Visiting The Calgary Zoo

By alantvuong on September 7, 2020

Zoos are always a fun time for me because I like to be outside in the sun for fresh air while getting to see some animals too. With travel plans being on hold this year because of covid, I won’t be able to check out different zoos in other cities, so I thought I’d share my experience about visiting the zoo in my own city with all the covid precautions. I have visited The Calgary Zoo many times over the years and it has always been great but visiting it during these times will be a little different. I decided to go with my family just the other day during a nice sunny day.

Getting There

For the time being, guests must buy their timed tickets online, while members must reserve a specific time they want to enter the zoo. There is a limited amount of people that can visit the zoo to allow physical distancing and to monitor the line ups. Tickets are not available onsite. We have memberships so we decided to book for a 12:30 pm visit online.

tickets must be reserved in advance online

I live downtown very close to the the C-train line and decided to take that route as there is a train station directly at the zoo. The train platforms are all wheelchair accessible and requires all riders to wear a mask. It was easy enough to go alone and planned to meet my family at the main zoo entrance that is connected to the zoo train station.

taking the C-train is very convenient

Covid Precautions

line up to get to indoor exhibits

Once we were inside the zoo, we see that all indoor buildings require a face mask to be worn. Again, there is a limited number of people allowed in each building so sometimes there can be line-ups. When lining up, guests are required to physical distance from one another. Before each person actually enters a building, there is a staff member sanitizing everyone’s hands and there are signs everywhere reminding us about touching high traffic areas.

staff sprays sanitizer on everyones hands before they can enter indoor exhibits

Outside public places don’t require face masks, but physical distancing measures are still in place. There are hand sanitizer stations located throughout the zoo, and direction arrow markers throughout the pathways and buildings. There are also areas that are marked as “enter” and “exit”.

designated entrances and exits

Accessibility

The Calgary Zoo is very wheelchair accessible from using the train to get to the zoo to the grounds of the zoo. Every indoor exhibit and outdoor exhibit have automatic sliding doors and ramps everywhere. I didn’t miss out on anything and was satisfied with the pathways and layout of the zoo. The Calgary Zoo does not have any specific wheelchair spots at each exhibit to allow guests with disabilities a better view like some of the zoos I have visited around the world, but our zoo isn’t as crowded as others.

accessible pathways throughout the zoo… (with direction arrows)

Exhibits

The Calgary Zoo opened in 1929 and now has over 1000 animals across over 270 different animal species. the major exhibits are: Penguin Plunge, Canadian Wilds, Prehistoric Park, Destination Africa, African Rainforest, Eurasia and Botanical Gardens.

Bactrian camel

Panda Passage is a very popular exhibit that opened in 2018 and featured some giant pandas from China. They were to stay at the Calgary Zoo for 5 years after spending 5 years in Toronto. With covid restrictions grounding flights between China and Canada, it has become increasingly difficult for the Calgary Zoo to bring in fresh bamboo for the animals. They will be returned to China at some point soon, but visitors are not able to see them since the zoo reopened at the end of May.

Panda Passage now closed

Food

There is the Kitamba Cafe and Kitamba Java restaurants that allow a limited number of guests inside to purchase food. They require masks in the common areas and only allow guests to be mask-free when at the table eating. We decided to bring a few snacks like chips and water, but we did buy some soft ice cream at the Dairy Bar. Line ups were not that bad and there are physical distancing markers on the ground.

ice cream and snack break

Although it was a different experience visiting the Calgary Zoo since it reopened after covid shutdowns, we still had a great time at the zoo. With all the safety precautions and limited visitors, we thought the zoo did a great job of making its guests feel more comfortable coming to enjoy a day with the animals. Hopefully things can get better soon but if not, a trip to the zoo should still be on your list of things to do.