Colchester Zoo

The wonderful experience this zoo provides to its customers unfortunately comes with indescribably awful customer service.
One member of stuff has just ruined our family visit, and her terrible attitude made us feel like we were visiting a prison rather than a zoo. As someone who has worked in customer service I know that helping your customers where possible, rather than making their life hard and putting them off ever coming back, is a key rule.
I really hope that Colchester Zoo will eventually find good staff whose attitude will encourage people to visit this wonderful place again and again. Everything was fine until we came across this lady at the gates, and that I am so upset that I am spending my Saturday lunchtime writing this review - the first negative review in my entire life - is beyond belief.

Awesome place to visit. So much to see but not enough time to go round and as can be very busy. Second trip is needed with better weather next time. I would definitely recommend booking in advance as you may not save much money but the time you save in more worth it.

Our favourite zoo. Annual pass holders so we are back a few times each year. Nice selection of animals and you can feed some of them as well. Only warning is it is hilly in places (not as bad as Edinburgh zoo!) though there is a wheelchair friendly route.

Big enough to spend the whole day. But still small enough to be able to see all exhibits Excellent value for money. Definitely suggest a membership card. Only 3 visits and you've covered the cost. All animals are clean and healthy, and enclosures are always being upgraded. Staff are friendly and approachable. A really good place to visit.

Thank you so much for an Amazing Orangutan experience!! Waited all my life to get that close to one and the keeper I was with was so lovely. All in all a great zoo with regular animal encounters throughout the day. Loved feeding the giraffes and elephants. We travelled a long way from the north east as this is the only zoo with orang keeper experiences in the UK. Stayed the night before in a Holiday Inn Express nearby. Totally worth it. 👍

Great zoo! Friendly and knowledgeable staff

The animals all had roomy enclosures and looked to be well looked after!

Make sure you attend the bird shows! Amazing

Colchester Zoo surprises me on each visit. This week we experienced the young baby White Rhino which was born at the zoo in February this year. Due to the design of the paddock we were able to see the calf and mother very close up, what a beautiful experience.

The zoo is a great day out for families and offers many events throughout the year. Very popular year round so best to plan your visit and take a look at their web site to see what is on when you visit. Concentrate on your favourites or try to take it all in. There is now quite a few food outlets. To keep the cost of your visit take a picnic there are many places to sit and picnic.

My favourites are the birds of prey displays which are held in an arena that allows you to be part of the display where the birds will fly very close. The Tiger (Taiga) enclosure also has an excellent view point that allows you to look into the enclosure and get great views of these majestic animals.

Check out all of the displays and activities at the start of the day, the encounter table is published on the Colchester Zoo website. The train is a good way to see a lot of the animals and it turns into a Ghost Train at Halloween.

There is so much to see and do at Colchester Zoo I have held a season ticket for many years and still enjoy every minute I spent there.

VERY DISAPPOINTED!
went with my daughter and her young carers group so this was supposed to be good respite for her. It is not very wheelchair friendly. The animal enclosures were too small for most of the animals. On the day we visited it was hot for April and on several enclosures I noticed very little to no shade and even in some enclosures I noticed no evidence of drinking water or there ever having been any. I feel bad for complaining as this was a day out paid for for us but it did upset me to see that some enclosures didn't have a lot of attention paid to.
The only thing I did enjoy was the food which although a little pricey wasn't terribly so considering all these attractions are heavily priced anyway and the food was very good. Also they allowed my to top up the charge on my mobility scooter. This was mainly because it's very hilly and steep and not overly wheelchair friendly. It was exceptionally busy as it was Easter holidays and unusually warm and I had a lot of trouble getting around and through the crowds.

Went with friends today. Had to hire a wheelchair for one. Given advice to follow the yellow routes, which no way detracted from the whole wonderful experience. Plenty of places to eat and snack. Well maintained and signposted. If only there was an easy way to find your car at the end of your visit!