Canberra National Zoo & Aquarium, Australia Review

Was very busy on the day we were there. Not a problem for the zoo proper, with the free range extension you, didn't feel crowded at the exhibits. The new cafe was another story - plenty of seats, but the staff were struggling. To be fair, the staff did say it was the busiest they had ever seen. Don't let that put you off. The "new" bit is fantastic, and the kids playground next to the new cafe was much appreciated by the little person with me. I'm sure they'll sort out the cafe issues - and quite unexpectedly, the prices are not exorbitant like you see at many tourist attractions.

Would have to be one of Australia s best Zoo s, closely followed by Mogo Zoo. The zoo is well set out with a safari trail (follow the numbers to the next animal enclosure) so you don t miss anything. Animals visible, big parkland are well spaced. Ppl typically spend 2 hours, we spent 4 hours.

My family loved National Zoo so much! It s ten times better than the overrated Taronga Zoo.

Some interesting animals. Very accessible, nice and flat, just one trail that loops past all the enclosures. We got around it in a couple of hours with a little bit of hustle. Good viewing of the larger enclosures. We missed all the talks unfortunately as we were out of sync. We saw then feed the tigers though, which was slightly terrifying, and walking the dingoes, which was cool.

Amazing zoo. All the exhibits were open except the wombat on our visit. Really liked the space dedicated to the animals enclosures here. The adventure trail is a good way to see the zoo, its simple enough by following the numbers.
There was a wait for the aquarium due to indoor capacity restrictions but 20m from the entrance moved in about 30 mins. Worth the wait.

I'm still here and I know I'll want to come right back when I leave

I squealed more times at these adorable animals in an afternoon than I did at boys during my entire teenage years
Wonderful up close experiences and wonderful staff. If the baby meerkats are up for adoption please let me know! !
This is certainly a place for the young and old. Lovely to see the animals so happy as well and enjoying life
It's a big place so to maximise full enjoyment allow a couple of hours. Feeding time is just before closing so you can observe some animals having their dinner.
Some bubblers or more access to drinking water throughout the park would be handy as it's a long walk and on hot days we went through our water bottles very fast

For a National Zoo they really could take better care of the animals, a few enclosures were spacious with the old part of the zoo neglected and just sad.
The focus seems aimed towards the hotel side rather than the welfare of the animals.

I really like this zoo. I recommend seeing the otters being fed! They also have quite a few animal experiences, including feeding a tiger.

This place is amazing! We stayed at Jamala in the giraffe tree house. Well exceeded our expectations. Staff were friendly and passionate, facilities were beautiful and animal experiences were memorable.

Fantastic Zoo, animals are well looked after with plenty of space in the enclosures

Probably the best zoo I've ever visited. Very cleverly designed and presented. A great range of animals.

Great zoo, lots of animals and easy to grt around without missing anything

One of the best zoo/aquariums I've ever seen. Great area and it's nice they have a guide you can follow so you don't miss any exhibitions.

Best zoo in Australia! A place where you can actually see every animal without disturbing them too much

i loved it! the enclosures are huge compared to the zoo im used to (perth zoo). best part was the hyena viewing window inside the aquarium part, the hyenas were sleeping right against the window! highly recommended

Great zoo, wish the cafe's were a little bit better and that the map was clearer, particularly the interactive one online is hopeless if you're trying to use at the zoo. Both were not as easy to follow as many other zoos I've been to.

Great zoo not far from the greater Sydney area. 3.5 hours well spent inside. Less crowded and well maintained with active healthy animals. Recommended for wildlife lovers and family.

Enclosures are fun for kids and adults to look at and I thought it was very good until I got to the cafe. The cafe truly ruined the experience for me and I cannot think of a worse way it could have been executed. When I got to the cafe and picked up a sandwich. The sandwich was so stale it was rock hard and inedible, I was given a replacement which was slightly less stale. When the buzzer thing they gave me finally went off I went to collect the meals I was ordered however I was only given one of them because they had decided not to make more chips. Another 15-20 minutes later the buzzer went off again and I finally got my food, however the chips were extremely undercooked to the point some were almost inedible, I had payed full price for calamari and chips and was instead given a KIDS serving (which cost about half the price I payed) and not even a full kids serve of calamari (only 4 rings). The food other than that was unsuprisingly low quality however the amount of time I had to wait was in total almost an hour for all of my food to arrive and that is completely unacceptable. I will most certainly not be coming to the cafe ever again and bringing my own food next time.

Tldr: don't go to the cafe the wait is awful and so is the food

Had fun with family and friends. Nice little Zoo and aquarium.

There isn't a real thought out trail seem to go a lover the place and involved alot of backtracking. Aquarium could do with more to look at

A lovely little zoo the animals look well looked after. A fun day out for us humans too.

The refurbished area(2017/2018) is awesome. Is a tad expensive but totally worth it, take a picnic and you could spend the whole day easily.

