Edinburgh Zoo

If you’d like to travel to the top of the hill in style then make sure you hop on board the Rockhopper Railroad during your next Zoo visit!
Our new land train is run on sustainable gas to liquid fuel, which is free of unwanted components, making it non-toxic, biodegradable and even odourless! A small charge applies, please ask on arrival for availability.
http://socsi.in/aFLUa
... We'd like to give a special thank you to Fife Autocentre for their support of the railroad.
See More

Happy birthday Tian Tian! Our beautiful female giant panda turns 15 today! 🐼🎉
https://www.edinburghzoo.org.uk/animals-a nd-…/…/giant-panda/

Signups for our next Conservation Action Team (CAT) are now open! CAT is all about having fun whilst learning about conservation. Members will work as a team and get their hands dirty to help local biodiversity on site at here at the Zoo
If your wee ones love wildlife and want to help protect it then this is the programme for them: http://socsi.in/9yqJL

Who’s excited for Big Week at the Zoo on Channel 5? We’ll be featuring in tonight’s episode alongside other BIAZA attractions. Make sure you tune in to watch Helen Skelton-Myler preparing food for Yang Guang & Tian Tian, and lots more exciting goings on from zoos around the UK.
#BigWeekattheZoo is on nightly at 8 pm until 24 August, don’t miss it!
You can find your nearest BIAZA zoo or aquarium here: https://biaza.org.uk/members/all

Did you know that almost every minute a truck full of plastic waste ends up in the ocean? We’re fighting back with #PawsVsPlastic.
During your next Zoo visit, stop by the sandpit next to Brilliant Birds to recycle your plastic bottles, and see how you can help. http://socsi.in/jiEjd
#GreenPawPrints

We’d like to take this opportunity to apologise to all the budding ‘Penguin Erectors’ whose dreams we have shattered over the past 24 hours. As you can see our colony are surprisingly steady on their feet!
But don’t feel too disheartened, our Penguin Magic Moments are now back, so penguin enthusiasts can spend some quality time with their flippered friends!
https://www.store.rzss.org.uk/en/keeper-e xperiences.aspx

Unleash your child's artistic side this September at Edinburgh Zoo! If your kids love to get creative then make sure you sign up for three fantastic sessions of children’s art activities!
Participants will get to practise their artistic skills while learning about our conservation work here at RZSS. They’ll even get the chance to create their own large-scale animal sculpture!
Open to children in P4-P7 with 12 spaces available, book now: http://socsi.in/PoBoE

Harness that #MondayMotivation and spread your wings this week!

What do you mean it’s Monday tomorrow?! Thanks to Anne Louise for sharing this fantastic photo in the all-new August #SocialAnimals.
With penguins, meerkats, koalas, and more don’t miss this new collection online now: http://socsi.in/7Ji3N

We’re so excited to tune in to #BigWeekattheZoo on Channel 5 next week! Edinburgh Zoo feature alongside other BIAZA attractions showing the busy lives of keepers and the amazing animals they look after.
Big Week at the Zoo is on at 8pm from 20 to 24 August, don’t miss it!
You can find your nearest BIAZA zoo or aquarium here: http://socsi.in/qsTS1

Did you hear there’s a new koala in town? Tanami, a 19-month-old Queensland koala travelled over 700 miles from Zoo Duisburg in Germany, and even had his own seat on the plane!
Tanami has come to Edinburgh Zoo to take his place in the conservation breeding programme alongside Scotland’s only koalas. Find out more about this new arrival from Duisburg Zoo’s keeper Mario.
https://www.edinburghzoo.org.uk/…/koala -flies-in-to-edinbu…/

What’s black and white and eats like a horse?
A Zebra!
#NationalTellAJokeDay #SorryNotSorry

The Edinburgh Zoo #GreenTeam have been busy creating these beautiful pallet gardens from recycled plastic bottles!
These planters are so easy to make at home. Why not see how you could reduce and recycle during your next Zoo visit? http://socsi.in/TkGyA
#GreenPawPrints #PawsVsPlastic

#TFW you realise schools go back today…
Thanks to Emma Catt for this fantastic photo.

Calling all Night Zookeeper fans! Author Joshua Davidson will be here on Friday 17 August, 10:00-11:30 am, to sign copies of his new book, The Lioness of Fire Desert. This immersive fantasy story is the latest in his Night Zookeeper series.
Come on down and pick up your copy! You can also see Josh at his book festival event this week.
http://socsi.in/xlEz8

Happy birthday to Yang Guang! Our male giant panda turns 15 today!
Rest assured he’ll be enjoying plenty of bamboo to mark the occasion! 🐼🎉
https://www.edinburghzoo.org.uk/animals-a nd-…/…/giant-panda/

Farewell to Toorie! The young male Queensland Koala is flying off to Zoo Duisburg in Germany to take his place in the conservation breeding programme. Toorie is swapping places with Tanami, who arrived here at Edinburgh Zoo last week.
Find out more: http://socsi.in/xlgAz

Our rockhopper chicks were sporting some daring hairdos a few weeks ago! Thank you to Lorna Moffat for sharing this adorable photo in the latest #SocialAnimals.
Check out the rest here: http://socsi.in/zGqMr

If your kids love to get creative then we have the perfect event for you! Join us this September for three sessions of children’s art activities here at Edinburgh Zoo Children will get the chance to practise their drawing and painting skills in the company of Edinburgh’s most exotic creatures, before creating their own large-scale animal sculpture. As if that weren’t enough they’ll also learn all about the exciting conservation work at RZSS!
Open to children in P4-P7 with 12 spaces available, book now: http://socsi.in/xKf3u

Our family of 4 had a great day at the zoo yesterday. We spent 6 hours walking around in the sunshine and saw all the animals. The improved tiger enclosure is amazing, the tiger walked over our heads and later we saw it eating. We visited the pandas after lunch so they were awake and feeding. The Animal Antics show was good for the kids. We will definitely be back. ���

My 10yr old was with you today for a Junior Zookeeper experience. It was such an amazing day and he loved every minute of it, especially getting to feed the penguins! � Thanks so much to Kayleigh who was fantastic and so knowledgeable. He wants to book another one already!

