Belfast Zoo Reviews

Great place for the kids and adults. Great work being put into the zoo. Up hill climb to top but great if u want a cardio work out so would advise water.

I had a great experience with my child here every animal was out and we even got to see some animals being fead so if you go close to 11am be sure to see lots

Good zoo was a really nice day when we went so all the animals were out enjoying it

Very good value. Up hill on the way around but downhill on the way out

Seriously substandard. While I have no doubt the animals themselves are very well cared for, the zoo itself is not visitor friendly at all. Most of the enclosures are unnecessarily surrounded by tall thick hedges making it very difficult to see anything. Several of the enclosures appeared to be little more than empty fields. The whole facility seems very poorly maintained, for example the glass is so grimy that it makes taking a photograph through it a waste of time, or the large rust stains on the glass of the underwater panel looking to the sea lions.
Some of the habitats are plainly not compatible with this climate, such as the meerkat's which appears little more than a sloshy mud hole.
Perhaps for small children it would be worth a visit, but given that the zoo is built on a steep hill and the enclosures are surrounded by high hedges, it's not suitable for them either.

Beautiful views over Belfast, only problem with this zoo is that it's built on the side of a hill, the Cave Hill. Plenty of rest stops and animals to look at, zoo is kept very clean and animals seem happy in their own environment, coffee shop at top of hill, can views, recommend a visit there

Would have been sensible to update your website. About you being closed.

Park is amazing but your lucky if you get to see any animals. Animals look unhappy.

Good bit of walking and had no coffee cups but animals where cute

Excellent place for family from young children to adult. A bit of steep hill but worth while. The animals are well kept my favourite is the giraffes and lions.

Great day out but the hills are a killer, especially when pushing a pram.

Great tourist attraction and it's a nice place in general

Great day out, as long as your prepared for a hilly walk, pushed the wife in a wheelchair and managed but not easy, all the animals are very well looked after and have great enclosures, only downside Price of coffee and food, bring your own :-)

Amazing even in the rain! Animals seemed extremely well looked after. Be cautious as it's all steep uphill

It's on the side of a mountain so bring comfortable shoes

We really like it. Have been there 3 times now with my kids. Of course, it needs some "refreshing", but overall emotion is satisfactory. It's on the side of the hill and views are great. When we went last time (summer 2016) there was a great new playground and lot's of activities for children. I like especially how giraffes, zebras and elephants are displayed. You can get really near to them.

Most of the enclosures were closed but they still charged full price, complete rip off.

Good variety of animals. A good walk too. Good family day out

Entrance fee was ok , staff was friendly. Animals were great, got to see the sea lions getting fed which was brilliant. The kids n grandchildren loved it. We went to the tree top cafe which we found really expensive for what we got. But apart from that we had a good family day out

Animals were great
You might learn a few things about your favourite animals!
Family friendly - just great for a family day out.
School trip friendly - great for a school trip
Overall, a good zoo

Great day out and kids loved it, brilliant play park

Nice place but steer clear of the restaurant if the zoo is busy. Food and service under par

Not worth the money hardly any animals Dublin zoo is far better

It's by far a better Zoo than Dublin where I visited a few months ago But I still don't agree with zoo's.

Reasonable price and lovely area.
Plenty of space in the cafe that haf a good variety or meals and snacks and a lovely view. Some inclines to get to different animals which I imagine would be quite a workout for families with pushchairs.

Be prepared for some hill walking! Being built on the side of Cave Hill makes it difficult going for anyone with walking problems but it is worth the effort.
The zoo is being developed at present so some exhibits are unavailable but still plenty to see as you walk around.
Well worth a visit

Great day out.You can get really close to some beautiful animals.

Great day out. Kids enjoyed seeing the meercats. Park was good aswell.

Great zoo with plenty to see, shame that one of the elephants was showing signs of compulsive behaviour (walking backwards and forwards in one spot)

The enclosures are very well equipped and suited for the animals and visually pleasing as a visitor. However, and I'm not sure if it was because of the humidity and occasional showers, but the animals were very inactive and almost sad looking. They didnt have very much enrichment for stimulation and keepers were extremely scarce. It was more of an animal enclosure than a zoo. The animals wellbeing and needs were met but the point of a zoo is to attract, entertain and educate visitors. Also it was quite difficult to travel around the zoo, especially for someone like me with mobility issues. Granted it doesnt get much funding, but maybe they should start investing in the people who actually visit the zoo.

There was way too much walking and the best animal was at the top of a mountain

Fab day out! We got there at the perfect time, around feeding time so most of the animals were really active!

Brilliant Zoo loads of animals plenty of stuff to see & do for the kids

Second visit in 12 months...lovely place, very clean and tidy and the animals they have are great...the park they have there is absolutely brilliant for kids too. Plenty to entertain the family.

