Lory Park Zoo (Midrand, Gauteng)
Midrand is home to one of the most unique zoos in South Africa. Lory Park Zoo offers visitors a hands-on experience with the animals that call it home. You can pet a rabbit, feed a giant cheetah or get up close and personal with an African python if you are more adventurous. Lory Park offers great entertainment for visitors of all ages and makes for a perfect family outing for animal lovers.
The Up Close and Personal Experience
Most zoos do not allow visitors to make physical contact with the animals. It is a more of a viewing rather than a tactile experience. This is where Lory Park differs with its one of a kind experience where visitors can pet or feed the animals. This goes beyond the more docile animals that most of us would be comfortable interacting with close up.
At Lory Park Zoon, you can feed giant reptiles like snakes and crocodiles, and big cats like the lions and cheetahs. If this is bit too adventurous for you than you can opt to interact with the owls, parrots, rabbits or monkeys instead. The zoo also home to a special resident, Kiska, a 4 year endangered Siberian Tiger and her family.
Lory Park Zoo offers sit-in restaurants, a large open braai (barbecue) area, a picnic area as well as venue hire for kiddies parties, birthdays or corporate events. The zoo itself may not be as large as other zoos but the unique experience at Lory Park makes it stand out among its counterparts.
Is is there not surprising that the Lory Park Zoo enjoys a 4.5 out of 5 star rating on Trip Advisor with hundreds of positive reviews. Visit the Trip Advisor’s Lory Park Zoo page for more information.
Location
Lory Park Zoo is situated in Midrand, Johannesburg. It is around a 25 minute drive from Sandton or Centurion and around a 40 minutes from Pretoria or Johannesburg central. Times may vary depending on traffic. Lory Park Zoo should not be confused with the Johannesburg Zoo which is located close to Johannesburg Central.
Cost of Entry
Lory Park Zoo opens at 10am every day of the year including public holidays. Entrance to the zoo costs as little as R50 for pensioners. Children between 2-12 years will pay R80 while older children and adults will pay R110 to enter. The park offers free entry for children under 2 years.
All tickets can be purchased using cash or debit/credit card upon arrival at the entrance gate. Please visit the official Lory Park website for updated rates.
Images sourced from the Lory Park Zoo website (www.lorypark.co.za).