It is always a treat to visit Edinburgh Zoo. The emphasis on conservation, preservation and education strikes the right balance and makes a great day out. The staff are friendly and helpful, and the enclosures are set up to benefit the animals first with plenty of opportunity for them to thrive. Seeing the Red River Hogs getting fed was a particular treat, very interesting table manners!

I really enjoyed the zoo. Larger then expected! And glad we got the pre-warning of the amount of hills there where. Some of the animals wasn’t visible. I’m putting this down to the weather as it was humid. And a lot where either sleeping or not in sight. Overall it was a cheap day out for us. £20 each entrance and we brought drinks and snacks to keep us going throughout the day. We Will defiantly be coming back again! But with comfy shoes.

Had an amazing visit today! Lovely big enclosures with lots of good spots for animal-watching. We especially loved the walk-through enclosures where we could be in with the pelicans, monkeys and brightly coloured birds (and their friends, the mice!) It was our first time seeing pandas in real life and we felt so lucky to see them in their indoor enclosure eating, climbing around and scratching! And the baboon families were great too, really funny watching them chase eachother and watching the young ones play. The food in the Grassland restaurant was well priced and delicious, and everywhere wasn't too busy. A really fantastic day out and we definitely recommend for couples like us, or family days out! Just remember sensible shoes, it's quite a walk up to the tigers and lions at the top!!

Excellent day out. We spent 6 hours at the zoo and saw nearly all of the animals. It helps when the weather is nice. I would say it is quite a climb to the top but great to see the lions, tigers and zebra. The panda was sleeping but got to see it which was a bonus. We only bought ice creams so can not comment on the restaurant .

Absolutely loved it!! Took my niece to who loved every single animal. Would definitely recommend to anyone who has kids. Worth pre booking before hand. But very hilly but worth the views at the top

We decided to buy the annual pass and it’s been fantastic value for money! The only negative is when it’s really busy and warm the kiosks aren’t always open. Other than that we love the Zoo 👍🏻

This was a first visit here for us and what a great day we have had! Always heard so many good reviews about it and it didn't disappoint :) so many fab animals to see, and all were out on show even on such a hot day, only give 4 stars as I wasn't thrilled about pay £60 to get In and also have to pay for parking .. also the lack of food carts open in 22 degree heat isn't great, there's such big hills and could have done with a drink � other than that it was a great day and would defo recommend �

The zoo is a great place to visit lots to do lots to see can easily spend the whole day and the entrance price is value for money

On the down side please take refreshments with you as the cafeterias and coffee outlets are a total rip off

£2.85 for a bottle of juice that cost 85p in WH Smith’s

I think if the zoo rents theses outlet they should stipulated that is has to be value for money and if the zoo makes all the profits from the sales they should be ashamed of themselves

My overall experience of the zoo was good, We all enjoyed checking out as many animals as possible during our day out.

However the options for lunch were poor, and the cost of food / drink was extortionate. I recommend anyone going takes a pack up lunch.

What concerns me most is Edinburgh Zoo has signs up in various places saying it is against the use of plastic, and we even saw a sign that said Edinburgh zoo is 100% plastic straw free. Well this is not true.

We had lunch in the jungle cafe where food was served on plastic plates, with plastic cutlery. Drinking cups were available which were plastic. Plastic straws were available at the counter and Cheese was dished out in plastic containers.

So Edinburgh Zoo is full of plastic, including straws, making it environmentally bad for the planet and not contributing towards the saving of species that are plagued by it.

Had a brilliant day at the zoo. My 8 month old son absolutely loved the capuchins and squirrel monkeys at living links. Only disappointing thing was the amount of single use plastic at the cafe - a shame as it goes against the zoo’s conservation message. Surely there is some way to reduce this?

An excellent zoo where you can see it modernising like all good zoos. Be aware it is situated on a hill and paths do have some steep gradients in places. Seeing the giant pandas and koalas was a particular highlight. Only downer we felt the food was slightly overpriced in the restaurant for the amount you get though it was tasty. Overall highly recommended.

We have visited Edinburgh Zoo almost every year for 10yrs. We take the train from Newcastle to Edinburgh Waverley station and it makes a lovely day visit out for our family. Unfortunately this year we were totally underwhelmed by the zoo. Although the Zoo has lots of different animals to see we noticed that a lot of the enclosures were empty. The food was extortionately overpriced and disappointing. The weather was very warm and so we drank so much bottled water adding extra expensive to our outing. really should be buy a bottle and refill water stations at the Zoo. Staff were lovely but we didn’t see that many on our visit. Really needing better communication and information to help visitors out. We loved the new exotic bird enclosure it was a real hit with the kids the pots cost £1 each and you feed the birds. We have been to a few Zoo’s now and more interactivity is needed where possible. The downside to Edinburgh Zoo is definitely the toilets they as so out dated and dirty they need more toilets as the queues can get long to wait in. I really wish Edinburgh Zoo could improve and be the best Zoo ever as it definitely has the potential to do so. Hoping to come back next year and see a positive improvement x

The kids enjoyed their day, as did the adults but overall felt disappointed as I expected so much more.



It's a vast hilly site and we saw some lovely green areas but not many 'impressive' animals, and not many animals in general - plenty birds and things like antelope though.



My son, who's 5 was desperately excited and expected zoo animals like lions (nothing to see), tigers (one lying asleep through a glass window), elephants (none), rhinos (not visible), giraffes (none) panda (lovely) zebras (at a huge distance doubtful he could make them out). I'd say it's more a small animal and bird park than zoo.



