A peaceful morning at the Hong Kong Zoo

The Hong Kong Zoo and Botanical Gardens is the 5.6 hectare home to more than 1,000 species of plants and over 500 animals including orangutans, lemurs and pythons.

Visiting at 7 am on New Year’s Day meant we pretty much had the whole place to ourselves with the exception of a few locals getting in their morning exercises.

If you are looking for a expansive Singapore Zoo-type experience, this is not it.  But with a children’s playground, aviaries, green house and gardens, and lots of animals to see, it’s a quaint and fun destination for little kids.  The zoo is clean and well-kept, and is so serene and quiet, it’s hard to believe it’s in the middle of Hong Kong.

Our taxi dropped us off at the Albany Road entrance of the zoo at about the mid-way point.  In hindsight, a better place to start would have been at one of the northwest entrances off of Glenealy Rd, since the zoo slopes steeply southwards, and wind our way down.

The green house and education centre opens at 9 am and the zoo and gardens open at 6 am every day.  Admission is free!  We were welcomed at the entrance by a large flight of stairs, so be aware there may be spots where you have to carry a stroller.