Enjoy a safe day out at Twycross Zoo!

Our zoo has changed in line with government guidance around Covid-19, and for the foreseeable future we will only be accepting online ticket bookings.

Gift Aid it! Twycross Zoo is a charity and your ticket helps us protect endangered animals in the UK and around the world. If you add a 10% donation you can claim tax back from the Government’s Gift Aid Scheme.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Can I visit Twycross Zoo now?

Twycross Zoo re-opened on the 15^th June 2020. We have restricted the amount of visitors allowed on site and we are only accepting online ticket bookings with an allocated timeslot. Members will also need to book online to secure a timeslot too. If you have a pre-paid ticket for a pre-existing date during our closure or have an open-dated ticket please find information further down the page in regards to your booking.

Visitors will not be able to purchase admission tickets from the ticket kiosks at Twycross Zoo.

How are Twycross Zoo going to make my day safe?

The safety of staff, visitors and animals is our top priority and we have reviewed all of our zoo operations and made numerous ‘Covid Secure’ changes across Twycross Zoo to maximise safety. These changes include the following, but please be advised that that government guidance may change, meaning our safety measures may change slightly too;

• We have restricted the number of admissions at Twycross Zoo per day to ensure visitors and staff can distance around our 100-acre zoo.
• All ticket types need to be pre booked online and allocated a time slot. Visitors will not be able to purchase admission tickets from ticket kiosks at Twycross Zoo.
• When booking online all visitors will be asked to choose an arrival timeslot. Timeslots are in place so that we can manage the quantity of visitors that arrive at Twycross Zoo throughout the day.
• Face coverings must be worn in all indoor areas including but not limited to all of our indoor animal houses, gift shops, takeaway restaurants and cafes and our Himalaya visitor centre. You do not need to wear a face covering when eating food inside The View Restaurant in Himalaya.
• We have implemented a one-way route around Twycross Zoo so visitors can enjoy their day and avoid crowds. Download the Twycross Zoo App to follow this. There will also be arrows, signage and barriers to mark the way.
• We have installed protective screens at Admission Kiosks, Guest Services, Gift Shops and Catering Kiosks.
• Guest Services will be open, however only one household group will be able to enter at any given time.
• Indoor animal viewing areas are open and have one way entrances and exits. Please remember to wear a face covering in all indoor areas and to be mindful of other visitors by social distancing and avoiding close contact. If you need to pass another person whilst exiting, in line with government guidance, we ask that you turn your back to them as you walk past. Please be advised you may be required to queue outside at some of our indoor areas.
• Outdoor play areas (excluding Wet ‘n’ Wild) are open. Playground users should ensure they comply with COVID Secure guidelines to help avoid risks of transmission. Hands must be washed or sanitised well before and after using the equipment, avoid touching your face whist using the equipment, children should be supervised carefully to maintain good hygiene and you should not use this equipment or be within the zoo grounds if you have any signs or symptoms of coronavirus. Hand sanitiser will be available to use by every outdoor play area.
• Safari Cars are open and rides can be booked when you arrive at the activity. Each car is thoroughly sanitised after each ride.
• Wet ‘n’ Wild is closed until further notice and will be reviewed periodically in line with changes to government guidelines.
• Animal talks are postponed to avoid encouraging crowds. NEW virtual animal talks are coming soon – watch out for more details!
• Takeaway food and drinks are available on a grab-and-go takeaway basis from Costa, outdoor kiosks, The Catch Fish Bar and cafes around the zoo. Face coverings must be worn when collecting food or drinks from indoor eateries. A full list of places to buy food and drink is available on the Twycross Zoo App and will be signposted at the zoo. Please try to pay by contactless card if you can, however cash payments are available at selected tills.
• The View Restaurant, located inside the Himalaya visitor centre, is open for eat-in dining every Saturday and Sunday from 11.30am for visitors who are ordering food.In line with government guidance around Covid-19, tables in our restaurant are restricted and are available on a walk-up, first come, first served basis. Pre-booking is unavailable. When visitors arrive at The View Restaurant they will be greeted by a hostess and asked to scan a QR code for track and trace. Hand sanitiser will be available to use on arrival too. If a table is available, visitors will be escorted to a social-distanced table and given a disposable menu. The new restricted food menu is available to view here. All food and drinks must be ordered and payments made at the table. Card payments are preferred but cash will be accepted too. A 10% discount on food and drinks is available for Twycross Zoo Members with a Membership I.D Card, as usual. Once meals are finished visitors our friendly team will politely ask that you leave and enjoy the rest of your day at Twycross Zoo so they can promptly sanitise the table for our next diners.
• Our Gift Shops in the Himalaya Welcome Centre and at Lorikeets is open from 10am-6pm daily and we will be welcoming a small number of visitors at any given time. Masks and hand sanitiser as well as souvenirs are all available to purchase from our Gift Shops. Please be advised you may be asked to queue outside. Visitors must wear a face covering in all gift shops around the zoo including Lorikeet Landing. Face coverings are available to purchase as you arrive at the zoo and outside all gift shops. Please remember to pay by contactless card if you can.