The monkey house had many empty enclosures, there were a few small monkeys and there was one extremely sad looking larger monkey and then a chimp in another section, which the kids struggled to see - you could pay extra to use the telescope though �.



The koala, lion, bears and rhinos weren't visible at all.



We did see many pelicans, flamingos and penguins. The walk through areas were ok.



The kids were excited for the penguin parade and we thought it would make our day and rushed back to see it but no penguins came out at which point we couldn't face walking all the way back up the hills with tired kids so left after only around 3 hours.



Overall for £70 there are better places to visit in my experience. The point of sale posters and shop were nice but overpriced and while the kids had a lovely time when asked they only mention the panda and penguins and the parks and for the travel and expensive that's a shame.

So let’s get the negatives out the way! 🙄

Toilets were filthy and stank of both waste matters, queuing to use one and then finding no toilet paper was very frustrating. Good job I carry toilet paper with me. Ice creams seem to be an “illusionional” want after 4pm, plenty of stalls but none open on such a sunny day too! It would be helpful if the more steeper climbs were posted as such as my 76yr old mother struggled at times especially to view the zebras & tigers. Plus more seating for the more mature persons that may benefit from taking a few breaks on route. I also struggled to understand the whole “capuchin/squirrel monkey co-habitat and was upset to see stressed out little monkeys being bullied by the bigger ones. The zoo was enjoyable and I was absolutely thrilled to see the pandas & koalas! The Grasslands Restaurant was clean & welcoming & the food was delicious. As a family of 4 we’d give it 8/10

After forking out at least £70, for our visit to your zoo today, I wouldn’t say it was worth the money. First of all since this was our first visit , we had really high expectations, however were let down. Starting of with when we had come in we weren’t really given a lot information about what was In the zoo and what facilities are available especially if it’s the first time you have been. For example we weren’t told about the tractor that take you up to the hill point view ,we were told by other tourists within the zoo. The map wasn’t that clear and the sign post within the zoo for the different animal enclosures was misleadingly and confusing , ending up getting lost a few times. Hardly seen any staff throughout the zoo , which would have probably made the experience better if they were available to guide you throughout the zoo, prices for food and drink is extortionate. Also the toilets within the zoo, are faraway within each part of the zoo , which is not ideal with children aged 1-5 , was quite the trek to find them, which weren’t really that clean and were faulty. Due to the zoo being on quite a steep gradient , we found that it was quite difficult to get around, like for example there should be more benches available and kiosk ,we had only seen two kiosk open. Especially in the hot weather today which was 27 degrees you would expect a lot of kiosk to be open and available. After getting up the steep hill for the rhinos and lions we were really disappointed that there was nothing there especially for the lions you couldn’t really see in the their enclosure. This was not ideal especially with young children who trek up that hill to be disappointed. Now if staff had been available at certain parts of the zoo , who would of informed you about where to go what is about to see in terms of animals would have been so ideal. For the amount of the money that it cost, you would expect a better experience, thus we probably will not be back. Only reason I have given 3 stars was for the pandas and monkey enclosure were great, if wasn’t for them I would of only have given 2 stars for the overall experience today.

I didn’t want to visit the zoo, (but had 2 children to entertain) I don’t like them as a rule but I do respect the conservation work they do to protect wild animals. However, Edinburgh zoo wasn’t very interesting and desperately needs injection of curiosity, imagination and thinking outside of the box to bring in more punters! Most of the animals were either not available or just not in their enclosures. No Pandas, no rhino, no hyenas and not much else. I do however commend their commitment to making the zoo as accessible as possible to disabled visitors by providing mobility cars to reach the very steep areas of the zoo. The staff there are dedicated, friendly and very welcoming.

Entrance price was reasonable if booked online prior to your visit, but then to charge for parking I thought was a bit of a joke. Prices of drinks were ridiculously over the top £2.65 for a bottle of coke & £2.00 for a water.

This place looked in need of a facelift. And there was certainly more staff than animals ! A lot of the enclosures were empty, such a shame the rhino had been moved. From the website it looked very impressive, but no mention of the missing Rhino. Maybe try again in a few years.

Our family of 4 had a great day at the zoo yesterday. We spent 6 hours walking around in the sunshine and saw all the animals. The improved tiger enclosure is amazing, the tiger walked over our heads and later we saw it eating. We visited the pandas after lunch so they were awake and feeding. The Animal Antics show was good for the kids. We will definitely be back. ���

My 10yr old was with you today for a Junior Zookeeper experience. It was such an amazing day and he loved every minute of it, especially getting to feed the penguins! � Thanks so much to Kayleigh who was fantastic and so knowledgeable. He wants to book another one already!

It is always a treat to visit Edinburgh Zoo. The emphasis on conservation, preservation and education strikes the right balance and makes a great day out. The staff are friendly and helpful, and the enclosures are set up to benefit the animals first with plenty of opportunity for them to thrive. Seeing the Red River Hogs getting fed was a particular treat, very interesting table manners!

I really enjoyed the zoo. Larger then expected! And glad we got the pre-warning of the amount of hills there where. Some of the animals wasn’t visible. I’m putting this down to the weather as it was humid. And a lot where either sleeping or not in sight. Overall it was a cheap day out for us. £20 each entrance and we brought drinks and snacks to keep us going throughout the day. We Will defiantly be coming back again! But with comfy shoes.

