Blake F.
Yelp
The Toronto Zoo is absolutely amazing! Coming from The Philadelphia Zoo, I have high expectations and the Toronto Zoo went above them!
First, this zoo is usually very crowded. The parking lot is filled to the brim and the line to buy tickets was long. For example, it took nearly 10 minutes to actually buy the tickets. However, since the zoo is so large, at over 600 Acres, it doesn't really feel crowded.
The zoo is split up into different sections for the animals, based upon where they live in the wild. Those sections include, but are not limited to The Tundra, Eurasia, Canada, Australia, Americas, Indo-Malaya, Africa and Canada!
A walk around the entire zoo plus stopping to see the animals probably would take 5-6 hours, but you can purchase tickets to the zoo tram that takes you around very quickly. The Canada exhibit, which contains the Grizzly bears, bison and moose are located down a pretty large hill and are not accessible by the tram so you want to be in solid shape to do that!
You can also visit the zoo's new Animal Healthcare Center with a zoo team ticket!
They also have such a large variety of animals here! Multiple gorilla troops, orangutans, baboons, Pygmy hippos, grizzly bears, polar bears and even pandas! Best of all, since the zoo is so large, all the animals have very large enclosures.
The enclosures all have signs with facts about the animals and information on their conservation status! The gorilla exhibit, which new looking had tons of information regarding gorillas! They also have an official field guide for sale that contains facts about the animals at the zoo. I decided to buy that and it was really useful!
The panda bear exhibit is really amazing! The line can get a bit long so they have a large line area, but it has panda videos, pictures and more to fill the time. Once you are finally inside, you will see the pandas including two young cubs! However, you should come fast as they will be going to the Calgary Zoo in March of 2018!
The Toronto Zoo also has plenty of food options around the zoo including Subway, Tim Horton's, Dairy Queen and a variety of cafes run by the zoo. While the food is not gourmet or amazing, it is solid!
The zoo also has a few activities for the kids to do! They can go on a large ropes course, the Tundra Air Ride, a carousel and a mini-water park! I have also heard great things about the Kid's Zoo especially their hands on experiences with an alpaca and a donkey.
My only concerns were that the signage could have been improved a bit. Also, I wish there was more staff around to answer your questions regarding animals or directions.
Altogether, I had an amazing time at The Toronto Zoo that I will never forget! I hope to return when back in Canada!