Chester Zoo

Chester zoo have a lot of rare animals from Southeast Asia & South America that you don’t see in other zoos. We arrived at 10 o’clock when the zoo opened & left at 5pm when it closed. We visited all the animals & had a lunch & an icecream break. We walked around all day for about 10k which was good exercise. The car park was big & free. I would recommend you go early at the opening time as the zoo is quite big & lots to see.
It’s popular with kids, but adults can enjoy the zoo too. We had a great day in the zoo & warm sunny weather was a bonus!

This zoo is great.
So I really love any kind of animal exhibit including zoos and was really pleased with my day at Chester Zoo. Being a Londoner this was my first visit and having watched a lot of episodes of the Channel 4 series The Secret Life of the Zoo I had pretty high expectations for it which were absolutely met.
Because I’m lazy and overslept we were limited to arriving 2 hours before closing which meant that being the expert map reader that I am I took charge and decided which animals were priority for the day. We were really lucky the weather was beautiful which meant a lot of the animals were put basking in the sunshine.
I was really impressed with the animal enclosures. On the whole they were all really well sized and beautifully designed. You can tell that the animals welfare really is their focus which was lovely to see.
I was particularly excited to see the Red Panda, an animal I’ve never had the opportunity to see before! (And was so excited I twisted my ankle running to the enclosure… Oops)
The otters were also absolutely amazing. I love otters anyway and absolutely did not realise we were talking about giant ones. They were such beautiful creatures and the enclosure is designed so you can see them inside as well as out.
Despite the zoo «closing at 4:30» we moseyed over to the meerkats around 4:40 and still were allowed plenty of time to see them, which was lovely as the park was so quiet at this point. We were particularly lucky as there were a few babies in the mob who were very active and learning behaviour from the grown ups in the group!
Definitely recommend. Tips: take your own food, it’s expensive. Stay late, they don’t mind and you’ll queue less leaving in your car. Pick out your priority animals at the start of the day and plan your route accordingly.

I’m not the biggest fan of zoos and it’s been many years since I visited one; but the television series ‘Secret Life of…’ about Chester Zoo was enticing enough for me to suggest visiting it when we were in town visiting father-​in-​law. He was keen to come along once told that they had mobility scooters that he could scoot about on — in fact I think he enjoyed that more than the animals to be honest!
Anyway, my opinion of zoos has been completely revised after visiting Chester. I was really impressed with the design and layout of the place, especially the new Islands area where you can even have an automated boat ride around the area. The new tropical house in that section is a winding path through a rainforest, where tropical birds fly past your ear while you’re laughing at the antics of the macaques. And it provided a nice opportunity to warm up out of the wind for a bit.
Everything flows really well from one section to the next, and the enclosures are spacious enough that you can usually walk round three sides of them to maximise your chances of getting close to the animals.
Herself of course was interested mainly in the Sumatran tigers (and they are magnificent beasts), with meerkats a close second favourite (baby meerkats!), but over the course of the day I think we covered most of the areas. We spent quite a long time looking at the rear end of a jaguar in the jaguar house, but that was only because he was burrowing to get at the rabbit that the staff had concealed for him — they like to keep things interesting for the animals.
Paths are clear and well-​signed and there are volunteer stewards placed at strategic points to make sure you’re not lost, who are happy just to chat about the zoo and clearly enjoy their work.
I was really impressed with their whole marketing and social media strategy, which is absolutely top-​notch. Almost as soon as we left, we got a text offering a full refund on our entrance fees if we took out a zoo membership. Now that’s good marketing! If we actually lived in Chester that would be a definite no-​brainer, especially if you have a family.
Oh, and if you have a cuddly toy fetish, beware of the gift shop. I swear, they must have a cuddly toy equivalent of every single animal in the zoo!

