We were in Sydney as guests of the Australian Stock Exchange which graciously arranged a private tour for us of Taronga zoo. Although it was a few moons ago, I wanted to memorialize it to remind myself that we didn't have to go on any queue and best of all, albeit to my surprise, they brought out the animals for us to see and to touch! I was ecstatic to hold a koala bear as well as to touch the glider monkey. The koala was still a baby and when it started to fuss, the caretaker immediately but gently took it away from me. The pink and yellow glider monkey was likewise magnificent! I didn't realize it has an extremely soft skin. It's common knowledge that most of the animals in Australia have evolved distinctly and although I have not visited all of the zoos in the world, I am convinced that Taronga zoo is one of the best. I'd love to be back! read more

After a few visits to Taronga, I can easily say this is one of my favorite zoos in the world, and my favorite in Australia without a doubt (way better than Steve Irwin's frankly overrated zoo north of Brisbane). First, getting here from the city is a treat - a nice boat ride and either bus or gondola up the hill. From there, you enter and make your way down the hill past all of the exhibits. Grab a map as they recommend a good path down that keeps you from constantly going up and down and up and down the hills. The variety of animals is quite large, with exhibits decently open for good views. Staff are friendly. The views of the water and the CBD from the zoo are fantastic, and add to the aura of your visit. I've never eaten here, but there are only a few places to plan accordingly or bring your own food/drink as I have. read more

Five stars for the view alone. Taronga is a wonderful zoo with a side selection of animals. The staff are incredibly informational, interactive, and nice. Taronga Zoo is a must see for those visiting Sydney. read more

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I love love love love this place. I was heartbroken when my work no longer sponsored it so I couldn't go free 5 times a year. As zoo's go, it's pretty awesome. I love the meer kats. The lizards. The snakes. The pidey's. The seals!! Omg, the penguins! Oh and of course there's the big cats that always are a great view. Just wish the glass enclosure was a bit better designed. I'm tired of getting elbowed in the head waiting for my go to view them. Bloody tall people. They never look down. The food is totally overpriced and if you're happy paying $3.50 for a bottle of water then great. We did however just take our own water bottles and refill there. Oh and the views are amazeballs. read more

Visitors to Sydney -- as weird as it sounds, this is a must-do trip. Don't attempt it by bus, ferry ferry ferry - it's the only way to go. Make sure you get the gondola (or whatever it's called) up or down the Taronga Park Zoo hill, as the views are freaking fantastic. Seriously - don't forget your camera. Best to avoid rainy day visits, as this could result in one soggy, occasionally smelly, not-so-fun hill climb. Of late, the zoo has been going through some serious renovations to some of the animal enclosures, so some of the animals are being kept in not-so-nice temporary rooms. And we all know what living through renovations is like - not fun for us, and not fun for the monkeys. Rest assured, it's temporary. Make sure you see the Tapirs, and the seal show is also unexpectedly entertaining. read more

A zoo with the best views of the Harbour Bridge you will find in Sydney. This place is huge and if you take your time you will struggle to see it all. The best shows to watch are the bird and seal shows, although I haven't seen them all. The bird show is quite impressive with all the birds flying around on command in the open air, the highlight being the owl who stares at you while flying centimeters from your head. The farm area is good for the kids, feeding happened while we were there which meant 10 super excited kids trying to feed a lot of different confused animals. There is also a playground (not for toddlers) and a water area for them to get wet in. read more

Was here for my honeymoon on November 17th. This is a beautiful Zoo that over looks the harbor. A lot of the animals habitats are amazing and give them plenty of room. My wife and I did the Koala encounter and the Owl encounter. It's only about 5 to 10 minutes a piece, but for the price and the extremely high quality pictures you get makes it worth it. With love from the USA. read more

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Took my kids last weekend to visit Taronga Zoo. They loved it!! Good place to visit with families and friends during summer break/weekends.

