmb(includes one way cable car)
We started our visit to the zoo with the Free raising area which is the newer part of the zoo.It took us 2 hours to visit everything.Very well organized, the animals are scattered along one single winding road.There is only one big loop for the area hosting the bears, the tigers and the lions.Other animals:elephants(with a big performance area),wolves,hyenas,giraffes,leopards,petting zoo,tropical rain forest hall and a bunch of lamas roaming free on the street.It was a bit shocking to see free animals but they looked pretty harmless.
The cable car ride to the second part of the zoo is fabulous.If you’re lucky enough to be there on a clear day the view is breathtaking. At some point you have a 360 degree view of Dalian.You are actually on top of the city and you can see Xinghai Square,TV Tower,Downtown,Binhai Lu,DDA and everything in between.
The Enclosed raising area is the old part of the zoo and it’s a bit disappointing.Pretty much the same animals(bears,tigers,lions,giraffes,elephants).In addition they have the seals,some monkeys and birds.And Pandas which were hiding.We didn't see them.
Overall it was a good trip.Our son had lots of fun, we had a good hike and a great cable car ride.
It is a bit far away for those living downtown but it’s worth-while. There is fun and adventure for the entire family. The park opened last year and they are saying it’s the biggest theme park in China. We’ve been there twice so far and we definitely didn’t get bored. The entertainers, the vendors and the rest of the staff are absolutely amazing. The costumed characters are greeting you everywhere entertaining the kids and posing for everyone who wants to take pictures with them. Some of the main themes are: The Arabian Land with the Mysterious Desert, The Magic Forest, The Castle, Discovery square,The American Street. The little ones can enjoy lots of rides:cars,trains,balloons,Mary-go Roud and also some indoor themed play grounds. The teenagers and the grown-ups can enjoy a variety of activities starting with a nice show with car chasing, shootings, fire and lots of other stunts. Then get soaked on a boat ride,get dry driving a car in the desert, try a roller coaster ride and many other adventures in between.
You don’t have to pack any snacks. There are restaurants and fast-foods everywhere. Inside the castle they even have an Italian restaurant (I didn’t try it).We only tried the indoor restaurant from the Arabian World and the food was very good (chinese not arabian).
For the lazy ones there is some transportation inside the park. You can pick up a train which connects some of the park’s areas or you can rent a kind of scooter (actually looks like one of those motorized chairs used by handicapped people) .I think you can also rent strollers for the little ones.
For those interested I added some pictures in "Dalian Photos"(2006-2007)gallery.Enjoy!
Last evening I had my first dinner at “Le Café Igosso”.After we’ve been seated on the first floor/balcony we got the menus and then...they forgot about us, even though at that time we were the only clients in the restaurant.After at least 15 min.of being thirsty and hungry we decided we need to get their attention(a bit difficult if you’re on the upper floor).The waitress(speaking good English) got our order and in 5min. we had our appetizers on the table.Almost right after we finished them we got the main courses. My first thought was that the food was actually reheated(coming so quickly), but no, it was fresh cooked meal.Very,very tasty.Tender beef steak cooked according to your instruction, very good size thin crust pizza,lamb chops melting in your mouth, brushetta with huge amount of topping,tasty mussels,good desserts.
Menu:very good selection of appetizers,pizzas,pastas,salads,soups and other main courses. Prices range between 16rmb(for bruschetta) and 98rmb(for a steak).The wine selection is huge as well. I forgot to check the beer.
Downside: they were missing some of the items on the menu:out of 10 desserts they actually had only 2, they didn’t have espresso and also one of the wines we ordered. But I guess if you’re flexible you can replace easily your first choice.
They also have live music: two guys one playing the keyboard the other one playing the guitar. Very enjoyable ambience .
Overall a very good experience.Definitely recommended.
They will have a buffet party on June 28, 18:30-21:30. Fee:100RMB(buffet and bar).
I will recommend reservation because the place is not too big and actually by the time we left the restaurant it was pretty full.
My son is studying at this preschool. They are pretty good, having a Montessori approach. They provide childcare for kids of 16 months to 6 years. All the teachers are Chinese but most of them speak some English. Each class has at least 3 teachers for about 10-15 kids. The curriculum is a mix of playing, art classes,learning,music,dancing.They have an indoor and an outdoor playground.The schedule is 8:00a.m.-5:00p.m. with nap time(very nice bedrooms) 12:00-2:00.They provide breakfast,lunch and dinner and some snacks inbetween.The school is very clean and the staff is very friendly.My son is very happy there, he is learning a lot and most important his Chinese language is getting better and better every day.
They provide transportation and the kids are always accompanied by teachers.
Tuition fee:1800rmb/month.I think transportation is extra.
Phone: 82309888/82310023
For more details feel free to send me a pm.
We've been there during May holiday.Bad timing!! The place was very crowded.But this was the only downside.The area is very picturesque with gorgeous landscapes and absolutelly amazing cliffs and peaks.There are lakes with cristal clear water.We've been hiking for almost three hours and we were not able to see the whole park.It's huge.There is also a resort which is known as "Oriental Miniature Switzerland" but unfortunately we were unable to locate it.Having all the signs and maps in chinese it didn't help.And also, beeing so crowded and having two dogs and a little tired kid with us made this trip a bit stressful and we had to cut it short.But we will definetely go back there one day.But not during peak time.There is a lot more to see and once again the scenery is extraordinary.
Admission fee:100rmb/person
Info on transportation is from the internet so I don't know if it's accurate.
Week-end and holydays:direct bus@7:30 from Shengli Sq(infront of Dalian Railway Station);45rmb
Weekdays:Dalian Bus Station@8:30--Zhuanghe City--Bingyu Valley
Albert
