Mosman · Sydney Harbour
Sydney's harbourside zoo, open since 1916 on a steep bush headland twelve minutes by ferry from Circular Quay. Watch giraffes graze in front of the Harbour Bridge, catch a sea lion leaping on cue, then meet koalas up in the gum-tree canopy.
Independent guideTickets and experiences hand-picked by our editors.
Tickets
In the centre, the zoo's own entry ticket. On the left, the same entry with a return ferry from Circular Quay; on the right, two hours behind the scenes with a keeper. Every card opens a full page.
Ferry included
★ 4.6Full dayFree cancellationCaptain Cook Cruises takes you across the harbour from Circular Quay and back, with zoo entry in the same booking. The wharf sits by the Lower Entrance.
Most booked
★ 4.6Full dayFree cancellationThe zoo's own general admission, sold through GetYourGuide. Keeper talks, the seal show and the Free Flight Birds show over the harbour are all part of it.
Meet a koala
★ 4.92 hoursNon-refundableTwo hours behind the scenes with a zoo keeper and five other guests at most: the animal kitchen, the nocturnal house and a close koala encounter.
From Darling Harbour
★ 4.5Full day
May to November
★ 4.4Full day
Private
★ 5.07.5 hours
Spring only
New9.5 hours
3 attractions
★ 5.030 daysCompare
Two questions sort most of it out. How are you crossing the harbour? And do you want a keeper beside you, or just the gate and a map?
| Ticket | Starts at | Ferry | Best for | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taronga Zoo Entry Ticket | Main or Lower Entrance, Mosman | Not included: use the public ferry | Arriving on the public ferry, by bus or by car | Full day | Book this |
| Zoo Entry & Return Ferry from Circular Quay | Circular Quay, Wharf 6 | Return Captain Cook ferry | One booking for the boat and the gate | Full day | Book this |
| Wild Australia Experience with a Keeper | Visitor desk, Main Entrance | Not included | A keeper, a koala and five other guests at most | 2 hours | Book this |
| Zoo Ticket with Return Fantasea Ferry | Circular Quay or Darling Harbour | Return Fantasea ferry | The ferry combo that also leaves from Darling Harbour | Full day | Book this |
| Whale Watching Cruise & Taronga Zoo | Circular Quay, Wharf 6 | Whale cruise, then the zoo ferry | Humpbacks off the Heads in the morning, the zoo after | Full day | Book this |
| Private Coastal Tour & Keeper Experience | Hotel pickup, Sydney | Private car, no ferry | Bondi and Watsons Bay by car, then a keeper and a koala | 7.5 hours | Book this |
| Purple Sydney: Jacarandas, Taronga Zoo & City | Darling Harbour | Coach, no ferry | A guided spring day: jacaranda streets plus 2 hours at the zoo | 9.5 hours | Book this |
| Go City Sydney Essentials Pass | Digital pass, any day | Not included | Taronga plus two more Sydney sights on one pass | 30 days | Book this |
Children under 4 enter free. Plain entry tickets do not include the ferry: the public F2 ferry from Wharf 4 is a normal Opal fare. The keeper experience is non-refundable; the rest cancel free up to 24 hours before.
Before you book
Taronga sits on a headland in Mosman, on the north shore of the harbour, and the zoo is built down the side of it. The ferry lands you at the bottom. The Lower Entrance is a three-minute walk from the wharf; the Main Entrance, the shops and most of the cafes are at the top, on Bradleys Head Road.
For 35 years the Sky Safari cable car carried people up that hill. It retired in 2023, and its replacement is not due until late 2027. That changes the day more than any ticket choice. You can walk in at the bottom and climb as you go, or ride bus 238 from the wharf to the Main Entrance and spend the day walking down. A free shuttle helps only in NSW school holidays.
Hectares of hillside, some of it steep. Wear proper shoes, plan a route, and give yourself more time than the map suggests.
Not with a plain entry ticket. Combo tickets add a private ferry from Wharf 6.
Not until late 2027. Walk up from the Lower Entrance or take bus 238.
No. The paid Koala Encounter gets you close, but touching is not allowed.
Not any more. They moved to South Australia in 2025; rhinos live there now.
Your day
The zoo says a visit takes about three hours. With the shows and the hill, most people stay longer.
The public F2 leaves Wharf 4; the Captain Cook and Fantasea combos leave Wharf 6. Sit outside for the Opera House.