Taronga Zoo is really worth visiting while in Sydney. The zoo has some great attractions including the free flight bird show and Elephant enclosure. My favourite are teh Chimpanzees. They have a big enclosure and a large population. The view from the zoo is amazing also. You can do a 'Roar & Snore' sleepover at the zoo where you get a guided tour of the zoo at night and get to encounter some animals up close. A truly amazing experience. read more

People like zoos! Anywhere you travel in the world you can find people who are fascinated by small furry creatures (koalas), charming characters (chimps) as well as the downright ugly (any of the snakes...take your pick!) Taronga is well set out with paths helping to guide you to the stand-out animals. My favourite was the beautiful snow leopard, perfectly camouflaged in the trees. Oh and travelling by ferry is a bonus! read more

Wow! Lonely Planet listed the Taronga Zoo as a top attraction, and while I was skeptical, I'm glad I took their recommendation. First of all, the view alone is well worth the trip as my guidebook mentioned (Yes, I'm that tourist). The sky tram (or ride or whatever) provides breathtaking views of the Circular Quay and Opera House. The zones (i.e. the ocean area complete with a tide pool kiddos can play in, the view of giraffes against the harbor, etc.) of the zoo are thoughtfully arranged and the many restaurants and dining spaces offer a variety of choices. The grounds, layout and beautiful displays rival the San Diego Zoo in the US. Seriously gorgeous. Given that I spent one of my precious days across the globe at the zoo, I opted to pay extra and do the small group tour of Australian animals. While it was spendy ($172 AU), it was worth it to get close to kolas, feed a wallaby, get the scoop on the platypus and wombat, hold and feed a relative of the sugar glider and to have access to a knowledgable and enthusiastic tour guide who happily answered questions and took pictures for all of us on the tour. I loved the Taronga Zoo and would definitely be back if I lived in Sydney. Great place to go as a grown up and I imagine loads more fun with a child in tow! read more

I honestly don't think Taronga Zoo is worth its price. It was just a normal zoo, pretty much what I could get back home in LA. It doesn't help that half of the animal exhibits were either empty or the animals were sleeping or hiding towards the back where I had to strain to see them. However, the exhibits I enjoyed the most were the chimpanzee, Australian aviary, and kangaroo/emu. I was able to see the animals very well and up close. The aviary is very hands-on as you are actually inside of the exhibit which contains a wide variety of birds. I will also say the zoo has excellent views of the Sydney harbor and also has the whole ski lift sort of thing that takes you from one end of the park to the other. And the ferry! Lastly, if you're ever gonna come here, try to come on a day that won't be too busy. A lot of the enjoyment was dulled by the hundreds of people that I had to maneuver around and crowded any of the semi-enjoyable exhibits. read more

Newly renovated, great utilization of space at this zoo you can see the entire landscape of Sydney - city and ocean view. Love the wallaby open range. Not many koalas, but I think it's still under renovation. I loved feeding the giraffes and watching the elephants play in the pool. The Skyfari is a must, a great steep view. read more

This zoo was ok at best. Each exhibit is really big, which is great for animal activists and comfortable for the animals but visitors need to bring binoculars to see the 1-2 animals sleeping in the back to see anything. There is a whole nocturnal section where it is almost pitch black and almost everything is asleep. On the plus side it has a great scenic and cheap ferry ride there from the city, and the view from the cafes and the giraffe area is as good as anything from any zoo. I'm not sure the view is worth the price of admission though, since you can just climb sydney tower and see way more. Also, Featherdale is almost 20 bucks less and there are many more of the cool native animals like kangaroos and koalas and wallabys and tasmanian devils. And the wombats were actually awake and visible and trotting around instead of sleeping in pitch black. Go there instead, it is much more unique and entertaining. read more

Yes, $44 is a lot. But this is easily one of the funnest zoos in the world! There's something for everyone - tons of big lions and tigers, improbably large Komodo dragons, sly platypuses, feisty kangaroos... and don't even get me started on the emus! The open enclosure areas are the best parts; there's an open rainforest, Australian outback and wetlands, among others. It's like a mini-walk through of the Earth's ecosystems. I'd set aside 4-5 hours if you want to go and see it all without feeling rushed. read more

