Calgary Zoo

Great zoo. Always worth a visit whenever we’re in Calgary. The site is well laid out. We find it most enjoyable by keeping our visit shorter than longer. Trying to see everything in one visit can be physically difficult especially on a warm day. Weekends will generally be busy.

I live in the Edmonton area and I will always make the trip to come see this zoo before going to the Edmonton one. They have great exhibits here and they are laid out well with a great representation of the animals habitat. If your going through the best time is the early morning when they open so it's not too hot out and you'll see more of the animals. Also I believe you can see when the feed times are online for each animal as well. They have a great animal selection here, and I feel like they treat the animals very well here. I have been to zoos all over the world and this is by far one of the best in the way of animal treatment and habitat sizes. The zoo is licensed as well so if it's a hot day you can buy a beer and walk around with it, also I recommend ordering your tickets online and skipping the line to buy tickets especially on the weekend.

I love the zoo, and even more so now that I have a little one. The animals all seemed to be in good spirits and well loved and taken care of. We got to see some local wildlife (not sure what bird it is) and many of the flowers in the butterfly exhibit were in bloom. They also had a bunch of new babies!! Meerkats, tapirs, and gorillas! Wonderful time and definitely worth buying a year round pass!

World class zoo, props to the staff members maintaining, up-keeping the place and also caring for the animals. We visited in the Fall and had a lovely time strolling through the entire vicinity while blessed with good weather and blue skies. Highlights for me were the Grey Wolves, Grizzly Bears, Penguins, Lemurs, Meerkets, Pallas’s Cat, Flamingoes, Porcupines, but really all animals we saw amazed us. Sad that we didn’t manage to see the Snow Leopards and Red Pandas. Clean and lovely enclosures with well maintained flora and fauna. We spent almost three hours pure walking through all enclosures but one can definitely spend half a day or a full day here. Great experience !

Love this zoo, there is lots to see and do. I've come before with my family and this trip was with three teens. The staff are friendly and helpful and there is a lot of diversity in the exhibits. It's clean and has lots of accessibility points. The penguin house is awesome. There is lots of parking too. We visited on a super rainy day and it was great since nobody else was there!

We’ve been Calgary Zoo members for many years (with a short break a few years back) and it’s still one of our favourite places in the city. The Zoo is always beautifully maintained, the staff are friendly, and it’s clear how much care goes into every habitat. Our favourite section has always been the Canadian Wilds. It’s peaceful, scenic, and we never get tired of watching the otters play. There’s something grounding and joyful about spending a morning wandering the paths and seeing how thoughtfully everything is cared for. We always stop and chat with the zookeepers and staff who are out working. They’re so kind and full of great tidbits of information. We’ve learned so much over the years just by taking a few minutes to talk with them. The newer ticketing system that changes prices based on the day of the week can be a bit confusing, so we went back to the annual membership. It just makes things easier and lets us visit whenever we want. The Calgary Zoo is such a gem. We’re really grateful to have a place like this to visit again and again.

Loved my experience at the Calgary Zoo! The variety of animals is impressive and you could easily spend all day here. There's especially lots of things to occupy a family with children. The African section was especially impressive as you can get pretty close to some large animals that we aren't used to seeing in Canada. The staff is often feeding or taking care of animals around the park and this interaction keeps the animals moving about, which is interesting to watch. Didn't catch any sights of a few notable beasts like the polar bear and a few others but overall there is a wonderful selection and most of the animals were fairly active. The lemurs and the meer cats are especially fun to watch. The dinosaur section was a little less interesting only because there are no actual live animals obviously, but kids would likely love it. Would likey visit this place regularly if I lived in Calgary. Apparently it can sometimes be slightly cheaper to reserve your tickets online in advance. Highly recommend place to visit if you're in Calgary!

