Colchester Zoo to open its doors early for Zoo Pass holders - here's when

Claudia Bradley

29 June 2024 at 0:00 pm·2-min read

Animals- Colchester Zoo is offering the chance to Zoo Pass holders to encounter many animals in the morning. <i>(Image: Colchester Zoo)</i> — Animals- Colchester Zoo is offering the chance to Zoo Pass holders to encounter many animals in the morning. *(Image: Colchester Zoo)*

COLCHESTER Zoo is hosting a ‘Wake Up With’ event for Zoo Pass holders to see the zoo in a different light.

Doors will open from 7.30am for an exciting and rare opportunity for Zoo Pass holders to see a variety of animals in the morning, and to enjoy some quiet time in the park prior to opening to the public.

Visitors can encounter orangutans, penguins, red pandas, guinea pigs, meerkats, goats and sheep, and many more.

Swim- Visitors can encounter the Patagonian Sea Lions throughout the day, and view them swimming from the popular underwater viewing tunnel. (Image: Colchester Zoo)

They can also enjoy a half-price kids breakfast when purchasing an adults full English breakfast in the zoo’s Penguini Restaurant, from 7.30am to 11.30am.

There will also be loaded breakfast fries at Gormet Sausage.

Anyone under the age of 16 must be accompanied by a responsible guardian over the age of 18, or they will not be admitted.

Annual Zoo Passes can be purchased on the zoo’s website and are fitting for families who visit the zoo more than twice a year.

Pass- Guests can purchase Zoo Passes on the Colchester Zoo website. (Image: Colchester Zoo)

Adults passes, aged 16-59, are £72.50 for the first purchase and £58 upon renewal.

Child passes, aged 3-15, are £52 for the first purchase and £41.60 upon renewal.

Seniors passes, aged 60 and over, are £62 for the first purchase and £49.60 on renewal.

Doors open from 7.30am on July 6.

The animal encounter timetable is as follows:

7.45am- Rainforest Species (Rainforest Walkthrough)
7.50am- Borean Orangutan (Rajang’s Forest, Outside Area)
8.00am- Humboldt Penguin (Inca Trail)
8.00am- Red Panda (Rivers Edge)
8.10am- Guinea Pig (Familiar Friends)
8.15am- Buffy-headed Capuchins (Next to Main Entrance)
8.15am- Goats and Sheep (Colenso Village)
8.15am- Slender-tailed Meerkat (Suricata Sanda)
8.30am- Gelada Baboon (Gelada Plateau)
8.30am- Cherry-crowned Mangabey (Out of Africa)
8.30am- Komodo Dragon (Dragons of Komodo)
8.45am- Smooth-coated Otter (Otter Creek)
8.50am- Spotted Hyena (Edge of Africa)
8.50am- Malayan Sun Bear (Bears of the Rising Sun, Upper Viewing Area)
9.00am- Bush Dog (Lost Madagascar Train Station)
9.00am- African Elephant (Elephant Kingdom, Outside Paddock)
9.00am- Patagonian Sea Lion (Playa Patagonia)
9.10am- African Species (Kingdom of the Wild, Outside Paddock)
9.20am- Mandrill (Edge of Africa)

