Belfast Zoo

This is great day out for all the family, and not badly priced for £12 per adult.

There's lots to see and plenty to do for the smaller kids with a great play areas and petting farm. It isn't the largest zoo but that means there is always something else to see just around the corner.

When we visited some of the areas were closed off for maintenance work so we didn't get to see some of the animals etc

There are a a couple of places to but refreshments but lots of pic nic areas so bring your own pack up to save on money

I felt that some of the enclosures were a little on the small side and when we visited the lions and tigers were shut inside so you didn't have the option to really see them properly

I cant believe I've had to give it one star after todays visit. I feel embarrassed by Belfast zoo, how is it acceptable to have anyone welcomed into an attraction by such an eyesore as that decrepit old ruins of a hall, restore it, cover it build a wall up around it, just do something to hide it altogether. How far do you have to walk before you start seeing animals?

No wonder its empty today, no promotions on at all. Why not have half price during quiet months or collect tokens in a paper for discounts, where's the incentive to visit?

Belfast zoo has managed to become invisible in local tourist attractions. Its too expensive, yes other zoos are the same price or more , for a reason they're good.

It must be run by people who aren't interested in generating new and recurring visitors . It has all the makings of a tourist attraction but its not thought out, it should be marketed better, it could be a major attraction. Anyone visiting Belfast wouldn't even know it exists. Even the signs on the way up is faded so much its virtually unreadable. Its not something to be proud of.

With the right sort of management it could be a five star value for money attraction that people would go to even more than once a year.

The gift shop doesn't even have enough choice or cater for a variety of budgets.

We decided to take our son here for a family day out and I was disappointed by how Belfast zoo has gotten. I paid £17.00 for two adults our baby was free as he is under 2. I couldn't believe we seemed to walk for ages until we saw any animals.

The park to the pink flamingos was closed so we had to look at them through a metal fence. Then we walked round a bit and saw a children's playground which I must say was pretty good. There was lots of climbing fences and nets and a slide, a few swings, and most of it covered in sand, great for kids.

We walked more and it seemed like ages we saw a lot of animal enclosures that were all closed up, then eventually we saw a few kangaroos and spider monkeys which was great, walked another bit and saw giraffes eating inside.

We saw few more animals and it was good, lot of enclosures closed though. We went then to get a cup of coffee in the cafe and some hot food which we needed as we were freezing and wet , only to get to the door and it said no hot food today, I was disappointed.
We went in anyway to get a cup of coffee and the cafe had about 2 people sitting in it. We got 2 small coffees and a sandwich nearly £8.
I went up after to buy a snack for our baby only to find the till area empty so I waited for 5 minutes then went back to our table, went up again, still no one there waited nearly 10 minutes then eventually the server came. Didn't apologise. I was disappointed at the service in the cafe.

£17 for 2 adults not worth the money, way to overpriced for what Belfast zoo has become.
All the zoo just seemed outdated and needed a lot of work done to it, such a pity as it used to be brilliant when I was a kid.

Captive Audience! I can't believe how much this place has gone down hill (no pun intended). Everything is looking old and run down, the only change I can see from our last visit 10 years ago is a new reception/shop and the kids play park.

The Zoo was busy, but not packed as we went on a mostly dry day in mid week summer. At the entrance only one member of staff was on the tills despite a long queue and numerous staff wondering about. The shop was half stocked with boxes littering the floor. We had to send someone back to pick up a map as we weren't offered one. The new and old signage is either missing, covered up or contradictory.

Whilst I understand that the Floral Hall is in need of extensive renovation, I would have thought they could make an effort to cheer up the outside! The animal enclosures don't look like they have changed in 30 years and everything looks drab and unappealing. Animal information signs are often missing and when there, not geared towards children.

Both cafes had outdoor seating, which I would have thought should have been a no smoking area, but were littered with smokers and cigarette butts. The cafe offering was substandard with a few sandwiches, crisps and tray bakes all on disposable plates and cutlery. One cafe had no hot food and ran out of most sandwich choices at 12.45pm.

The kids play park was lovely and really the only area we couldn't fault. Such a disappointing day.

I really enjoy zoos and had a great day out here. It almost sounds silly to say I enjoy zoos. Some people are vehemently opposed to them because wild animals are kept in captivity and I suppose away from nature.

I see why they would. But some of the animals were born in zoos or like some of the elephants here were rescued from horrible conditions in circuses. How anyone can be cruel to these beautiful creatures is beyond my comprehension. I find there's just something so soothing about watching giraffes, elephants, zebras, penguins and other wonderful creatures. The sea lions were comical as they honked at each other as each objected to sharing the one rock in their pond.

It's also hard to read the little signs beside so many of the animals as they invariably say that they are endangered, with a loss of habitat or hunted for food or hunted by poachers seeking to make money on their skin or horns. This zoo is in a great setting, quite hilly in parts and with technology we know we walked over three miles going about inside.

The staff are mega friendly, they organise lots of feeding times and give an insight into the animals while feeding them. It's also in a great location and the grounds are seriously well kept. Downsides for me: the food offerings for humans are pretty poor - I did notice there wasn't much demand either - and there's lots of big beast animals not there.