Had an amazing visit today! Lovely big enclosures with lots of good spots for animal-watching. We especially loved the walk-through enclosures where we could be in with the pelicans, monkeys and brightly coloured birds (and their friends, the mice!) It was our first time seeing pandas in real life and we felt so lucky to see them in their indoor enclosure eating, climbing around and scratching! And the baboon families were great too, really funny watching them chase eachother and watching the young ones play. The food in the Grassland restaurant was well priced and delicious, and everywhere wasn't too busy. A really fantastic day out and we definitely recommend for couples like us, or family days out! Just remember sensible shoes, it's quite a walk up to the tigers and lions at the top!!

Excellent day out. We spent 6 hours at the zoo and saw nearly all of the animals. It helps when the weather is nice. I would say it is quite a climb to the top but great to see the lions, tigers and zebra. The panda was sleeping but got to see it which was a bonus. We only bought ice creams so can not comment on the restaurant .

Absolutely loved it!! Took my niece to who loved every single animal. Would definitely recommend to anyone who has kids. Worth pre booking before hand. But very hilly but worth the views at the top

We decided to buy the annual pass and it’s been fantastic value for money! The only negative is when it’s really busy and warm the kiosks aren’t always open. Other than that we love the Zoo 👍🏻

This was a first visit here for us and what a great day we have had! Always heard so many good reviews about it and it didn't disappoint :) so many fab animals to see, and all were out on show even on such a hot day, only give 4 stars as I wasn't thrilled about pay £60 to get In and also have to pay for parking .. also the lack of food carts open in 22 degree heat isn't great, there's such big hills and could have done with a drink � other than that it was a great day and would defo recommend �

The zoo is a great place to visit lots to do lots to see can easily spend the whole day and the entrance price is value for money

On the down side please take refreshments with you as the cafeterias and coffee outlets are a total rip off

£2.85 for a bottle of juice that cost 85p in WH Smith’s

I think if the zoo rents theses outlet they should stipulated that is has to be value for money and if the zoo makes all the profits from the sales they should be ashamed of themselves

My overall experience of the zoo was good, We all enjoyed checking out as many animals as possible during our day out.

However the options for lunch were poor, and the cost of food / drink was extortionate. I recommend anyone going takes a pack up lunch.

What concerns me most is Edinburgh Zoo has signs up in various places saying it is against the use of plastic, and we even saw a sign that said Edinburgh zoo is 100% plastic straw free. Well this is not true.

We had lunch in the jungle cafe where food was served on plastic plates, with plastic cutlery. Drinking cups were available which were plastic. Plastic straws were available at the counter and Cheese was dished out in plastic containers.

So Edinburgh Zoo is full of plastic, including straws, making it environmentally bad for the planet and not contributing towards the saving of species that are plagued by it.

Had a brilliant day at the zoo. My 8 month old son absolutely loved the capuchins and squirrel monkeys at living links. Only disappointing thing was the amount of single use plastic at the cafe - a shame as it goes against the zoo’s conservation message. Surely there is some way to reduce this?

An excellent zoo where you can see it modernising like all good zoos. Be aware it is situated on a hill and paths do have some steep gradients in places. Seeing the giant pandas and koalas was a particular highlight. Only downer we felt the food was slightly overpriced in the restaurant for the amount you get though it was tasty. Overall highly recommended.

We have visited Edinburgh Zoo almost every year for 10yrs. We take the train from Newcastle to Edinburgh Waverley station and it makes a lovely day visit out for our family. Unfortunately this year we were totally underwhelmed by the zoo. Although the Zoo has lots of different animals to see we noticed that a lot of the enclosures were empty. The food was extortionately overpriced and disappointing. The weather was very warm and so we drank so much bottled water adding extra expensive to our outing. really should be buy a bottle and refill water stations at the Zoo. Staff were lovely but we didn’t see that many on our visit. Really needing better communication and information to help visitors out. We loved the new exotic bird enclosure it was a real hit with the kids the pots cost £1 each and you feed the birds. We have been to a few Zoo’s now and more interactivity is needed where possible. The downside to Edinburgh Zoo is definitely the toilets they as so out dated and dirty they need more toilets as the queues can get long to wait in. I really wish Edinburgh Zoo could improve and be the best Zoo ever as it definitely has the potential to do so. Hoping to come back next year and see a positive improvement x

The kids enjoyed their day, as did the adults but overall felt disappointed as I expected so much more.



It's a vast hilly site and we saw some lovely green areas but not many 'impressive' animals, and not many animals in general - plenty birds and things like antelope though.



My son, who's 5 was desperately excited and expected zoo animals like lions (nothing to see), tigers (one lying asleep through a glass window), elephants (none), rhinos (not visible), giraffes (none) panda (lovely) zebras (at a huge distance doubtful he could make them out). I'd say it's more a small animal and bird park than zoo.



The monkey house had many empty enclosures, there were a few small monkeys and there was one extremely sad looking larger monkey and then a chimp in another section, which the kids struggled to see - you could pay extra to use the telescope though �.



The koala, lion, bears and rhinos weren't visible at all.



We did see many pelicans, flamingos and penguins. The walk through areas were ok.



The kids were excited for the penguin parade and we thought it would make our day and rushed back to see it but no penguins came out at which point we couldn't face walking all the way back up the hills with tired kids so left after only around 3 hours.



Overall for £70 there are better places to visit in my experience. The point of sale posters and shop were nice but overpriced and while the kids had a lovely time when asked they only mention the panda and penguins and the parks and for the travel and expensive that's a shame.

