Days out at Colchester Zoo

Travelbite.co.uk's Natasha von Geldern discovers the world of experiences available on a family day trip to Colchester Zoo.

My little daughter is sitting on the floor, half a yard away from a curious Humbolt's penguin. She is waving her arms and squeaking with delight - the baby that is.

A circle of children watched the penguins waddle in and out of the viewing room, snacking on the fish offered.

In the golden-headed lion tamarind enclosure both adults and children were oohing and aahing as the tiny monkeys and their four even tinier babies leapt about - with nothing between you and them but warm air.

Later in the day a line-up of awed and delighted children leaned forward in unison as the giraffes delicately nibbled fresh leaves from their hands.

Colchester Zoo has to be one of the best family days out in the south-east and one of the best zoos in the country.

There are over 260 species of animals and over 545 sub-species, with over 2,500 individual reptiles, fish, birds and mammals in the menagerie.

In the brand new Orangutan Forest we met Rajang, Colchester Zoo's long-time resident Bornean orangutan. Rajang is 41 years old and has lived at the zoo since 1980.

This wise old man of the forest steps slowly over the logs in his enclosure, his long cape of dark red hair trailing behind him as he comes to the glass to greet his visitors.

The keeper told of a middle-aged woman who remembers visiting Colchester Zoo as a child back in the days when you looked at zoo animals through bars and threw nuts to them.

She threw a peanut that didn't quite make it into the cage so her Gran pushed it through with her walking stick. Apparently it took three grown men to wrest the cane back from Rajang.

The £1.75 million pound Orangutan Forest is a fantastic new development and Rajang will soon be introduced to a new companion - Tiga, an eight-year-old who arrived last month from Twycross Zoo.

There are few bars or cages in evidence at the zoo these days but at the same time even better viewing for the public.

Paths and ramps and glass-fronted enclosures designed to ensure you have the best chance of seeing the zoo's inhabitants at their best.

If you're not wandering right through an enclosure, you're on a viewing platform or an underground tunnel that brings you face to face with the animals.

Many of the inhabitants here are classified as endangered or vulnerable species and over 70 species are part of European Endangered species breeding programmes.

Colchester Zoo's conservation charity Action for the Wild is given a high profile and the majority of the attractions at this zoo are an experience rather than an exhibit.

Sasha the white tiger is effortlessly one of the most popular animals at Colchester Zoo, lazing about on his platform looking like a giant soft toy with his velvety-looking white fur and chocolate brown stripes.

Weighing in at 40 stone, the 14-year-old male is actually just a regular Bengal tiger with a rare combination of genes.

Sasha is a very beautiful beast but just nearby is one of my personal favourite animals at Colchester Zoo. The Giant Anteaters, Furai and Gilberto with their first offspring Silva, are truly remarkable creatures.

And did you know that the giant anteater is one of only two types of mammals without any teeth? They crush insects using hard growths found on the inside of their mouths, and with their muscular stomachs.

The Amur leopards are the rarest mammals at the zoo, with just 35 thought to be left in the wild.

The commencement of work on the new closure is welcome as watching them pacing through the treetops was fascinating but they clearly need the planned three-times-as-big new enclosure.

The 300-plus members of staff are much in evidence about the place. With their enthusiasm and dedication they certainly enhance a visit.

A day out at Colchester Zoo offers so much it is almost overwhelming. There are cafes, picnic areas, activity centres and play areas throughout the six-acre site.

A whole host of feeding encounters, meet the keeper sessions and educational displays punctuate the day, with some innovative activities to let visitors get up close to many of the zoo's most incredible inhabitants.

Visit Colchester Zoo and become more aware of the need to protect our world's immense diversity of wildlife, while having a fabulous fun family day out.

Natasha von Geldern

Information and travel to Colchester Zoo

Colchester is a convenient one-hour train journey from London Liverpool Street Station with train operator National Express.

The Colchester City Sightseeing bus does a pick up from Colchester Station at around 10.30 that takes passengers directly to Colchester Zoo. The bus then does two pickups later in the afternoon, at 16:00 and 17:00, returning to the station.

See the Visit East of England Let's Go website for more holiday ideas for day trips, as well as attraction and travel by train offers.

If you buy a ticket from a principal National Express East Anglia station for inclusive train travel to Colchester, you can get return train travel, return bus transfer from the station to the zoo and admission from just £20 for adults and £12 for children.