Miyazaki Phoenix Zoo

photo by Snap55 · CC BY 3.0

photo by rintarow · CC BY 3.0

You can ride an Asian elephant for 500 yen, compared with thousands in Kanto.

Opened in 1971 on the pine-covered coast of Hitotsuba, it houses about 100 species and 1,200 animals. Its most unusual attraction is close contact with Asian elephants: as well as walking alongside the animal and offering it a snack on a long stick, the park is one of the few in Japan where you can literally ride an elephant, for 500 yen (a fraction of the thousands of yen charged for similar experiences in Kanto). Next to the zoo, the Phoenix amusement park has rides and a lazy river pool.

The Miyazaki Phoenix Natural Zoological Park opened in 1971 on a pine-covered headland on the Hitotsuba coast, north of the city, and calls itself ‘the zoo of sun and greenery’. It houses about 100 species and 1,200 animals across African savannah, Asian elephants and small mammals you can touch, with daily shows such as the flamingo flight. It stands next to an amusement park and shares a combined ticket with the nearby Florante Miyazaki botanical garden.

ℹ️ Open 9:00–17:00 (until 19:00 from 31 July to 16 August, with free entry for junior high pupils after 16:00). Closed on Wednesdays (except public holidays, Golden Week and the summer/winter holidays) and on 31 December. Tickets: adults (high school and above) 840 yen, junior high 420 yen, elementary school 310 yen; combined ticket with Florante Miyazaki 900 yen for adults. Car park 400 yen. Elephant walks and riding experiences available at weekends/on public holidays, at fixed times.

🚉 Hyuga-Sumiyoshi · 27 min walk

Sources: miyazaki-city-zoo.jp · miyazaki-city-zoo.jp

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