So let’s get the negatives out the way! 🙄

Toilets were filthy and stank of both waste matters, queuing to use one and then finding no toilet paper was very frustrating. Good job I carry toilet paper with me. Ice creams seem to be an “illusionional” want after 4pm, plenty of stalls but none open on such a sunny day too! It would be helpful if the more steeper climbs were posted as such as my 76yr old mother struggled at times especially to view the zebras & tigers. Plus more seating for the more mature persons that may benefit from taking a few breaks on route. I also struggled to understand the whole “capuchin/squirrel monkey co-habitat and was upset to see stressed out little monkeys being bullied by the bigger ones. The zoo was enjoyable and I was absolutely thrilled to see the pandas & koalas! The Grasslands Restaurant was clean & welcoming & the food was delicious. As a family of 4 we’d give it 8/10

After forking out at least £70, for our visit to your zoo today, I wouldn’t say it was worth the money. First of all since this was our first visit , we had really high expectations, however were let down. Starting of with when we had come in we weren’t really given a lot information about what was In the zoo and what facilities are available especially if it’s the first time you have been. For example we weren’t told about the tractor that take you up to the hill point view ,we were told by other tourists within the zoo. The map wasn’t that clear and the sign post within the zoo for the different animal enclosures was misleadingly and confusing , ending up getting lost a few times. Hardly seen any staff throughout the zoo , which would have probably made the experience better if they were available to guide you throughout the zoo, prices for food and drink is extortionate. Also the toilets within the zoo, are faraway within each part of the zoo , which is not ideal with children aged 1-5 , was quite the trek to find them, which weren’t really that clean and were faulty. Due to the zoo being on quite a steep gradient , we found that it was quite difficult to get around, like for example there should be more benches available and kiosk ,we had only seen two kiosk open. Especially in the hot weather today which was 27 degrees you would expect a lot of kiosk to be open and available. After getting up the steep hill for the rhinos and lions we were really disappointed that there was nothing there especially for the lions you couldn’t really see in the their enclosure. This was not ideal especially with young children who trek up that hill to be disappointed. Now if staff had been available at certain parts of the zoo , who would of informed you about where to go what is about to see in terms of animals would have been so ideal. For the amount of the money that it cost, you would expect a better experience, thus we probably will not be back. Only reason I have given 3 stars was for the pandas and monkey enclosure were great, if wasn’t for them I would of only have given 2 stars for the overall experience today.

I didn’t want to visit the zoo, (but had 2 children to entertain) I don’t like them as a rule but I do respect the conservation work they do to protect wild animals. However, Edinburgh zoo wasn’t very interesting and desperately needs injection of curiosity, imagination and thinking outside of the box to bring in more punters! Most of the animals were either not available or just not in their enclosures. No Pandas, no rhino, no hyenas and not much else. I do however commend their commitment to making the zoo as accessible as possible to disabled visitors by providing mobility cars to reach the very steep areas of the zoo. The staff there are dedicated, friendly and very welcoming.

Entrance price was reasonable if booked online prior to your visit, but then to charge for parking I thought was a bit of a joke. Prices of drinks were ridiculously over the top £2.65 for a bottle of coke & £2.00 for a water.

This place looked in need of a facelift. And there was certainly more staff than animals ! A lot of the enclosures were empty, such a shame the rhino had been moved. From the website it looked very impressive, but no mention of the missing Rhino. Maybe try again in a few years.

Our family of 4 had a great day at the zoo yesterday. We spent 6 hours walking around in the sunshine and saw all the animals. The improved tiger enclosure is amazing, the tiger walked over our heads and later we saw it eating. We visited the pandas after lunch so they were awake and feeding. The Animal Antics show was good for the kids. We will definitely be back. ���

My 10yr old was with you today for a Junior Zookeeper experience. It was such an amazing day and he loved every minute of it, especially getting to feed the penguins! � Thanks so much to Kayleigh who was fantastic and so knowledgeable. He wants to book another one already!

It is always a treat to visit Edinburgh Zoo. The emphasis on conservation, preservation and education strikes the right balance and makes a great day out. The staff are friendly and helpful, and the enclosures are set up to benefit the animals first with plenty of opportunity for them to thrive. Seeing the Red River Hogs getting fed was a particular treat, very interesting table manners!

I really enjoyed the zoo. Larger then expected! And glad we got the pre-warning of the amount of hills there where. Some of the animals wasn’t visible. I’m putting this down to the weather as it was humid. And a lot where either sleeping or not in sight. Overall it was a cheap day out for us. £20 each entrance and we brought drinks and snacks to keep us going throughout the day. We Will defiantly be coming back again! But with comfy shoes.

Had an amazing visit today! Lovely big enclosures with lots of good spots for animal-watching. We especially loved the walk-through enclosures where we could be in with the pelicans, monkeys and brightly coloured birds (and their friends, the mice!) It was our first time seeing pandas in real life and we felt so lucky to see them in their indoor enclosure eating, climbing around and scratching! And the baboon families were great too, really funny watching them chase eachother and watching the young ones play. The food in the Grassland restaurant was well priced and delicious, and everywhere wasn't too busy. A really fantastic day out and we definitely recommend for couples like us, or family days out! Just remember sensible shoes, it's quite a walk up to the tigers and lions at the top!!

Excellent day out. We spent 6 hours at the zoo and saw nearly all of the animals. It helps when the weather is nice. I would say it is quite a climb to the top but great to see the lions, tigers and zebra. The panda was sleeping but got to see it which was a bonus. We only bought ice creams so can not comment on the restaurant .

Absolutely loved it!! Took my niece to who loved every single animal. Would definitely recommend to anyone who has kids. Worth pre booking before hand. But very hilly but worth the views at the top

We decided to buy the annual pass and it’s been fantastic value for money! The only negative is when it’s really busy and warm the kiosks aren’t always open. Other than that we love the Zoo 👍🏻

This was a first visit here for us and what a great day we have had! Always heard so many good reviews about it and it didn't disappoint :) so many fab animals to see, and all were out on show even on such a hot day, only give 4 stars as I wasn't thrilled about pay £60 to get In and also have to pay for parking .. also the lack of food carts open in 22 degree heat isn't great, there's such big hills and could have done with a drink � other than that it was a great day and would defo recommend �

The zoo is a great place to visit lots to do lots to see can easily spend the whole day and the entrance price is value for money

On the down side please take refreshments with you as the cafeterias and coffee outlets are a total rip off

£2.85 for a bottle of juice that cost 85p in WH Smith’s

I think if the zoo rents theses outlet they should stipulated that is has to be value for money and if the zoo makes all the profits from the sales they should be ashamed of themselves

My overall experience of the zoo was good, We all enjoyed checking out as many animals as possible during our day out.

