History and horticulture at the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens

After enjoying a walk through Hong Kong Park, why not head on up the road to the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens (map)? HKZBG was founded long ago in 1871 as just a Botanic Garden and was renamed in 1975 as Botanical and Zoological Gardens as the zoological exhibits expanded. It was the first zoo I ever went to as a child and although nowadays there aren’t as many animals to see, it’s still a very lovely park to take a break and find some solace in the otherwise busy and crowded city.

The Gardens stretch over 5.6 hectares and contain a wide range of zoological and horticultural exhibits, including an aviary, reptile house, mammal enclosure, green house, bamboo garden, herb garden, and many more types of gardens. Inside you will be overwhelmed by beautiful greenery with blossoming magnolias, bauhinias, azaleas and more. Every year, more than 10,000 school children visit the Gardens on educational programs provided by the Education and Exhibition Centre.

Located in Albany Road, Central (map), HKZBG is divided into two parts: East and West. The eastern part is known as the Old Garden where the Children’s Playground, Aviaries, Fountain Terrace and Green House are. The western part is the New Garden, which holds the mammals and reptiles. There used to be orangutans and more animals in the zoo but these days you will see smaller mammals such as lemurs and the golden lion tamarin, which are beautiful golden animals found in the lowland rainforests of Southeastern Brazil.

The Pavilion is the oldest structure in the Gardens and is located just before the tunnel leading up to the western area. It still has the original architecture except for the roof, which was restructured and flattened some years ago. Here you will see photos dating back to the 1800s when construction on the Gardens first began.

Once again admission to the Gardens is free. The Fountain Terrace Garden is open daily from 6am to 10pm while the Green House and Education and Exhibition Centre are open from 9am to 4.30pm. All the other areas are open from 6am to 7pm.

For more visit the HKZBG website

Albany Road, Central, Hong Kong

Tel +852 2530 0154

Fax +852 2537 1207

E-mail dmhkzbg@lcsd.gov.hk

Related posts:

Have a ‘Budding Winter’ at Hong Kong Park

Bird watching at Hong Kong Park Aviary

Photo credit: Jessy DB, The Hong Kong Guide