Greater Vancouver Zoo, Aldergrove: Hours, Address, Greater Vancouver Zoo Reviews: 3.5/5
Greater Vancouver Zoo
Greater Vancouver Zoo
3.5
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
About
Open year-round and located only 45 minutes from Vancouver, Let your Curiosity come Alive at the Greater Vancouver Zoo! Discover the sights and sounds of over 140 species on 120 acres in the beautiful Fraser Valley!
Suggested duration
2-3 hours
Features animals
Learn more about animal welfare in tourismSuggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listingThe area
Address
Best nearby
Restaurants
50 within 5 kms
Holy Falafel & Shawarma House
28
1.3 km$ • Quick Bites • Lebanese • Fast food
Queen India Jumbo Pizza
3
1.2 kmPizza
Lotus Garden Express
9
1.3 km$ • Chinese
Wendy's
3
1.3 km
Tim Hortons
1
1.3 km
McDonald's
15
1.3 km$ • Quick Bites • Fast food
Mazatlan Mexican Restaurant
57
3.2 km$$ - $$$ • Mexican • Vegetarian Friendly
JD Farms – Specialty Turkey Store & Bistro
44
3.3 km$$ - $$$ • Speciality Food Market • Canadian • Soups
Tomo Sushi
59
3.6 km$$ - $$$ • Japanese • Sushi • Asian
Fox & Hounds
93
3.6 km$$ - $$$ • Bar • British • Pub
Attractions
24 within 10 kms
Krause Berry Farms & Estate Winery
214
4 kmFarms
Tanglebank Gardens
102
Gardens
Aldergrove Credit Union Community Centre
8
4.1 kmSports Complexes
Alder Grove Heritage Society and Telephone Museum
5
3.9 kmHistory Museums
Thunderbird Show Park
9
Horse Tracks
Campbell's Gold Honey Farm and Meadery
5
Wineries & Vineyards
Highstreet
32
Shopping Malls
Roots and Wings Distillery
6
Distilleries
Eagle Acres Dairy
15
Farms
The Happy Herd Farm Sanctuary
2
Nature & Wildlife Areas
Contribute
Popular mentions
3.5
184 reviews
Excellent
47
Very good
53
Average
32
Poor
21
Terrible
31
rodnglo
Chilliwack, Canada419 contributions
Jul. 2021
Always a thrill for younger children and we do miss the elephant. The washrooms are not well maintained or restaurant tables should receive more attention
Written August 8, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Brandie L
1 contribution
Jun. 2021 • Family
We were able to see the majority of the animals and really appreciated the natural surroundings. Great place to bring the family and well worth the ticket price. Conservation is noticeably a prevalent value for the zoo.
Written June 22, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Thomas d
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada2 contributions
May 2021
This zoo is fantastic! My sister in-law is an influencer and we had the privilege of experiencing a behind the scenes, VIP tour and it was absolutely amazing. We received a guided tour by one of the zoo keepers, Rita, and got to go behind the scenes with 4 different animals - the Giraffe, Hippo, Red Pandas and bears. We were able to get very close to them, feed them and take some fantastic pictures.
Even when we were just walking down the normal paths, it was extra special as all the animals know Rita's voice so they would come right up to the fence and follow us around as we were walking by. The lions and tiger in particular jumped up and came right next to the fence which was quite spectacular.
The staff and the overall experience was exceptional. We've been to many zoo's including the Africa Safari in Ontario, Hawaii Zoo, and the Singapore Zoo and, as crazy as it sounds, I would say this is right on par with those three. I honestly had no idea we even had a zoo in Vancouver until I had my son a few years ago. We've only been here once before as just a regular visit and that was great too. Kids absolutely love it, from the animals to the train, to the playground!
Now we got to experience a special package that included behind the scenes experiences with 4 different animals - I'm not sure this package is openly available to the public, but you can get packages with a behind the scene look with one of the animals of your choice. I would say this is very much worth the money, and I wouldn't hesitate for a moment to do this again. It's a very memorable experience. They were all great, but I would probably choose the Giraffe or Hippos as you're able to get a little closer to them.
Thank you Rita and the Greater Vancouver Zoo for the wonderful experience!
Even when we were just walking down the normal paths, it was extra special as all the animals know Rita's voice so they would come right up to the fence and follow us around as we were walking by. The lions and tiger in particular jumped up and came right next to the fence which was quite spectacular.