Actually quite a decent zoo! One thing I found annoying at first was that most animals were not very visible in their exhibits and it felt rather empty. However, what I learnt was that the animals were given a choice to come out or not- they have a personal room attached to the exhibit that they could leave at any time, and I think that was quite good practice on the zoos part. One thing to note is that there are very little shelters within the routes- so it can be quite scorching under the sun. Also, the exhibits are quite extensive! If you’re a fan of animals, you could spend a whole day here! I spent around 4 hours looking at everything, and it was quite a day. Also, although I didn’t try their food, it looks rather alright. I did however grab a bite from one of the snack shops. Fair trade for a hot day.

This is a good zoo. It's 3 stars due to how small it is, lack of a variety of animals and the cost. $13 to park and $45.95 for admission for 1 day. The penguin exhibit is the best one I think. It's at the entrance and has a variety of penguins, those that live at the equator and those that like the cold. Asked for a map of the property after buying a ticket, told they don't have any. First time visitor, I followed the path and signs. I walked slowly and took a bench now and then and was done in 2 hours.

Such a great zoo! Clean and well organized. We have been here for hours and only seen half the zoo. So many interactive experiences and each paddock or animal enclosure was like new and well managed. Nothing seemed dated or in disrepair. All the animals were lounging and we didn't get to see some as they were off exhibit or sleeping. Plenty of places to stop and rest. Plenty of food and water and restrooms. Plenty of staff and top zoo experience for us and we've been to many zoos. Lemurs and Dogs Penguins have standout facilities. Definitely would recommend this for a family or locals. An annual pass would be the thing to consider for locals. Also, this is an all day experience. Pack a lunch and take your time.

What a wonderful zoo! We had a blast with my 5 year old daughter. Notable sitings was the red panda, polar bears, and a big boar! The place is very clean and well laid out. The dinosaur area is super cool and the flowers were beautiful

On our last full day in Calgary, we decided to just take it easy and visit the zoo. We'd been hearing good things about the zoo from locals and from travel pamphlets. So we set out on a surprisingly warm and sunny day and pulled into the parking lot, still wondering where they had installed this zoo since there were no large enclosures visible driving up. We found a parking spot and paid for parking at the machines near the entrance. You don't have to take the ticket back to the car to put in the dash. It knows you're there. The entry ticket was about $42 per person at the window. If you purchase online a couple days in advance, you can get a few dollars off, so look into that if you want to save. We started off in the North side and our first sighting of any wildlife was penguins. These little guys were hanging out in an outdoor, sunny area, enjoying the good weather. But the rest of the penguins were housed in a colder, climate controlled environment inside. As we traveled through the zoo, we realized how well maintained the enclosures were. And not only that, we were pretty much able to spot all of the animals, even if they were napping somewhere (save for the polar bear, for whom it may have been too hot). The zoo does their best to make the wildlife environments spacious and open but still safe for both animal and visitor. We saw lions and tigers and bears (oh my) plus monkeys, moose, a snow leopard, red panda, camels, giraffe, hippo and many many more. On our way out, we saw the souvenir collector penny machine and tried to buy one. The machine wasn't accepting our credit card, so we went into the gift shop and major shout out to Bonnie who helped us with our penny machine woes and so much more. Thank you Bonnie for your kindness!! And thank you Calgary Zoo and all its employees and volunteers for taking good care of these beautiful animals!

Had an awesome day here! There were many exhibits that got you really good views of the animals up close such as the penguins. Seeing a hippo underwater was a highlight to me! Food prices were not too bad considering the location.

Beautiful even in winter Wide variety of animals and great layout. Many things closed in winter, despite good weather.

Good things first: A few of the exhibits were interactive, such as the lemur walk where there are no barriers between you and the animal, or the red panda with walls so low that I could lean into the pen for pictures. But that's also the bad part isn't it? Everytime I saw how easy it was to just climb into a pen or touch an animal I worried about the animal's safety and health. How many curious kids have grabbed at a lemur. On the flip side, so many animals were in small cages behind wire fencing, making photography impractical, and making it more like an animal prison than a place to admire nature's creatures. Finally, about 1/4 of the animals were under veterinary care or missing due to construction, significantly reducing exhibits. And I could help but to wonder how many were sick due to poor conditions. Ultimately, I enjoyed my stay, but left disappointed. Compared to San Francisco, San Diego, or Fresno, CA, it's just a sad place.

