The ultimate guide for visiting ZooParc Overloon with kids

Looking for the perfect destination for a family outing? ZooParc Overloon offers a delightful, relaxed experience that’s ideal for a few hours of exploration with kids. This charming zoo is perfect for families with children, featuring a wide range of animals, from friendly penguins and playful lemurs to majestic lions and giraffes. With its spacious, open layout and peaceful atmosphere, ZooParc Overloon is the perfect spot to enjoy together with your family. Continue reading for all the essential information you need for a visit to ZooParc Overloon with children.

Visit ZooParc Overloon

Looking for a charming, smaller zoo? ZooParc Overloon is the perfect choice for a relaxed family outing in the Netherlands. It’s ideal for a few hours of exploration, especially if you don’t need to check off the ‘Big 5’ to have an enjoyable experience. The zoo features a diverse range of animals, from smaller creatures like meerkats and red pandas to majestic animals such as lions and giraffes. One of the highlights of ZooParc Overloon is its spacious layout. Although the zoo isn’t large, it’s designed as a green, open park rather than a series of cramped enclosures, which you often find in larger zoos. Another plus is that the park is rarely overcrowded. We’ve visited multiple times, and it’s always peaceful, allowing you to enjoy the animals without the hustle and bustle of crowds.

The zoo’s well-marked path ensures you don’t miss any of the exhibits. While the zoo isn’t huge, it typically takes about two hours to walk through if you follow the designated route. The path doesn’t have many shortcuts, so you can take your time and fully appreciate the different areas. ZooParc Overloon is divided into themed ‘expedition areas’, each inspired by different parts of the world. These include the Headquarter, Boulders Beach, Outback, Jangalee, Ngorongoro, Itampolo, and Madidi. In 2025, the zoo will be expanding with a new area called Ngyuwe.

The Animals of ZooParc Overloon

As you follow the route, your first stop is Boulders Beach, home to the playful penguins. These penguins roam freely and are very friendly, often coming up to visitors or even approaching strollers. It’s a great way to start your visit in ZooParc Overloon, especially for kids.

Next, you’ll arrive at the Outback, where kangaroos roam freely. Stay on the designated path, and you’ll be able to walk among the kangaroos, which include wallabies and red giant kangaroos. You might even spot some dromedaries wandering around.

Moving on, the Jangalee expedition area introduces you to Asian species. Among the animals here are clouded leopards, a white tiger, and an Siberian tiger. The tigers are often solitary and might be harder to spot, especially for younger children. The Siberian tiger’s enclosure features a glass wall, providing a great opportunity for up-close views as he passes by.

The Ngorongoro area is the largest part of the zoo, and here you’ll find a variety of African animals, including lions, giraffes, ostriches, hippos, wild dogs, antelopes, camels, a cheetah, and meerkats. The lion enclosure houses four male lions, and a safari vehicle in the center of their area serves as their favorite perch. The cheetah lives alone, and though elusive, it’s sometimes difficult to spot.

For many, Itampolo is the highlight of the zoo. This area of ZooParc Overloon is a favorite among children, as it’s home to the mischievous ring-tailed lemurs. These friendly creatures are not shy and can often be found climbing trees, sitting on the roofs of huts, or even jumping onto strollers. Our son Luca loves chasing after them!

Finally, you’ll reach Madidi, the South American-themed area. Here, you’ll find flamingos, capybaras, vicuñas, a sloth, and spectacled caimans. The area is also home to various monkeys, including black spider monkeys, tamarins, capuchins, and golden lion tamarins. Additionally, there are anteaters and raccoons to spot.

Visit ZooParc Overloon with Kids

While animal watching is enjoyable for all ages, ZooParc Overloon offers plenty of other activities for children. The zoo features two playgrounds. The first, located near the Basecamp and giraffe area, includes slides and a water raft for older kids to enjoy. The second, much larger playground is at the end of the route, near the Headquarter and Madidi areas. This playground boasts multiple slides, swings, games, a bouncy castle, and even a zip line. Both playgrounds have ample picnic benches, making it a great spot for parents to relax, eat, and drink while the kids play.

To make the adventure even more fun for the younger family members, ZooParc Overloon has adventure paths throughout the park. These small climbing paths allow children to explore, with steps leading alongside the animal enclosures.

Throughout the year, ZooParc Overloon hosts a variety of events designed for kids. Daily feeding presentations are held at the kangaroos, lions, and giraffes, and special themed events are organized during holiday periods. Recently, for example, the theme was ‘dinosaurs,’ with dinosaur figures scattered around the park and a fun treasure hunt for kids to enjoy.

Family-friendly dining options in ZooParc Overloon

ZooParc Overloon offers two dining options. The larger restaurant, located at the Headquarter, operates as a buffet and serves items such as sandwiches, apple pies, and fries. It has both an indoor seating area and two outdoor terraces—one with a view of the penguins, the other overlooking the bouncy castle.

The second, smaller restaurant is situated halfway through the route, near the playground by the Basecamp. This location mainly serves snacks and is open only on weekends and during busier times like holidays, as it closes on quieter days.

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