Metro Toronto Zoo, Toronto

The first thing we did when we got to Toronto was go to the zoo and I'm glad we did this first as we spent all day there and walked for miles. It is certainly the largest zoo we have visited and we have been to a few. There is about every type of animal you can think of here. The zoo is well spaced out and the enclosures are large so that the animals have enough room.

Our highlights were the Snow Leopard, Red Panda and Moose.

This is a great day out for all members of the family. It is also available with the Citypass which makes it a cheap day too.

We used public transport to get from downtown Toronto and it took about 1 hour 15 minutes as we had to change buses but don't worry you won't get lost.

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Animals: The Zoo has over 5,000 animals representing over 460 species.
Attendance: Approximately 1.2 million visitors per year.
Walking trails: There are over 10 km (6 miles) of walking trails.
Size: 287 hectares (710 acres). The Metro Toronto Zoo is the world's 3rd largest zoo.

Make sure you check out the other 4 photos!

The Metro Toronto Zoo is one of the largest zoos in the world, with over 710 acres of walking trails, and animal habitats. I remember coming here often as a child and enjoying the camal rides (which they still have) face painting, pony rides, etc. The zoo also has a collection of about 5000 species - African, South American reptiles, birds, aquatic creatures, elephants, etc. Admission is $19 for adults. The zoo is open every day of the year except for December 25th!

This is a great zoo with different pavillions showing the different parts of the world. They are: Africa, Africa Savannah, Americas, Australasia, Erurasia, Indomalaya, and Canadian Domain. My favourite is the Africa pavillion with the meerkats, they're so cute!
We received the pic shown in a press kit, I didn't take the pic but was allowed to use it.

They are two baby polar bears that were orphaned, named Aurora and Nakita, however they've now moved on to different zoos. There are still other polar bears though!

There's a children's water play area that is very busy, it's called Splash Zone. There's also a waterside outdoor Theatre where you and your family called watch an animal show.

Feel like going for a camel or pony ride? This is the place to do it. It's $5 for a camel ride and $4 for a pony ride. Sure way to thrill the kids.

If you don't feel like walking all over the Zoo, and it's quite large, there is a train that will take you to various parts of the zoo though you can't take wagons or strollers onboard.

Admission is $19 (so make the most of it and spend the day there) for 13-64 year olds. Children 4-12 are $11 admission and under 3 is free.

What a great zoo. Good layout allows for a good half day or a whole day experience. Even includes a water play area for the kids to splash around in (they will probably need swimsuits for this). Great exhibits, and even a place to walk through a habitat (no walls/fences). Bought our CityPass here, and then used it at OSC, CN, and Casa Loma.

About the Zoo

Animals:
The Zoo has over 5,000 animals representing over 460 species.

Attendance:
Approximately 1.2 million visitors per year.

Walking trails:
There are over 10 km (6 miles) of walking trails.

Size:
287 hectares (710 acres). One of the largest zoos in the world.
Exhibits and Layout:
The Zoo is divided into six zoogeographic regions: Indo-Malaya, Africa, the Americas, Australasia, Eurasia and the Canadian Domain. Animals are displayed indoors in tropical pavilions and outdoors in naturalistic environments, with viewing at many levels.

Must Sees:
Gorilla Rainforest (Africa Pavilion), Baby Komodo Dragons, first born in Canada (Australasia Pavilion), Sumatran Tiger Cubs, first born in Canada (Indo-Malaya Pavilion), African Savanna, Zellers Discovery Zone featuring Kids Zoo, Splash Island and Waterside Theatre.

Located in the Scarborough part of town, northeast of Downtown, the Metro Toronto Zoo is the largest zoo I have ever seen. In fact, my family and I only had time to see about a quarter of it when we were there. Divided into the regions of the world, the zoo offers just about any animal you can imagine. The zoo is so big that it even has its own monorail, in addition to the train typically found in zoos.

The zoo which opened in 1974 has made many upgrades since then and they have several exciting exhibits. My favorite are when they have baby animals, becuase they are so cute! Make sure to bring weather appropriate clothes and gear, as the parking lot is enormous and the Zoo itself is even bigger, so you don't want to be making trips back to the car for your coat/hat/rain jacket. Also wear comfortable shoes as there is a lot of walking involved!

This huge zoo is actually situated to the north of the city of Scarbourough (a suburb of Metro Toronto) where I was staying. We spent the best part of a day here although it was pretty hot so we spent a lot of time in the many indoor enclosures (climate controlled habitats) rather than outside. But there is heaps to see here and so many exotic animals (slightly more exotic and unusual than horses! that was the only decent photo I had though).

The zoo is so big (287 hectares) that they actually have a kind of train that you can take around the zoo and you can follow various marked roots if you are just walking around, depending how much time you have.

this zoo has it all! from endangered animals you never even heard of right now to the common road crossing squirl, this place has more animals then kids visting.

there are several restraunts, employees, maps, and station full of information, that you will never get bored or lost.

your kids will love the underwater exhibits where you can see animals underwater like polar bears and dolphins.

this is deffinitly for the family day trip or a class fieldtrip, go and enjoy