Can I give this place 7 stars?? We had some time here today and enjoyed seeing almost everything in about 2 hours. The Lemur habitat was our favorite, as you're able to be right in their habitat close enough to hear them eat and play. We didn't realize how loud they talk. All of the animals were active, enclosures were clean and staff was super friendly. I had gotten a lot of suggestions to visit here and was hesitant because I've been to a lot of Zoo's but this one was beautiful and the weather was perfect, too.

Wow! An amazing place for people of all ages! Some very cool animals and attractions! Really good ice cream for summer and hot chocolate for winter, if visiting Calgary or need something to do, for sure come check it out!

We added this to our "to do list" on the last day of our time in Calgary. I'm glad we did the whole family had a good time and I think yours will as well.

This was a fantastic zoo to visit. The layout was very good with plenty of seating and shade during the visit. The enclosures looked fairly big for animals to roam. Unfortunately, a lot of the animals were hiding from the sun and heat. This was expected as the animals want their breaks too. There were a few playgrounds for the kids to enjoy. Overall, it was very easy to navigate around the zoo. I found the zoo to be so much better than other zoos I have visited. We were with a group of friends who had annual membership passes. However, we learned quickly there were different membership discounts. My friends had no idea there were different membership options and had bought the cheapest option. It was a good lesson if I ever decide to move to Calgary just to get a zoo pass.

Very stratified with our visit to this Zoo!! We were in a family vacation and we loved visiting the Calgary Zoo. Even though the weather was bad we still went and enjoyed it. The service is amazing. The animals are awesome. The food was really good!

A visit to Calgary wouldn't be complete if it didn't include a visit to the Zoo to see the pandas. I remember seeing the pandas in 1988 at this zoo so I was happy to see the return of pandas. We bought our tickets online in advance to save $5 and skip the line as we were emailed our tickets and they scanned the barcode when we entered. The zoo is also easy to get to via train from downtown and it took us less than 10 minutes to arrive. It was a weekday morning and there were lots of school groups and children but the pathways are spacious and the zoo is large so it wasn't crowded. The signage is clear to point to all the areas within the zoo. We headed straight for the Panda Passage. Because it's low season, we didn't have to get timed entry to see the pandas. I was glad as the first time, only one panda was active but we went back at the end of our visit, and two pandas were active. Smart marketing to have the gift shop at the end of the exhibit so people must walk through it. In between, we checked out the other exhibits that were indoors and outdoors. Some of the food vendors were closed by there were places to find a snack, or meal, and washrooms scattered throughout the zoo. We spent 3 hours at the zoo and it was fun to spend a spring day!

Wow, this place is Awesome, there are so many different wild animals you would not normally be able to see but here all your wildest wonders come true! Walk around the zoo with your family or friends and experience the natural beauty the world has to offer in 5 different places of the world as a whole, The African exhibit with the hippos, giraffes and other animals you would find on the African savanna plains. The Asia exhibit with the animals of Asian heritage such as the Komodo dragon! There is the Canadian wilds which stores all the native Canadian animals we all know and love such as the wolves of Canada and wild bears! Next is the Amazon rainforest with animals that make their home in the lush trees, these include gorillas, monkeys and more! Last but certainly not least is the prehistoric exhibit, this brings all our prehistoric dinosaurs to life ( well almost) this holds almost identical animatronics to the dinosaurs that roamed the earth before us! Literal Jurassic park Deja vu. That's not even all of it! There is a specialized penguin walk through where you can see all types of penguins. They also have a massive garden greenhouse with tons of beautiful plants and butterflies. The price is a bit high but that is to be expected of such a high maintenance place. Also I suggest you come at least once in winter because their Christmas lights are truly something to behold!

amazing zoo! giant habitats! thought we would spend 2 hours but we spent 5! would recomend!!! love the red pandas

I have been to this zoo so many times but this was the first time I went there for "ZooLights"! It was a pretty good experience and everything was setup pretty good. If you read this before Christmas, I recommend you to check zoo lights! It's a pretty cool experience!