• We have plenty of hand washing facilities, including sinks in restrooms and hand sanitiser stations, around our 100-acre zoo. Download the Twycross Zoo App for the locations or look out for signage on your visit.
• Our team have increased our cleaning schedule throughout the day, across our site.
• In our toilet facilities, we ask our visitors to follow social distancing, and if cubicles are engaged please queue outside. We ask visitors to remember to wash hands before and after using our toilet facilities. If you need to pass another person whilst entering or exiting, in line with government guidance, we ask that you turn your back to them as you walk past. A member of our team will regularly check on toilet facilities across the zoo, ensuring they are clean and soap dispensers are full.
• We ask that we all work together to follow social distancing around Twycross Zoo. Social distancing markers and signage are located around our zoo as reminders. Visitors who persistently disregard the government’s social distancing guidelines will be asked to leave. 
• If you are not feeling well with either one or more of the symptoms of Covid-19 – a fever, dry cough, loss of taste or smell, muscle pain, headache or difficulty breathing – please do not visit Twycross Zoo, stay at home and follow government and NHS 111 advice. We’ll be here once you’re symptom-free and better.

How do I book?

Go to our website www.twycrosszoo.org and click BOOK NOW at the top of the page and you will be asked to select a date and an arrival timeslot.

We have restricted admission tickets per day in line with government guidance. Our visitor capacity at Twycross Zoo will be reviewed regularly, with the priority being to ensure social distancing is adhered to.

We realise this may mean tickets are not always available when you want to come, so we suggest our visitors book as far in advance as possible to ensure they secure the date they want to come.

Why have you limited the number of tickets available?

Twycross Zoo is a mainly an outdoor attraction, spread across 100-acres – that is the same size as 75 football pitches! But still we can get very busy. The safety of our visitors is our top priority and we will be operating at 5% visitor capacity to begin with, and will gradually move this up to 30%, which we believe allows adequate space for all visitors to enjoy a safe day out. We will gradually increase visitor capacity as/if government guidance changes.

Can I move the date or time slot of my ticket?

Tickets are non-transferable and non-refundable meaning we won’t be able to move the date or time of your ticket once it has been booked.

If you are due to visit but are experiencing Covid-19 symptoms find more information on the question below.

If I or a member of my household have Covid-19 symptoms on the day that I have booked to visit what should I do?

It is really important that you please stay home and DO NOT visit Twycross Zoo. If you already have booked your online tickets, please email our team information@twycrosszoo.org and they will come back to you about moving your booking. Subject to availability.

Is there a discount on admission?

We are offering a 10% discount for online bookings.

Twycross Zoo is a conservation charity and despite being closed since March, our costs have continued. To run the zoo it costs over half a million pounds a month and our 500 animals still require the same high standard of care regardless if we are open or closed. We hope our visitors will understand this and be happy to support us in the knowledge that their admission fee is helping to protect the future of our 57 year old zoo, for years to come.

Do I need to book a FREE infant ticket online in advance?

Yes. All visitors arriving at site need to have a pre-booked ticket for the day they are visiting, even if they are free to enter. Our online booking system will allow you to book these free tickets online for Under 2s.

If you have booked your tickets but did not add your infant to your order you will need to email our team to see if we have any tickets available for your date and to book you in information@twycrosszoo.org

Do I need to book a FREE carer ticket online in advance?

Yes. All visitors arriving at site need to have a pre-booked ticket, even if they are free to enter. Our online booking system will allow you to book these free tickets online for one FREE carer per purchased ticket where required. Additional carers will be required to purchase a standard full price adult/child ticket online to secure an arrival time slot. We will require proof of eligibility for a free carers ticket on entry.

If you have booked your tickets but did not add your carer to your order you will need to email our team to see if we have any tickets available for your date and to book you in information@twycrosszoo.org

I’m a Twycross Zoo Member, why will I need to book?

