Adelaide Zoo — Attraction in Adelaide

We travelled for the first time from Victoria to see the beautiful giant pandas! Although we did get to see one briefly she was hiding and it took 3 tries over 3 hours to go back and see if she had come out.

Entry price was $26 for my child although online it states free entry for children who live outside SA. I had free entry because I have a Zoos Victoria membership for myself and my kids but for some reason I still had to pay for my child. The person at the ticket booth was particularly short with me and made me feel awful for even asking a question as we had never been and didn’t know how the members entry worked.

Anyway, for the fact I paid $26 it was a nice couple hours. We did the whole place in 2.5 hours including revisiting some places and having a little rest.

$19 for 6 nuggets, chips and a drink is a bit steep but it was a decent enough portion.

Unfortunately we didn’t get to see the serval, fennec fox, binturong, capybaras, wombats or porcupine which were all the animals we were keen to see because we don’t any of have them in Melbourne. The siamangs were very loud but also hiding, as were most of the meerkats, all the otters, lemurs, tortoises, orangutan and red panda! We did a few laps and usually like to stay for a while to see if they’ll come out to say hello but no luck. We got a little glimpse of the tiger who popped out of the caged area out back for about 3 seconds before going back in.

I suspect being winter most of the animals are hiding under heating lamps inside their burrows and dens. Many habitats were closed or empty. Again for $26 I can let it go, if I’d paid full price for my whole family to attend I would be a bit disappointed though.

Highlights of the trip were the quokka, tapir and Komodo dragon which we had never seen before and of course the little glimpse of the giant panda. We also loved watching the cotton top tamarins play, the mandrill eating by the pond and getting up close to a peacock.

You could easily do this whole zoo in 2-3 hours with little and older kids or adults and I had allocated the entire day as Melbourne zoo is an all day event for our family even though we know where everything is and we still don’t see it all some days.

We would visit again given we are members to Zoos Victoria already and if you manage to see the animals I mentioned that not many other places have then you’re in for a great day. The habitats are smaller but more intimate than Melbourne zoo but also far fewer animals.

Didn’t take any photos of the animals as we were busy enjoying them all. Purchased an Adelaide Zoo pin for the kids on...

★☆☆☆☆ (Would give zero if I could) Adelaide Zoo – Pay Full Price for Half a Zoo

Paid \$48 for what turned out to be a glorified construction / relocation tour with animal exhibits “closed,” “moving,” or “under renovation” – none of which was clearly flagged before handing over the money. If transparency were an exhibit here, it’d be shuttered too.

Cleanliness? The toilets were filthy enough to make you wonder if basic maintenance has gone on hiatus. Value? Non‑existent. You’re charged premium pricing for a noticeably tired, patchy experience. Animals on display? Felt like flipping channels and getting static – enclosure after enclosure either empty, blocked off, or housing one bored creature. Café? Overpriced, bland, canteen‑level food masquerading as a “visitor experience.” Paying top dollar for something that tastes like it came from the discount freezer is not enrichment – for humans or animals. Gift shop? A masterclass in price inflation. Souvenirs so steep you’d think they fund a private rocket program. Communication? Virtually zero upfront warning that so much was inaccessible. A simple “reduced exhibits today” notice would have let me make an informed choice. Instead, you realise after you’re inside and committed.

Now, to be fair (because someone has to be):

Panda keeper talk: Genuinely engaging, well-delivered, and the pandas were the only polished, cared‑for highlight. Komodo dragon (yes, Komodo, not “kimono”) keeper talk: Also solid – knowledgeable staff clearly passionate about their animals. Those two moments were the lone bright spots in an otherwise flat, underwhelming visit.

As an out‑of‑town visitor, I left feeling I’d wasted limited holiday time and cash on an attraction that leans heavily on the novelty of pandas while the broader grounds limp along. If the strategy is “coast on one star species,” mission accomplished – but it’s not enough to justify the ticket price, the poor maintenance, and the lack of upfront honesty about closures.

Bottom line: Unless you’re absolutely panda‑obsessed and fine paying nearly fifty bucks for a couple of decent talks wrapped in disappointment, skip Adelaide Zoo. There are better ways to spend your day – and your money – in Adelaide.

TL;DR: Two good keeper talks can’t rescue filthy loos, basic overpriced café food, half‑shut exhibits, and gouging gift shop...

Situated nice and close to the Adelaide CBD (within walking distance). The Zoo makes for a fantastic family day out at one of Adelaide's most iconic locations. Alongside the River Torrens and amongst parklands.

The layout makes it easy to navigate around and reduces the walking between animal enclosures for the little ones and mobility impaired. It allows for easy coverage around the entirety of the venue in a couple of hours.

The guided Panda tour was really well done. Our our two young ones loved the early visit. Being able to see the Pandas  before the zoo opens and with no crowds made it an awesome experience. The Pandas were moving about and alert which was great. We also got to see a lot of other animals prior to the entry of the crowds.

A really nice variety of animals and a well structured area that promotes education of the wildlife on display as well as their natural habitats.

There is an awesome playground with elements all ages of kids, which conveniently has an undercover rest area for parents. It's also in close proximity to a kids focused section of the zoo where the little ones can get up close to some of our friendlier animals with the opportunity for the kids to feed some of them.

I do wish there was a dedicated car park in close proximity (similar to Taronga Zoo in Sydney). Parking options are street based and all timed/paid. I couldn't find any free parking anywhere close by.

There are two cafes on the premises with ample food and beverage options and plenty of seating.

The forced walk through of the Zoo shop on exit does encourage children to want to walk out with everything and...