We head down to the Calgary Zoo nearly every summer and it never disappoints. It wasn't a super busy day when we were there which was nice. Bathrooms everywhere, helpful staff, lots of room to spread out. Four stars because the canteen prices are high (but that's expected).

The Zoo was terrific, educational first hand experience with animals. Landscape was magnificent . Staff are awesome and helpful. They have plan strategic places and benches for a rest. O e day is not enough!

We landed in Calgary YYC airport, and needed to go over to the information kiosk to use the courtesy phone to contact our airport hotel. While there I spotted a brochure with the Giant Pandas on the cover. Ooh, pandas at the Calgary Zoo. The zoo wasn't on our radar but now it was. Checked into the Hilton Garden Inn Calgary Airport hotel. There was a huge cardboard cutout of the Giant Pandas. Asked the front desk for more information. Come to find out the hotel sold attraction tickets which included ones for the zoo. Purchased ticket for $25 CAD. We Uber'd it to the zoo (subsequently found out it was an easy ride using CT) the next day. But I digress. Our first stop once inside the zoo was to the Giant Panda exhibit. We were in luck. The two juvenile pandas were very active. Eating bamboo. We saw them around 10:30 am. From the Giant Pandas exhibit we hit all the other major stops. The zoo is well laid out and easy to move from one area to the other. We spent a good 1/2 day at the zoo. That's saying a lot for us five. We left the zoo on a high note. My 2nd digression: trying to get Uber back to our hotel was challenging as the Uber driver goes by the GPS on his/her smartphone & the Zoo has more than one entrance. Plus there were 5 of us so that was a challenge getting someone who could fit 5 even though we selected 4-6 passengers on our Uber app.

I have a soft heart towards animals so I don't patronize any place that sell animals nor visit any place where animals are caged instead of being let to roam in a natural environment they live in. This is the reason why I don't go to any zoo but ended up here because of unavoidable circumstances. On our way home from Banff, my friend told me that she will treat her three young kids to a visit to the zoo. I told her she can drop me off a mall or somewhere else while waiting. She insisted so I reluctantly agreed. As expected, it was very difficult to see the animals in their cages. Aside from that, many areas were closed due to ongoing construction during our visit thus making it difficult for us to go around. Anyhow, I was delighted to find out that there was a botanical garden inside the zoo. There were plants and trees from tropical countries, stuff I see back home. There was also a butterfly garden that were very tame. At least, I enjoyed this part of the zoo.

Came to Calgary in part because of these furry friends that recently moved here from Toronto! China's Giant Pandas! The habitat was constructed just for the 4 occupants, and it was done very nicely! I got the tickets on line and it was a breeze, for an additional $10.00 for parking, it's truly a good deal! Moreover, the Zoo is operating as a non-profit So by supporting it it's also good for the community! See photo for prices( as of May 2018 )

This is a world-class zoo. I finally had the chance to visit after more than 30 years, and suddenly I was transported into my 12-year-old self. The Giant Panda exhibit alone is worth the trip. I also loved the gorillas, colobus (a primate that is extremely rare to see in this part of the world), penguins, the Canadian wildlife hike, the the Prehistoric Park with its fake badlands. I don't think I saw everything, and I am not sure it's possible on one trip. Admission is pricey, but you can spend the whole day here - there are at least three restaurants, several food kiosks, and a gift store that is incredible. So much fun!

