We’ve all been to the zoo before; standing in awe of the unique and fascinating creatures that make our planet so special. As well as aiding in conservation efforts and educational/research projects, zoos and aquariums provide the public with a whole variety of experiences and opportunities, whether that is to learn about the animals themselves, experience the outdoors and feel at one with nature, or maybe to simply enjoy a weekend out with the family. This blog will explain my Top 10, personal favourite zoological facilities and aquariums around the world that I have visited on my travels. No matter what your requirements are for a ‘good day at the zoo’, these should cover them all!
Chester Zoo
With over 125 acres to explore and 27,000 plus animals waiting to meet you, Chester is by far the most visited zoo in the whole of the UK, attracting almost 2 million visitors a year! This incredible zoo strives to provide the best welfare for its unrivalled collection of exotic species, while educating and inspiring guests every day to care about our planet. Their main goal as a charity is to prevent extinction by bringing the public closer to nature. They rely on every visit and donation to help save more and more species every day.
Being so large, it will definitely take even the most adventurous of visitors more than a day to explore it all. No need to worry about getting lost though as the zoo has colour-coded sections of the park so you can find your way around and see all your favourite animals easily. Make sure to download or grab a map before your visit as this will show you the sections and also inform you of all the interactive and educational activities that are on during the day. The keeper talks are my personal favourites; seeing firsthand how passionate and enthusiastic the staff are while working alongside their animals.
If you want to find out more about the incredible work Chester does to conserve species then I highly recommended watching ‘Secret Life of The Zoo’. The series showcases the lives of the individual animals that call the zoo their home and allows people to witness the amazing connection the keepers share with their animals.
SeaWorld
We all knew this was going to be on the list but how could it not be?!! This is the place home to the most graceful and intelligent of all marine species, the killer whale! But it isn’t just the orcas that call SeaWorld home. Hundreds of other marine species, many rescued and rehabilitated, are given what is rated the world’s best welfare, husbandry and veterinary care within the three parks. In fact, SeaWorld has their very own rescue centre, open 24/7 365 days a year, dedicated to saving any animal in distress. In just over 50 years, their rescue teams have successfully rescued and rehabilitated over 35,000 animals, giving the vast majority a second chance at life in the wild. The others are given a forever home in the parks and become animal ambassadors for their wild counterparts, helping to educate and inspire the public to care about and protect these magnificent creatures. Don’t believe me? Go see it for yourself when you visit next. They have some of their rescue pools and rehab centres on display, showcasing rescued manatees, sea turtles, sea birds, and even dolphins.
Lose yourself during the mesmerizing dolphin display ‘Dolphin Days’ that brings you closer to these magnificent animals in an educational yet heart warming way that not only shows you how energetic these athletes of the ocean are but you will see how much of incredible relationship they share with their trainers. ‘Sea Lion High’ is a brilliant comical show for all ages, featuring the park's sea lions, walruses and even their Asian short-clawed otters.
Obviously the highlight of the day has got to be ‘Orca Encounter’. This educational show brings guests closer to the ocean’s top predator, where you will discover how these extraordinary mammals hunt, communicate, socialise, and survive in the wild. All the behaviours the orcas exhibit are extensions of natural behaviours that have been documented in the wild and act not only as an immersive, educational tool for the audience but also as physical and mental stimulation for the animals themselves.
It’s not all just animals though. For those thrill seekers among us, experience what it’s like to be the fastest shark in the ocean as you reach speeds of up to 73mph by taking a ride on ‘Mako’, in SeaWorld Orlando, or feel the rush on ‘Electric Eel’, in SeaWorld San Diego, as you get slingshotted into tight corkscrews 150 feet up in the air. Don’t worry, there are plenty of rides for all the little ones too while you grab a famous ‘Shamu Ice Cream Bowl’ or a mouth watering key lime pie.