No hippos, rhinos, crocodiles, camels, polar bears. Many of the zoo animals here are vegetarian with a small number of meat eaters so that might keep down their running costs. It's a place worth supporting.

I love animals and I love Zoos. I know this can be controversial and unfortunately I've seen some places called "zoo" which I would have closed up immediately if I had the power. Belfast Zoo - to my great relief - is different. Animals seem to be happy enough in their environment. Enclosures are large, clean and natural.

I don't say there are species here you wouldn't meet at basically any other bigger Zoo, but again, the location makes Belfast Zoo special. As soon as you reach the car park you can already feel the air changing, you can feel you are one step closer to nature here. Be prepared for a looong, uphill walk, but the stunning view over Belfast lough will worth it.

You can easily spend an afternoon here and make sure you visit the Rainforest house where sloths are moving around freely and they are just so cool. :)

As for facilities, you have a bite in The Lion's Den Restaurant close to the entrance or in the Treetop Teahouse on top of the site. There's also a cleverly named Zoovenir Shop if you fancy buying some gifts.

With rumours of closure I thought that I should pay a visit and support our city Zoo. It cost a mighty £12 entry fee per adult, free for the wee man thankfully. Maybe they have put prices up to help keep the place open. There is the chance to have your photograph taken against a safari or jungle background one of each = £12.
You can pick up a map on entry or follow the recommended route taking you past the mini farm and onward to the lake, where you will see the pink flamingoes. We enjoyed the large play park with animal themed activities. There is an Adventurers' Learning Centre and they have daily talks and feeding times. We saw the Lions, Elephants, Zebras, Capybara, Wolf, Chimpanzee, Rothschild's giraffe and Striped hyaena to name but a few. These are some the main attractions. We went to the tropical bird house and one of the birds a parrot type thing was roaming free, which entertained my wee man no end.
We made it up the very steep hill to the top where you can reward yourself with cake and a starbucks coffee, while watching the bear and maned wolf. Great views over Belfast too. There is another place to eat The Lion's Den Restaurant, although a lot of people seemed to have been organised and brought a picnic along. The Zoo is a super day out and worth every penny.

Good old Belfast Zoo. It's not the most sophisticated zoo in the world, or even the UK come to that, but it's still a good place for a traditional day out. The adult admission price is getting a little steep at £8.50 but kids are only £4.50, with under 4s free and a family ticket which saves a few pounds. Bearing in mind that you can bring your own picnic (there are a number of very nice places to picnic around the zoo), you could get away with spending only the admission price for a full day out so it's not too bad. Realistically, you will get hit for at least ice creams but even I have started saying no to more stuffed animals from the shop.

If you have toddlers, make sure you bring the stroller as seeing all the animals involves quite a long walk and a very steep hill. There are over 50 exhibits to see, with the se lions, elephants and giraffes being the most popular. Most of the animals seem to have plenty of room and look happy. One or two exhibits (the bears for example) look a bit miserable so you may have to remind yourself of the benefits of having zoos.

My personal favs are the flamingo island, the sea lions (there are windows in the walls of their pool so you can watch them swim) and the meerkats which are famous for roaming freely round the zoo.

Other highlights are the mini farm, complete with lemurs which also roam around freely, and the play park where the kids can take a break from looking at animals (or like mine looking at animals doing poos). There is a picnic area at the park too with plenty of space.

If you do make it to the top, and it really is a steep hill, you will have spectacular views over Belfast. If you don't get there, even the views from the car aprk are worth seeing.

Have loved going to this zoo since I was very little, some of the animals have changed since then, no more polar bears but love that the tigers are here to stay.


Long uphill walk but well worth it for the views of Belfast and tiring the kids out to sleep in the car on the way home.


Best time to go I think is in the cold and damp, bring a raincoat and a pack lunch. You avoid all the crowds and 99% of the animals are out as it's not roasting outside.


Make sure you have plenty of water and that the raincoat is light as you'll still get quite warm walking up the hill.

Right, so my problem here is that I'm torn between my left-leaning-gut that tells me zoos aren't the greatest thing mankind ever invented, and my heart that just screams at me "But I love this place! Look at the monkeys!".

As zoos go, Belfast Zoo is probably somewhere middle of the road. On one hand, the staff and management do some really great conservation work here. There are lots of breeding programmes with other zoos around the world, so they're doing their bit. The zoo itself is also great for visitors. Beyond the actual animals, there is a playground for the kids and two restaurants (one at the bottom and one at the top).

On the other hand, the facilities themselves sometimes leave a lot to be desired. In fairness, most of the animals have enough space and company to keep them from going insane, but there are a few notable exceptions. The cheetah, for example, has very little space to run around in and I can't imagine that this is too healthy for an animal that's built for speed.

It's also not the most relaxing day. Being built on the side of Cavehill has scenic advantages, but it's a beast of a walk on a warm day!

Overall, I do love the zoo. The penguins are my personal favourite - there's nothing a penguin does that isn't comical - and I'd recommend it for a good day out. I think I just have trouble escaping my own guilt over the whole thing. Hopefully you'll do better!