Bali Zoo promotes dinner with the great elephant attraction
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Visitors to Bali Zoo can now indulge in the latest attraction – Dinner With The Great Elephant which commenced recently as the first activity of its kind. Dinner With The Great Elephant will allow visitors to observe the gentle giants bathe and experience feeding before sitting down to a sumptuous buffet dinner at Gayo Restaurant, situated next to our Sumatran Elephants, followed by two inspiring cultural dance performances.
Upon arrival at Bali Zoo evening, visitors first pass through a brand new spacious Deer Park exhibit featuring a collection of Bawean, Sitatunga, Kijang Timor and Javan Rusa deers. From the Zoo one can take a short double decker bus ride to 100-year old traditional Sumatran buffalo house (kandang kerbau) drop off point. After disembarking at our grand two hectare Kampung Sumatra wildlife exhibit area, you will be invited to participate in our Elephant Encounter session that includes taking photos and hand feeding dozen Sumatran elephants that are currently classified as critically endangered by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature).
Before heading to dinner at Gayo Restaurant visitors continue the tour with a visit to the Sumatran tiger, tapir and sun bear exhibits as well as a stop at our nocturnal animal encounter session located at the nearby waterfall area. Dinner is served from 6:30 - 9:00pm however guests are able to join at any time during these hours. After choosing from a large variety of soup, salad and grilled items from the lavish buffet you’ll be seated at table just a few meters away from a small herd of six elephants adorned in colorful fabrics inspired by the decorated royal pachyderms of India, all accompanied by their mahouts in traditional Sumatran costume, and all perfectly set up for photo taking opportunities.
At 7:30pm our troupe of elephants will lead in the performers for a Saman dance (the Dance of a Thousand Hands) on the Green Stage before temporarily exiting the area at 8:20pm. Saman is a fast paced traditional dance from the Gayo ethnic group of Sumatra that is usually performed to commemorate important occasions. Our elephants return at 8:30pm with a parade leading in the performers for the next attraction – a 20-minute fire dance inspired by the legendary great battle between the Hanoman, the white monkey god, and Ravana, the great King of Lanka, as told in the Hindu epic poem, the Ramayana.
The programme for the evening ends at 9.30pm with a photo session with our troupe of elaborately attired dancers.