Colchester Zoo

Set in 60 acres of parklands and surrounded by beautiful lakes, Colchester Zoo is the perfect place to meet your favourite animals while surrounded by stunning scenery. Play on the wild side in an animal kingdom as you meet a range of animals and fall in love with them. If you're looking for an enjoyable visit to an incredible attraction and lots of views of animals Colchester Zoo is the place to be for a lovely family day out.

Enjoy a hands-on experience with over 180 species of animals, and different habitats from around the world, you'll be truly amazed as you feast your eyes on lots of animals!

From Komodo dragons, White rhinos, beautiful sun bears, African lions, Amur leopard and more! Enjoy an amazing experience as you get up close and personal to African elephants and giraffes while feeding them some dinner (at no extra cost!). An animal encounter like no other, your little one will love seeing the giraffe stretch its enormous neck for a nibble, or watching an elephant’s trunk sway and vacuum the tasty treats that your little one has set out for them in the Elephant Kingdom. Tweet along with some gorgeous rainbow lorikeet birds, head to the Cat Enclosure and Lion Rock to hear who has the loudest roar in their pride of lions and see if you can spot the elusive fennec fox! If you love hippos, you need to visit the hippo enclosure for the pygmy hippo! They like to wallow in the water during the day, so they're always chill. 

For a colourful experience take a trip through the tropical walkthrough aviary! You can see beautiful lorikeets, get the chance to get up close with them as you feed the golden nectar and enjoy a unique feeding experience. This aviary of lorikeets are free-flying and have daily displays from 10:30am! 

Take a step into the Wilds of Asia as you discover the fantastic conservation Colchester Zoo's taken on to help endangered Asian species thrive. From red pandas, Burmese pythons, pileated gibbons and lion-tailed macaques. With breeding programmes that encourage the growth of these sadly endangered animals, like the breeding pair of red pandas.

Then discover a surreal experience with penguins as you explore Penguin Shores, and observe the large group of Humboldt penguins as they dive, swim, feed and interact with other penguins. As well as a fun and enjoyable day out, it's also quite an educational visit, as you discover more than one kingdom of the wild.

Finally, dive underwater and get to know some wonderful sea creatures with a walk through the 24m underwater tunnel at Playa Patagonia. Train enthusiasts will also love it here as you can take a ride on the Lost Madagascar Express road train.

Have a fan of monkeys? The Meddelin Monkey exhibit is a must-see! A group of Colombian black spider monkeys are very social and will often be climbing by the walkways or chilling out in their enclosure! Don't forget to visit the endangered golden lion Tamarins, who are cheeky and stick their tongue out to scare intruders away! 

There are a few main restaurants, like the Penguini's Restaurant, that serves the cheesiest and tastiest pizza and pasta. Meerkat Hangout, which serves hot and cold sandwiches, snacks and treats, there are also gluten-free, veggie and vegan options available! The Gourmet Sausage serves juicy sausages, crispy chips and more. While The Waterhole serves snacks and light refreshments that are good for a pit stop! You also can't forget the ice cream shops where you can rock up to the kiosks for ice creams to lick your lips at! or the Naughty and Nice, for some tasty sweet treats. You can get sausage rolls and more snacks at various eateries.

If you want to bring the fun home, visit the gift shop and see if there are any souvenirs you'd like to purchase. Like plushies, t-shirts, sculptures, drinking flasks and more!

So, if you're looking for animal display in wild enclosures and for an amazing time exploring Colchester Zoo's incredible attraction. You'll have a brilliant time as you gaze upon the most beautiful animals around.