Top 10 Dutch Zoos?

[Mr Gharial]

Hi all - it's been several years since this thread had a bump, and 10 years since I visited the big three myself (Artis, Rotterdam, Arnhem). Just curious if anyone has an updated top 10, which zoos have made more recent strides?

I'll likely have a few days of flexibility, and I'm mulling re-visiting Rotterdam or Arnhem vs checking out new. (I'll visit Artis, for sure)

Thanks much.

It all depends on what you like in a zoo, of course.

Rotterdam is still pretty good, but it's no longer the best zoo in the Netherlands in my opinion. They've left it to stagnate for a bit, multiple people have said that the zoo was better 10 years ago than it is now (I wouldn't know, I have a terrible memory)

Personally, I wouldn't visit Artis over the others, but that's partially because I'm not a colossal fans of City zoos. It's a bit messy in my opinion, and though I like the indoor areas, they don't really have any great standout exhibits.

I'd say Wildlands is definitely worth visiting. It has a lot of theming, but it doesn't take away from the exhibit quality, they have a great Savannah area and what is currently the biggest indoor rainforest in the world (although in my opinion, it's not as good as the Bush).

Burgers' Zoo is definitely a must-visit, especially now that they've made their new Mangrove dome, with Manatees, cichlids, and a wonderful mudflats exhibit with Fiddler crabs! And, of course, the Bush, Desert and Ocean, which are pretty much top of their class.

KevinB mentioned Beekse Bergen and GaiaZOO, both of which I agree with 100%. Beekse Bergen is a gorgeous and colossal (for the Netherlands) Safari park with multiple Savannah plains, great carnivore habitats, and their beautiful new elephant valley; a forested elephant enclosure mixed with smaller antelopes.

GaiaZOO is a great all-round zoo. With very good exhibits and especially great aviaries. A real standout is their Taiga | aviary, which has a very large amount of birds, including multiple vultures. There's also a train station pretty nearby, within walking distance, so I'd say it's not that much of a travel hassle.

Ouwehands I'd definitely not visit, it has a few very nice enclosures, but said enclosures are also surrounded by awful enclosures. I visited it recently and it was the first time in a while that I didn't enjoy my time at a zoo. I consider it the worst of the big Dutch zoos

Amersfoort is a pretty okay zoo, with a nice reptile collection and a great Nocturnal house, but it doesn't really compare to some of the others I mentioned.

Apenheul is fun if you really like monkeys. It's also a shocker to Americans, because apparently you guys consider a lot of animals "Dangerous" for walkthroughs. Here you can walk among Colobus monkeys, Langurs, Howlers, Sakis, Marmosets and Squirrel monkeys. But if you don't really care that much about Monkeys, I'd say it's not really worth it since they barely have any other animals.

Depending on when you're visiting, I could probably also join you! If not, I could still send you my Dutch Zoo Guides, infographics I made with species lists and hidden enclosures. I have them for most Dutch zoos, although some of them are a little outdated

 

[lintworm]

Generally speaking, in my view the “big three” are still well ahead with Artis developing fastest.

Arnhem has build it’s new mangrove building. It’s much smaller than the Desert or Bush, but in my view very well done. And for me, Burgers’ is always worth visiting.

As far as I remember, Rotterdam has made the least progress. If I’m correct it has lost it’s nice butterfly dome by now (shamefully) and only rebuild it’s big carnivore terraces into a gelada exhibit.

GaiaZoo is nice, but well out of the way so requires a lot of travelling and I personally don’t rate it much higher than Amersfoort or Beekse Bergen. It’s smaller, but done better.

The most new exhibits are probably at Ouwehands (bonobo’s and koala’s) but to me Ouwehands is a hodgepodge of enclosures that are a bit meh and they manage to make the new ones the same.

Apenheul is unique in it’s kind so if you haven’t been, I’d go there. I have a soft spot for Amersfoort, because it lies amongst mature tree’s and it’s travel-wise probably the easiest.

If you don’t mind a bit of travel, come over to the most controversial zoological build of Europe of the decade and make up your own mind with Wildlands. If you want, give me a shout and i’ll see if I can join you.

I pretty much agree with this post.

Beekse Bergen has clearly profited from creating overnight accommodation, but apart from size the new developments aren't as exciting as the changes done between 2000 and 2010. There is so much unused potential there...

I personally really like how Overloon is developing and their plans for the tropical African area are exciting too. Within a few years it could move up quite a bit.

