Taronga Zoo

Just a short ferry ride from Circular Quay across beautiful Sydney Harbour will take you to the world-famous Taronga Zoo. It boasts magnificent water views across its 69 acres (“Taronga” is an indigenous Aboriginal word meaning “beautiful view”) and is home to more than 4,000 animals from 350 different species. Not only is there native Australian wildlife, but animals from across the globe, with the grounds divided into eight zoogeographic regions.

Download their iPhone app to take advantage of the self-guided walking routes around the zoo, with plenty of information about each animal species. Get up close to Asian elephants, Sumatran orangutans, ring-tailed lemurs and Western lowland gorillas, then step inside their serpentaria to see boa constrictors, iguanas, chameleons, Komodo dragons and freshwater crocodiles. Or experience Australia’s unique fauna, including platypus, southern hairy-nosed wombats, koalas, kangaroos and emus, together with a diverse array of native bird species.

You can learn about the Aboriginal Dreamtime and its connection to native wildlife on their Nura Diya Aboriginal Discovery Tour, attend daily keeper talks and shows that showcase Australian sea lions, New Zealand fur seals and spectacular birds of prey, or get a bird’s eye view from the Sky Safari, which is Sydney’s only cable car.

Taronga Zoo is also home to the new Wild Ropes adventure that features obstacle courses, suspension bridges and zip-lines, with breathtaking views across Sydney Harbour. Or for an after-dark zoo experience, camp out amongst the wildlife on one of their exciting Roar and Snore nights.