Colchester Evening Gazette
Colchester Food and Drink Festival enjoys successful day one in return to city
Colchester’s annual food and drink festival celebrated its 25th anniversary, attracting thousands of visitors to enjoy local and international dishes.
Colchester Evening Gazette
Colchester Bus Station has been cordoned off after assault reports
Followng blood being found at the scene of an assault which took place at Colchester Bus Station, police have cordoned off the area.
Colchester Evening Gazette
Pictures: Residents come together to enjoy Armed Forces Day fun in Colchester
CROWDS flocked to a Colchester beauty spot to celebrate Armed Forces Day.
Euronews
These are the top 5 sources of microplastics in your home: Here's how to avoid them
These everyday household items could be leaching microplastics into your diet.
The Independent
Humpback whale entangled in 800kg of fishing equipment freed in Australia
Heavy ropes and fishing equipment had severely restricted animal’s ability to swim
Bournemouth Echo UK
UK to be hit by second heatwave in a matter of days from Mediterranean airstream
The UK is set for a second heatwave this summer as weather forecasters suggest Mediterranean airstream will bring hot weather.
Business Insider
Hybrids are having a moment. Here's what you need to know if you're in the market.
Hybrids are more popular than ever, but not all hybrids are created equal.
AFP
Moscow takes two more east Ukrainian villages
Moscow on Monday claimed to have captured two more villages in eastern Ukraine, but acknowledged that tens of thousands of people in Russia's border areas were affected by power outages caused by Kyiv's drone attacks. The tiny village lies in an area of the front -- northwest of occupied Avdiivka -- where Moscow has claimed almost every week this summer to have captured a new settlement.
The Independent
Common cleaning products release trillions of microplastics each month, study warns
Actual amount could be much higher, researchers warn
Herald Scotland
Scotland's best whale, porpoise and dolphin watching spots to see this summer
From Chanonry Point near the NC500 to Irvine Beach, here are the best whale, dolphin and porpoise-watching spots in Scotland.
The Independent
Seven dead after violent storms cause flooding in Switzerland, France and Italy
Torrential rain causes landslides and flooding across three countries
CBC
'Very good at everything': Nunavut residents remember pilot Natalie Gillis
Natalie Gillis is described by people who knew her as ambitious, joyful, talented and humble. The 34-year-old died June 17 when her plane, a twin-engine Pier PA-31, crashed approximately three kilometres southwest of the Albany International Airport in New York. She was working for Kasi Aviation, an airline in Montreal that specializes in aerial surveys and mapping services. A pilot, photographer, and outdoor guide, Gillis filled her life with experiences that took her from the Arctic to the Ant
The Telegraph
Mysterious deaths cast a shadow over Sweden’s $12bn electric car battery champion
It was 13 degrees below zero in Skellefteå in Sweden’s far north.
Storyful
'Life-Threatening' Hurricane Beryl Approaches Caribbean Islands
A satellite captured spectacular imagery showing lightning within Hurricane Beryl’s eye wall as the storm moved northward toward the Windward Islands in the Caribbean on Sunday, June 30.The Category 4 hurricane was expected to bring life-threatening wind, rain, and storm surges to Grenada, St Vincent, and the Grenadines by Monday morning, and could impact Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and the Cayman Islands later in the week, according to the US National Hurricane Center. Credit: CSU/CIRA & NOAA via Storyful
Time
Spotted Lanternflies: Scientists Studying How to Kill them
Scientists have been researching the best method for killing spotted lanternflies, and they may have gotten some new leads this year through the insects' attraction to vibrations.
Storyful
Dozens Rescued From Severe Flooding in Northern Italy
Dozens of rescue operations had been carried out after heavy rains caused landslide and severe flooding in Italy’s northern province of Turin on Saturday, June 29, into Sunday, June 30, authorities said.Footage from by Vigili del Fuoco, Italy’s national fire service, shows a vehicle stranded in floodwaters, washed-out roadways, and raging waters flowing over a waterfall.Among those rescued were a family of three who became trapped inside their vehicle due to a a flooded stream, the fire service said.In the mountain town of Alagna Valsesia, northeast of Turin, authorities declared a state of emergency after floods caused a bridge to collapse and damaged several roads.Storms and flooding also impacted neighboring regions in France and Switzerland, including the Italian-speaking Swiss region of Canton Ticino where, according to local reports, at least two people were killed and one person was missing after heavy rains triggered landslides. Credit: Vigili del Fuoco via Storyful
The Independent
Glastonbury 2024: Massive cleanup operation gets underway at Worthy Farm
‘It’s incredibly serious because it’s a working farm, you can’t have a trace of a festival with a working farm. It’s just impossible.’
Storyful
'Extremely Dangerous' Hurricane Beryl Hits Southern Grenada
Heavy wind and rain hit southern Grenada as Hurricane Beryl passed through the region on Monday, July 1.Footage filmed and posted to X by user @LynnPoole84 shows trees swaying in the wind south of St George’s, Grenada, on Monday.According to the Met Office, Hurricane Beryl is a category 4 hurricane and is expected to make landfall in the Windward Islands on Monday. A life-threatening storm surge and damaging winds are expected when Beryl passes through the region, said the National Hurricane Center. Credit: @LynnPoole84 via Storyful
Storyful
Hurricane Beryl Impacts Barbados Coast
Conditions along the Barbados coast were rapidly worsening as Hurricane Beryl made its way across the Caribbean, impacting the Windward Islands early on Monday, July 1.The footage here, captured by Nauman Khan from his hotel in Christ Church, shows strong winds and rain on Worthing Beach.“Too dangerous to be out on the balcony now,” Khan wrote on X. “Truly in the eye of the storm now.”The Category 3 hurricane was expected to bring life-threatening wind, rain, and storm surges to Grenada, St Vincent, and the Grenadines by Monday morning, and could impact Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and the Cayman Islands later in the week, according to the US National Hurricane Center. Credit: @Khanadians via Storyful
FTW Outdoors
Can you spot the Yellowstone bear in ‘challenging’ photo quiz?
If you're able to spot the black bear in the Yellowstone National Park image you're either lucky or have a keen eye.

Latest stories