Twycross Zoo is re-opening from 15^th June 2020. We will be restricting the number of visitors at the zoo per day so that we can spread out our visitors around our 100-acre zoo. We are asking all visitors including Twycross Zoo Members to select a timeslot online to arrive. This is so we can manage how many people we have at the zoo per day and entering at one time.Twycross Zoo Members will not need to pay anything extra to reserve their online timeslot.

There is no guarantee that any visitor, including Twycross Zoo Members, will get entry to the zoo if they haven’t booked an online timeslot. Members have been allocated a quantity of tickets that cannot be paid for online and therefore will be accessible for members only.

I’m a Twycross Zoo Member, why can I only book one new visit per day?

We appreciate the support from our Twycross Zoo Members and we’re aware that so many of you want to visit the zoo as soon as possible. However in line with government guidance we have restricted our visitor capacity and for the time-being, to make sure all Twycross Zoo Members have equal opportunities to visit, only one new visit can be booked online per day for a future date. We are continuing to review our visitor capacity at the zoo and once more slots become available we will add them to the booking system. Thank you for your patience during this time.

We’d like to assure our Twycross Zoo Members that they have a separate allocation of online tickets available to book online and those visitors who pay for their zoo admission will not alter the amount of tickets available for our Members.

I’m a Twycross Zoo Member – can I bring a guest with me on my visit?

Yes, however only if they have booked online in advance and secured an arrival timeslot.

How can I visit if I am a Member/Annual Pass Holder from a different zoo within the Twycross Zoo Membership benefits scheme?

As we have restricted tickets in line with government guidance, we ask that you contact Guest Services on information@twycrosszoo.org to reserve your date of visit and timeslot. We have limited availability so your booking is not confirmed until you have received confirmation from us.

I have a Gift ticket, Adoption Ticket, Complimentary Ticket or third party ticket including Stay, Play, Explore do I need to book?

Yes, all tickets require pre-booking in order to be allocated an entrance time slot and are included within our restricted visitor numbers. Please visit our website www.twycrosszoo.org and click BOOK NOW at the top of the page and you will be asked to select a date, an arrival timeslot and your ticket type. Entrance will not be granted on the day without your actual gift, adoption, comp or stay play explore ticket which will be retained by the admissions team.

I have a ticket for a date whilst Twycross Zoo was closed what do I do?

Please contact our Guest Services on information@twycrosszoo.org so that they can re-schedule your visit for you. All tickets require pre-booking in order to be allocated an entrance time slot and are included within our restricted visitor numbers. Please wait for confirmation from our team before you plan on visiting Twycross Zoo.

Can I still gain entry with a Blue Peter badge?

Yes, Blue Peter Badge holders are required to book online and must be accompanied by a full paying ticket holder to receive free entry. Proof of the Blue Peter badge is required to be shown on admission to the zoo.

Will I be able to just turn up on the day if I haven’t booked a ticket?

No. Admission is restricted to those who have booked online tickets only. All visitors, Twycross Zoo Members included, will be asked to pre-book a timeslot before they arrive at the zoo, in order to ensure we can manage the flow and the amount of people on site.

Will I be able to arrive at the zoo outside of my allocated arrival time?

Allocated arrival times are in place so that we can ensure visitors are more evenly spread out around Twycross Zoo, to avoid any congestion and ensure maximum protection for our visitors and staff. Therefore we will ask that you stick to your allocated arrival time. If the time you wish to come is not available please look to book for another day.

Entrance will not be permitted for any visitor, including Twycross Zoo Members if they haven’t booked a time slot.

What will happen with my pre-existing booking, that either expired whilst Twycross Zoo was closed or is coming up soon?

This includes Animal Encounters, Animal Experiences, Keeper for the Day, Birthday Parties, Safari Sleepovers, Saturday Kids Club, Zoo Club, Weddings, Conferences or other events.

We are currently reviewing all of our bookings including those listed above and a member of our team will be in touch as soon as possible to re-arrange your booking. Please bear with us at this time. We thank you for your patience.

Can I book an Animal Experience or an Animal Encounter yet?

No. You will currently not be able to book an experience or encounter at the moment whilst we are reviewing these in line with government guidance. We are working hard to be able to offer these again soon, in the mean time keep an eye on our website and social media for updates.

Are Twycross Zoo’s opening hours the same?

