We spent Christmas Day, 2014 in Phuket, Thailand via a 14-day Asian Holiday cruise on Holland America’s Volendam.
Phuket has a dock, but as a busy cruise ship port a visit often means a tendering into Putong Bay from anchor, as our ship did on Christmas day. The port call was a short one – from 8 am until 3:30 pm – but since large local tenders were used, the crowd waiting for tenders had cleared by 10 am and we grabbed spots on an open tender with our friends James and Rick.
Once on shore, we found a nearby ATM to withdraw some Thai Bhat. U.S. dollars were also widely accepted. There were many drivers around the pier, and we finally decided to hire one with an open-sided vehicle that comfortably seated the 4 of us. He agreed to drive us around the West side of the island for $50 for two hours, and to take us to the Tiger Kingdom, which is about a 10 minute ride from the tender port dock.
The open-sided taxi was perfect for viewing the countryside.
Our visit was one day ahead of the 10th anniversary of the deadly tsunami that resulted from the December 26th, 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. Phuket suffered extensive damage, as did much of Southeast Asia, but little of that damage can be seen on the island of Phuket today.
While Phuket is known for its beautiful beaches, 7o percent of the island is covered by mountains that stretch from north to south. Our driver took us up to some of the high points for terrific views.
Next, we headed to Tiger Kingdom, a somewhat controversial attraction in Phuket where tigers are raised by their trainers since young, bonding with it throughout the development process.
According to the website, “the trainers employ a combination of repetition, trust and encouragement to train their big cats and over time the Big Cat are used to human and often see us as one of the family.
In Tiger Kingdom, our well-trained and experience staffs will ensure your duty, but these Big Cats are still wild animal that you need to treat with respect.
Most visitors came and spend a relatively short time in Tiger Kingdom, more than often they would encounter that these tigers are always sleeping. But cats are cats and they sleep up to 18 hours a day, just like kitty at home. Please do not assume our cats are drugged. To make the most of your visit, our staffs will play with the tigers during the day. And our cats are also trained to sleep and rest at night.
James and Rick agreed to go into the tiger cages with me, while Mr. Jones preferred to stay in the cafe and enjoy a Tiger beer.
One of the baby tiger cubs at Tiger Kingdom in Phuket, Thailand.
Tiger Kingdom offers 4 different sizes of tigers that you can interact with:
- Spend 10 minutes up close with the baby tiger cubs (2-4 months)
- Spend 10 minutes up close with the small tigers (5-10 months)
- Spend 10 minutes up close with the medium tigers (11-15 months)
- Spend 10 minutes up close with the big tigers (16-36 months)
We choose the 2-tiger experience which included the small (8 month old tigers) and the medium tigers that were about 13 months old.
After purchasing our tickets and signing an in-depth release, we viewed Tiger visiting instructions and rules. Basically, you are instructed to approach the Tigers from behind, and to stroke their backs with firm petting, including pulling their tail. (You are to stay away from their faces, as to not confuse them that you want to play.)
Then, we entered the compound with a number of enclosures. When it is your group’s turn, a guide escorts you to each group of tigers where you can get up close; pet them, pull their tails, and take pictures with them.
The guide is always close by with a tiny stick that he uses to distract the tiger if it turns its head back toward the person rubbing its back.
It is truly a unique experience, and if you are a cat lover, you can’t help but love the chance to get near these magnificent animals.
By the way, the tigers in all of these photos were in the ‘small’ group, and about eight months old.
Our take-away advice — if you are hurried for time, just purchase time with one size of Tiger — the experience is not that different between the small and the medium tigers.
After Tiger Kingdom, our driver took us back to the beach. We enjoyed a long beach walk, stopping a couple of times to enjoy a cold Tiger beer, and to acquire a nice Starbuck’s mug to add to our collection.
3:30 came too soon, and we joined many other passengers in the tender line at Patong Bay who also waited until the last minute to leave this beautiful paradise.
It was a Christmas to remember.
Have you visited Tiger Kingdom in Phuket? What was your reaction? Would you recommend it to others? Please share your thoughts in comments below.
Learn more about Phuket and our previous visit in these posts:
- 18 Fun Facts About Phuket, Thailand
- Thai Gastronomy at the Blue Elephant Cooking School in Phuket, Part 1
- Thai Gastronomy at the Blue Elephant Cooking School in Phuket, Part 2
- Thai Gastronomy at the Blue Elephant Cooking School in Phuket, Part 3
To read more about our 14-Day Asian Holiday cruise on Holland America’s Volendam, check out these posts:
- Christmas Eve on Holland America Line’s Volendam
- A Close-up Look at Holland America’s Dive-In at the Terrace Grill Menu
- Experiencing the Best Food of Penang, Malaysia with Heritage on a Plate
- Exploring the Port of Malacca, Malaysia on Foot
- A Look Inside Ocean-view Stateroom 2641 on Holland America’s Volendam
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