Ragunan Zoo

Ragunan has just launched its first-ever Night at the Zoo program, and for the people of Jakarta it has been a genuine sensation — a taste of a night safari without the long drive out of the city. The zoo drew huge crowds through its first month and made the headlines on its opening night last October.

Now that the initial frenzy has died down, we wanted to ask the harder question: does a night zoo in Jakarta actually work? And is it worth paying 250,000 rupiah for a safari to see a handful of animals, when 4,000 rupiah buys you many more in broad daylight?

The program arrived under real scrutiny — concerns about animal welfare and cost accessibility raised by politicians before it even opened, and sharp feedback about its service and operations afterwards. We went to find out whether the Ragunan Night Zoo is worth the trip.

Arrival, and a tale of two paths

We arrived at 6pm, the sky already darkening. The first thing you see is an illuminated gate, the zoo's mascot brightly lit to mark the entrance. I liked it — the lighting gives the place a modern look and signals a zoo making an effort to meet current standards.

Inside, we tapped in with our Jakkard cards — the same card you use for the MRT or TransJakarta — at the ticketing gate. The fare was 4,000 rupiah, exactly what we'd pay during the day.

At first glance, that feels like a steal: a night safari for the daytime price. Dead wrong. There is one major difference between Ragunan by day and by night. In daylight, that 4,000 rupiah gives you the run of the entire zoo. At night, you get access to just 25% of it — and that quarter is split into two separate paths.

The first is a regular walking path, well lit, where people stroll, eat, and jog. Follow it and you'll pass the iconic orangutan fountain by the Schmutzer Primate Centre, and further down, the giant manmade lake.

I genuinely enjoyed walking here. The dark masks the imperfections that daylight would expose, and the zoo at night feels like a walk through dense rainforest — which, to a wildlife enthusiast like me, is wonderful. My friend found it more eerie than enchanting, and I can see that too.

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The dark masks every imperfection daylight would expose — it feels less like a zoo than a walk through dense rainforest.

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But here is my frustration: management has designated this as the Non-Safari Path, where you literally cannot see the animals. Staff actively discourage you from peeking into the exhibits along the route.

I understand the logic for a diurnal species like the orangutan. But binturong, big cats, deer, and the saltwater crocodile are nocturnal or crepuscular — exactly the animals that are fine, even better, to show at night. The crocodile in particular was very visible from the lake bridge, and I think it is a missed opportunity that there wasn't even an information board for it.

It doesn't add up, because other parks manage it. Taman Safari and the Singapore Night Safari both display these species at night while meeting welfare standards. I was surprised to learn the Singapore Night Safari even keeps pelicans on its display list — which suggests Ragunan's iconic pelican pool could work at night too.

Finally, I think the path could use a few more points of interest beyond walking, eating, and hunting for the perfect Instagram shot — something to bring people back at night. I understand the governor wants to treat the zoo like Lapangan Banteng and other urban night spaces, but that misses what makes Ragunan uniquely special as a place. I really hope they push it further.

The Safari — the best and most expensive part

Now for the headline act, and the priciest: the safari itself. For 250,000 rupiah you reserve a buggy — a car for five, complete with a driver. That price assumes a full group of five, which works out to 50,000 each; if you're going solo, plan ahead.

The payment method, though, is needlessly complicated, and it makes for a poor first impression. You can pay with the same Jakkard you used to walk in — but only if it's loaded with 250,000 or more, and I doubt many people keep that kind of balance on a card they mainly use for transport. You can top up through Tokopedia, but that means leaning on a third-party app and decent cellular signal just to buy a ticket. I understand why they did it — to receive full payment instead of surrendering a cut to a third party — but the execution is, to put it lightly, ngerepotin banget (a real hassle). To be fair, this was a few months ago, and things may well have changed since. Worth keeping in mind.

Visitors who went in the first month tell me they could once pay directly through a QRIS barcode in the buggies themselves. Losing that is a big letdown.

On the brighter side — and these are the last of my criticisms — I have nothing but praise for what came next, from a zoo I'd assumed had barely changed since 1864. The safari takes you to four designated stops: the Hippo Zone, the Tiger Zone, the Small Mammal House, and the Reptile Zone. Which order you visit them in depends on coordination between buggies, so no single stop gets congested with tour groups — a nice touch.

The Hippo Zone

Our first stop sat between the paddocks of two very different animals: the rare, endangered pygmy hippopotamus and the more familiar Nile hippo. The pygmy hippo hails from the rainforests of West Africa and does remarkably well in captivity, living some 42 to 55 years — far longer than in the wild. They're herbivores, favouring fruit, ferns, and broad-leaved plants from the forest floor.

The paddock itself is decently sized, with a large body of water for swimming and diving. The land portion leaves something to be desired, but it works. The keeper gave us a detailed, professional rundown of the animal — its description, diet, and assorted facts — while letting us feed the hippo ourselves, up close.

I was amazed at how near we got, able to take in every detail of the animal. That kind of immersive, keeper-guided encounter is a huge plus in my book.

The Small Mammal Zone

Next came the Small Mammal Zone, home to the small- and medium-sized animals of our forests. Another keeper waited at the entrance to the mammal house, ready to walk us through the enclosures.

First up: the wallabies. Cousins to Australia's larger kangaroos, wallabies are smaller and more nocturnal, ranging from the rainforests of western New Guinea east across the island and on to Australia.

Then the fishing cat. Unlike most felines, fishing cats love the water, hunting fish, frogs, and other small aquatic prey. They're built for it, with partially webbed toes that let them move easily through their wetland home.

The Tiger Zone

[PLACEHOLDER — the tiger enclosure: a comparison of the tigers during the day and at night.]

The Reptile Zone

[PLACEHOLDER — the reptile zone.]

The verdict

[PLACEHOLDER — closing verdict on whether the Night Zoo is worth the trip; intended to reference Raden Saleh, the figure in the statue.]

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