First things first. Ouch to the wallet. Jesus for a family of 5 with a buggy just to get in before you have food or drinks or souvenirs it’s nearly £150!!!
Next don’t be smart and go when it first opens the queues are massive and Q is not in my alphabet.
Thirdly make sure you get tickets before you go to the gate unlike us who had to queue and queue again. Signage is poor.
The car park is free so that’s what gets a star!
Make sure you get a map. And don’t go on a cold or rainy day!
Now a critique of the place. Well it’s smaller than i remember. Although the new islands are good. They got the second star. As for everything else. Well the lion enclosure looks way to small. Couldn’t find a bloody rhino. The elephants are cute though but you need binoculars. Also the giraffes are cute but look so sad.
As for the food hall. Well Jesus. Everyman for himself. The tables are few and far between and for food for us all which was literally fish and chips and sausage and chips and some Ice cream. No bloody change from £50!!!
Then on the way out we were fleeced in the gift shop. Another £60!!!
Anyway kids had fun. Slept all the way home. Best bit of the day. That’s all!!!

Chester Zoo was ace — In fact I love going to the zoo as long as all the animals have plenty of room to run around in and you don’t feel like they’re too caged up all day. The fact that a lot of animals are becoming extinct around the world means that zoo’s are a valuable source for breeding and keeping animals alive and well so I’ll always stop by and check one out if I’m in a new city around the world.
We actually attended this as part of our 2 year old daughter’s nursery day out — possibly the wettest summer day you can imagine, but we still had fun. With it being a group ticket I have no idea how much it cost in relation to a normal ticket. It’s very easily reached though and only took an hour from Manchester.
There’s elephants, monkeys, giraffes, tigers, croc’s — in fact they do a proper job here! Just be careful when you go through the bat cave, you don’t want to get wee’d on like my wife and myself were by a hanging bat.
A few food options are here like a pub, a couple of cafes and an ice cream parlour. The coffee shop right by the entrance sorted me out when I needed a quick caffeine shot on arrival!

It was a rainy day at Chester Zoo but this didn’t dampen our spirits. The Zoo is huge and it took a while to get around to see all the animals, most of the animals were taking shelter due to the rain but the Elephants and Giraffes were out in force and managed to get really close to them,
We took a look into the bat exhibit and if you don’t like these little things coming pretty close to you i would leave this.
We took a look at the newest part of the park — The Islands which hadn’t fully opened but we got a ride on a boat around it, but due to it not being fully opened we didn’t really get to see anything, but the whole islands look great and we will have to take another trip back to Chester Zoo to check it out,
There were many outlets to buy food etc around the zoo and all the staff we came across seemed to love their job!
Its a really great place and we can’t wait to go back.

This is by far our favourite zoo, it’s well layed out and easy to get around. We visited on Monday 20 May, and it was really quiet, although there were a few groups of small children. This was lovely because they get som excited at seeing the animals.
The one BIG DISAPPOINTMENT was that the Orangutan section was completely closed for maintenance, surely this can be down at times when the zoo is closed to the public.
A lovely day out, and if yesterday was anything to go by, well worth doing your visit mid-​week

Chester Zoo on a Monday — yes there are school children, but they’re all gone by around 2 – 2:30pm. I love this zoo, I love the changes they’ve made over the last decade with inventive animal enclosures, themed planting in each area, the bat cave and a whole lot more.
The staff are all really knowledgeable and friendly, plus the new mobile app and re-​branding make it easy to find where you want to go. Do allow a full day for the zoo, there really is a huge amount to see over a large area. We always take a picnic with us as there are lots of picnic spots dotted around the zoo, the restaurant and café’s serve good food but are a little on the pricey side at times.
My don’t miss animals are: Elephants, Meerkats, Penguins, Lions, Panthers, Orang-​utans, the Butterfly House, the Tropical House and the Bat Cave.
If you are of a nervous disposition, scared of the dark, don’t like bats then please don’t attempt the bat cave! They will fly all around you, especially in the tunnel section, they won’t hit you but you will be aware of them. I personally love this, once you walk is veer left towards the wall and wait there to let your eyes adjust. Also when walking through the cave area take your time, the bats won’t hit you but its great to see some of the smaller ones zipping around you.
If you’ve got younger kids the Pygmy Mongoose enclosure is great fun, and there’s several big play areas for them to burn off energy too.
Top tip: Go early — the animals are more active as they’ve usually just been fed.