SeaWorld’s mission is to bring people closer to nature through everything they do. Once you see these stunning animals face to face you form a connection with them that is like nothing you’ve ever experienced before. This connection allows people to care about our planet and once you care you’ll want to protect it. As SeaWorld so brilliantly puts it – ‘From Park to Planet’!
San Diego Zoo
Home to more than 650 species of animals, San Diego Zoo is one of my favourite zoological facilities in the world. Every single enclosure is overwhelmingly natural that you would be forgiven if you believed you had stumbled into an actual exhibit! Immerse yourself into the four corners of the world as you travel from Africa to Asia in under a day.
The zoo is split into different sections that group species that live in the same continent so you can visit Indonesia in the morning and Africa Rocks in the afternoon, with a break for ice cream in the middle of course.
There is a lot of walking to do within the zoo as it covers over a hundred acres of land (so be sure to wear your hiking boots of comfortable trainers). Don’t fret if you’re not a big walker – there is a shuttle bus service around the zoo throughout the day that stops at key areas of the zoo and the Sky Rail that goes from one end of the zoo to the other. So just sit back, relax and enjoy the park in style; getting off at any stops that peaks your interest.
San Diego Zoo’s mission is to globally save species worldwide by uniting their expertise in animal and planet care and conservation science with the staff’s dedication to inspiring passion for nature. This is really highlighted during their keeper talks that explain more about what the zoo is trying to achieve, as well as bringing people closer to the fabulous animals in their collection. I recommended going to the California condor talks, one of San Diego’s greatest conservation success stories to date!
Monterey Bay Aquarium
The Monterey Bay Aquarium is situated at the west end of Cannery Row, in Monterey. For over 30 years, the aquarium has worked to help protect marine life from human threats and interference. They are trying to preserve our oceans for the future generations to come by inspiring guests of all ages with the beauty, wonder and grace of our natural world. Their conservations efforts are helping to save species like sea otters and great white sharks, alongside many others. The aquarium is always trying to tackle urgent ocean issues at the local, state, national and international levels.
Gaze up at the clouds of sardines and schooling fish circling above your head as you make your way to Monterey Bay’s largest and most impressive tank, the ‘Open Sea’ Exhibit. Here you will find the aquarium’s most notorious predators, the sharks, swimming harmoniously alongside other bizarre yet wonderful creatures, such as the heaviest bony fish on the planet – the Mola Mola (or ocean sunfish as they’re more commonly known by). Take a step back and rewind for a second as you watch numerous species of fish dance through the towering kelp forests or admire the cute and cuddly rescued sea otters playing while they recuperate in the aquarium’s rescue centre.
One of the most breath-taking experiences Monterey Bay has to offer is the opportunity to view wild whales off the aquarium’s balcony. It’s not at every aquarium you get to witness breaching humpbacks, super pods of dolphins, or even blue whales!
The aquarium has established the perfect equilibrium between nature and man-made elements to create one of the most extraordinary aquariums on the planet.
Australia Zoo
Home to the famous Irwin family, it’s no wonder this zoo made its way onto my list. This facility has a very hands-on approach to conservation and will find any way to immerse the whole family into the incredible world of animals!
Feed a kangaroo, cuddle a koala and witness a massive salt water crocodile propel itself out of the water to catch its prey. And just like San Diego Zoo, find yourself wondering across the globe into different continents as you go from watching a tiger cubs roll around in the grass together to cheetahs sprinting at full speed right past your face. In fact, there are most likely more interactive, special experiences for people to choose from at this zoo than at any other I’ve visited before. Giraffe and Zebra feeding, walking with Wombats, stroking a White Rhino (personal favourite), or even handling a juvenile Crocdile – Australia Zoo has it all!!
The best part of any trip to this zoo has to be the thrilling educational animal show at The Crocoseum, featuring the world-famous Wildlife Warriors. Enjoy all the wildlife action as you come face-to-face with slithering snakes, swooping macaws and massive crocs as you learn about the issues these animals face in the wild and how we can prevent them from happening.