I have been to the zoo many times pre pandemic and it is always so busy and packed with people that you don't get to truly enjoy yourself. During the pandemic the tickets have to be booked online for a time slot, once you get in they just confirm the tickets as they usually would. Masks are required through out the time you are in the zoo even though it is outdoors and guests are all socially distancing for the most part. The experience was nice because it wasn't crowded so you could take your time and enjoy seeing all the animals. There were arrows all around the zoo for guests to comply with the directions to keep everyone safe. I would love it if the zoo kept up with this way of doing things post covid but I am sure that it would not work out the best financially. Overall amazing experience. Must visit if you are in Calgary.

My family disappeared into nature in Jasper, AB for some of August. This meant flying in and out of Calgary. I wasn't overly impressed with how serious Calgary was taking Covid-19, but I did need to do a little more with my kids than just show them the inside of their uncles' house on the days on either end of our holiday. The zoo was doing timed entrances and masks and sanitization in all indoor areas, with 3 metres between everyone and is mostly outdoors. We decided to brave it, I'm so glad we did. It's the perfect sized zoo for a family and we felt completely safe. Things that make this zoo special: +Penguins are there to greet you when you arrive +A lot of different view points inside and out for major animal attractions means you always get to see most animals (we saw tigers and lions no problem, often they seem to be hiding and napping at other zoos!) +A little nod to Alberta's dinosaur history, in the way of a prehistoric park. My daughter loved it!

This Zoo was great. If you go on a warm day be sure to have water because you will be walking a lot. The zoo is large and there were lots of wonderful animals. Our favorite were the penguins.

Fun day loads of walking. But a great variety of animals and plenty of people to help with guiding you around the zoo all around a good experience.

This place is awesome! We took the time to do all the 'areas' except the dinosaurs. There was no let downs from Africa to Eurasia and Canada it was all good. Lot's of bathrooms and places to eat! Wolves, lions, tigers, bears. Its awesome. Plant and butterfly exhibits are even cool. Not cheap but worth it! Step your game up Edmonton zoo! A perfect date afternoon.

Was here with a friend for zoo lights End of November. The lights were all lit up in certain areas. It felt very magical walking through. FYI Panda exhibit closes at 5 PM. Still got a great photo with the lanterns outside the panda exhibit. I also especially love that giant tree in the garden. Take a look at those photos Just magical

One of the best attractions in Calgary. Season passes worth it especially for families as 6 visits in a year pays off membership. Plus parking is free when you purchase zoo pass Inspire. Penguins exhibit is very cold and smelly but one of my fav. Dinosaurs exhibition is outside with lots of trails and dinosaurs on display. Many animals exhibits have a mix of indoor and outdoor. There is a cafe with lots of tables, high chairs and outside sitting. The cafe food also has been very inconsistent being cold to barely warm. The Sunday Safari Brunch is very good but on the pricy side if you bring along kids. Selection is decent but quality is much better than cafes. Can't give this place 5 star as been here for the last few years and lots of the little concessions never seem to be open even during peak summer months. Great place to spend with family and friends.

I do feel the Calgary Zoo does a good job in providing conservation stewardship for wildlife, plant life and many educational opportunities for the general public as well as reasonable care, space and resources for the majority of its wildlife under its care. Also, they do a great job creating special events such as Zoolights, Festive Feasts, Giving Tuesday and many others. They have created so many other wonderful programs for all ages. The Zoo is an an opportunity for all citizens of Calgary to come together and share. It is a unifier and builder of the community. Over the years, I have enjoyed visiting the zoo many times and seeing its evolution into a place where families and friends can bond by visiting all the different wildlife themed areas, different venues, special exhibits for example, the pandas on loan from China as well as the lush, green and floral conservatories. To see the excitement and anticipation of children and parents alike makes it worthwhile. You see this right away when you enter and see the penguin venue and the lights in the eyes of children and adults open up and their joy overflows into excitement! The Zoo is an opportunity to slowdown, rekindle friendships, spend time with family or time to spend in quiet contemplation. And most importantly invigorate and re-emerge refreshed and alert. All benefits to our society and city. My only regret, is I wish there were more benefactors and/or donators who could bring down the cost of admission so everyone could benefit and enjoy our wonderful zoo. No one should be turned away because of admission costs. That is my one wish for the City of Calgary citizens.

