Departing for Longemont Taihu before the Dragon Boat Festival

➡ Our two-day-one-night trip to Longemont has ended! Overall, it was a great experience👇 **Day 1⃣** 🔜🏨: Animal World Hotel 🐘🐯 We booked a connecting twin-room package (4 entry tickets + breakfast for 5), which was perfect for two families. The connecting door in the middle could be opened, and the kids ran back and forth happily😹. 🔜💗 Taihu Ancient Town 🌆 After resting at the hotel, we headed to Taihu Ancient Town around 6 PM. It’s recommended to take a taxi or the paid sightseeing shuttle🛺 in the area! The ancient town’s iron flower show ✨ has two performances, with a grand high-altitude fireworks display🎇 after the second one (fireworks at 9:25 PM on Saturdays🎇), so most people watch the second show. There’s also a water dance show, making it super lively. **Day 2⃣** ❣ After waking up and freshening up, we went to the 27th-floor buffet restaurant🍜 for breakfast (served from 6:30 AM to 10:00 AM, extended by half an hour on weekends/holidays). The breakfast variety was rich 🍱🍡, combining Chinese and Western options with a balance of meat and veggies. Many dishes were made fresh, like wontons, dry-tossed noodles, beef vermicelli soup, and baked pancakes—this was a delightful surprise🥳. After breakfast, it’s just a 5-minute walk from the hotel to the Animal World pedestrian zone entrance🔜. Longemont Animal World is divided into 🚗 driving and 🚶 walking zones, with different entrances. ⚠️ Don’t go to the wrong one! ⚠️ Animal World hours: 9:00 AM–5:00 PM daily (last entry at 4:00 PM). ⭐1. The zoo is quite large—be sure to check the map at the entrance. ⭐2. The free mini-train runs until 4:00 PM, so plan your time accordingly (lines can get long!). The train departs every 30 minutes, passing by alpacas🦙 grazing leisurely, ostriches, yellow deer, yaks, sika deer, zebras, giraffes, and more. ⭐3. In the walking zone, renting a cart costs 120 RMB/hour (additional 2 RMB/minute after). The sightseeing shuttle🛺 operates from 9:15 AM–4:30 PM, with 9 stops (starting at Dove🕊️ Square Station). Unlimited rides for 30 RMB/person (free for infants under 2). ⭐4. Along the walking route, there are free animal educational shows🉑, though the tiger show🐯 (Return of the King) costs 30 RMB/person. On weekdays, shows usually run between 11:00 AM–3:00 PM (one show per day, no repeats—so time it carefully‼️). On weekends, there’s an extra Animal Welcome🕊️ at 9:30 AM, with more performances but shorter intervals. Either way, plan wisely! ⭐5. If you enjoy feeding interactions, you can buy feeding cards: 💰100 RMB for 7 times or 💰200 RMB for 15 times (portions are small, though). ♨️: The kids had a blast! It was a wonderful travel experience, and I hope this helps with your planning!