However the options for lunch were poor, and the cost of food / drink was extortionate. I recommend anyone going takes a pack up lunch.

What concerns me most is Edinburgh Zoo has signs up in various places saying it is against the use of plastic, and we even saw a sign that said Edinburgh zoo is 100% plastic straw free. Well this is not true.

We had lunch in the jungle cafe where food was served on plastic plates, with plastic cutlery. Drinking cups were available which were plastic. Plastic straws were available at the counter and Cheese was dished out in plastic containers.

So Edinburgh Zoo is full of plastic, including straws, making it environmentally bad for the planet and not contributing towards the saving of species that are plagued by it.

Had a brilliant day at the zoo. My 8 month old son absolutely loved the capuchins and squirrel monkeys at living links. Only disappointing thing was the amount of single use plastic at the cafe - a shame as it goes against the zoo’s conservation message. Surely there is some way to reduce this?

An excellent zoo where you can see it modernising like all good zoos. Be aware it is situated on a hill and paths do have some steep gradients in places. Seeing the giant pandas and koalas was a particular highlight. Only downer we felt the food was slightly overpriced in the restaurant for the amount you get though it was tasty. Overall highly recommended.

We have visited Edinburgh Zoo almost every year for 10yrs. We take the train from Newcastle to Edinburgh Waverley station and it makes a lovely day visit out for our family. Unfortunately this year we were totally underwhelmed by the zoo. Although the Zoo has lots of different animals to see we noticed that a lot of the enclosures were empty. The food was extortionately overpriced and disappointing. The weather was very warm and so we drank so much bottled water adding extra expensive to our outing. really should be buy a bottle and refill water stations at the Zoo. Staff were lovely but we didn’t see that many on our visit. Really needing better communication and information to help visitors out. We loved the new exotic bird enclosure it was a real hit with the kids the pots cost £1 each and you feed the birds. We have been to a few Zoo’s now and more interactivity is needed where possible. The downside to Edinburgh Zoo is definitely the toilets they as so out dated and dirty they need more toilets as the queues can get long to wait in. I really wish Edinburgh Zoo could improve and be the best Zoo ever as it definitely has the potential to do so. Hoping to come back next year and see a positive improvement x

The kids enjoyed their day, as did the adults but overall felt disappointed as I expected so much more.



It's a vast hilly site and we saw some lovely green areas but not many 'impressive' animals, and not many animals in general - plenty birds and things like antelope though.



My son, who's 5 was desperately excited and expected zoo animals like lions (nothing to see), tigers (one lying asleep through a glass window), elephants (none), rhinos (not visible), giraffes (none) panda (lovely) zebras (at a huge distance doubtful he could make them out). I'd say it's more a small animal and bird park than zoo.



The monkey house had many empty enclosures, there were a few small monkeys and there was one extremely sad looking larger monkey and then a chimp in another section, which the kids struggled to see - you could pay extra to use the telescope though �.



The koala, lion, bears and rhinos weren't visible at all.



We did see many pelicans, flamingos and penguins. The walk through areas were ok.



The kids were excited for the penguin parade and we thought it would make our day and rushed back to see it but no penguins came out at which point we couldn't face walking all the way back up the hills with tired kids so left after only around 3 hours.



Overall for £70 there are better places to visit in my experience. The point of sale posters and shop were nice but overpriced and while the kids had a lovely time when asked they only mention the panda and penguins and the parks and for the travel and expensive that's a shame.

So let’s get the negatives out the way! 🙄

Toilets were filthy and stank of both waste matters, queuing to use one and then finding no toilet paper was very frustrating. Good job I carry toilet paper with me. Ice creams seem to be an “illusionional” want after 4pm, plenty of stalls but none open on such a sunny day too! It would be helpful if the more steeper climbs were posted as such as my 76yr old mother struggled at times especially to view the zebras & tigers. Plus more seating for the more mature persons that may benefit from taking a few breaks on route. I also struggled to understand the whole “capuchin/squirrel monkey co-habitat and was upset to see stressed out little monkeys being bullied by the bigger ones. The zoo was enjoyable and I was absolutely thrilled to see the pandas & koalas! The Grasslands Restaurant was clean & welcoming & the food was delicious. As a family of 4 we’d give it 8/10

After forking out at least £70, for our visit to your zoo today, I wouldn’t say it was worth the money. First of all since this was our first visit , we had really high expectations, however were let down. Starting of with when we had come in we weren’t really given a lot information about what was In the zoo and what facilities are available especially if it’s the first time you have been. For example we weren’t told about the tractor that take you up to the hill point view ,we were told by other tourists within the zoo. The map wasn’t that clear and the sign post within the zoo for the different animal enclosures was misleadingly and confusing , ending up getting lost a few times. Hardly seen any staff throughout the zoo , which would have probably made the experience better if they were available to guide you throughout the zoo, prices for food and drink is extortionate. Also the toilets within the zoo, are faraway within each part of the zoo , which is not ideal with children aged 1-5 , was quite the trek to find them, which weren’t really that clean and were faulty. Due to the zoo being on quite a steep gradient , we found that it was quite difficult to get around, like for example there should be more benches available and kiosk ,we had only seen two kiosk open. Especially in the hot weather today which was 27 degrees you would expect a lot of kiosk to be open and available. After getting up the steep hill for the rhinos and lions we were really disappointed that there was nothing there especially for the lions you couldn’t really see in the their enclosure. This was not ideal especially with young children who trek up that hill to be disappointed. Now if staff had been available at certain parts of the zoo , who would of informed you about where to go what is about to see in terms of animals would have been so ideal. For the amount of the money that it cost, you would expect a better experience, thus we probably will not be back. Only reason I have given 3 stars was for the pandas and monkey enclosure were great, if wasn’t for them I would of only have given 2 stars for the overall experience today.

