Taronga Zoo Entry & Return Ferry - Sydney Harbour
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Sydney, Australia
- 4 to 8 hours (approx.)
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Sydney's busy roads can make sightseeing tricky. Skip city traffic and combine a ferry ride with admission to Taronga Zoo. Depart from Circular Quay and sail across Sydney Harbour, taking in panoramic views of the skyline along the way. At the zoo, spot koalas and kangaroos, along with wildlife from around the world. Your package includes round-trip ferry transfers, so getting back to the city center couldn't be easier.
- Ferry transfers save you plenty of vacation time
- Enjoy free time to explore independently
- Prebooking ensures your spot at the popular zoo
- Benefit from crowd-free views of Sydney's skyline
What's Included
- Round-trip by Sydney Harbour cruise to Taronga Zoo
- Taronga Zoo Entry
- Hotel pickup and drop off
- Food and drinks
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Circular Quay Wharf 6Sydney NSW 2000, Australia
Please check in for your return ferry and Zoo Entry tickets from the ticket office located at the wharf at least 15 minutes prior to departure. The first cruise departure from Circular Quay Wharf 6 is approximately 9:00am.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Arranged start time
Confirm time with the local provider in advance of your experience.
- 07/10/2026 - 03/31/2027
Monday - Sunday : 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Itinerary
Make your own way to the boat dock at Circular Quay to board the spacious vessel that takes you out on the waters of Sydney Harbour. Soak up views of the waterfront, skyline, and famous landmarks including Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney Opera House, and Fort Denison as your boat cruises across the scenic harbor to the north shore, where you disembark for the zoo.
Once inside the zoo, enjoy the many exhibits at your own pace. More than 2,900 animals live here in 10 themed areas—including Wild Australia, Wild Asia, and the Great Southern Oceans. The enclosures mimic the natural habitat of each creature. Check the daily schedule for keeper talks, which focus on animals such as Tasmanian devils, little penguins, giraffes, lemurs, and koalas. You may want to watch the seals in action at Seal Theatre or catch the free-flight bird show, where birds of prey demonstrate their hunting skills.
When you have finished your zoo visit, simply return to the dock to catch the cruise back to Circular Quay.
Once inside the zoo, enjoy the many exhibits at your own pace. More than 2,900 animals live here in 10 themed areas—including Wild Australia, Wild Asia, and the Great Southern Oceans. The enclosures mimic the natural habitat of each creature. Check the daily schedule for keeper talks, which focus on animals such as Tasmanian devils, little penguins, giraffes, lemurs, and koalas. You may want to watch the seals in action at Seal Theatre or catch the free-flight bird show, where birds of prey demonstrate their hunting skills.
When you have finished your zoo visit, simply return to the dock to catch the cruise back to Circular Quay.
1
Taronga Zoo
5 hours • Admission Ticket Included
Sydney Harbour (Pass By)
Circular Quay (Pass By)
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Near public transportation
- Most travelers can participate
- Special timetables operate on public holidays and special event dates
- Timetables are subject to change without notice
- Taronga Zoo is open from 9:30am to 4:30pm daily
- To ensure you have enough time to visit the many exhibits in Taronga Zoo, it is recommended that you board the first departing ferry of the day.
- Travel must begin with Captain Cook Cruises ferry from Circular Quay Wharf No.6
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 150 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Virendra_J
The ferry ride and zoo experience were phenomenal. I’d recommend it to anyone visiting Sydney. We got to see the harbour bridge and opera house which were breathtaking! The zoo was such a great place. Definitely the best zoo I’ve been to.
Reviews
4.4
based on 842 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Yuri_C, Sep 2026
I had a really great day at Taronga Zoo and enjoyed every minute of it. The zoo is beautiful, very well kept, and has such a great setting overlooking Sydney Harbour. There’s plenty to see, and it’s a lovely place to spend a few hours just walking around and enjoying the animals and the views.
The ferry ride from Sydney was a great part of the experience too. It was easy to find and very convenient, and the views of the harbour along the way were fantastic. It’s a nice way to arrive at the zoo rather than just taking a car or bus.
The staff and volunteers were very friendly and helpful, and the map made it easy to find our way around. One tip: take the bus up after getting off the ferry, especially if you don’t want to walk up the steep hill. Then you can enjoy a much easier walk back down through the zoo.
Overall, it was a very enjoyable and memorable day, with the zoo, the animals, and the beautiful Sydney Harbour views all in one experience. I would definitely recommend it to anyone visiting Sydney, especially families and anyone who enjoys nature and wildlife.
Absolutely worth doing!
Brad_Z, Sep 2026
Clean, great exhibitions....simple to navigate with the help of the zoo map. Friendly volunteers and staff, great food options at the food center.
Wally_S, Sep 2026
Nice ferry ride . Zoo had a nice variety of animals and grounds . Seal show was great ! Interesting old buildings snd reptiles.
Tracey_R, Aug 2026
Taronga Zoo is a magical place. Easy ferry ride and entrance to the zoo. Very relaxing to stroll around to see all of their amazing animals and shows. The views from the top are stunning.
Deborah_B, Aug 2026
Check the wharf location. Get there early to understand the schedule. I would do this again but would have understood the schedule better to not miss the first ferry.