The staff and the overall experience was exceptional. We've been to many zoo's including the Africa Safari in Ontario, Hawaii Zoo, and the Singapore Zoo and, as crazy as it sounds, I would say this is right on par with those three. I honestly had no idea we even had a zoo in Vancouver until I had my son a few years ago. We've only been here once before as just a regular visit and that was great too. Kids absolutely love it, from the animals to the train, to the playground!
Now we got to experience a special package that included behind the scenes experiences with 4 different animals - I'm not sure this package is openly available to the public, but you can get packages with a behind the scene look with one of the animals of your choice. I would say this is very much worth the money, and I wouldn't hesitate for a moment to do this again. It's a very memorable experience. They were all great, but I would probably choose the Giraffe or Hippos as you're able to get a little closer to them.
Thank you Rita and the Greater Vancouver Zoo for the wonderful experience!
Written June 6, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Kathy0920
11 contributions
May 2021 • Family
Not covid-safe for sure. The covid protocol on the zoo website seemed promising prior to the visit but the reality was harsh.
Came here over the weekend. half of the people wore masks at ticket booth so we felt reassured to go in (with our baby who is too young to wear a mask). However, once inside most people took off their masks so that left less than 5 percent people wearing masks. The zoo was packed. People had no sense of social distancing either when walking or viewing animals. No signs at bathroom about mask wear either. Lots of multi-family hanging out with one another without masks on. Train was full with seats tightly packed together (almost no one on it wore masks). You can’t even tell we are still in the middle of a pandemic when you are inside.
Half of the animals were far away and difficult to see. Having been to Calgary and Toronto zoo, this zoo was indeed disappointing.
Everywhere there were crowds of maskless people freely chatting/spitting droplets into the air, shouting, running around or suddenly come close to you only one step or less away.
covid can be transmitted outdoor when maskless people are within close proximity from one another but clearly most people who visited today did not care about that. We had to constantly shield our baby /move away quickly from maskless people who came really close to us all the time.
It’s disappointing that the zoo did not help enforce any type of social distancing either particularly in the viewing areas (leaving maskless crowds congregate at viewing area). The signs telling people to social distance simply don’t work. website says masks are encouraged outdoor but no signs inside to indicate this either.
Came here over the weekend. half of the people wore masks at ticket booth so we felt reassured to go in (with our baby who is too young to wear a mask). However, once inside most people took off their masks so that left less than 5 percent people wearing masks. The zoo was packed. People had no sense of social distancing either when walking or viewing animals. No signs at bathroom about mask wear either. Lots of multi-family hanging out with one another without masks on. Train was full with seats tightly packed together (almost no one on it wore masks). You can’t even tell we are still in the middle of a pandemic when you are inside.
Half of the animals were far away and difficult to see. Having been to Calgary and Toronto zoo, this zoo was indeed disappointing.
Everywhere there were crowds of maskless people freely chatting/spitting droplets into the air, shouting, running around or suddenly come close to you only one step or less away.
covid can be transmitted outdoor when maskless people are within close proximity from one another but clearly most people who visited today did not care about that. We had to constantly shield our baby /move away quickly from maskless people who came really close to us all the time.
It’s disappointing that the zoo did not help enforce any type of social distancing either particularly in the viewing areas (leaving maskless crowds congregate at viewing area). The signs telling people to social distance simply don’t work. website says masks are encouraged outdoor but no signs inside to indicate this either.
Written May 30, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Jingjing_amy
Vancouver, Canada15 contributions
May 2021 • Family
If you’re visiting Vancouver, don’t bother coming here, Vancouver zoo would disappoint you if you’ve been to any other zoo in the world. But if you’re local and have kids, get the annual pass and visit more often, it’s a nice place for kids to run around, ride a bike, and check out some animals.
Written May 30, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
JACKIE747
Surrey, Canada14 contributions
May 2021 • Couples
It was Victoria Day - the weather was clouds and drizzle. Due Covid restrictions we had to stay local and I had to get 2 aged 13 and 10 grandchildren away from the computer. This park has greatly improved since I last visited it with my children some 40 years ago. While the zoo has limited variety of animals there is enough to make it an interesting experience
Written May 26, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Alex S
3 contributions
Apr. 2021 • Friends
An Excellent zoo with extremely caring staff. Can't wait to see it finished after the upgrades and renovations.