I didn’t want to visit the zoo, (but had 2 children to entertain) I don’t like them as a rule but I do respect the conservation work they do to protect wild animals. However, Edinburgh zoo wasn’t very interesting and desperately needs injection of curiosity, imagination and thinking outside of the box to bring in more punters! Most of the animals were either not available or just not in their enclosures. No Pandas, no rhino, no hyenas and not much else. I do however commend their commitment to making the zoo as accessible as possible to disabled visitors by providing mobility cars to reach the very steep areas of the zoo. The staff there are dedicated, friendly and very welcoming.

Entrance price was reasonable if booked online prior to your visit, but then to charge for parking I thought was a bit of a joke. Prices of drinks were ridiculously over the top £2.65 for a bottle of coke & £2.00 for a water.

This place looked in need of a facelift. And there was certainly more staff than animals ! A lot of the enclosures were empty, such a shame the rhino had been moved. From the website it looked very impressive, but no mention of the missing Rhino. Maybe try again in a few years.

Our family of 4 had a great day at the zoo yesterday. We spent 6 hours walking around in the sunshine and saw all the animals. The improved tiger enclosure is amazing, the tiger walked over our heads and later we saw it eating. We visited the pandas after lunch so they were awake and feeding. The Animal Antics show was good for the kids. We will definitely be back. ���

My 10yr old was with you today for a Junior Zookeeper experience. It was such an amazing day and he loved every minute of it, especially getting to feed the penguins! � Thanks so much to Kayleigh who was fantastic and so knowledgeable. He wants to book another one already!

It is always a treat to visit Edinburgh Zoo. The emphasis on conservation, preservation and education strikes the right balance and makes a great day out. The staff are friendly and helpful, and the enclosures are set up to benefit the animals first with plenty of opportunity for them to thrive. Seeing the Red River Hogs getting fed was a particular treat, very interesting table manners!

I really enjoyed the zoo. Larger then expected! And glad we got the pre-warning of the amount of hills there where. Some of the animals wasn’t visible. I’m putting this down to the weather as it was humid. And a lot where either sleeping or not in sight. Overall it was a cheap day out for us. £20 each entrance and we brought drinks and snacks to keep us going throughout the day. We Will defiantly be coming back again! But with comfy shoes.

Had an amazing visit today! Lovely big enclosures with lots of good spots for animal-watching. We especially loved the walk-through enclosures where we could be in with the pelicans, monkeys and brightly coloured birds (and their friends, the mice!) It was our first time seeing pandas in real life and we felt so lucky to see them in their indoor enclosure eating, climbing around and scratching! And the baboon families were great too, really funny watching them chase eachother and watching the young ones play. The food in the Grassland restaurant was well priced and delicious, and everywhere wasn't too busy. A really fantastic day out and we definitely recommend for couples like us, or family days out! Just remember sensible shoes, it's quite a walk up to the tigers and lions at the top!!

Excellent day out. We spent 6 hours at the zoo and saw nearly all of the animals. It helps when the weather is nice. I would say it is quite a climb to the top but great to see the lions, tigers and zebra. The panda was sleeping but got to see it which was a bonus. We only bought ice creams so can not comment on the restaurant .

Absolutely loved it!! Took my niece to who loved every single animal. Would definitely recommend to anyone who has kids. Worth pre booking before hand. But very hilly but worth the views at the top

We decided to buy the annual pass and it’s been fantastic value for money! The only negative is when it’s really busy and warm the kiosks aren’t always open. Other than that we love the Zoo 👍🏻

This was a first visit here for us and what a great day we have had! Always heard so many good reviews about it and it didn't disappoint :) so many fab animals to see, and all were out on show even on such a hot day, only give 4 stars as I wasn't thrilled about pay £60 to get In and also have to pay for parking .. also the lack of food carts open in 22 degree heat isn't great, there's such big hills and could have done with a drink � other than that it was a great day and would defo recommend �

The zoo is a great place to visit lots to do lots to see can easily spend the whole day and the entrance price is value for money

On the down side please take refreshments with you as the cafeterias and coffee outlets are a total rip off

£2.85 for a bottle of juice that cost 85p in WH Smith’s

I think if the zoo rents theses outlet they should stipulated that is has to be value for money and if the zoo makes all the profits from the sales they should be ashamed of themselves

My overall experience of the zoo was good, We all enjoyed checking out as many animals as possible during our day out.

However the options for lunch were poor, and the cost of food / drink was extortionate. I recommend anyone going takes a pack up lunch.

What concerns me most is Edinburgh Zoo has signs up in various places saying it is against the use of plastic, and we even saw a sign that said Edinburgh zoo is 100% plastic straw free. Well this is not true.

We had lunch in the jungle cafe where food was served on plastic plates, with plastic cutlery. Drinking cups were available which were plastic. Plastic straws were available at the counter and Cheese was dished out in plastic containers.

So Edinburgh Zoo is full of plastic, including straws, making it environmentally bad for the planet and not contributing towards the saving of species that are plagued by it.

Had a brilliant day at the zoo. My 8 month old son absolutely loved the capuchins and squirrel monkeys at living links. Only disappointing thing was the amount of single use plastic at the cafe - a shame as it goes against the zoo’s conservation message. Surely there is some way to reduce this?

