Almost everybody walks through the gates and heads straight to the Bamboo Forest, and fair enough, since these are the only two pandas in the country. And, while they are great, I have written about them separately. This article is about everything else, which turned out to be far more enjoyable than first anticipated.
Two hours covers Adelaide Zoo comfortably. Beyond the pandas, the animals worth seeing are the Sumatran Tigers, the Sumatran Orangutans, Ravi the Red Panda and a meerkat mob with a unique story. Summer visits are fine for adults, but hard work with kids.
Two hours would cover Adelaide Zoo comfortably, because it is a compact city zoo rather than a sprawling safari park, set in parkland next to the city centre. That said, if you arrive to find a queue at the ticket barriers, you may wish to add an hour or so to your plan. It was quiet when I went, but you can see how busy the place could get.
Personally, I spent much longer than two hours, but that was entirely down to sitting with the pandas, the tigers and the orangutans rather than any difficulty covering the ground.
The zoo sits within easy walking distance of the North Terrace, so a morning at the museum and gallery followed by an afternoon at the zoo works well, particularly since the free attractions cost you nothing if the heat drives you indoors. It can also be paired with the Botanic Park, which sits just next door to the zoo, as it’s all on the parklands.
Luckily, General Admission to Adelaide Zoo can be bought in advance, which saves you having to stand at the gate in the sun – which will definitely save you during the school holidays or over summer weekends!
Adelaide Zoo has ample facilities across the site:
Toilets & baby facilities: Multiple toilet blocks, with baby changing and a parents room.
Food: Fig Tree Cafe (located in the centre, all-day), and Wisteria Cafe (located at the entrance, only open during the peak periods). You can also bring your own food in, just no plastic straws or alcohol allowed.
Water: Drink bottle refill stations and fountains throughout the zoo.
Other: Picnic areas and seating, free Wi-Fi, first aid, a zoo shop near the entrance, and limited wheelchair hire.
Make sure you grab a free map on arrival – it clearly marks toilets, cafes, water points and picnic spots. The site is mostly step-free and pram/wheelchair accessible.
Yes, Adelaide Zoo is okay to visit in summer, but with some caveats…
When I went to Adelaide Zoo in January, it was the middle of the Adelaide summer, at midday, on a weekday. The whole park was pretty much deserted, and definitely the emptiest I have seen a major city zoo. Which was great for me, as I could nip in and out of the exhibits, and not have to worry about queuing or crowds.
However, I imagine if you were travelling with small children, it could be a different story altogether. While there is plenty of shade, especially around the pandas – it was very hot that day. Everybody sensible was somewhere with air conditioning. If you are bringing young children, go first-thing, or go on a cooler day.
Make sure you carry water and refill as you go, stick to the shaded paths rather than crossing the open stretches, and use the indoor viewing areas (like the reptile house) to cool down.
The giant pandas are the main reason people visit Adelaide Zoo, however they are not the only reason you should visit. There are animals from across the world here, many of whom look happy to be there:
The current tigers are part of a long-running Australasian breeding programme, and the zoo has held the species since at least the mid 1990s. They live in the South East Asia exhibit. There are only a few hundred Sumatran tigers left in the wild, which makes the breeding programme rather more important.
One of the adult females is unusual among Sumatran tigers for having spots as well as stripes.
In 1950, a pair of Sumatran orangutans arrived as a gift from the government of Sarawak, and the male, George, became a local legend for his antics with a hessian bag. There are two orangutans at the zoo currently, and this is the enclosure where ten minutes becomes thirty without you noticing.
The adult female is one of the tallest female orangutans on record and a talented artist. She paints her night quarters and neatly puts every item away.
Adelaide Zoo is one of the most successful red panda breeding institutions in the region, with dozens of cubs born since the 1970s. Ravi was born here, spent time at Australia Zoo in Queensland, and has since come home and been paired with a female, Maiya. Despite the name, red pandas are not close relatives of giant pandas and sit nearer to racoons on the family tree.
Shortly after returning in 2022, Ravi made headlines by escaping and climbing a tree in the neighbouring Adelaide Botanic Park. Luckily he was safely recovered.
Adelaide Zoo keeps several meerkat mobs (family groups). The zoo has a long record of successful breeding.
Adelaide Zoo was home to Snowy, the world’s first known white meerkat with vitiligo. Born in 2010, she developed white fur and needed extra sun protection. Unfortunately she died in 2024.
Giraffes have been part of Adelaide Zoo for many decades, with a strong link to Zoo’s SA’s open range sister site at Monarto Safari. The current group centers on Kimya (born at Monarto Safari Park).
When plans were made to move Kimya back to Monarto, she was so settled in her Adelaide routine that the zoo changed their decision, expanded her exhibit and brought younger giraffes from Monarto to keep her company instead.
Adelaide Zoo houses three species; the Cotton-tops, Golden Lions and Emperor Tamarins, living in the Tamarin House (with overhead tunnels so they can travel above the visitors).
Cotton-top tamarins raise their dramatic white crest when alarmed or excited to make themselves look bigger.
I was pleasantly surprised by the general standard of Adelaide Zoo, as the animals looked well kept and settled, and I did not have that uncomfortable feeling you sometimes get walking around a zoo. Even just with the breeding programmes, and the conservation efforts, you can tell this is a zoo that puts its animals first.
The zoo also keeps Australian natives including koalas, dingoes and penguins, which are worth finding if you have come a long way and have not seen either.
If your interest is in Australian wildlife outside an enclosure, you will need to take a different day out entirely.
A day trip to Kangaroo Island will get you an Australian sea lion colony on the beach at Seal Bay, kangaroos in the bushland, and koalas at the wildlife park on the way back. It is a long day and a completely different experience from a city zoo.
Alternatively, you could choose to do a self-guided trip to Kangaroo Island, which would allow you to see the platypus colony too.
Monarto is Adelaide Zoo’s safari park, out near Murray Bridge and roughly an hour from the city, run by the same conservation organisation. It is an open range safari park with large enclosures and a focus on African species, with several of Adelaide Zoo’s animals having come from there.
If you only have one afternoon and want pandas and a variety, then go to Adelaide Zoo, but if you want a full day and a special experience, go to Monarto. Monarto Safari Park also has accommodation options, but I had opted for Murray Bridge.
I had planned to visit Monarto on my way out of the city and could not, because it was closed at the time due to wildfires in the area. If you are travelling in an Australian summer, keep an eye on the news before you drive out to anywhere remote.
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