Please ensure you have read over the terms and conditions for our Animal Experiences before your visit.
Please read all the way down so that you are prepared for your adventurous day ahead! We know terms and conditions can be boring but there are a number of necessary things you need to know before your arrival so that you can enjoy your day.
Once the experience has been booked it cannot rescheduled less than 8 weeks prior to the date of the experience taking place, and a £20 fee (inc 20% VAT) will be charged for alterations and rescheduling to your booking at any time. An experience can only be rescheduled once.
Age restrictions
- Many of our animal experiences have age restrictions. Please check our full terms & conditions for more information.
- All participants under the age of 18yrs must be supervised by a responsible adult over the age of 18yrs old throughout their experience and visit. Please see individual experience information for age limits.
- If you are a supervising adult attending an Animal Experience with a participant under the age of 18yrs, any additional children under the age of 15yrs in attendance on the day who are not participating in the experience, must have a separate supervising adult to remain with them whilst the Animal Experience is taking place.
Footwear
- DO NOT wear open toed shoes – You will be entering animal enclosures which may require you to dip your shoes in disinfectant. PLUS there is always the chance that the animals may take an interest in your toes!
- Do wear suitable shoes that are comfortable as you will be on your feet for most of the day
- You may get mucky so wear shoes you are prepared to get dirty
- Be prepared for the weather; pack some wellington boots just in case!
Clothing
- You MUST NOT wear dresses, skirts or shorts.
- You MUST wear long trousers which you do not mind getting dirty.
- You MUST wear a long sleeved top or jacket.
- Pack waterproofs in case it rains and sun screen and a sun hat if your experience is booked to take place in the summer
Arrival
- Please allow plenty of time for traffic and travel delays
- Please arrive at least 15 minutes before your experience
Checking in and out
- On arrival please check in at the Experiences Reception which is situated at our main entrance. A member of our team will welcome you, issue your entry tickets and issue you with a disclaimer to sign.
- Your keeper will collect you from the Experiences Reception at the time stated in your confirmation letter
- You are welcome to explore the rest of the zoo before/after you have completed your experience
- At the end of your day, before you leave, please return to the Experiences Reception to collect your souvenir gift! (Excludes Keeper Shadowing Experiences)
Other information
- Due to security we are unable to hold bags or belongings for visitors. We ask visitors to leave bags and belongings they do not wish to carry around the park at home or in their car.
We look forward to welcoming you along to Colchester Zoo for your Animal Experience. The most important thing to remember is to embrace every second and enjoy meeting our amazing animals and of course their dedicated keepers too!
