Out in the wilds of Aldergrove, just under an hour from downtown Vancouver, you’ll find the Greater Vancouver Zoo. For over 40 years, animals have been calling the 120 acre zoo, home.
The CAZA accredited zoo features a collection of animals from around the globe; some rescued animals and some were born within the zoo. The site is broken into zones, representing the areas of the world that the animals would normally call home and also tying in the fauna that’s suitable for their ‘home’. Pedestrian pathways and trails connect the zones to stroll the zoo at your leisure or Quada-bikes are available for rent to pedal your way through the paved paths. By some of the looks and effort on the people passing by, the long, gradual hills can be a grueling task. A miniature railway is also bookable to ride the rails around the central zones, a good option for the many families who visit the zoo. While some of the enclosures mean viewing the inhabitants through the wire fencing a number of them have been upgraded to include a viewing platform so the public is above the fence looking into the enclosure with an unobstructed view. Of course, this only matters if the inhabitants want to be seen, it takes some searching to see animals in some of the large enclosures.
There are numerous public areas; gift shop and cafe, playground, and picnic spaces, that can be used for corporate venues, birthday parties or even weddings. While some of the public areas are indeed dated (Expo 86 benches being most obvious), when you realize that most of the admission and donation cash is invested into the animal husbandry, rescue and rehabilitation that makes putting up with aging public infrastructure more tolerable. While it may not have the reputation or calibre of the world’s From the happy faces departing the zoo, family members of all ages seemed to enjoy their visits to the Greater Vancouver Zoo.
The Greater Vancouver Zoo is located at 5048 – 264th Street, Aldergrove BC
Open 7 days per week (except Christmas Day)
Summer Hours (until Sept 30th) : 9am – 7pm
Admission:
Adults (16-64 years) – $24
Children (3-15 years) – $18
Children (under 3) – Free
Family (2 adults/3 children) – $77
Parking – $6 / day