I used the iVenture card to visit this location. This is a really neat zoo. If you're visiting and are short on time (i.e. not traveling anywhere else), I highly recommend this zoo. For me, it was fun as I've never seen a kangaroo or koala. I didn't know what a wombat or wallaby was...among many other animals. My recommendation is if you are getting there via ferry or water taxi or whatever, take the sky tram up and walk through the zoo from top to bottom. I did the mistake of seeing the zoo from bottom to top and then taking the sky tram down. Lets just say, on a hot and humid day, it makes ALL the difference. I didn't get to do the koala encounter. It was sold out by the time I arrived. I'm not sure if it's possible to reserve ahead of time and not sure of the cost. Oh well...another time. read more

This zoo makes me happy. I didn't expect it, but it truly made me excited to see each and every animal. I thought I would only need about 2 to 3 hours to explore everything, I was wrong. I would highly recommend doing Wild Ropes, we had Claire and she set us up quickly with enthusiasm. Price is really not bad at all for Wild Ropes, It's about AUD$35 for two courses, I think theres an additional two courses that are more challenging if you pay more. I wish I did the additional courses. For me, the courses were pretty easy peasy in a sense, but my partner struggled quite a bit. It was a pleasure watching him squeal like a little girl. They do not let you bring anything in your pockets, earrings, necklaces, etc for safety reason. But I really would have liked more photos or videos while doing the activities. -Look for the Red Panda!!! She's timid, but if you ask a caretaker they can help point her out to you. She should be having a boyfriend coming out of quarantine according to the caretaker. Very excited for her to have company! -Koala "meet and greet," for about $25 per group of 4 people (includes one photo). It is illegal to hug and cuddle a Koala in Sydney because it can be quite inhumane and cause them a lot of stress. I'll just have to buy the Koala plush and hold it as if it was the real thing :( Well worth doing the meet and greet because you're giving back to the Zoo to help fund the Koalas. Save the Koalas!!! -Kangaroos are out about doing their own thing, they can even cross your path and just poop right in front of you while you snap hundreds of photos. I was a little scared because I thought one would attack me since there's no boundary separating you from them. -Bring outside food, wasn't much food options here that looked any good. Best advice, plan accordingly to see EVERYTHING. Definitely need about 3-4 hours to explore the zoo and an additional 1.5 hours for Wild Ropes. read more

I had high hopes for this zoo. Such a big attraction for Sydney and arguably a world class zoo. The ferry ride is great, and the location is stellar, but those things don't make a great zoo by themselves. We spend hours walking around. Exhibit after exhibit seemed to lack all life. It was a day of about 24 degrees - not too cold or too hot, and yet all the animals didn't move. I've never been to a zoo which felt so depressing. The chimps all sat around looking like they had given up own life, and vertically all the other animals slept or had a glazed over look. I'm not expecting every animal to put on a show, but I, expecting to see animals that look interested in life, healthy and happy, and what I saw seemed so the opposite. It was not only a waste of an afternoon for us and a waste of money ($100 for two adults) but it was depressing. read more

I'm sorry, but I didn't like the zoo. It really didn't feel like there were that many animals for a zoo of this size. The maps and trails were confusing and the overall layout is badly designed, so if you're not careful you may end up missing an entire section and have to trek all the way across the park to catch it. They were doing a lot of renovation when I was there, it really seemed like too many of the exhibits were empty (they had signs saying, "no animals here" or "these animals have been relocated"). Even with the long walking distances, I saw pretty much everything in under 3 hours. The animal enclosures themselves are very poorly designed, and in a great many cases you can't see the animals at all. I know they're supposed to feel like the animals' natural habitat, but there is definitely a better way to set them up so that people can see more of the animals. There's an emphasis all over the zoo on how human activity is destroying these animals' natural habitats. I get this, and I agree it's important. But you can't turn your head at this zoo without bumping into a sign or a blaring TV screen reminding you how people are killing animals and asking for a donation. By the end of the day I felt more guilty than educated. The price tag is waaaay too steep for what I got. Including the ferry ride, my day at the zoo cost me over $50. I paid $50 to walk around a very nice park and not see very many animals. HOWEVER If I could write a separate review for the Taronga Zoo staff and volunteers, I would give them 10 stars. They were friendly, knowledgably, happy, and everywhere you wanted them to be, dispensing information and allowing visitors to touch and feed some of the animals. Good job, folks. read more