The best way to spend my Birthday!
One of my birthday treats was a trip to Chester Zoo, probably the best gift you could ever give me! I LOVE the zoo. To be fair i had been going on about visiting Chester Zoo to see their 3 new tiger cubs for some time so i arrived last Tuesday so excited, probably even more excited than all the school trip children combined.
I have spent many years coming to Chester Zoo and have always loved it. It’s a large zoo with great attractions and so many animals to see.
I did manage to see the Tiger Cubs! After waiting for ages for them to emerge from a bush! So incredibly cute, i could have watched them all day! The Elephant and Giraffe enclosures are very impressive and you can get close enough to take some really good photographs! Emily B. would be happy to hear that i did see a spectacle bear — but he was sitting up in a tree, so the photos aren’t great and Neil C. made me brave the bat cave — never ever again!
It’s a fun day out, especially if you have a love for Animals.

Well laid out zoo.
Lots of animals to see as expected but not everything is open in March.
Lots of animals I’d never seen before, great day out. Lots of places to eat and drink. Food and drink there are expensive but you can take your own food as there’s lots of picnic areas.

Had the most amazing time with the animals at Chester Zoo great day out for family’s but we were two adults just having fun

Chester zoo as you can tell from the previous reviews is brilliant, if a little money hungry which can be hard to explain to kids wanting to do everything. but the main point of this review is the Giraffe encounter costing £75
The first thing is these have been extremely popular so despite buying this for my daughters birthday in April we couldn’t get a Saturday slot til August so plan ahead. The entry cost is included for the participant however this is only for one so you will need to pay for the rest of the family, they do make this quite clear.
You meet at the guest services approximately half an hour before the feeding time, the presenter is very knowledgeable and takes the time to answer any questions, including the best place to get photo’s from for the people not participating. Once the time comes you are given a boiler suit and some wellies to get changed into and then you are off.
The weather wasn’t the best and the presenter did say the Giraffe’s might not think the food is worth getting wet for luckily this day the food was worth getting wet and out they came, I’m not sure what would have happened if they wouldn’t come out.
You climb onto a wooden platform at Giraffe head height and after a quick reminder not to touch the giraffe’s, for a big animal they are shy and wouldn’t like it. You are then given some branches and the Giraffe’s aren’t shy in coming for the food. They pull with some force and those of a nervous disposition can find it intimidating but my six year old did it with only some initial nerves but I think the age limit had since been increased to 14 due to some little ones getting too scared
Anyway overall excellent and well worth the money

