Tierpark Zittau

Choose the entrance-side marmosets, penguins and South American walk-through, with one play break and a return to a favourite animal. Ask staff which lower paths best suit your group.

The zoo describes the lower area as usable with a wheelchair or walking frame; discuss individual exhibit access at the entrance.

Add the higher wallaby and deer area, give the lynx enclosure time, and choose between Spieldorf make-believe and water play. Leave a gap for lunch and another look at an animal that was hidden earlier.

Ask staff about the climb and available assistance before choosing the upper area.

Pick three animal stops, then make the Spieldorf or water playground the centre of the outing. Leave the upper climb as an option, rather than a promise.

Spend longer in the shared tamarin and armadillo enclosure, return to the lynx, and compare the penguins before and during the keeper feeding if it runs that day.

In the South American exhibit, compare one tamarin above you with one armadillo below. Which parts of the body do they use to move and investigate? If either animal is out of sight, choose the other and return later.

At the water playground, take turns at the pump and see how a small dam changes the flow. Keep spare clothes for afterwards.

Spot a clay wall, woven branches and a wooden structure as you walk. The zoo uses living plants and reused materials as well as conventional building elements.

Use the small tropical house for an indoor pause and focus on a few favourite animals between showers. Save water play and a long picnic for better weather.

Look for the individual pattern of dark spots on each penguin’s chest, then compare a swimmer with a bird preening on land. These are Humboldt penguins; the linked catalogue target covers the penguin family.

Start close to the entrance and scan the branches slowly for these very small monkeys. Watch how they grip and move around the wood; tree sap is a major part of their natural diet.

The white head crest is the easiest feature to recognise. Follow one animal through the branches, keeping enough space for it to choose where it goes. Look down as well: armadillos share this exhibit.

Spend a moment watching the ground rather than following the monkeys overhead. An active armadillo may be sniffing, investigating bark or digging; look at the claws and the bands across its back.

Look for a resting outline as well as a moving cat. Their spotted coats can make them hard to pick out in the enclosure; return after another stop rather than trying to call them over.

Pause quietly once inside and watch a wallaby’s posture, tail and powerful hind legs. If a mother has a visible joey, enjoy the view from where you are; do not approach to inspect her pouch.

Compare the two humps and the broad feet with the animals’ slow walking movement. The humps store fat. These are domestic Bactrian camels, distinct from the wild camel species.

Look beside the head for the feathery external gills. Zittau’s profile describes grey-brown, mottled animals, so scan carefully rather than expecting the pale pink aquarium form.

Look for the sturdy bill and a perched bird. If you hear a loud laughing call, it may be this Australian kingfisher; wait quietly rather than playing calls back at it.

Watch the group move between the house and the rest of its enclosure. Compare coat colours and listen for squeaks; the overhead net added in 2026 protects the young animals from crows.

The zoo works with EuroNerz on European mink conservation breeding. Young animals from participating collections can go through preparation for reintroduction elsewhere. The mink you see here are in zoo care.

The mature landscape predates the formal zoo by more than a century. The Weinaupark’s 19th-century design still shapes the day’s mixture of trees, water and animal stops.

In spring and summer, leave more room for play and time outside. In autumn and winter, arrive earlier and check the day’s closing time. Ask about keeper-feeding arrangements when the winter closing hour would clash.

At the entrance, staff can help with bottle warming or a forgotten nappy. Handcarts are available against a deposit. For a picnic pause, the Waldschlösschen offers somewhere to sit and read; keep food away from the animals.

The Spieldorf includes a sand-play table and a trampoline that the zoo describes as usable by wheelchair visitors. Their suitability and the approach should be discussed for your individual needs. Assistance dogs may accompany visitors, but the published dog restrictions exclude walk-through enclosures and the small tropical house.

Ferrets now occupy the rebuilt former marten enclosure opposite the camels. The guinea pigs are back in their own enclosure. The great grey owl rebuilding notice still directs visitors to a neighbouring enclosure; ask staff for the current position.