Today we were here for a birthday celebration and decided to try their Zoo and Safari brunch combo- brunch is half price with zoo entry. It was FANTASTIC to say the least. They had all kinds of goodies from eggs benny to a roast beef carving station to a waffle bar (which were red velvet today as the buffet was Valentine's Day themed). They also had a free flowing Callebaut chocolate fountain with various things to dip in the fountain. They had a charcuterie station and a dessert table. Two dessert highlights were the white chocolate moisse with soursop curd and the lychee sponge cake . This is well worth the money and a great way to spend a Sunday morning. We stayed for the penguin walk and to see a few of the other animals as well. Not everything was open due to it being winter but overall it was a great time.

The Calgary Zoo Botanical Gardens is one of my favorite parts of the zoo because it is so fresh smelling and so beautiful! There are so many butterflied flying around you and when you walk in .. if you have ever been to Hawaii.. it feels like getting off of the airplane and landing in Hawaii with the humidity and the smell! Amazing!

We're so lucky to have such a world-class zoo here in Calgary! I was a bit worried that the lines for the new penguin exhibit would be outrageous since I went during the opening week but it was actually pretty reasonable. We waited for 45 minutes which was pretty good considering there were signs warning the wait could be up to 2 hours. Right now they're letting groups of about 70 in at a time for 15 minutes each. The exhibit itself was super impressive. The glass separating you from the penguins is only about 5 feet high so they get extremely close to you. One of them even splashed me! I was envisioning they would be behind a wall of impenetrable glass. However, the closeness you can get to the animals made it feel really interactive even though you can't touch them. Check out the photos I added. So cute. I can't wait to come back to see the penguins when it's less busy and there isn't a time limit. One of the zookeepers mentioned they were hoping to participate in a breeding program in the future which would be amazing. The rest of the zoo was pretty quiet since we did go in the middle of February. I assume a lot of the people there were annual pass holders so they can justify going just for the penguins and saving the rest of the zoo for a warmer day. I'm seriously considering buying a pass for myself too!

The animal exhibits were nice/decent. The hugest, most glaring issue about the Calgary zoo is the gross lack of signage. You would think a spread-out major attraction would have plenty of signage, letting you know where you are in the zoo. The "You Are Here" signs are way too few and far between. Worst zoo we've been to. We are not from Calgary, we are not members. The zoo obviously doesn't care about patrons visiting from elsewhere.

I was so pleasantly surprised with this zoo. Coming from California, we are pretty spoiled with our Zoos (San Diego and LA Zoo are fantastic). But this place was great. Our favorite exhibit was the Dinosaurs ALIVE! I loved it! It was great! The dinosaurs moved... some with control buttons some with sensors. It surprised the kids and was great!! The butterfly exhibit was wonderful too. The staff was so informative. So many different species, you could easily spends hours in there. I would definitely go back and visit again. We didn't get to spend enough time there. (Parking is pricy $1.75 for 30mins, might as well just pay the $8 for all day)

If you love animals than this zoo is the place to go! It's spread out with multiple buildings and walking paths to spend the entire day observing endangered and local animal species. There is giraffes, gorillas, bison, penguins, lions and much more! My favorite was the hippos and penguins! Only $29.99 for a adult day pass which is reasonable for a day full of entertainment! Check it out if you're in Calgary!

This was one of the saddest zoos I've been too. The areas for animals were so small in my opinion. The penguin area is very cool. But it's very loud and echo-y. I felt so bad for them. A grizzly bear was sitting in a puddle by the fence chewing on the fence. 4 giraffes were in what seemed like maybe a 20 feet by 20 feet sized pen inside an echo chamber again. Overall everyone seemed so crammed together and non of the animals moved a whole lot. Oh yeah there was also a mountain goat rocking themselves back and forth.