Argh... Why did I chose to come here on school holidays? Awesome Sydney day greeted our day here, and tell you what, these animals have the best view of Sydney! Some excellent displays, especially the elephants compound and really liked the ad hoc show put on by the male elephant trainer and the big bull male elephant 'gong'. He's not allowed to socialise with the females unless it's for mating purposes (that's the way it is in the wild too... The female is in charge!) Was disappointed with the orangutan display and themselves. They were not on their normal play area, but in this relatively small room and seriously looked depressed. Was difficult to see them in that state and not sure why they were there in the first place. Overall a good day though... Do yourself a favour and make sure you visit sometime! read more

The views from the ferry from wharf 2 were truly amazing! I only had an hour at the zoo so I sped it up! It was a lovely hour and I got to see all the animals I wanted. Most importantly, the views to/from were amazing! The zoo is built on a hill and it is nicely set up. At the end, when you reach the top, it is fun to take the sky ride down and see sweeping views from afar to the Opear House and Bridge! read more

good location. very well laid out zoo. parking is an issue and you will need to allow a fair bit of time to find one. better take public transport. the people at the information desk are quit helpful and the shows are great. the cost of food and drinks is fairly expensive specially if you have a family. read more

We decided to visit Taronga Zoo for Valentine's Day this year & couldn't be happier with the decision to do so. We booked our day through Experience Oz and had our tickets & transport to and from Circular Quay sorted. It had been some time since I had seen Taronga Zoo & was very impressed with all the renovations. It still boasts a great atmosphere and brilliant displays & enclosures for the animals. The meerkats, elephants & otters were particularly hilarious but I was very satisfied with the variety & amount of animals that were there. Be sure to arrive well before there feeding time though, anything after 2pm and most of them are in a big food coma. The food & souvenirs were a bit pricey but that is always expected with such a venue. The view overlooking the city & the harbour was magnificent and if you can catch yourself there on a nice sunny day, it truly is a sight to be seen. Overall it was a great experience & a memorable way to spend a Valentine's Day. Will definitely be heading back to the zoo again, maybe for a live musical performance at night or the Roar & Snore! read more

Would recommend this highly when visiting Sydney, the zoo is large and several different levels to visit, the koalas encounters are so worth it, do not expect to hold them as I was very disappointed there. The park is very clean with plenty of bathrooms, water fountains to fill up your water bottles & there is a restaurant at the zoo. The food is pricey, not sure if you can bring in your own. We did the package including the round trip ferry for $50 Aussie dollars, the sky tram was closed it is under construction there is a bus every 20 minutes that will take you to the top or you can just walk it. We walked it read more

Taronga Zoo - Zoos Near Me - Mosman, NSW

I loved going here from the store go. Great view Nice ferry ride to the docs and a really convenient cable ride to the entrance which saves us money on a bus up to the entry. Food was a little steep but my sister and mother loved it. There was a lot of walking involved but it was worth it when you see the faces on those adorable animals. I especially loved the tiger exhibit with the plane ride to "Sumatra " as well as the info we got. The staff were very helpful and there like these junior staff or something like that (they were cute) giving me directions and they were running some cute activity's around the zoo for younger children. The gift shop was a little expensive but there was a huge selection from plush toys, to stationary, to clothing and huge tigers and giraffes which were cute to look at The ride out of the zoo is quite nice but the line was long and you had to get in while the cable car was moving slightly which was a little inconvenient as (what if you had a pram or wheelchair or the elderly or toddlers/younger children )my mother was using her walking stick but staff were very friendly and understanding as they slowed it down for her to get in and the ferry came pretty regularly but was a little late which I know wasn't the zoos fault. But all round it was a great experience and I would come again read more

