Alexandra J
Google
Review: MUST VISIT!!! This should be one of the top family destinations in the world.
Top tips: if you don’t speak Swedish, make sure to have internet connection. Google Translate works well to translate in real time the verbal narration (use transcribe mode).
I happened to visit a nearby town and decided to dedicate a day here. I have been to other zoos around the world and can say that this is hands down the best zoo ever (surpassing Disney Animal Kingdom in Orlando). I can summarize the positive experiences based on the following:
1) Very thoughtful park designs - it highlights the animals well and gives you the feeling that you are very close to the animals while still maintaining safe distance. Lots of seatings area and enjoyable for adults and children
2) Great variety of animals and clear purpose - the zoo has good amount of animals but relatively small compared to other conventional zoos (a good thing). This is because they focus on near-endangered or endangered animals with aim to raise awareness
3) Lots of shows throughout the day and great to be combined with park visits. The Wildfire roller coaster is also a surprisingly thrilling and enjoyable ride. The ride is much smoother than a similar experience in Universal Orlando.
As noted by other reviews, verbal narration is only in Swedish, however Google Translate transcribe feature works really well and helped me (I don’t speak any Swedish).
Lots of food / drinks at reasonable prices, washroom, seats, shades, access to public transport etc. Took about 15 minutes to get in the park - no stroller rental but free carts are available (kids are happy to sit there and carted around).
Very large grounds, prepare for a long day if you want to see everything. Safari gondola is very unique and family friendly.
Website is a bit confusing, the English site doesn’t show the schedule of the day - make sure to check the Swedish site and simply use Google Translate.
The only thing I noticed is a lack of water fountain and there’s quite a bit of litter around (including random cardboard boxes in two of the habitat).