Amazing, food l, drinks everything. Clean, polite everything. Can't say a bad thing about it. A must for dinner or an event. They are very professional and for events they are amazing at attention for detail Must must go there

Very well maintained zoo, all climates present. Very impressed with layout, staff and animals except when their backs are turned to audience. Located next to Blue line and easy to get to from downtown. The panda exhibit is pleasant but the penguin exhibit rocks! Friendly staff are on hand in the room to protect the guest and animals and educate. All exhibits are good-some more than others. Very nice place to spend afternoon or morning. Check out the butterfly exhibit and say hello to Jia Panpan and Jia Yueyue at Panda Passage.

A great place to spend the day with your family. Our kids loved the penguin exhibit and the prehistoric area. It's quite a bit of walking (as zoos normally are), so bring a stroller or wagon for younger kids. You're also allowed to bring your own food, so pack snacks and drinks. The butterfly exhibit was closed during our last visit, but the gorillas were out and very active. If you're staying downtown, getting to the zoo on the train is easy and convenient. Parking is expensive, so the train is the way to go.

The Calgary Zoo is a must-visit for locals and tourists of all ages! The well-maintained and curated zoo is thematically arranged and is very engaging due to the variety of programming, variety of animals, flora, etc. complimented by updated infrastructure. The annual pass is worthwhile if you see yourself enjoying the zoo 2+ times. With the highest tier pass, you get free parking and some additional perks that make "hosting" or treating other visitors economical. Throughout the season, the zoo holds limited-term events such as an evening lantern event (autumn), and ornamental lighting aka "Zoolights" over the winter holidays. Very visually striking and a huge hit for children and adults alike.

One of the best zoos I have ever seen. From Komoto dragons giraffes gorillas tropical rainforest. Whatever you can think of. Only downside is that there is no signs to enter from parking lot. No signs to exit inside zoo, One last problem..... never ending chem trails of overhead planes. 4 1/2 stars out of five for sure. Very well maintained. You better have eight hours

This would be my second time at the zoo in Calgary. It was very easy to find. I used GPS but it is very easy. There was a lot of parking available. We parked in C lot which I thought would be a bit of a walk, but it wasn't too much at all. When you get there, parking has to be paid for which is $10. I don't really think that there should be a fee for parking at the zoo especially with paying entrance fees. We went to pay to get into the zoo only to find that there is no family rate... wait... what? Why? Most of every other place I have ever been to had a family rate, but not here. It is per person. For our family of 5, the baby being free, it was $130. I mean, I appreciate it costs a lot to take care of the animals and the space, plus employees, but gathering from the amount of people I saw inside, as well as the vehicles... I think a family rate should be offered. Aside from prices, every thing else was a pro! Inside the zoo is beautiful, it's well maintained and well mapped out. There is the Canadian area, the Dino's and the African/larger zoo animal area. We did the Canadian area first, lots of animals that hit close to home. We saw the grizzly training and doing high fives which was awesome. After that we went and did the large zoo area. The lions, giraffes and hippos were my favorite of the whole zoo. I love how you can see the hippos up close. We also checked out the pandas that are there right now which was awesome. I saw three and they seemed so content. After making our way through all of the live animals, we went to see the Dino's. I think it would be cool if they added some movement like they do at the Jurassic Forrest. It was neat to walk through though. I would definitely recommend going as it is a lot of fun. Bring your walking shoes as it's way over 12kms, and make sure your bring lots of water for the day ($4 bottles available for purchase).

Had such an amazing time taking my niece and nephew! Their favourite part was the Eurasia exhibit. It's awesome how many benches there are to rest at along the way. Almost all the animals were out even with smoke. It's not too far from edmonton and is a great way to spend the day.they do have the Pandas right now as well as way more African (lions, giraffes) and Eurasian (snow leopards, black footed cats) animals.