Feeling peckish after the show? Why not head over to ‘Crikey Cafe’ to get your hands on some of the tastiest and freshest food around. They serve a whole variety to food to meet the whole family’s needs. Even the fussiest of eaters won’t be disappointed.
Before your day ends, don’t forget to visit the Australia Zoo’s Wildlife Hospital; one of the busiest in the whole world. Since the zoo opened in 2004, they have taken in thousands of sick and injured animals every year, managing to release many back into the wild thanks to their extraordinary veterinary care team.
Perth Zoo
Many are surprised to hear that I personally enjoyed Perth Zoo more than Australia Zoo. My family and I enjoyed it SO much we travelled from Exmouth back down to Perth just to go to the zoo again before we had to leave. But why did I find it more enjoyable?...
It was the simplicity of the zoo that I found interesting. It was a relatively small zoo compared to the rest on this list; however it really proved that all you need is a passionate and dedicated team of people and animals to make wonders happen when it comes to conservation. Every single staff member was knowledgeable and enthusiastic when it came to their animals. They wanted to share their love with the world with zoo guests and this made the interactive activities and keeper talks within the zoo that bit more special than most.
The zoo had on exhibit a whole variety of exotic species in incredibly naturalistic enclosures that gave the animals the ability to live semi-natural lifestyles that they would experience if they were in the wild. The Sumatran Orangutan enclosures where the most impressive, along with their Asian Elephant exhibit, as both gave the creatures access to a large space filled with enrichment of all types to keep them stimulated throughout the day. It’s very rare apes of that size are allowed to climb hundreds of feet into the air like they would in the wild, being encouraged to build nests and socialise with each other.
Perth Zoo’s most extraordinary success story is definitely that they are the only zoological facility in the world to be releasing captive-born Orangutans into the wild. In fact, the zoo’s conservation funding program has invested more than $4 million into field-based conservation since 2007, delivering tangible, long term outcomes such as protecting and securing natural habitats, funding anti-poaching units, providing community education and employment, regional species breeding programs and releasing native animals into the wild. How incredible!!
Wild Life Sydney Zoo and Sea Life Aquarium
My expectations of this zoo were minimal when we first arrived in Sydney. My family and I always visit zoological parks and aquariums whenever we travel to new destinations. Due to my experience seeing some of the best facilities in the world and studying animal welfare, my expectations for a ‘brilliant zoo’ are incredibly high. However, Wild Life Sydney Zoo and the neighbouring Sea Life Centre blew me away!
Not only was it an incredible opportunity to meet Australia’s most famous faces but the enclosures were magnificent for the animals’ individual needs. There were many walk through exhibits in both the zoo and the aquarium, housing animals from Kangaroos and Wallabies and even rare Dugongs! The wildlife park specialised more in Australian species, whereas the aquarium was home to species from across the globe and housed them in enclosures that brilliantly represented where they would be found in the wild. The mangroves were very impressive, with bio-filtration in place to help the tanks naturally filter out waste and act as a perfect nursery for the smaller fish the aquarium is breeding.
In order to make it onto this list there were several critical elements that a zoo or aquarium would have had to meet to be included; have successful conservation efforts in place, educational programs to educate the public and provide natural lifestyles for the animals in their care etc. The Wild Life Sydney Zoo and Sea Life Centre were no exception. The ‘WILD LIFE Conservation Fund’ is a non-profit organisation based in New South Wales supporting some of Australia’s leading research and conservation organisations; designed to protect Australian native habitats and the amazing wildlife that lives within them. Both facilities took it in their pride to support this cause, with many keeper talks and demonstrations that focused on what the public can do to make a positive difference.
Ocean Park Aquarium, Shark Bay
This small aquarium lies well off the beaten track, between Monkey Mia and Denham, yet will definitely spark the curiosity in anyone with a passion for marine life.
