It’s early April and I just recently been in the Zoo of Kristiansand which is called “Dyreparken”. It is Norway’s biggest and at the same time the most popular zoo. There are over one million visitors every year in Dyreparken. However the zoo has currently offseasons. That means there are less visitors and the rollercoaster that are in the see as well are closed. But since I have enough free time during my semester abroad I just went for it and it was the best decision I could have made!
Hard Facts
– 11 km (6 mi) east of Kristiansand in Norway
– The park incluedes besides the zoo an entertainment park and a theme park
– Hotels right next to it
– 140 animals – from scandinavian animals over a variety of donkeys to exotic animals such as a siberian tiger
– 11 animal presentions per day
Tickets
If you plan to go to the Dyreparken you should buy your tickets in advance online. There you get a discount so you pay less than at the zoo entrance. I also tried it but unfortunately the playing system didn’t accpetd my card. When I bought my ticket at the check-in I asked the cashier why the system didn’t worked and he told me that it is due to my card is not Norwegian. It seems like to online booking system just accepts Norwegian cards but when you tell the cashier at the zoo entrance that you couldn’t buy it online due to that he we’ll give you a discount anyways. So I paid about 23€/229NOK. It is less expensive during the week and during the off season. On the Weekend I would have paid about 35€/349NOK. Also the parking was free but I guess that’s also because I’ve been there out of the main season.
The animals
The Dyreparken offers a wide range of animals. There are the wild cats like lions or the cheetah but you can also see the typical Scandinavian animals like wolves, lynxes and also a wolverine. Technically they also have elks in their park but I unfortunately didn’t make to see them. But my disappointment wasn’t too big since I just recently were in the elk park ‘Elgtun’ (report will be published soon…).
Every animal seemed to me to be very healthy and well maintained. The maybe most beautiful animal Siberian tiger. I can barely remember to have seen such an esthetic tiger like the one in Dyreparken.
Enclosure
One of my biggest suprises today was the size of the enclosures. I was almost shocked how much space the animals have. In my experience it is (sadly) not that common to have enclosures with such a big space. Especially the cheetah, the tiger, the wolves and the elkes had an enormous enclosure size which I really admire.
Family friendly
Just like every major zoo Dyreparken also has a little farm with animals that can be petted by the kids. There is enclosure in the middle of the park with small pigs, some goats and also donkeys. A little bit more up the hill there also comes a kind of farm where they have for example cows, sheeps and goats with which the children can have direct contact with. Furthermore there are also some playgrounds and of course the rollercoaster that they can enjoy.
Specialties
In regards to Dyreparken not being one of tallest zoo’s I’ve been in I really have to point out how much effort the but in into the zoo. There are a lot of small details that made the zoo very special. For example they put up an old SUV that is normally used for animal safaris in Africa. When you sit into it you can watch through the window and perfectly see the lions.
Also they have a tiger tunnel which goes underneath/through the tigers enclosures. I can’t remember to have ever seen something like this in a tiger enclosure before.
Personal highlights
Just like every Zoo visit I can decide for the one single best highlight. But I try to keep me short.
On of the best highlights for me was to see a chicken slip out of the egg in the xxx farm. Is was my first time to witness that so it was pretty breathtaking for me.
Also to see all the many lions through the SUV was pretty cool since it remembered me of my time in Tanzania.
Last but not least I really enjoyed nature. I may sounds strange to be in a zoo with a variety of animals that goes from a white fox to camels and then talk about the nature but I can’t say it enough how much I love the Norwegian nature. And the zoo is perfectly implemented into it. I mean where do you find a zoo that randomly has a lacked with a huge rock face in it? When you compare it to zoos like the Wilhelma in Stuttgart or Basel’s zoo you barley see something like that.
Would I recommend it?
Definitely yes! If you are in (the south of) Norway you should definitely plan to visit the Dyreparken in Kristiansand. The prices may be high just like everything else in Norway but it’s also depending on the season but in my opinion it is definitely worth it! It is a combination of a beautiful day in the Norwegian nature and seeing a lot of different and incredible beautiful animals.
Not convinced? Check out the Gallery and see the pictures from the Dyreparken!
https://montigraphie.home.blog/galery/
Montigraphie 