Let's see, I really don't have anything but nice things to say about the Calgary Zoo. Great for families and friends, even as a fun couples day out. Always something new. All year round excitement, inviting environment, food is great, a bit over priced. But that is avoidable, bring your own food. Save money for something at the gift shop or even another trip to the zoo. It's always clean and a friendly place. Smoking areas for those who smoke, washrooms are always accessible and clean. Wheelchair friendly. Love the animals, good selection. Pandas were a nice addition, will be sad to see them good. The zoo lights is a must see, we go every year. Must see

I wanted to go to the zoo and my hubby decided we should do a day trip down to Calgary. Best decision ever. Parking is huge and since we went in early September (timing is important to avoid the school trips), it was easy to find a spot. At the time of this post it's $10 which for 3+ hours to see the most popular zoo in Alberta is a steal of a deal. Plus, with logging in our license plate we didn't need to go back to toss a receipt on the dash. Despite the late summer early fall time, it was still fairly busy, but not unbearably so. They had the Dino exhibit, which if your kids can handle the longest trek, there's a "hidden" sandbox at the half way point. The butterfly exhibit was really cool. I don't recommend it if you're sensitive to heavy humidity and heat. The Central Asian exhibit's panda space had three pandas in it and I thought we wouldn't get in because everyone loves the pandas! But no we got in fine. The Savanah exhibit was very popular with people checking out the lions, giraffes, and the lemur exhibit. If you're looking for a quieter space the Canadian exhibit is the place. The wolf was very busy tearing into je ne sais quois and the elf were actually near the viewing area, checking us out. The staff are fantastic and all over the place, and happy to answer any questions you may have. Because of the size of the place they have maps all over as well as paper maps for you to take. My favourite bit of this whole experience was the size of the enclosures. It's not the great outdoors but it's also not a 6x6 metal box. The animals have access to open air (with exception of course to the butterfly and aviary exhibits and the cat exhibits, they all had metal netting on the ceiling) and part of some of the enclosures are indoors too. I loved it. The animals weren't stressed out and the kids running around weren't being unruly. Overall great experience!

My husband and I are huge zoo fans and often try to visit local zoos when we travel. We really enjoy the Calgary Zoo and attend the Zoo Gala every year to lend our support and take part in a fantastic event. The layout is good and surprising large considering its location. The variety of animals is also considerable when you again take the size in to consideration. My favorite is a toss up between the elephants and the penguins but as the elephants will soon be departing I suppose it will be the penguins. Although the giraffes, hippos, sea otters, gorillas....oh heck who can pick they are all awesome! Tomorrow my hubby and I head over to renew our seasons' pass and are really looking forward to another season of biking from our home along the beautiful river pathways to spend a nice day relaxing at the zoo.

Zoo entrance = much improved since the last time I went! Standing in line at the zoo on a hot day used to be a much bigger ordeal. Now, there are multitudes of ticket windows for you to choose from. And even better, if you haven't got a coupon to use, you can simply by your day pass from a machine just inside the doors. Many of the spaces in the zoo remain unchanged. The elephant area was under construction the last time I was there... and it's still closed for renos. But at least now you can see the elephants when they're outside. And now, the Zoo is getting a little more technological with QR codes everywhere for you to see breakdancing gorillas, animal and show schedules and the likes. The best part of my visit yesterday was watching the tiger cubs at play. I think we stood there for a good 20 minutes while they rolled around and chased each other through the little enclosure! They're too adorable and still very cub-like. I didn't get in to see the penguin exhibit. That lineup was just toooooo long. Me and lines don't get along. And as always, I got myself my traditional screamer... slushy with soft ice cream inside it. Unlike my youthful days of yore, a small one of these is more than enough now!

My family and I decided to visit the Calgary Zoo during the night lights. We went late in the afternoon and alot of the animals were already resting in the back. We did get to see the penguin and panda exhibit! They were amazing! The penguins were so active and up close! There are many great selfie opportunities. The pandas were also awake and quite active. It was overall an amazing experience. It wasn't crowded since we went so late in the day and we got to stay behind for the night lights. Just make sure you bring your jacket cause once the sun went down, it was freeeeeezing! Make sure you go get some hot chocolate before walking around.