Ocean Park is an award-winning, eco-friendly aquarium located on the pristine shores of the Shark Bay Marine Park in Western Australia. The aquarium provides guests with a very unique experience and fully submerges you into Australia’s marine life and ocean ecosystems, the highlight being the sea-pen style shark enclosure with rescued chondrichthyes swimming just under your feet. Make sure you stay to watch the educational shark feeding session that explains about all the ways the facility is trying to conserve marine life – with brand new experiences coming soon this year.
You have the option to enjoy the centre at your own leisurely pace or can opt for the guided tours which are lead by expert marine biologists and naturalists in the field.
It’s also the perfect place to kick back, relax and have a bite to eat in The Oceans Restaurant, especially if you need a break from driving Australia’s never ending roads; enjoying the spectacular views and/or watching the humpback cruise by on their annual migration. The wedges are my personal favourite snack by the way!
Ocean Park Aquarium’s mission is to protect and conserve the marine environment and inspire visitors to appreciate the oceans. This is achieved through imparting accurate scientific information and conveying messages of sustainability and conservation in a fun, passionate and educational manner.
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay
Busch Gardens is located in Tampa Bay and is a 335-acre African-themed animal zoological and theme park. The park is actually owned and operated by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment and is the second largest park in terms of attendance behind SeaWorld Orlando.
Just like SeaWorld, Busch Gardens’ main mission is to bring people closer to the planet and the animals that inhabit it, educating and inspiring people of all ages to join the cause in aiding conservation efforts dedicated to saving endangered species. Unlike most charitable organizations, 100% of donations to the ‘SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund’ go directly to wildlife conservation, including species research, animal rescue, habitat protection and education.
When visiting Busch Gardens, I would highly recommend spending some more dollars for one of the park’s most popular and amazing experiences it has to offer; the Giraffe Feeding. This animal experience is very different to the usual Giraffe encounters offered by most zoos. You will have your own reserved spot on a spacious open-air safari truck, with a limited amount of other guests to make sure your experience is personal and unforgettably special. Drive through the African Plains in Busch Garden's award-winning Serengeti Safari and enjoy hand-feeding fascinating animals like Zebras, Antelope, Ostriches and (of course) Giraffes!
Another characteristic shared by both SeaWorld and Busch Gardens is the need for speed! Busch has its own unique and thrilling rides for those who wish to escape their comfort zone. Reach speeds of 97 km/h (almost as fast as a cheetah!) on ‘Cheetah Hunt’, or take a dive on ‘Sheikra’ as you vertically dive 200 feet towards the ground, before shooting off into the rest of this exhilarating rollercoaster. There are rides for the whole family to enjoy throughout the day that maybe aren’t as scary as the ‘Sheikra’...
Singapore River Safari
This small, river-themed park is part of several bigger parks and allows guests to park-hop between them if you choose to purchase a joint ticket. However, due to being on a tight schedule while touring Singapore, I was only able to visit The River Safari, but it definitely did not disappoint.
The zoo and aquarium is built over 12 hectares and houses up to 300 different species, all being divided into 10 different ecosystem style exhibits. It is the first of its kind in Asia and features freshwater exhibits and a river boat ride as its main highlights, the ‘Amazon River Quest’. This boat ride was incredibly immersive and transports you to South America, featuring Brazilian Tapirs, Jaguars, Manned Wolves, and a whole host of reptile and avian species etc.
Once you reach dry land again, take a trip to visit the enormous Manatee/Alligator Gar pool. Watch these gentle giants chow down on lettuce as they lazily glide through the water, alongside their impressive tank mates that dwarf them in size! Singapore has done an incredible job at breeding manatees so don’t be surprised if you see a calf or two.
The River Safari is also home to our land-dwelling favourites too – the Giant Panda. Enjoy them tumbling around their enclosure as they play and interact with ingenious enrichment devices created by the keepers. Stick around to find out more information about these black and white bears and how the facility is protecting them in the wild.
I look forward to visiting more and more facilities as I continue to travel the world, seeing what every zoo and aquarium has to offer!
Love this! All these places are added to my travel list! The pictures you have taken are amazing, what piece of tech did you use to take them?