Chester Zoo is blinking awesome. There is something for everyone and too much for just one visit. They’ve got all the big animals– giraffes, lions, tigers, rhinos, zebras, elephants (complete with baby elephants too thanks to their successful breeding program)! They’ve got smaller, rare animals that are part of breeding programs stretching all over Europe– painted dogs, scimitar horned oryx and other animals that by their name I couldn’t have even begun to guess what they are! They have a bat cave. They have a butterfly house. They fulfil pretty much any zoo-​based ideal you have.
With national express buses from Manchester, a train station (apparently) near by and free parking for those lucky enough to have a car, or those even luckier (like me!) managing to scrounge a lift, Chester Zoo is easily accessible. Tickets prices are not cheap but are cheaper than London Zoo, and I feel well worth it. If you’re particularly broke but really want to go, you can ask to not pay the ‘donation’ and get in for a quid or two cheaper and the ticket office staff won’t flinch.
There’s too much to go through it all so I’ll give a few star moments and the few low points…
Star Moments:
Attached to the tiger enclosure is a small room for them to shelter in, with a big window for you to peep into. While my friend and I were peeping innocently in a fully grown tiger strolled into this room, wandered past the window (literally less than a foot from us) and then casually left, leaving us both open-​mouthed and speechless with excitement! (They also have a baby/​young tiger which is insanely sweet.)
The bat cave. You can go through at your own pace. When we went through there was a zoo keeper putting up fresh fruit for the bats. This literally is a bat cave– there’s nothing between you and the bats– just trust them not to fly into you. They’re roosting, flitting about, eating all around you and it is quite frankly a fantastic experience!
The animal talks/​feeding schedule. The keepers are very informed and happy to talk to you (whatever your age) after their spiel, which manages to capture the interest of children and adults alike.
Low Points:
The penguins are a bit lack-​luster. The water was cloudy when I went (they had a sign up apologising and saying that it wasn’t threatening the health of the penguins) so you could only see about a foot underwater. Maybe I was spoilt as a child by London Zoo’s fantastic penguin tank, but there just didn’t seem very many. But, like all the animals, the penguins all seemed well-​fed, healthy and happy.
There are gimmicks asking for your money everywhere– the monorail, a boat trip, gift shops a plenty– not hard for a group of adults to avoid (though we may have had a dip into the gift shop) but potentially a nightmare for parents. To keep the day trip costs down, just distract kids with the brightly coloured map– keep them on target to get to those monkeys and hopefully you’ll fly past the gift shops. However, if you are going with an elderly relative or a tired toddler, the monorail isn’t a ripoff at £2 adult and £1.50 kids, so could be a sit down time allowing you to see the animals that are a bit further back.
We had heard that the food/​drinks there are a bit overpriced (though what do you expect from a zoo?!) so took our own picnic. This worked really well as there is ample seating all over the zoo and a picnic lawn for those prepared enough to bring a blanket– or brave the grass stains!
My surprise bonus: the giant otters! Although they were smelly, they were really cool– astoundingly fast swimmers. And I didn’t even know they existed before I went!
NB: Also, their website is really good.

Great zoo, lots to see and really well designed. I love how they’ve taken real care in the design of the Zoo with lots for kids as well.
We saw elephants, rhino, lions, tigers, chimps and all sorts.
The food at the restaurants was fairly expensive and quite average quality. Was a little disappointed with my lunch.
Overall, a great day out for £16.50 per person.