The zoo opening hours are the same, however we are asking ALL visitors including members to book an arrival timeslot in advance of visiting the zoo.
During Spring/Summer we are open until 6pm.

How long can I stay at the zoo?

You are welcome to stay at the zoo all day from the time of your allocated arrival timeslot. We are open in Spring/Summer until 6pm. 

Can I meet others at the zoo?

Government guidelines are currently that you can meet up in groups of up to 6 people, as long as all members of the group are following social distancing. We are following all government guidance and will continue to do so in line with changes to this guidance.

Can I visit just for soft play?

Yes. Our Soft Play Jungle is operating under new Covid-19 regulations. Please click here for further information and to book tickets.

Am I be required to wear a face covering/mask?

Face coverings must be worn in all indoor areas including but not limited to all of our indoor animal houses, gift shops, takeaway restaurants and cafes and our Himalaya visitor centre. You do not need to wear a face covering when eating food inside The View Restaurant in Himalaya.

Will I be able to pay for items at the zoo with cash? 

We recommend paying for food and drink as well as items from our Gift Shop with contactless card if you can. If not we will have limited amount of tills to pay with cash. 

Will everything be open in the zoo?

Whilst we are excited to welcome visitors back soon and there will be lots of space to explore, the current situation means some areas will remain closed for now as we follow government guidance. The closed areas include:

Wet ‘n’ Wild – CLOSED

Indoor Picnic Areas – CLOSED

Last updated: 13/08/2020

We will update this regularly as government guidance changes.

Will the Nature Reserve be open?

Yes. Our nature reserve will be open, but we ask all visitors to observe social distancing and safety measures, whilst being mindful of others when visiting.

Will I be able to get food and drink when I visit Twycross Zoo?

Yes. There will be plenty of places to get grab-and-go takeaway food and drink from outdoor kiosks, Costa and The Catch Fish Bar. For the updated list of what’s open on the day of your visit download the Twycross Zoo App via the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. Visitors must wear a face covering when collecting takeaway food and drink.

The View Restaurant, located inside the Himalaya visitor centre, is open for eat-in dining every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11.30am for visitors who are ordering food. In line with government guidance around Covid-19, tables in our restaurant are restricted and are available on a walk-up, first come, first served basis. Pre-booking is unavailable. When visitors arrive at The View Restaurant they will be greeted by a hostess and asked to scan a QR code for track and trace. Hand sanitiser will be available to use on arrival too. If a table is available, visitors will be escorted to a social-distanced table and given a disposable menu. The new restricted food menu is available to view here. All food and drinks must be ordered and payments made at the table. Card payments are preferred but cash will be accepted too. A 10% discount on food and drinks is available for Twycross Zoo Members with a Membership I.D Card, as usual. Once meals are finished visitors our friendly team will politely ask that you leave and enjoy the rest of your day at Twycross Zoo so they can promptly sanitise the table for our next diners.

Can I bring a picnic?

Yes. Our visitors are more than welcome to bring picnics to enjoy during their visit. However, our indoor picnic areas are closed as we follow government guidance, but we do have plenty of outdoor picnic benches to use. We ask politely that all visitors clear rubbish and dispose in bins accordingly to help our team clean these areas easily throughout the day. There are also various spots to place picnic rugs on areas of grass, where you can still uphold social distancing.

Can I still buy items from all of the gift shops?

Our main Gift Shop, located in Himalaya, and the Lorikeets Gift Shop are open from 10am-6pm daily and we will be welcoming a small number of visitors at any given time. Masks and hand sanitiser as well as souvenirs are all available to purchase. Please remember to pay by contactless card if you can. Twycross Zoo is a charity and your visit and kind purchases from our gift shop provide valuable income to help support the future of our zoo. Visitors must wear face coverings inside all of our gift shops including Lorikeet Landing.

Please note that our Tiger Gift Shop will remain shut until further notice, as we follow government guidance.

If you are unable to visit Twycross Zoo at this current time, you can still support our charity by purchasing items including animal adoptions from our online shop which you can find on our website.

For more FAQs about our Gift Shops click here

I have a question but cannot get through on the phone – what can I do?

We apologise if it takes us a little longer than usual to answer enquiries. You can find lots of information about our zoo on our website. For anything else, please email information@twycrosszoo.org and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

Staying COVID-19 Secure – we confirm we have complied with the government’s guidance on managing the risk of COVID-19

FOR GENERAL FAQS ABOUT TWYCROSS ZOO CLICK HERE