Written April 2, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
The Good Life
Vancouver, Canada757 contributions
Mar. 2021 • Family
This place is not a zoo. It’s a huge piece of muddy, neglected land where animals look like the only post apocalypse survivors. I acknowledge the commitment and effort of the zoo crew that take care of rescued or endangered animals, but don’t go there unless you want to depress your family. Some animals look really nervous (cougars for example), others extremely melancholy (giraffes). The fences are really bad, the habitats are just all the same (mud and tree trunks). Many exhibits are empty. A child can barely see a few animals, most of them are hard to see. The mood is gloomy. Sorry, cannot recommended it.
Written March 31, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
gratefulfortravel
Nashville, TN100 contributions
Mar. 2021 • Family
This zoo is sad. Apparently, it was started as a game preserve 50 years ago, but it doesn’t look as though anything has changed or been updated in that time. Just having animals behind a chain link fence doesn’t make you a zoo. They have rescued animals and orphaned animals, which is admirable but this place is just awful. The enclosures were poorly kept, the animals looked sad, lifeless, depressed. We will never go back.
All that said, there were ZERO mask signs up, no one was wearing a mask in a pandemic and there was trash everywhere. The bathrooms were disgusting and especially scary due to COVID. Take your kids and family elsewhere.
All that said, there were ZERO mask signs up, no one was wearing a mask in a pandemic and there was trash everywhere. The bathrooms were disgusting and especially scary due to COVID. Take your kids and family elsewhere.
Written March 16, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Taylor
23 contributions
Sep. 2020
It was really sad to see the animals here in such distress and sad conditions. The black bear and grizzly bear exhibits were probably the most devastating. The bears were doing circles back and forth along the fence and were in complete distress. You could tell that they were suffering, it was so sad to see. I only went to the zoo this time around because I heard that the conditions and animals were better and wanted to see it for myself. This zoo has been in such decline over the last few years, please set these animals free or give them a better environment!
Written March 15, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Cost 1 person
PauloFritzzz
Burnaby, Canada4 contributions
Check the website for current price
Mary J
Owen Sound, Canada
Planning to visit in September 2019. Will we be able to get any snacks, drinks or food? What are the food prices like?
CTF01
Edmonton, Canada131 contributions
There are snack foods (fries, dogs, etc.) available at typical prices for a tourist place. The gift shop is not worth a stop. Overall this is a nice but limited zoo. Take the train (5$ extra each at the entrance) or rent the bikes (18$/hr) because you will see far less on foot.
Mary J
Owen Sound, Canada
Planning to visit in September 2019. Will we be able to get any snacks, drinks or food? What are the food prices like?
Trekkerchel
London, England, United Kingdom2 contributions
What’s the best way to get to the zoo using public transport from downtown Vancouver?
Carolturkia
Jaco, Costa Rica34 contributions
They have a service here called Car2go maybe it goes that far you could look into it.
Is there wheelchairs available at the venue to use
Yes, you can rent them from the zoo for $10 with picture ID.
Is it wheelchair/walker accessible or recommended?
Bill M
Olympia, WA995 contributions
I would say that the vast majority of it is very wheelchair accessible.
is there a waterplay area or pool
Chris D
Aldergrove, Canada21 contributions
No. There is a standard playground but no waterpark.
What is the walking distance of the path around the zoo?
Chris D
Aldergrove, Canada21 contributions
I would say be prepared for 4-5k if you want to see everything. It's flat and well maintained. You can rent a large pedal cart that fit two adults and two young kids but honestly walking it is best.
Nicole L
Victoria, Canada1 contribution
Is it true that you can camp there??
GVZoo
Aldergrove, Canada
Hello, Yes we do have overnight camping at the zoo! For an exciting adventure in the wild, you can join us for a family sleepover! On the Saturday evening, sent up your tent, go on a night walking safari, and play games/stories around a campfire! On Sunday morning, enjoy a light continental breakfast, meet a keeper to learn about an animal, and enjoy a ride on our Safari Miniature Train! Please visit our website for more information!under "what to do" and "Night In The Wild". We hope to see you this summer!
Are wheelchairs available?
GVZoo
Aldergrove, Canada
Hello, The Greater Vancouver Zoo has three kilometres of paved pathways and is completely accessible for wheelchairs, bikes, strollers, scooters, in-line skates, wagons and the like. We also have wheel chairs for rent!