Zurich Zoo

The most curious Shoebill

We spent our Wednesday afternoon off at Zurich Zoo yesterday. We bussed, trained and trammed it, which took just over an hour (actual time travelling on public transport just 40mins!) Although it is open 365 days a year, it has now entered it's Winter phase so is nice and quiet, closes at 5pm instead of 6pm and there is a great deal of development work going on, which looks very exciting for the future.

Zurich Zoo is pretty special. It's been beautifully designed, offering lots of lovely little paths weaving in and out of the enclosures, the most imaginative play parks and lots of surprises along the way. You can't really do it all in one day, which is why the annual family pass (for around 160chf) is a great idea (daily entry costs 39chf for myself and my 7-year-old - under 6s go free)

Yesterday we headed to the big cat section, a particular favourite of my eldest daughter, and enjoyed the mushroom playground, the monkey house (with cushioned armchairs to sit and observe) and the hippo home, with lots of birds flying around. We didn't even bother with the amazing elephant enclosure or goat petting area on this particular visit. And our truly memorable moment came as we climbed the steps to the hippo enclosure and were mightily surprised by the biggest, most curious bird I have ever seen. As we stood in awe of this magestically - and very blue! - big bird,  it began to eye us menacingly and suddenly violently pecked at the fence, spreading its wings - which were HUGE. This all made us jump, and Pops was particularly spooked. When I put her to bed last night she voiced her worries that the giant blue bird would come and carry her away in the night!

In one way or another you can trust a day out to Zurich Zoo will give you an experience you won't forget in a hurry!

Zurich Zoo website