Chester Zoo is such a huge North West attraction and so easily accessible from the centre of Manchester that there’s simply no excuse not to come here. My Zoology-​educated father (that being the study of animals, not the study of zoos, but this does qualify him to talk about zoos as far as I’m concerned) and always talks of Chester Zoo as the best zoo he’s ever visited. Learning takes place on an almost continuous level at here, and the sheer variety of animals is unbelievable.
Right. Soapbox time. Everybody, forget what you’ve seen in films, my parents volunteered with a bat sanctuary when I was little and we used to keep the little critters in the house (within specially built boxes) to increase their strength before releasing them into the wild, or if they were too badly injured, we’d maintain them for life. Yes, here’s my Tim Burton moment, I grew up with bats, the animal associated with Halloween, vampires, nonsensical hair entanglement and murderous dive-​bombing. I’d like to confirm that bats are actually far more pleasant than gerbils, hamsters or guinea pigs. I spent years with the little flying mice and not once did I get bitten. I spent five minutes with a gerbil and felt like I had rabies. Bats are totally placid. They sit motionless on your hand or knee and allow themselves to be stroked. They neither divebomb you nor get tangled in your hair, they’re far from blind and decidedly non-​scary. Believe me, there was plenty of opportunity for the above as we used to have to exercise the ones that still had flight in the living room, letting them flutter around and stretch their wings. So, after I’ve said all that, there should be no reason for you not to enter the bat cave.
The bat cave? Yes, Chester Zoo has taken the bold step of not keeping the bats behind mesh or in cages. You walk through the cave, and there are bats everywhere, from the tiny ones you find in this country to the gargantuan flying foxes of the Tropics. They are flying past you, in front of you, above you, behind you. They are wandering below you. They are roosting alongside you. And I can assure you, after growing up with them, they will not land on you. So unless you have some kind of severe bat phobia, I implore you to try this out. Bats are fascinating, misunderstood creatures that have no intention of hurting you and walking amongst all shapes and sizes of them is an experience and a half. Remember, no flash photography in the bat cave. They’re skittish and it will frighten them.
Phew, after geeking out on bats there, what else can we discuss? Chester Zoo has everything, from lions and tigers and bears (oh my!) to primates of every kind, birds of every colour and giraffes, hippos, rhinos, elephants… I could go on forever. The habitat is perfect and you can watch the animals safe in the knowledge that they are happy and well looked after, and in their native countries, the story might have been very different. Endangered species in the zoo are allowed to breed without the threat of poachers or predators, so that future generations can experience magnificent animals in their prime.
Chester Zoo also has a great range of souvenir shops and places to eat, as well as schedules of feeding which allow you to see the creatures at their best. If you’ve ever owned or looked after a domestic cat, you’ll find yourself chuckling at the way in which the tigers are given lunch. Meat is placed in boxes within boxes within boxes, allowing the big kitty to investigate, sniff, stalk and pounce. And yes, you’ve seen the way your little moggy does that with your shoelaces or their toy mouse, so there’s an uncanny familiarity and sense of comfort in watching that behaviour with something as huge and regal as a tiger. We were entertained by them for hours on end.
You can take a National Express coach directly to the zoo from Manchester’s coach station if booked in advance, or a train journey with a shuttle bus is another option. Basically, everyone in the North West should take advantage of this superb day out and find the David Attenborough lurking within. It’s well worth the trip.

A good day out if your looking to kill some time however beware of the rip of deals inside the zoo. For example
The Ice cream
Superimposed photographs which would take me 2 mins to do on photo shop. they wanted £17​.no thank you.
Finally the gift shop.
at least it kept the kids (sorry girlfriend) happy.

Chester Zoo is one of those psychic landmarks which adorns the mind of countless kids who grew up in the North. I often spent time in the mid 80s watching giraffes in the rain while idly picking my nose here — and that’s the kind of legacy I very much hope to leave my own kids.
The creeping adoption of a particular interpretation of animal welfare did for many zoos in the 80s and 90s but Chester was always bigger, more ambitious and better maintained and rode out the fad. Today it is a centre of worldwide importance for its role in international breeding and conservation programs.
This is reflected in the splendour of many of the animal habitats. The algae-​coated concrete ditches of my youth have been replaced by sprawling enclosures, dense with foliage and water features. At first blush, this spoils the experience a little: you used to be able to see a bear just by peering through some chicken wire to see one morosely nodding against a bare brick wall. Today, you must often stand for minutes, peering into a quasi-​jungle habitat in the hope of spotting one. Which is altogether more rewarding for everyone, when you think about it.
Naturally, the place is fair teeming with big cats and the striking game animals of Africa. The elephants, giraffes, lions and so on are all in well-​situated, exceptionally maintained sites around the zoo and gather the crowds throughout the day.
But Chester Zoo is also home to lesser-​known but equally intriguing creatures such as the Tuatara — the super-​ancient quasi-​lizard that boasts a rudimentary third eye atop its head — or the delightful (and boundlessly cute) Coati.
This means that you always have a decent chance of catching some creature engaging in some diverting behaviour. A monitor lizard, trying to winkle a snail out of a cranny with its tongue kept us all transfixed for a good half hour (although part of me secretly cheered when it dropped the poor little gastropod out of reach).
Visiting out of season might mean that a few of the animals are moved away to somewhere more sheltered (the lions and cheetahs were nowhere in sight during our visit) but you can find yourself almost alone with the animals, with plenty of time to see them frolicking. In fact, your biggest problem could be if you try to see every animal in the zoo. Our visit seemed fairly leisurely, but we still missed the bears, butterflies and the ace Islands in Danger exhibit.
The aquarium is the only part of the place that still reeks of the 70s — a forlorn concrete hut with a few small tanks that you could realistically see at almost any city aquarium. I’m fairly sure it is due an overhaul.
The food and drink is both excellent and reasonably priced by the standards of modern visitor attractions — another area in which the long ago horrors of dry, curled sandwiches and endless seas of fried foods have been superseded.
If you like critters of any stripe, I really can’t recommend Chester Zoo highly enough.