Although the zoo is very hilly (definitely not for the weak) the animals are well looked after and very beautiful animals. Would have been 5 stars if there was more animals as there wasn't as many as I would have liked. Especially for the price, but still very much worth it. Oh and like I said, the hills were very steep

A brilliant day out but be prepared for the uphill walk

Steep hills but great zoo. Good variety of animals. Be there by 12 pm to beat the traffic. The cafe food is also surprisingly nice. Great big play park and plenty of picnic tables also.

I came to this zoo with my family and cousins and I was disgusted by it!! Looking at them poor poor animals stuck in cages with dirty water and small rooms for the likes of a big lion which it was kept in this tiny room on a very hot day!!! An absolute joke and definitely wouldn't recommend!!

Great day out, but do be aware the zoo is on a VERY steep hill. Paths are smooth and accessible, but very steep. That apart, it's a great day though of course horrendously busy in school holidays.

Not bad seen most of the animals but catering facilities are a let down and robbery, especially at the treetop tearoom. Walk all the way up expecting to get some lunch at the top only to be told sorry very little left and it's only 2.30pm. Then have to settle for over priced coffee.

Absolutely lovely day. Great exercise due to being set on a hill. So if you have mobility issues make sure you're able to manage walking round or that you have alternative aid to get around.
All animals looked well cared for and lovely to see the small bear.

I went to the zoo but its boring went you watch the photos and the street view

For an absolute brilliant day out full of information and learning staff are very informative

Really disappointed.. Place was full of animals!!!!!!!

The Lion keeper was very friendly and was keen on answering our questions.

Such a beautiful place. The animals were all eating while we were there. It was great for the kids and the views of the country side are breathtaking.

My kids enjoyed visiting the Zoo.. and specially the Penguins.. A great place to visit with kids

Wonderful location. Quite green place a mid of beautiful mountains. I found the best as giraffe, sea lions and peacock.

Booked online, one way system is great at ensuring you don't miss anything. Plenty of different kinds of animals to see.

Lots to see. 5 hours and we didn't see it all! Very hilly but you can pay extra for a shuttle bus. And there are seats throughout if you need a rest.

The most reasonably priced zoo that I've been too. A large selection of animals but possibly let down in the way current animals are advertised.

A lot of works going on on this visit so most birds enclosures were not on display. This added to some inconsistencies in signage for animal exhibits, there are no tigers currently.

Understanding that at a zoo you may not see all animals is fine though most windows tend to have awkward reflections that make it very hard to see the animals if there are obvious, added to some displays having thorn bushes in front of them.

The keepers are definitely what is a real highlight, getting an insight into the relationship they have with the animals and how they behave was fancinating.

A good day out and really serving the purpose of displaying the challenges animals face and what we need to do to stop increasing the risks.

Good for the kids but not the animals who should be in the wild not up the Antrim rd in a cage or pen or arena

MISMANAGED. Someone needs to be held accountable for the large number of animals ESCAPING AND/OR DYING. The animals and their environment are clearly being neglected. The staff are a danger to the welfare of animals, visitors and now the general public too.

Zoo is a lovely place to go on a family day out,we done boo at the zoo on halloween and the kids loved it,I highly recommend going here and spending time with the animals

My son enjoys this zoo as it's the only one he knows and he loves elephants. There is a semi decent variety of animals and it is good to see the zoo participants in conservation practices. The play park is a firm favourite as well.

That being said, it is a fairly dated zoo and that is pretty apparent from when you first enter. Food is also expensive (though pretty tasty) so I would recommend bringing a packed lunch.

This zoo wouldn't be my favourite in the world however it is still worth a trip if you haven't been before. If going be sure to hike all the way to the top first as it's easier than going slowly up the steep hills... either way expect to be tired at the end of your day.

Lots of empty enclosures. Really disappointed. And really expensive for a family

Lovely day out with the kids, all the animals were out and got talking to a zookeeper who was so passionate it was inspiring. However a lot of staff in the ticket booth/shop with little to do except chat and were using language unacceptable in front of children.

Great for a day out park for the kids was excellent lots to see and do zoo keepers very informative well kept and tidy

not abel to get clos enuf to aminals to get decent photos on my camera phone

Nice zoo, plenty to see, very hilly so might be tiring on small children

Always a great day out for the family. And continually bringing in new things to do and see

Some of the enclosures are a bit depressing and the animals look a bit neglected but then others have been upgraded and look good. A nice day out for the kids in all of us but give yourself plenty of time, there's a lot of walking and a lot of uphill trekking. You'd need more than 2 hrs, it's really hard to find your way around and in my opinion could do with signposts everywhere as maps are hard to follow there's a lot of hidden nooks and crannies and easy to miss stuff!