Six themed areas:
discover 300 animals from 60 different species
Once we’d entered the zoo, we began the tour by crossing the footbridge over the road. We arrived in the mini-farm, with goats, chickens, rabbits, donkeys and more. You can go into some of the enclosures there, and we were welcomed by baby goats begging for cuddles and food! This was a real treat for our kids, who loved getting up close to the animals and feeding them. It was actually the highlight of their day!
In the Asian area, we watched a pair of energetic gibbons leaping from rope to rope on their island, then we spotted the red pandas chilling in their enclosure. We were thrilled to see the Sumatran tigers, a species in danger of extinction in the wild. And finally, we had fun stroking the Koi carp in their touch pool.
Next was a change of scene, with the leopard park and the agile squirrel monkeys, marking the entrance to the tropical zone. It was great fun watching these little monkeys chasing each other and jumping from branch to branch. We could have watched the show for hours, but the children dragged us away to find out what was next.
So we headed to the aviaries, a bird-lover’s paradise, with red ibis, blue and yellow macaws and parrots all flying amid the luxuriant vegetation. Chilean flamingos, blue sakis and marmosets all live together in these exotic multi-coloured gardens.
Next, we went back over the footbridge to discover the rest of the zoo. We entered the area devoted to Madagascar, where the black-and-white ruffed lemurs watched us from the wild gardens of their island. Then we walked through the ring-tailed lemur enclosure, where the little primates cautiously allowed us to approach them. This was definitely my favourite moment of the day. But keep an eye on any food in your bag, it could get snatched!
We carried on towards Africa, with its predators and herd animals. Giraffes, zebras, ostriches, antelopes and oryxes live together in an area planted to resemble the savannah. Our children loved seeing the giraffes stretching their long necks towards us.
It was difficult to stay cool when confronted by lions and cheetahs. Champrépus Zoo is part of a European breeding programme designed to protect these two endangered species.
The visit ended at the Nono the Penguin interactive trail, with wallabies, coatis and sweet little prairie dogs, champion tunnellers that our little adventurers could peek out at through transparent bubbles in their enclosure.
A large viewing window allows you to see into a pool where the Cape penguins zoom around underwater. Our children loved watching these birds, which swim better than fish!