Shanghai Wild Animal Park

Shanghai Wild Animal Park tickets and prices

An adult day ticket costs about ¥190 at Qunar, one of China’s big ticket sellers, and that includes the regular bus through the predator zone. The park’s own sales page runs on scripts we couldn’t read, so treat it as unconfirmed. Other guides quote ¥165 or ¥130, most likely older prices.

The official rule on children: one child under 6 or under 1.3 m gets in free with each adult holding a ticket for that day. Unofficially, students and visitors aged 65+ pay about ¥95. Some summer evenings have a separate night ticket.

Buy at the gate or through Trip.com and similar sellers that take foreign cards. For anything inside the park, Alipay or WeChat Pay linked to a foreign Visa or Mastercard is the easiest option; carry some cash in yuan as a backup, and bring your passport — Chinese ticketing often asks for the number.

Shanghai Wild Animal Park opening hours

The park is open every day. From February to June, on September weekdays and from the end of Golden Week to 30 November it runs 9:00–17:00, with ticket sales and entry until 16:00. In December and January it closes at 16:30, last entry 15:30, and the safari stops at 16:00.

On night-park days — July and August, September weekends, public holidays and Golden Week in early October — it stays open until 21:00, with entry until 19:30 and the safari running until 20:30. On very busy days the park may extend hours; announcements are made on site. Individual enclosures, shows and feedings can close at short notice.

What to see at Shanghai Wild Animal Park

• Drive-through safari (车入区) — fenced territories of bears, tigers, lions and cheetahs, seen from the park bus. Unofficially, the regular bus is included in your ticket; a paid feeding vehicle runs the same loop.
• Giant pandas — in their own pavilion in the walking area; they’re most active in the morning.
• Walking area (步行区) — giraffes, zebras, rhinos, Asian and African elephants, chimpanzees, flamingos and a bird park, with paid feeding points.
• Rare Chinese species — golden snub-nosed monkeys, takins and other protected animals.
• Lemur Island and Brown Bear Water World — newer walk-through enclosures.
• Aquatic Adventure (水域探秘) — a boat trip past golden monkeys and rare birds; it starts at 9:15 and stops at 19:00 on night-park days.
• Shows — the animal parade and the sea lion show; the circus costs extra.

Is Shanghai Wild Animal Park worth it?

Yes, if you’re travelling with children or simply love animals: big cats walking up to the bus, pandas and giraffes in one day is something central Shanghai can’t offer. The park is large and clearly set up for families, with shows, feeding points and even a Tiger Restaurant built around eating next to the big cats.

Skip it if you have only two or three days in Shanghai and no kids. Getting there and back eats about three hours, and the park is a day in itself. People who dislike seeing big animals in captivity should know that the predator zone is still an enclosure, not a wild reserve.

How long to spend and how to plan your day

Give the park 4–5 hours, or most of a day if you want the shows and feedings. Add 90 minutes each way from downtown, so leave the city centre around 7:30 to be at the gate for the 9:00 opening.

Go straight to the safari while bus queues are short and animals are awake, then the pandas and giraffes; show times are announced over the loudspeakers. There are cafés inside, but park rules ban boxed meals and fast food brought from outside, as well as feeding animals your own food. Bring water and a hat — the walking area has little shade.

Wild Animal Park or Shanghai Disneyland?

Both are in Pudong and both take most of a day, so don’t try to combine them. Prices are unofficial; see Shanghai Disneyland for details.

How to do it right

• Do the safari first: the last buses leave half an hour before the park closes.
• On Line 16, check the platform screen — express and rapid trains don’t stop at Wild Animal Park.
• Only feed animals with food sold in the park; your own snacks are off-limits.
• Paid left-luggage is available at the gate — leave big bags there.
• For a taxi, show the driver 上海野生动物园, 南六公路178号.
• In summer the night park is a good option: animals hide from the midday heat.
• Heading back, change at Longyang Road and stop at Lujiazui for the skyline after dark.

Questions