Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
DON'T MISS…
»
Antique wooden buildings
»
Bang Rak Museum
PRACTICALITIES
»
273 Soi 43, Th Charoen Krung
»
10am-4pm Wed-Sun
»
Tha Si Phraya
Lumphini & Around
QUEEN SAOVABHA MEMORIAL INSTITUTE
ZOO
(Snake Farm; cnr Th Phra Ram IV & Th Henri Dunant; adult/child 200/50B; 9.30am-3.30pm Mon-Fri, to 1pm Sat
& Sun; Si Lom exit 1, Sala Daeng exit 3)
Snake farms tend to gravitate towards carnivalesque
rather than humanitarian, except at the Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute. Founded in
1923, the snake farm gathers antivenin from venomous snakes. This is done by milking
the snakes' venom, injecting it into horses, and harvesting and purifying the antivenin
they produce. The antivenins are then used to treat human victims of snake bites.
Regular
milkings
(
11am Mon-Fri)
and
snake-handling performances
(
2.30pm Mon-Fri, 11am &
2.30pm Sat & Sun)
are held at the outdoor amphitheatre.
The leafy grounds are home to a few caged snakes (and a constant soundtrack of rock
music), but most attractions are found in the Simaseng Building, at the rear of the com-
pound. The ground floor houses several varieties of snakes in glass cages.
MR KUKRIT PRAMOJ HOUSE
MUSEUM