An excellent zoo where you can see it modernising like all good zoos. Be aware it is situated on a hill and paths do have some steep gradients in places. Seeing the giant pandas and koalas was a particular highlight. Only downer we felt the food was slightly overpriced in the restaurant for the amount you get though it was tasty. Overall highly recommended.

We have visited Edinburgh Zoo almost every year for 10yrs. We take the train from Newcastle to Edinburgh Waverley station and it makes a lovely day visit out for our family. Unfortunately this year we were totally underwhelmed by the zoo. Although the Zoo has lots of different animals to see we noticed that a lot of the enclosures were empty. The food was extortionately overpriced and disappointing. The weather was very warm and so we drank so much bottled water adding extra expensive to our outing. really should be buy a bottle and refill water stations at the Zoo. Staff were lovely but we didn’t see that many on our visit. Really needing better communication and information to help visitors out. We loved the new exotic bird enclosure it was a real hit with the kids the pots cost £1 each and you feed the birds. We have been to a few Zoo’s now and more interactivity is needed where possible. The downside to Edinburgh Zoo is definitely the toilets they as so out dated and dirty they need more toilets as the queues can get long to wait in. I really wish Edinburgh Zoo could improve and be the best Zoo ever as it definitely has the potential to do so. Hoping to come back next year and see a positive improvement x

The kids enjoyed their day, as did the adults but overall felt disappointed as I expected so much more.



It's a vast hilly site and we saw some lovely green areas but not many 'impressive' animals, and not many animals in general - plenty birds and things like antelope though.



My son, who's 5 was desperately excited and expected zoo animals like lions (nothing to see), tigers (one lying asleep through a glass window), elephants (none), rhinos (not visible), giraffes (none) panda (lovely) zebras (at a huge distance doubtful he could make them out). I'd say it's more a small animal and bird park than zoo.



The monkey house had many empty enclosures, there were a few small monkeys and there was one extremely sad looking larger monkey and then a chimp in another section, which the kids struggled to see - you could pay extra to use the telescope though �.



The koala, lion, bears and rhinos weren't visible at all.



We did see many pelicans, flamingos and penguins. The walk through areas were ok.



The kids were excited for the penguin parade and we thought it would make our day and rushed back to see it but no penguins came out at which point we couldn't face walking all the way back up the hills with tired kids so left after only around 3 hours.



Overall for £70 there are better places to visit in my experience. The point of sale posters and shop were nice but overpriced and while the kids had a lovely time when asked they only mention the panda and penguins and the parks and for the travel and expensive that's a shame.

So let’s get the negatives out the way! 🙄

Toilets were filthy and stank of both waste matters, queuing to use one and then finding no toilet paper was very frustrating. Good job I carry toilet paper with me. Ice creams seem to be an “illusionional” want after 4pm, plenty of stalls but none open on such a sunny day too! It would be helpful if the more steeper climbs were posted as such as my 76yr old mother struggled at times especially to view the zebras & tigers. Plus more seating for the more mature persons that may benefit from taking a few breaks on route. I also struggled to understand the whole “capuchin/squirrel monkey co-habitat and was upset to see stressed out little monkeys being bullied by the bigger ones. The zoo was enjoyable and I was absolutely thrilled to see the pandas & koalas! The Grasslands Restaurant was clean & welcoming & the food was delicious. As a family of 4 we’d give it 8/10

After forking out at least £70, for our visit to your zoo today, I wouldn’t say it was worth the money. First of all since this was our first visit , we had really high expectations, however were let down. Starting of with when we had come in we weren’t really given a lot information about what was In the zoo and what facilities are available especially if it’s the first time you have been. For example we weren’t told about the tractor that take you up to the hill point view ,we were told by other tourists within the zoo. The map wasn’t that clear and the sign post within the zoo for the different animal enclosures was misleadingly and confusing , ending up getting lost a few times. Hardly seen any staff throughout the zoo , which would have probably made the experience better if they were available to guide you throughout the zoo, prices for food and drink is extortionate. Also the toilets within the zoo, are faraway within each part of the zoo , which is not ideal with children aged 1-5 , was quite the trek to find them, which weren’t really that clean and were faulty. Due to the zoo being on quite a steep gradient , we found that it was quite difficult to get around, like for example there should be more benches available and kiosk ,we had only seen two kiosk open. Especially in the hot weather today which was 27 degrees you would expect a lot of kiosk to be open and available. After getting up the steep hill for the rhinos and lions we were really disappointed that there was nothing there especially for the lions you couldn’t really see in the their enclosure. This was not ideal especially with young children who trek up that hill to be disappointed. Now if staff had been available at certain parts of the zoo , who would of informed you about where to go what is about to see in terms of animals would have been so ideal. For the amount of the money that it cost, you would expect a better experience, thus we probably will not be back. Only reason I have given 3 stars was for the pandas and monkey enclosure were great, if wasn’t for them I would of only have given 2 stars for the overall experience today.

I didn’t want to visit the zoo, (but had 2 children to entertain) I don’t like them as a rule but I do respect the conservation work they do to protect wild animals. However, Edinburgh zoo wasn’t very interesting and desperately needs injection of curiosity, imagination and thinking outside of the box to bring in more punters! Most of the animals were either not available or just not in their enclosures. No Pandas, no rhino, no hyenas and not much else. I do however commend their commitment to making the zoo as accessible as possible to disabled visitors by providing mobility cars to reach the very steep areas of the zoo. The staff there are dedicated, friendly and very welcoming.

Entrance price was reasonable if booked online prior to your visit, but then to charge for parking I thought was a bit of a joke. Prices of drinks were ridiculously over the top £2.65 for a bottle of coke & £2.00 for a water.

This place looked in need of a facelift. And there was certainly more staff than animals ! A lot of the enclosures were empty, such a shame the rhino had been moved. From the website it looked very impressive, but no mention of the missing Rhino. Maybe try again in a few years.