Corey_K, Aug 2026
Ticket collection was really easy.
Ferry transit and zoo entry was all simple, with plenty of times available when leaving the zoo to travel back to the circular quay port.
Ivy_S, Aug 2026
Great experience to spend half day in the zoo. It is variety of Australia animals and the view from the zoo is fantastic
Carlos_D, Aug 2026
Great ferry trip and good for pictures. I don’t know if I want to go to the zoo again. Great views of harbor.
Andrea_R, Jul 2026
This is a must visit location when visiting Sydney for the first time! Beautiful view of the city from the zoo. Would visit again if I return to Sydney!
Catherine_G, Jul 2026
Zoo is great family day out. Fantastic view points for photos of the city and good assortment of animals to watch. Removed a star for the restaurant. I had a chicken burger for $19 that was inedible. Hot food was totally overpriced and poor quality. Pack a lunch.
Katrina_M, Jul 2026
A lovely zoo with so much to see but make sure you look at the weather forecast and don't go when it is raining!
Colina_Y, Jul 2026
Didn’t know there is a public city run ferry that goes straight to the zoo, with more frequent schedule. We missed our 1:15 boat and the next one is 3:45. That big gap is inconvenient, so we forfeited our ferry return and pay for the city ferry. Don’t buy this package just go on your own, better and cheaper.
Ken_S, May 2026
Fun time. Saw a lot in 4 hours. Captain Cook has nice up to date boats. Would highly recommend. 5 stars
charlene_w, May 2026
Easy ferry ride over. Definitely need walking shoes since it’s a zoo and spread out. Good representation. Prepare for rain despite no rain in forecast
Connie_S, May 2026
The Taronga Zoo is amazing and definitely a must do. The views on the ferry going over let you take pictures of The Sydney Opera House and the bridge.
Jo_M, May 2026
Wonderful day out - so many amazing experiences. Upside - seeing the gorillas - downside, lots of steep inclines although lifts and escalators in some parts. It took the full day to see everything and the free flight show was fantastic.
Kenneth_C, May 2026
The zoo and the animals are well maintained. A lot of walking up and down slopes, but not too bad. Really enjoyed the experience.
Deborah_K, May 2026
It was super easy to get to the zoo this way, with plenty of return trip options so you can customize your time at the zoo.
Marvin_C, Apr 2026
Come earlier as it can get busy near lunch time. The bird show was nice, site near top row to get the best views
LINDEN_S, Apr 2026
Handy bus to take you to the top of the hill, so that you walk down through the zoo back to the ferry. Managed to see lots of animals even those that were asleep in the open. Seeing the Rhino, koalas(asleep) otters, penguins etc.... Food court was like a zoo inside with limited stock for the amount of people, probably use for snacks only. Take a pack.lunch. Overall very enjoyable experience and the smaller Cook ferry was very pleasant plenty of room.
Chari_L, Apr 2026
Nice visit
Hard to navigate in the rain
Don’t pay extra for the koala experience you think you will get to hold or touch them but you don’t. Our picture was beside a koala rest facing and that was that 🙄
William_B, Apr 2026
Ferry trip was seamless. Zoo was very interesting with wide variety of animals and great site though very hilly. You need to work from top to bottom to avoid strenuous hike uphill. You need 3-4 hours to do the full venue. Great scenic view of the city on return ferry trip. Good value.
Robert_S, Apr 2026
This ranks as one of the finest Zoos I have visited. Certainly worth a few hours while in Sydney!!!!
Doug_A, Apr 2026
Great zoo and excellent ferry ride from the port. Meeting point is easy to find and the ride to and from was easy.
Lois_S, Apr 2026
Buying the Viator ferry and zoo pass made our zoo trip seamlessly easy. We got in the ticket line at Captain Cooke cruises and just by scanning our UPC code they handed us 2 tickets for the two-way ferry trip and 2 tickets for the zoo admittance. Nobody saw or had access to our credit card while we were in line at the window, or at the zoo. Getting on the ferry and into the zoo was just as easy because we had our tickets. At the ferry dock near the zoo a free bus will come to take you to the front gate and outside the front gate it will come to take you back to the ferry dock when your time at the zoo is over. Just remember to keep the ferry tickets somewhere safe because you will need to show them to get back on the ferry. We count this as yet another wonderful Viator experience!
Kathleen_C, Apr 2026
What a great day at the zoo! And I’m 61! Saw so many amazing animals and even bought the Koala experience for $15 which was worth every penny. Ferry was easy to find and took us past the opera house for a great photo opp. Don’t skip this great experience!.
Laura_H, Apr 2026
This excursion was very simple to use and cost saving as well! The ferry ride was fun and the zoo was awesome! I would def book this again!
robert_c, Apr 2026
Well worth the money for a nice trip. The zoo was amazing and adding the boat trip made the access super easy.
Pat_N, Apr 2026
Effortless, smooth, & lots of fun. Couldn't have asked for better! It was as advertised ... straight forward & enjoyable.
Kris_L, Apr 2026
Zoo has small enclosure animals looked depressed. Australia zoo Brisbane has much better enclosures and conditions for the animals
From $58.66
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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