Colchester Zoo, Essex – Review

PR Visit

A couple weeks ago we were invited to go and check out Colchester Zoo. We had heard an awful lot about how good it is and about the amazing animals that they house!

Here at the GarciaFamilyUK, we love going to the Zoo and Mummy and Daddy probably have more fun and excitement than Ita does.

As you can tell from all our previous blogs:

London Zoo https://garciafamilyuk.com/2020/07/24/zsl-london-zoo-post-covid/

Paradise Wildlife https://garciafamilyuk.com/2020/02/15/paradise-wildlife-park-hertfordshire/

Whipsnade Zoo https://garciafamilyuk.com/2020/03/13/zsl-whipsnade-dunstable-bedfordshire/)

We took the trip on a Saturday, the weather was nice and we set off pretty early in the morning to get to the Zoo at opening time, there was ample parking and the entrance for the Zoo was so clean and so nice and professional. We knew we would be in for a great day!

I guess the first thing to make you aware of are the COVID Restrictions:

• When we booked our ticket, you had to choose a timeslot as they were still doing staggered entrance and visitors must have a pre-booked ticket before entering the Zoo.
• Face coverings are recommended in enclosed areas.
• Social Distancing is encouraged.
• Washing your hands is essential after coming into contact with the animals.
• There are markers for areas which will have high traffic.

Tickets are available for the website and the prices can be found here:

Purchase Zoo Admission Tickets

The Zoo offers discounts for Midweek, Weekend and School Holiday Visitors too.

As soon as we entered the Zoo, Dominic downloaded the Zoo App which gives you access to the map of the zoo (which is really essential, as it is really big and you can easily miss out on some truly incredible animals).

Colchester Zoo house over 200 species of animal, some of which are particular favourites in our household (i.e. Giraffes, Elephants, Komodo Dragon, Sloths and Red Pandas).

The Zoo is split into different sections to make it easier to find where you are in the zoo and they have some really unique and unusual animals like Cheetahs, Hyena (they were amazing to watch and nothing like The Lion King), Malayan Sun Bears, Eurasian Grey Wolf, Leopards, a Koi fish section, Sealions, Meddelin Monkeys, Hippos, Sloths and Rainbow Lorikeets.

Our absolute favourite animals to see were the red pandas (of course), giraffes, the hippo, sloths, otters, the sealions, and the Fennec Fox.

The experience we would recommend the most would be to go to the Rainbow Lorikeet enclosure and purchase a £1 shot glass of nectar and feed them, it’s an interactive experience and suitable for all ages. It was incredible and Ita enjoyed it so much!

Activities:

I cannot compliment the Zoo more when it comes to the number of things the kids can do on their visit.

There are so many play areas with slides, climbing frames, etc that are dotted around the zoo.

A Discover Centre is available to handle and view some different friendly bugs, and an Interactive Area with an interactive sandpit and screens so kids can play as they discover and learn.

Along with these, there is a Face Painting area and a Top Trump trail which can provide a lot of information for the kids!

The zoo offers an Elephant and Giraffe feeding experience, which for an extra £20 donation per group you can get some amazing photo opportunities and learn more about these amazing animals.

We did Giraffe feeding at a different Zoo (https://garciafamilyuk.com/2020/07/27/port-lympne-safari-park-wild-animal-reserve-and-hotel/) and would highly recommend doing it, especially at the price offered here!

There are so many places to pick up some food, snacks, drinks, ice cream, etc – the zoo really does offer a lot of options and for pretty much every budget and taste.

Another random thing we noticed was the number of toilets located around the zoo, seems like they made a conscience effort to provide this for the visitors!

Conclusion:

Overall Colchester Zoo is one of the best Zoos we have visited and will 100% be making another trip to Essex! The amount of amazing and unique animals and activities available for us adults and the kids are unrivalled.