Chester Zoo ain’t got nothing on Knowsley!!! Fact! At least at Knowsley the animals have a bit more room for maneuver. I have never been and never will be a fan of caged animals. I simply cannot get my head around it, and will never be a part of it. Running a zoo in the name of a charity is just wrong anyway. It’s like running a fox hunting business to raise money for an animal cruelty charity, its a farce. I digress!
There was a more innocent time when I did love the zoo despite the God awful smells, it allowed me to meet all my favorite animals. Now I do see the point that places like this are like preserves where we can admire nature’s beasts. I also think that people who look after the animals here are genuine animal lovers and the animals do get looked after really well. I suppose it is the idea behind the whole thing with which I have my issues. None the less, I do think it is a great place to take the kids to introduce them to the animals as I was all that time ago. However I still feel Knowsley safari park is considerably better. If you have already been there though and are in Chester by all means take your kids along! The bat cave is very good here as Marcel points out however do be warned never mind the kids adults have been known to scream like hell, as it does get a bit creepy in the dark!

Chester Zoo is the UK’s number 1 charity zoo. Packed with rare, exotic and endangered animals in so many acres of award-​winning gardens, Chester Zoo is a fantastic and stimulating day out for all ages. The public footpath stretches over 10 miles, plus there is a vehicle free site where you’re free to roam and discover what’s around the corner!
There is just so much to see and do in Chester Zoo. It certainly brings back my memories when I was alot younger. My best memories were at feeding times at the sealion beach! This is something I would definitely recommend.
By now, I am guessing that the zoo has drastically changed, which is why it has developed and became such a popular tourist site. Chester Zoo undoubtedly makes a great family venture and is great value for money.

Some of the most endangered species on the planet live here. There are over 7,000 animals from 400 different species. You can see Reptiles, Mammals, Birds, Amphibians, Fish and Invertebrates.
Credit goes to George Mottershead. As a child, he visited a now closed Zoo in Manchester, and is reported to have been so upset seeing large animals in small cages, that he told his father ‘when I have a Zoo, it won’t have any bars’. In 1930, he and his family moved to Oakfield house and formed the original collection of animals from an earlier Zoo at Shavington, near Crewe.
It became the North of England Zoological Society in 1934 and remained open through the Second World War. Rapid expansion followed after the war ended. George received the OBE, an honorary degree of MSc, and served a term as President of the International Union of Zoo Directors. He died in 1978 aged 84 with his mission accomplished
To get round everything in one day is impossible. Be prepared to go back to complete the tour as there is 110-​acre to cover. Open at 10am every day except Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Last entry and closing times vary with the seasons, so check on the website. Car parking is free, Yipee!
The Asian Elephants in the Forest enclosure always attract a big crowd and Chester Zoo is one of the few places where they breed successfully so there are always calves to see. Amongst my favourites are the Giraffes, Komodo Dragons, Bornean and Sumatran orang-​utans and the Bengal Tigers
They recently added The Butterfly Journey, new exhibit and covering over 500 colourful butterflies.
Apart from all the animals take a gander at the plants and gardens (Roman, Andes and Wildlife). Attention to detail is spot on such that the enclosure plantings also reflect the animals natural habitat from Tropical Rainforest right thru to Deserts.