Canberra National Zoo & Aquarium, Australia Review

Most expensive zoo I ve been to, but in saying that we spent a long time wandering around, the exhibits and enclosures are beautiful.

Great place to entertaining children but very large zoo. Admission is costly. Wear comfortable shoes.

Lot of empty pens today... drove a very long way and missed out on quite a few

The zoo isn't that big. The cafe isn't great. I would recommend you pack a picnic and use the many tables, chairs and BBQ areas around the zoo and dine near the animals.

.The very best of the best of the best

Absolutely the best animals.

Amazing! We did a behind the scenes tour and it was worth every penny!

The best zoo, residents of huge apartments, a visitor and an excellent cafe

The tiger slept in our room, well on the other side of the glass, great experience, as is the whole zoo with excellent staff put it on the must do list.

Pretty poor value (a family costs over $100) and the staff are incredibly rude.

Very few of the facilities were working and the animals looked rather sad in their enclosures.

Wasn't bad, would be great for a family. Not a fan of seeing poor animals locked up for our viewing pleasure I'm affraid

Great views, friendly staff, offers great accommodation. The enclosures are in pristine condition and the animals have a good chunk of land for themselves

I will never forget my stay at this zoo.
Better than being in Africa.
Got to pet most of the animals and you can see they are well cared for.
10 out of 10. I would give them more if I could.
Kathy.

Great atmosphere, animals well cared for, food and facilities excellent

Recently expanded and spit polished, there's new huge fields for plains animals. Guided tour for kids was top notch.

Great place to take the kids and see the wildlife. Also, Meerkats!

We went on a weekday and it was quiet. You know the white lion you see in the ads on TV advertising the Wildlife Lodge looking straight into the living room and into the eye of the viewer? Well we came eyeball to eyeball in person. It was an unnerving experience and I couldn't help feeling I was being assessed for edibility, looking into the impassive eyes of the massive beast. All the lions quietly followed us with their eyes but looked away as soon as we fully fronted any and called out to them. Only to look again as we walked off. It was good to have a fence between us. The potential raw power bunched in those magnificent bodies was truly awesome.
There's much to see. A vast variety of land and water creatures, the aquarium standing out for the fantastic fish and the tiny sea horses clinging to the rock with curled tails like a possum. It was smelly in one place, perhaps a snake had just done a poo! There were some enormous snakes that really creeped me out. Thick as my thigh and many meters long. Shiver.
The rich brown tree kangaroos were astoundingly and delicately beautiful, shocking for an Aussie used to big roos by the road in camouflage shades to blend into the landscape.
I can recommend a visit. And yes, do take 3 hours.

What a great experience in a zoo
Starting with high tea, followed by interesting tour then great dinner with special guests then breakfast and another tour
Let s not forget the neighbors- wild animals only separated by a pane of glass
Not cheap but a must

Affordable and a good day out for the family, entry was $95 for 2 adults and a child under 3. Excellent animal exhibits with clean facilities and excellent playground equipment next to the cafe. Could be a little tough to navigate around the zoo for someone not keen on walking. Lots of picnic tables (some undercover) for a family lunch or sit down

The animals are extremely happy looking and well kept. Recommend the Giraffes and Zebras

Try out the Zooventure tour. Great staff and animals make it an awesome experience!

Great experience, beautiful zoo. Definitely worth a visit if you're in the area.

My kids loved this place. Looking forward to bringing them back again soon

White Lions, Kangaroos, monkeys...
I think the animals needs more spacious

This is a great place for young kids to enjoy a lovely weekend.

VERY GOOD ZOO NICE AND CLEAN AND LOTS OF THINGS TO SEE.

Expensive tickets. Different animals each time we visit. New section is nicely done with a complementing cafe. Great way to burn out some kids for the day.

Loved visiting! Was so good to see the animals kept in good sized enclosures even if it was hard to spot some of them

Aquarium was great but you cannot go in amongst the birds in the avaries. Food is over priced. $11 for a child's burger is excessive. It not Grill'd after all where you'd go back to again.

Amazing experience. The Animal encounters are amazing. Very well maintained zoo. Amazing collection of animals. Children love it. White lion, Bengal Tiger, sumatran tiger, cheetah, rhino, giraffe and many more

Really enjoyed taking my son here. Really well thought out zoo and a good range of animals. We got to see the otters being fed, which was wonderful. I also appreciated that some of the enclosures are built with clear sections on the fences so the kids can see in without needing to be lifted up all the time. I also liked how there are plenty of places to stop and have lunch, and you can bring your own food in and have a picnic. Something we will consider on future visits. My only concern is some places were difficult to get to with a pram and it made me wonder about accessibility. It might be better if there were more paved areas in the walkways. Overall enjoyable, and we will be back.

Pretty cool "walk-abouts" with some of the animals. The enclosures are rather large as well as the zoo itself. The giraffes and ostriches have an awesome view behind them.

Excelent zoo. Entrance and exit a bit cramped though. Aquarium could be better, but it is no Melbourne. Too bad the cafe at the other end of the zoo is closed during weekdays, as it is a much needed rest and respite for this large zoo.

Went on the zoo venture and had an amazing time. Well worth the cost. Will was am excellent guide. It was a freezing cold day and we still had a great time. I was not that excited initially but haven't stopped taking about it since. Highly recommended.