Great day out for all the family. Enjoyed the whole visit including the ferry ride to get there. Great views of the Sydney skyline too. For me seeing the Australia animals was just worth the visit, as I had seen them on TV and in books, but to see them in real life, was cool ! read more

We had gone in April 2010, This zoo is fantastic. They had great variety of animals. The scenery is just stunning. You should arrive pretty early so you can take your time as there is so much to see. You can easily spend the whole day in this zoo make sure to wear comfortable shoes because you will be doing a lot of walking. We took plenty of snacks since we were going to be there all day. Make sure to see the bird show it was great. All the shows were great. read more

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Lotta exhibits closed. Not many people to help with directions. Seal show and tiger exhibit were awesome. Fun to visit, did not live up the the hype in my opinion. Also several shows cancelled or started late. ON A SATURDAY ! read more

I wanted to make sure I make it a zoo in Sydney to see all the animals native to Australia. I would definitely recommend Taronga Zoo if you're interested in animals. It costs $17 AUD to park your car. The zoo is relatively large and there are shows, but we didn't see any. You can also catch a complimentary skyline ride that takes you across the zoo and gives a great view of Downtown Sydney with the Harbour Bridge. I highly recommend that ride. I'm big on reptiles so the first stop we made was to the reptile area. They have some very neat snakes including, the world's longest snake, the reticulated python which can grow to 10 meters (33' for us Americans), Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake, the Green Anaconda which is the world's heaviest snake and can weigh up to 250 kg (550 pounds for us Americans) and a bunch of lizards that are really cool looking and unique. They have the frilled lizard and komodo dragon too! So, if you're a reptile person, then you must visit this area when at Taronga Zoo. I was able to see other animals that I've never seen before including the lemur, wombat, wallaby, goodfellow's tree kangaroo, koala, and sun bears. The zoo is a decent size and will take at least half a day to explore, but it really depends on what you want to see. I can see spending an entire day here, but we were on a time constraint, so we were here for half a day. And if you're feeling adventurous, you can purchase a ropes course that is fun and will test you physically and mentally. read more

Beautiful zoo, i've been there a couple of times, the first time i really liked thr facilities, the second time they were having some rebuilding going on, specifically the area where the parent room is, and i hope they keep it. The Sumatra tiger area is fun. The only thing i don't like is the terrible food from the restaurant, a bit pricey and it tastes like it's been sitting there for days. The place is 100% pram friendly. read more

Fantastic zoo. If you want to do an encounter, get there early. Also they don't advertise student discounts, but it's about $10 off. read more

Taronga Zoo - Best view is at the giraffes - Zoos Near Me - Mosman, NSW

Come visit Taronga Zoo, kids of all ages! No matter how old you are, there's no doubt you'll be amazed at everything this place has to offer. A highlight for tourists and locals alike, if you head out here on a nice sunny day, chances are you'll be swamped by the numbers of people coming to check out the wildlife. So hold on to your kids, pack a lovely picnic lunch (food here can get pretty expensive) and take a seat (preferably upwind of the goat and sheep enclosure) in one of their many picnic spots before heading off to see one of their fantastic animal shows (the bird show is pretty memorable and quite funny). Whether it be the lions lazing around (they are pretty inactive during the day), the creepy crawlies and the snakes, the cute little penguins, or the live feedings for the giraffes, there is plenty to walk around and see. You'll need a whole day to fully appreciate all the shows and animals in their enclosures. To manage your time better, check out the interactive map on their website in order to plan what enclosures you want to see most of all: http://taronga.org.au/taronga-zoo/map-visit-planner/plan-your-visit-taronga-zoo For braver souls, you can even camp overnight in their 'Roar & Snore ultimate sleepover' for $260pp. I've never tried it before, but it's definitely something I want to experience some day! read more

