Visit to the Seoul Zoo
I’m no animal activist, but every time I visit some sort of space where animals are inclosed in Korea, I come out either depressed or bored by the horrible lack of space and tacky decorations.
When my husband and I decided to visit the Seoul Zoo this morning, we had very low expectations and assumed we would be in and out of there within an hour or so (this happened the last time we visited the aquarium at Coex Mall).
We came out of Exit 2 of Seoul Grand Park on Line 4 and found the ticketing booth quite easily since all you have to do is follow the largest crowd. We did things a bit differently, but most people purchased the package ticket which includes a train ticket which will take you straight to the entrance of the zoo (you want to get this. It isn’t a short walk), a ticket into the zoo, and a sky lift ticket which will take you right back near the subway exit. All of this comes out to about 10,000 won. It’s cheap. We spent about 35,000 won for two people- including drinks and food the entire day.
The first thing we saw upon entering the zoo was a flock of flamingos. From there, we walked around counter clockwise (as suggested on their map) and were pleasantly surprised by the conditions the animals were kept in. There weren’t any unnoticed dead fish floating belly up, animals that seemed to have lost it-rocking back and forth in the smallest spaces, or those sitting miserably-covered in their own feces. Their landscaping was done tastefully and it seemed like they did what they could to mimic the natural habitats. 
We walked around nearly three hours and we still didn’t manage to see everything. The zoo offers a wide variety of animals, including: giraffes, sea lions, alligators, wolves, lions, and tigers. There are also sections dedicated to bugs, a botanical garden, and a giant dome where tons of peacocks roam free with no fencing so that you could almost reach out and touch them. The best part of all is probably the location. The zoo is surrounded by mountains so the air is clean. A nice break from the Seoul smog.
Another great thing about hanging out at the zoo is that it’s an escape from the usual crowds in the city. I prepared myself for the worst since we went on a Saturday afternoon, but not a single person bumped into me that day. I imagine the experience could have been even better we had visited on a weekday. No need to fight for a good view. As far as zoos go, it wasn’t so bad. I wouldn’t mind visiting again.
Their website: http://grandpark.seoul.go.kr/engMain.jsp