Whereas 15 years ago there were real debates as to which zoo is the number 1, I think there is more concensus now that Burgers' Zoo holds that spot and with a new ecodisplay on the cards for next year and a healthy financial outlook, it looks set to hold that spot unless Blijdorp can reinvent itself.

Artis has the potential to become much better in the coming years too, but it depends a bit on how much funds they have once the aquarium finishes to take on the back part of the zoo (gorillas, chimpanzees, sea lions and environs). Their recent developments at least show that their botanical department has professionalized tremendously and there is ambition again when it comes to acquiring not only ABC animals, with the bird collection improving again and with some interesting new mammal additions.

 

[Terp]

You all are too kind, thank you very much for the updates - and for the kind offers @jwer and @Mr Gharial. We'll see how my schedule unfolds, I usually end up with 3-4 free days around work schedule and I follow the railways from there.

Of course, all lists are subjective - but I like to hear the latest from locals without bias. Personally, I enjoy the dwindling rarities, including the disappearing nocturnal houses.

So... I'll likel zero in on Beekse Bergen, Wildands, and Amersfoot
Gaia I have flagged, but I think for another trip when I find myself further south.

It's a shame about Rotterdam, one of my all time favorites a decade+ ago -- but, that's why I bumped up this thread. Much appreciated for the feedback!

 

[ralph]

I agree with Mr Gharial about Burgers being the best and Ouwehands being the worst of the large zoos.
Ranking the others zoos is more difficult and really depents on personal taste.
Rotterdam is indeed not as good as it used to be, so I would recommend visiting a new zoo over revisiting Rotterdam.
Safaripark Beekse Bergen stands out because of its size, the large enclosures and the unique way of spotting the animals by car and boat (and bus in the low season) It's defenitely gotten better over the last few years as well and the new elephant valley is great.
Amersfoort is alright, it is not my favorite zoo but they do have a really nice nocturnal house.
I love Apenheul, but their animal collection is limited.
I haven't been in Gaiazoo for quite a while, but it's a beautiful zoo.
Artis is a mixed bag, as are most city zoos.
I've only been to Wildlands once, but I did not love it. Maybe I'm being a bit too harsh on them because it replaced the far superior Noorder Dierenpark. It's not a bad zoo, just not my thing.
Overloon is another lovely zoo, with a really wonderful South American area. It's small enough to be combined with another zoo.
Avifauna is a decent pick if you are into birds (they have Guinean cock-of the rocks!) but not so much if you are not.

If you'd like a traveling compinion, I work at the Safaripark and I might be able to join you there.

 

[Mr Gharial]

Overloon is another lovely zoo, with a really wonderful South American area. It's small enough to be combined with another zoo.

I'd say Dierenrijk is the perfect zoo to combine this with. It's relatively closeby and has quite a cool giant aviary. Their enclosures aren't super high quality like some of the other big zoos, but they have two mixed Asian plains enclosures that are quite unique. They have an elephant valley mixed with deer and macaques, as well as an Indian rhino habitat mixed with Warty pigs and Nilgais

 

[owensluis]

I'll also second zooparc overloon. I think it is the most underrated zoo in the Netherlands! It has nice theming and fun and unique species. It is lush, has a great south america zone/greenhouse and the enclosures are really pretty

 

[ralph]

I'd say Dierenrijk is the perfect zoo to combine this with. It's relatively closeby and has quite a cool giant aviary. Their enclosures aren't super high quality like some of the other big zoos, but they have two mixed Asian plains enclosures that are quite unique. They have an elephant valley mixed with deer and macaques, as well as an Indian rhino habitat mixed with Warty pigs and Nilgais

I forgot Dierenrijk. I do rank it quite low on the list and would only recommend it as a combined trip with another zoo.
Public transportation options to this zoo are quite bad though!

As for small zoos, Zie-Zoo has quite the collection of rare species, but this is again not the best pick if you rely on public transportation.

 

[PossumRoach]

I forgot Dierenrijk. I do rank it quite low on the list and would only recommend it as a combined trip with another zoo.
Public transportation options to this zoo are quite bad though!

As for small zoos, Zie-Zoo has quite the collection of rare species, but this is again not the best pick if you rely on public transportation.

I am not a Dutch local but I can confirm this. I had the most comedic experience with the bus to my visit to Zie-Zoo and the journey back to my hostel.