Family Time at Gembira Loka Zoo Jogja - Mommy's Next Step Motherhood in faith of Islamic Religion

Hi, assalamu alaikum.

To Gembira Loka Zoo of Jogja!

Yeay!

Three days prior to Eid El-Fitr my husband and I took our kids to a well-known zoo in Jogja: Gembira Loka Zoo.

It is quite close to my mom's house, about 5 km away West.

The day before we arrived in Jogja for Eid's holiday. We always celebrate Eid in my hometown.

My husband asked me about the things we would do during holidays. He wanted me to make a list of places we would visit while in Jogja.

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"Family holiday must be memorable to kids. That's what they will remember about their childhood," that is my husband's motto.

Alright.

Then I chose for them Gembira Loka Zoo. And they all agreed.

First thing first. We had to bring a baby stroller for our toddler, Mr. Admiral.

We wouldn't have had enough energy to chase him running around the zoo. No. And we were fasting. So, it would be wise if we could bring a stroller.

Alhamdulillah, my brother had one. We borrowed it from him and ready to go.

My bigger kids were having a fast. It was Ramadan 28 anyway, so they had been fasting for long enough to keep themselves comfortable with the circumstances.

We left home at about 8.30 a.m. The road was still fine. No traffic jam. It took about 30 minutes to get there.

We chose to take Wonosari Street to West and continued to Kebun Raya Street. It was a nicer route to take as it is a faster way to get to Gembira Loka Zoo.

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The parking area was still empty. There were only 3 cars including ours.

My kids soon found out that it was nice to run around the ticket area which is not so far from the parking area.

There are several parking areas anyway. And we chose the Eastern side.

No need to queue while we bought the tickets because it was empty there.

Thirty-five thousand Rupiah for each person, excluded Mr. Admiral because it's free for those who are under 3 years old.

With Mr. Admiral in the stroller, we discovered the zoo.

The Gembira Loka Zoo entrance

My last visit to Gembira Loka Zoo was in 1995. What? 24 years ago, masha Allah. I really thank Allah I could go back there once more.

The zoo is so green. Trees are everywhere. Big ones. And I still captured the same pictures I saw years ago!

I told my kids that I visited the zoo several times and the entrance didn't change at all.

We walked through the pathway and found out that the zoo was clean. There were sounds of the animals. Our guessing was it might be an elephant's.

Follow the signs at Gembira Loka Zoo

The first place we visited was the lake where visitors can enjoy pedalling on the water. But it hadn't opened yet as we came very early. Mr. Professor really wanted to try the lake but he had to wait until 9.00 a.m. and we didn't have time to wait.

"Sorry, Son. There will be another time," said my husband to the complaining boy.

After that we met a line of marching elephants! They crossed the road and we took their pictures.

The elephants at Gembira Loka Zoo

And another lake with its beautiful bridge!

Beautiful bridge at Gembira Loka Zoo

In front of the lake there are some animals' houses. And you know what, one the sounds we heard earlier was from here.

We saw two kinds of Tapir. Asian and Brasilian Tapir. I've seen the Asian Tapir before. But Brasilian Tapir? It was my first time. I first thought that it was a wild pig.

Brasilian Tapir at Gembira Loka Zoo

It looked like a big pig. Very big one. But its tail didn't look like a pig's tail. And the nose was longer than a pig's.

We also saw an ostrich. It was really big. I thought ostrich was not that big. I was wrong again.

Ostrich at Gembira Loka Zoo

We walked and saw more animals. There are wallabies, cassowaries, ankolis (a kind of cow), primates,
and otters! A big family of otters!

They screamed and cried to see us. It was their breakfast time so they asked for food in a unique way.

We were amazed by the noise they made. It was really stunning. Soon after that a guard came and feed them with catfish. They ran and grabbed the food eagerly.

Here is a video of how they behaved:

The last animal we visited was the elephant.

It was a short trip to the zoo as Mr. Admiral got sick. Forget about tigers, camels and even penguins (people said there are penguins at the zoo).

We rushed to the ER as he turned 38.8 °C. He even vomitted and refused to drink nor eat. We visited the doctor and Mr. Admiral was given a paracetamol through his anus.

He soon got well alhamdulillah although his body turned hot again the day after. But, he relieved on the 3rd day. Thank Allah for his recovery.

If we have another chance we will visit the zoo once more to discover more.

For those of you who wants to go there, I suggest you to come early. The gate opens at 8 a.m. so it will be better if you arrive there at that time.

A baby stroller is really a help if you bring your baby or your toddler.

There are signs to follow, so follow the route. If you need some help you can ask the officials there. They are helpful.

Be careful of the mini-train. They pass sometimes along with pedestrian walk.

Mini-train at Gembira Loka Zoo

They have their own route but beware of your children as they may not be too aware of the train's arrival.

Do not feed the animals. It is forbidden and it is dangerous to you and to the animals.

Keep the zoo clean. Don't litter.

Enjoy your visit to Gembira Loka Zoo!