Zoo Dresden

Choose the Orang-Utan-Haus and Prof. Brandes-Haus as your main stops. Add penguins or elephants according to your interests and the day’s programme, then finish with a playground. Keep a little time for a second look at one favourite.

Begin with the nearby Afrikahaus, or head to the koalas for their morning feeding. Include the Orang-Utan-Haus, penguins, flamingo aviary and enlarged giraffe enclosure, with lunch and play between them. Use the zoo map to fit in one keeper session without rushing from talk to talk.

At the orangutans, choose one animal and watch how it holds on or changes position. At the Prof. Brandes-Haus, look for a different way of moving among branches. Let each person describe one thing they noticed.

After watching the birds, use the balance challenge outside the flamingo aviary to see how long you can stand on one leg. Keep the entrance clear while everyone has a turn.

Spend longer watching the apes, the smaller animals of the Prof. Brandes-Haus and the elephants indoors. The rainforest exhibition and Zoo unter der Erde add different kinds of discovery. Pinguin Café has indoor seating for a proper warm-up between outdoor stretches.

Watch the upper climbing structures as well as the lower resting places. Follow how one ape uses its hands and feet, then explore the rainforest displays if the animals settle down. The animals here are Sumatran orangutans.

Look carefully into the branch forks before deciding the enclosure is empty. Koalas spend much of the day resting; the scheduled morning feeding offers another reason to return. A quiet, still animal is worth watching too.

Give the binturong enclosure a separate pause rather than passing it on the way to the apes. Compare the outline of the head and tail with the other mammals you have seen in the house.

Look at the feet, shell and way the animal carries its weight. Their visitor-visible winter accommodation means this stop still belongs on a cold-weather visit, even when the outdoor areas are quiet.

Try both the indoor and outdoor viewing areas. Watch what the trunk is doing and how an elephant uses sand or an enrichment object. The house’s raised viewpoint is an optional extra; check its access before heading up.

Find the black-and-white monkey featured in the zoo’s logo. Notice the long white coat and tail, then compare its movement with the other tree-dwelling mammals in the house.

Look patiently for the long, narrow snout and the line of the body in the enclosure. This is the Sunda-Gavial on the zoo signs. Staying still can make the smaller details easier to pick out.

Compare a ground-level view with the giraffe tower if its climb suits your family. Look across the enlarged outdoor enclosure for the giraffes’ different postures and the zebras sharing their space. Dresden keeps Kordofan giraffes.

Use the zoo map to find the enclosure and let everyone scan before someone points the animal out. Compare the pale patterned coat and long tail. If it is resting out of sight, give it another chance later.

From the bridges, compare the flamingos’ bills with the spoonbills and ibises sharing the aviary. Keep the passage clear as you watch. The one-legged balance challenge outside gives children something to try afterwards.

These are zoo-kept animals. Individual animals may be indoors, resting or using areas visitors cannot see.

The guereza has represented Zoo Dresden in its logo since 1986. Look for the real monkeys in the Prof. Brandes-Haus, then see which features the logo keeps.

The new house gives the orangutans connected indoor and outdoor spaces, climbing structures and places to withdraw. An animal choosing privacy is using part of what the building was designed to provide.

Baby-changing facilities are spread between the entrance/exit, Känguru-Stop and Pinguin Café. For a quieter feeding break with a baby, the entrance foyer has upstairs seating reached by lift or stairs. Small-luggage lockers are available in the foyer; ask at the information desk. Rental handcarts are issued on a first-come basis.