While the price tag may certainly make you think twice about this tour it was worth every cent. If you love animals and want to get up close and personal this was an incredible opportunity. Our guide Stella was very knowledgable and engaging and ensured we had as many opportunities as possible to encounter animals from tigers to tree kangaroos! Being in a small group meant that everyone had equal time at each enclosure and booking in a group of four kept the price down and ensured we had a fun day. We were at the zoo from 8am until 4pm, and the early start allowed us to see animals much more active. We were impressed at how many animals we were able to touch and feed. The staff (keepers) at the zoo were friendly and engaging and were happy to talk about the animals they look after. An excellent day out!

I found it hard to navigate but it was good. Great for kids but there is a fair bit of walking. The cafe was good and the shop too :)

Had a wonderful family day over our Christmas break! Great zoo with directional walking track!

It's a nice little zoo and aquarium. My daughter LOVED the junior Zookeeper holiday program. If you're after Taronga or Western Plains, this isn't it, but it's nice, family friendly, and accessible. The animals seem well kept and happy. Good cafe and gift shop. A nice family day out.

Amazing zoo but i reckon that the aquarium is the best

A lovely experience where you can see animals as close to their natural environment while we'll cared for, healthy happy and above all safe.

Great day there absolutely loved it. Took Zac too and he had a blast.

Very nice zoo. Animals came very close to you. Entry a bit too expensive in my view.

Great for kids. Careful on hot days, not enough shade.

Bigger than we expected, which is obviously good. We spent a really nice day there. Quite expensive food there tho. For 2 adults we paid $50

Fantastic place to go! Kids had a great time there. The place is huge so it's better to go there early in the morning. This will also help you to take some rest while you walk. Something I really liked is that there are some animals you can interact with. The zoo also has picnic areas, so if you bring your own snacks and food there's plenty of space. However, it is not a cheap. A family of 4 pays $120. I guess they charge the time you could be there, . The zoo offers various plans for you. You can feed some animals or spend the night in a cottage next to the lions, tigers, giraffes, etc.

Best experience ever. Staff very friendly and knowledgeable

The best zoo ever. It is small enough to be cosy but big enough to include all the best animals from around the world, as well as natives. Great for kids who are old enough to appreciate wildlife.

Went to this place on a rainy stormy day with friends. I was disappointed with the aquarium which is why I am giving 4stars. The zoo was excellent. We managed to see all the exhibits without getting too wet. Overall this was a very enjoyable experience

Awsome got to pat a Cheetah well worth going to the Zoo to see the other animals aswell A1 A1 A1

The most amazing experience. The animals are well cared for and in many instances would not have survived if had not been rescued by these wonderful people

It's a beautiful place to go for walks and take children to.
If you are going for one visit only, I find it quite expensive ($45 adult and $25 children from 4yo).
It's a good option to by membership and be able to go as many times as you want in 1 year when you have young children and need to get them entertained. They have a few options of membership, family membership, etc. It starts from $115per adult. Children under 4yo it's only a gold coin donation for entry.
They have also bungalows inside the zoo (Jamala Park) where you can stay the night and see the animals next to your bungalow. I'm not sure about prices, but I heard it's quite expensive. If you have zoo membership you can get discount there too.
The zoo also have an aquarium. Not too big, but nice to have it all in one place.

Aquarium is nice but the zoo is bad...the animals look so bored and the enclosures are tiny...won't be returning.

I think for a zoo, this place is not too bad. Our family even had Zoo passes. It will be good once all the work and expansion is completed.

Fantastic Zoo with a large selection of well treated animals. It's well maintained and has great facilities including BBQs. Highly recommended for family outings.

Haven t been here for years, I understand the cost for entry is high to help finance the upkeep, but have been to better zoos for a lessor price. Maybe I ll bring the grandkids back here when they come along in a few years time

It's hard to rate this zoo, coming from Sydney and having experienced Taronga Zoo, it can't really compare. It's still a really nice zoo though, and a great place to take the kids. Also, we foolishly came on a really hot day, so ask the animals were reading in the shade! Definitely worth checking out though if you're in Canberra.

Zoo was well layed out and very clean and well maintained. Animals look well cared for. However it would be of benefit if more zookeepers or volunteers were around to help speak and inform visitors as you go around.

Really healthy looking and well cared for, animals in captivity

Friendly staff, great place to visit. A must go attraction in Canberra

The ring-tailed lemurs are sooooo cute. A great place to bring the family. Memberships are great value. A great place to experience foreign animals.

19-hectare (47-acre) zoo and aquarium in the Australian capital city of Canberra and is the only combined zoo and aquarium in Australia, get up close with lions and tigers and bears to giraffes and penguins and monkeys, the Zoo features a variety of native and exotic animals too!

What a fantastic zoo. Plenty of animals, enclosures that make viewing easy for all ages and genuine opportunities to interact with certain species. This zoo also has an amazing children's playground down the back next to a big cafe. Great fun for the whole family. My only regret is not buying a season pass as I'll definitely be back. I recommend giving this serious thought before paying for regular admission, particularly if you have little ones who will enjoy it but won't last a full day.

There are new exhibits, some are still being finished but definitely worth it. Wonderful that they have new animals and more interaction with other animals.

Loved it. One of the best zoo's in Australia. Great view of animals and the animals look relaxed. Easy to navigate around. Well worth the price.

A huge park with a large variety of animals. I really enjoyed the rhinos and giraffe. If you go on a weekday then it'll be quieter and more peaceful.

Hectic layout - complex to make zoo seem bigger. Pretty standard, gift shop was overpriced but the otter was worth ever second

Awesome
Kids loved it
I loved it

Super zoo setting very nice well maintained animals. Only downside lack of koalas me from France a little disappointed. But beautiful day in the middle of animals.
Congratulations for the work done, keep it up. We feel respect for the animal.

Kids had a ball. Was a great day. Just a shame the jamala lodge was all booked out to stay.