Ee-e-e-um-um-a-weh Ee-e-e-um-um-a-weh Wimoweh, wimoweh, wimoweh, wimoweh Wimoweh, wimoweh, wimoweh, wimoweh Wimoweh, wimoweh, wimoweh, wimoweh Wimoweh, wimoweh, wimoweh, wimoweh In the jungle, the mighty jungle The lion sleeps tonight In the jungle, the quiet jungle The lion sleeps tonight For my partner's birthday, I took him to the Toronga Zoo. Now both of us love the natural sciences (dinosaurs, ancient humans, animals, etc) and we are fascinated by the wonders of the natural world. We also talked about taking the ferry over from the city to visit the zoo, but since we live in the North, it was just a short drive to Mosman. It's not cheap (Adults are $44 ea plus parking), but they have some packages that might make it easier on the wallet if you are planning to bring the family. We started our tour from the top of the zoo working our way down to the ferry landing. It was a beautiful sunny day and there were views to the Sydney harbor and city skyline along the way that were breathtaking. My personal favourite was seeing the snow leopard (which is on the endangered species list). They have a great variety of animals and zoo has been updating some of the areas. Unfortunately for us they were renovating the chimpanzee area so we didn't get to see them. After completing our tour we boarded the sky tram that runs roundtrip from the top of the zoo to the ferry entrance. It gave us one last look at the animals below and the spectacular view of Sydney. A perfect ending to a magnificent day. read more

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This is one of the first 'touristy' places I visited when I newly arrived in Australia at the age of 15, and I've since been twice more. I've always been passionate about animals, so I obviously wanted to see absolutely everything! Tickets, including a ferry, cost around $50 per adult, so make it a whole-day thing to get your money's worth. There is an impressive variety of animals to see, from snakes and assorted reptiles, all the way to the exciting lions and elephants. Don't worry if you're not ordinarily a 'zoo-lover', the animal's enclosures are large and spacious, they have plenty of room to move around more than comfortably, and their mealtimes are made into interactive experiences, it's not just a 'throw them some meat' type deal, as I expected it to be. Plus, they have some awesome shows, with seals and sealions! They also have 'animal encounters' where you can actually touch and interact with the animals, like koalas, and giraffes. Kids in particular would enjoy themselves, and it's a great way to get youngsters thinking about conservation and building a positive attitude towards animals and the environment read more

This zoo have one of the best view. The best view is either on the sky safari or next to the giraffe. This place is pretty huge, so expect to spend half the day here. I purchase another ticket to take a picture with the koala, but I was pretty disappointed that we are no longer get to hold them. At least you get a picture in the end and a private tour to be up close to the koalas. read more

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I had a blast at this zoo. I got really close to the koalas. They were sleeping when I was there. I still enjoyed my time at the zoo. there were all kinds of animals here. read more

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What a way to start viewing Sydney! From the beautiful landscape on the way to and from, to the eatery viewpoints and amazing creatures, Taronga is a must see! Bring your walking shoes or you may regret it. read more

Taronga Zoo - Delish! - Zoos Near Me - Mosman, NSW

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Good way to get a a meaningful encounter at Australian wildlife, especially if you're time constrained in Sydney. From the Opera House, Zoo is on the other side of the bay...need a ferry ride, which can be a good hour due to all the stops it needs to make...or you can charter your own yacht!! Either way, it's worth the time. You can choose to hang out with the Kangaroos and later on have kangaroo meat for dinner :-) read more

Taronga Zoo - Zoo entrance... - Zoos Near Me - Mosman, NSW

I loved it. The animals are so cute and the zoo is just so fun to visit on a date day.

Love this zoo. Go see the chimpanzees and the koala walkabout was awesome!! Easy to get to on any ferry, hop on boat and off you go.