Colchester Zoo

We have been to this zoo many times and it never fails to impress! Even with the building work happening there is still so much to do and see. We especially loved the land train that takes you to the Lemur enclosure - where you can get our and go into the enclosure with the Lemurs roaming free. The only ask for a donation for the land train ( some zoos charge a set fee) which I think is great , its a bit sad that some people use the train but don't give a donation but I guess they think they pay enough with their admission price. We use our Marwell Zoo annual passes that gets us into many zoos across the country so for us we got into this zoo for free. As silly as it may seem some zoos we've visited the animals have a sadness about them ( Bristol zoo is a fine example of animals seemingly unhappy) but at Colchester all the animals seem quite happy and content. The only issue I have with Colchester zoo is that it's really hilly and steep in places so come the end of the day and not to put to finer a point on it -I'm knackered! You can easily spend a whole day here but I would recommend bringing some food and drink as it can work out expensive if you only eat and drink in the food outlets. There is ample parking which is great and it's well signposted. We will be returning for sure!

** A M A Z I N G !! **

A fantastic day out for all the family regardless of age. Animals all looked after and given loads of space.

a great day out, i took my nephew and his friends, they loved it whiles i chased them around. He thought it was brilliant and been asking to go back ever since, a really great day out.

great place to go for a little relaxing. great animals and show

I went with friends and thought it was brilliant, a really great day out. Even though we aren't little kids we loved it!

Have taken all my kids there over the years. Too many animals to see in one trip. Constantly being added to with new exhibits. Seeing the new borns is one of the joys of the zoo.

Can get packed on summer weekends with coach trippers.

This is definatly one of the best zoo's I have ever been to! I go so often that I am considering getting a gold card! I always go with my friends, and everytime we go there is something new and exciting to do. The animals are amazing, and range from red ants to giraffes and elephants which you can feed at certain times of the day! You can also watch deminstrations of the keepers feeding and playing with the animals at set times of the day. There is a large farm animals bit where there are horses and donkeys which you can feed, aswell as the greedy goats! There are tones of unusual and beautiful animals kept there, like the white tiger and the emperor squirral monkey which is one of my personal favourites! The keepers and staff are friendly and helpful, which makes it and easy and great day out!

What a fantastic place. Take the kids young and old and have a great day out, too much to see in just one visit. It is well laid out with plenty of signs to guide you around, with plenty of places to eat (not badly priced) kids play areas. A thoughly enjoyable day. Thank you.

Great fun for all the family. There are some great shows on throughout the day, and of course plenty of animals to see. The tickets are not too expensive and there are various dicounts available online, ro at least there were when I went last. Food is reasinable priced and there is plenty of seating around the zoo. There is also lots of grassy areas perfect for picnicing on.

Top rate zoo with loads of different animals in large, well kept enclosures. The times that I’ve been you have been able to feed the elephants and giraffes but I don’t think this is possible any more due to 'elf and safety’. The place is huge and it’s not really possible to do it justice in just one day. Big cats are fantastic. Reasonably priced with lots of parking.

A fab place. You cannot fit it all into one day. If you live local it is definatley worth buying a gold card for one years unlimited entry. The hills can get steep but they do offer a map showing more managable routes. Lots of animals kept in lovley clean enclosures - well looked after. Indoor ball area. Several little indoor picinic nooks. Ice-cream sellers. Cafes. Specail events through out the year. Large pplay park - great for the adults to rest the children can keep going a bit more ! At christmas they have snata grotto which is lovely. Gift shops. Walk underneath the sealions. Easy parking. A must visit.

This my most favourite zoo in the world.

Everytime I visit there are new exhibits and new animals. The zoo is a bit too big to do all in one day and the shows are brilliant.

The penguin enclosure is my absolute favourite and it’s the best one I’ve ever seen. When they feed the penguins they bring them into where you stand so you can see them up close. For a penguin lover this is a very exciting experience and about as close as you’ll ever get.

