Zoo Kontakt — Attraction in Liptovský Mikuláš

I don't say this often, but if you're visiting the area, Zoo Kontakt is a must-go. You get to pet bunnies, guinea pigs, alpacas, bengal cats, snakes and more. Being able to enter the habitats of animals is already a good reason to go.

And it's not the only reason. The staff and keepers are absolutely lovely. They're all young adults who enjoy their job, and as soon as you enter a habitat you are instantly given information about the animals around.

The staff speaks decent English and I cannot stress enough how much I appreciate their effort. Each employee is able to tell you about every single animal in the zoo, so they rotate shifts and cover different animals each day.

Why I know all that? Because I had a lovely conversation with a 16-year old gentleman watching over the lion pen. It's incredible how friendly all the animals are, they're all extremely calm. You can stand within a meter of a bear and they won't even scoff at you, so you can admire their build from close up.

The only downsides I want to mention is that the path is not very laid out, and thus the zoo functions more like a maze. The map isn't all that clear, and pens are in all kinds of nooks and crannies, so finding your way round can be hard.

Secondly, I want to mention that there is an argument that the animals are not given enough room with the quality habitat they require. Especially looking at the tigers, bears and lions and the sheep pen being under a water slide from the aquapark, it seems that the animals are not really given the freedom one would wish them to get.

Still, I want to rate it 5 stars for the experience.

P.S: Don't buy food from the zoo itself. The prices are matched with the prices from the aquapark, which are, if you've seen those, extremely expensive. I recommend finding another place for lunch, or...

Nice place—but not much more than that. The large animals—bears, tigers, and lions—look truly distressed in their small, enclosed cages. It felt downright cruel, and all for the sake of entertainment.

On the positive side, the petting areas were genuinely pleasant. Petting rabbits was very nice, and so was the area where you could pet wild boars. Those experiences added a softer, friendlier touch to the visit.

The little train ride may suit very young children. It departs every 30 minutes for a quick 8-minute loop. The problem is that the schedule is only posted inside the carriage—so there’s no way to know beforehand. We once sat on the train for 22 minutes, clueless as to why it wasn’t moving.

And the birds near the train? Their screeching was absolutely deafening. We just wanted to escape that noise.

Also, best avoided on hot days—this place doesn’t work well in the heat. Keep...

The best part of this zoo are animal keepers. They are all young friendly people that love animals and tell you so many interesting facts about them. You think you know a lot about whatever animal, but you don't. From the animals, guinea pigs were introverted due to covid time and no contact with people, and it was not possible to pet bears, tigers and lions, due to obvious reasons. But all the other animals that could be pet were so fluffy and friendly! I have created a memory by petting mama kangaroo that had a baby kangaroo next to her. Most of the cafés at the zoo were closed at the beginning of May, probably it was not the season yet. I didn't like the miniatures of the buildings that are the park at the zoo much, but I think that the kids...