Did a behind the scenes tour with Danni today and it was excellent! Great tour guide and great experience

Had a great day here, get there early, there are plenty of animals, they all seemed happy and healthy. The Zooventure was well worth the extra charge.

Wonderful zoo really nice easy walk around. We went on the zoo venture tour got to feed lots of animals and pat a rhino. Or guide was passionate and interesting. Fantastic

Our family has visited the zoo every time we come to Canberra which has been about 5 times over the past 10 years and it gets by each time. The animals have some of the largest, nicest enclosures of any zoo we have visited. The food at the Rhino cafe was all very good too.

As far as the zoo goes it's good, the staff do their job very well,, but the reason for this review is the poor accommodation that backs on to the kitchen with the extremely loud noise of plates and cutlery being clattered and washed and the cooking smells not to mention a internal door leading into the dining so that all that is herd in the room is a lot of people eating and drinking, extremely off putting for so so much money wasted..

A great experience and opportunity to see some very amazing animals up close.

We did the zooventure tour and thoroughly enjoyed every minute. Our guide Will.T was absolutely fabulous. He was very informative and you could see he really cares about the animals. Highly recommended.

Our First visit since expansion. Good zoo. Lots of room. Relaxed vibe. As far as zoos go it's cool. Well worth repeat visits

It's great here , good to walk around, plenty of things for kids to do , beautiful gardens , 2 cafes

The zoo itself, and the tours, are good, but don't try telephoning for information as the telephones do not get answered irrespective of the option selected. So far the messages left have not been responded to either.

Small but well planned zoo with a decent mix of well cared for animals. Well worth a visit.

If you live in Canberra and have kids, this is one of the essential things to do. Get a Joey pass and any family member can take your child for a day at the zoo. Some of the attractions are getting a little dated, but are still great for the kids. They have a fantastic new playground as well.

Wow what a great place. Has to be one of the best zoos in the country

Great day out the new park is amazing for kids. I think the aquarium needs expanding though. The new eatery is also a welcome addition.

This place was amazing! We did a zoo adventure it was definitely well worth the money. We would definitely do this one again!

A very pleasant experience in this beautifully designed zoo. Plenty of rest areas and amenities throughout the park.

Rhino Cafe now open, so you don't have to get back to the entrance to feed the little ones. Though, they need to include 600ml drinks with their meals deals instead of 390ml. It's not enough!

Take your children to visit this zoo. A well organized zoo.

Zoo good, animals cool. Sound like caveman but that about all I need to say, you know?

Brilliant, to be able to be up close and personal with wildlife, so amazing

Great place to spend the day.
A lot of up close contact with the animals.
Worth the detour while in Canberra.

The zoo itself is pretty awesome with a much larger footprint since the last time we visited. Very expensive though. Clean area, lots of places to rest if needed and a well thought out walking path. Aquarium is serious need of attention, looks run down.

What a great zoo! Love the way they have the directional boards about the place, let's you know where you've been so you don't miss anything. Will have to put money away and stay in one of the lodges one night,as that would be the ultimate experience but in the cooler months

Always a pleasure to visit the zoo and aquarium. The exhibits are always expanding. You could easily spend all day here, but allow at least 3 hours minimum to see everything.

The zoo was nice and well laid out but a little disappointing cant find quick way to attend information programme path is bit confusing like maze but Over all its okay for one day visit

Ah its OK its not a tarongo or dubbo zoo so get your hopes up. Family friendly easy to get around.

Especially love the new playground and cafe for little ones to crawl/run around

Fantastic zoo with lots to see. Just a bit tricky finding your way around to see everything.

Great family outing. Need about 5 hours to do it properly. You can stay there also.

I really love all the work you have put into the zoo with the new enclosures. The animals feel close by and the gardens are really lovely to walk around in. We brought in our own food and had a great BBQ - your picnic areas are fantastic. Also your kids playground is the best Ive seen suiting all ages and abilities! We had a really great day out and it was a really well kept, immaculately presented zoo that was very nice to walk around in. The coffee was great from the cafe. Highly recommend!

Wonderful experiences with up close animal encounters.

My family loved the zoo, the day we went there the animals were running around, nice and clean areas. The staff were amazing and helpful.

Always sensational. different seasons amd weather means you always see different animals in new ways

This felt more like a sanctuary than a regular zoo. The animals seemed so content and choosing to interact with people with positive encouragement as their training was amazing. We completed the 'walk on the wild side' (WOW) experience where we were with a guide for the day and got to feed and handle heaps of animals. Definitely recommend the zoo keeper for a day option as it was absolutely incredible!

Well it could have been better there were a lot of empty cages, would be good if they said that when you entered.Could have been due to cold but it was not crowded for school holidays.

Great day out. Took us about 4 hours to meander around the zoo and aquarium.

Feels expensive (not that I have compared many zoos though), but really well run. The only other downside is the cafe at the main entrance, but there is a new one with nicer food. There is also a playground next to it being built at the moment.

Had a great day at the Zoo. Can't wait to come back. Easy walk around for prams.