Just beware that parts of the zoo are very hilly, buts lots of it is easily accessible.

There’s also a huge car park - with lots of spare space perfect for picnics!

We always visit this zoo when we are visiting parents. It’s not a huge zoo but has everything you need. Elephant enclosure is particularly good. There is also an indoor play area when the kids get fed up.

There were lots of animals to see, but a lot of the zoo was totally inaccessible for me on a mobility scooter. Everything was also very spread out and there seemed to be too much “tat” around instead of just being a zoo. I think I stick to Banham next time!

I love Colchester Zoo! I used to be a gold card holder, so visited at least a couple of times a month … but then when the children started school I stopprd going as regularly as the zoo becomes very busy at school holiday times.

Best times to visit are during the week in term time .. you can get round so much more easily and get in to all the feeding times and shows/ displays easily.

There is a great range of animals, who appear to be incredibly well cared for and the zoo take conservation very seriously and responsibly.

My only complaint woulf be that in spite of their great work in protecting and caring for animals … they then allow a fast food chicken outlet to sell food (and that welfare of those chickens that have provided the meals is not considered) ... somewhat hypocritical in my book!

Colchester zoo is brilliant for adults and children of all ages. We spent a full day here enjoying the sights and it was definitely great value for money!

Including the zoo which i will talk about later they have a huge play area for the children to burn off some energy, and this is where we ate our picnic at lunchtime. There is also an option to visit customer services to adopt an animal which was lovely for the kids and only cheap for a year of knowing you are helping protect an animal!

The range of animals is expanse but my children really enjoyed the reptiles in Iguana Forest and we all loved watching the orangutans bouncing around! The penguins and sealions are great fun to watch in the water section and we watched the penguins being fed at 3pm. There are 2 times a day they are fed so make sure your around for this as it is great for the kids!

We also enjoyed 'the farm’ style area where we petted horses, saw sheep and some of the more familiar animals that the children don’t often get to see close up.

I don’t think i’ve even covered half of the animals at Colchester zoo - you really have to go and see it to believe it!

a great day out for the whole family, has every kind of animal you could think of. there are plenty of places to eat here to and the children will love it.

Fantastic family day out. Never too crowded, lots of special events. Christmas is particularly good, best grotto we’ve ever seen. Gold cards are great value.

I was really impressed with what Colchester Zoo had to offer when we went there. Some zoos seem quite sparse but at Colchester there was so much to see. We got there for 10am and didn’t leave till kicking out time!
It was amazing seeing the wild animals so close up. The enclosures seem well designed to give you a good view of the animals as other places I’ve been to you wonder where the animals are half the time.
The giraffe bit was great as you could go high up and be level with their heads as they ate from their feeding baskets. The elephants too were quite impressive. Funnily enough the animal our young daughter was most fascinated by and spent ages watching was the ‘sand fox’ as it ran back and forth through a tunnel up against the window!

This needn’t be an expensive day out either for those of you who collect Tesco vouchers as they accept these here. I highly recommend a visit.

This zoo is massive and places a strong emphasis on conservation, as well as educating children about the animals they have, (with the aid of information boards, and also sometimes demonstrations).

A great family outing that will keep you busy for most of the day, the animals are very well kept and are all in very large enclosures, and great care is taken to ensure their health and safety, and to prevent endangered species from going extinct.
The staff also have a great deal of knowledge about the animals kept, and in some cases, they bring some of the more docile animals out of the enclosures and let you feed them, (the elephants, etc).

There are a few restaurants/cafe’s in the zoo, or there are picnic areas with seating should you wish to bring your own food and drink.

The price of entry is well worth it, and excellent value for money, and the place is always crowded with people wanting to see the animals on display, though it’s not so crowded that you can’t navigate it or see anything.

Other on-site features include a gift shop where you can purchase a myriad of branded merchandise to support the zoo too.