About 12 minutesWalk into the Lower Entrance by the wharf, or ride bus 238 to the Main Entrance at the top and work your way down.
3 to 10 minutesSeals for the Wild at 11am and 2pm, Free Flight Birds at 12pm and 3pm, and a dozen keeper talks in between.
3 to 5 hoursFinish at the bottom, catch the ferry back and watch the city come into view again.
Before closingPlan your visit
Opening hours, ticket types, getting there and the rules at the gate: one tab each.
Getting there
Taronga Zoo Sydney, Bradleys Head Road, Mosman NSW
The zoo faces the city across the water, which is why the ferry is the classic way in. Trains, buses and the ferry all meet at Circular Quay; from there it is a short ride to Taronga Zoo Wharf. Coming by car, you drive across the Harbour Bridge and through Mosman to the Main Entrance at the top.
Around your visit
Timing, what regulars do differently, what is nearby and what happens if it rains.
Sydney Harbour
Pick your ticket, then pick your ferry.
See the ticketsGuest reviews
★★★★★One of the best experiences, the seal and bird show were amazing, the views are amazing.
★★★★★Perfect view of the Sydney Harbor and Opera House and the famed Taronga Zoo all in one afternoon.
★★★★★Great experience. So much knowledge, the 2 hours went by so quickly.
★★★★★I spent more than 4 hours leisurely taking in the exhibits that were on offer.
★★★★★I definitely recommend seeing the seal show; it was adorable, and I was amazed by how smart the seals were!
★★★★★Thoroughly enjoyed the ferry ride over, great way to enjoy the harbour
★★★★★Very unique experience! our Guide was very nice to give us chances to get closer to the koalas
★★★★★It was amazing, very clean enclosures well looked after animals.
★★★★★Loved this zoo and how up close you can get to the animals.
Another day on the water
The zoo ferry is a quick crossing. For the full harbour, give it an hour on a slower boat.
The zoo ferry is a 12-minute crossing. This is the slow version: a one-hour loop from Wharf 6 past the Opera House, Fort Denison, Bradleys Head and the zoo, with live commentary. Do it on another day, or the morning before.
Live commentaryWharf 6Wheelchair accessible
The guide
Taronga is old, steep and right on the water, and those three facts shape a visit more than any ticket. Here is how to read the options.
The zoo opened in 1916, after the city's first zoo at Moore Park ran out of room. The government gave it a slope of bushland on the north shore, and the animals have looked across at the city ever since. Today it covers 28 hectares, with more than 6,500 animals by the count reported in July 2026. It is run by the Taronga Conservation Society, which also runs a sister zoo, Taronga Western Plains, in Dubbo.
The layout follows the hill. Nura Diya Australia, the 400 m native-animal trail with Koala Country and Kangaroo Country, sits near the top. The African Savannah, with lions, giraffes and zebras, looks straight over the harbour. Great Southern Oceans, home to the seals, sea lions and penguins, sits lower down near the water.
The plain entry ticket is the zoo's own general admission. Pair it with the public F2 ferry, paid by tapping a card or phone, and you have the most flexible day: any boat, any time. The Captain Cook combo and the Fantasea combo put a private ferry and the gate in one booking. They suit people who want one QR code and no fare cards, and the Fantasea one also sails from Darling Harbour. Check the return times before you go: private ferries run fewer departures than the public route.
Every ticket includes the keeper talks and the four daily shows. Beyond that, the zoo sells short paid encounters on the day: giraffe, meerkat, capybara, rhino and the Koala Encounter, a few minutes beside a koala with a keeper. Holding a koala is not allowed. The Wild Australia Experience goes further: two hours with a keeper, the animal kitchen and the nocturnal house, for six guests at most. It is non-refundable, so book it once your dates are fixed.
Arrive when the gates open at 9:30am. The morning is cooler, the animals are up, and you can walk the top of the zoo before the tour groups arrive. Build the rest of the day around the shows: seals at 11am, birds at noon, a picnic, then the 2pm and 3pm repeats if you missed one. Summer closing is 5pm and winter closing 4:30pm, so leave time for the walk back down to the wharf.
Guides
In-depth guides to the questions people ask most before a zoo day. See all guides.
Tickets explainedTicket types, online savings, what's included and what costs extra.
Ferry to the zooPublic F2 or a combo boat, which wharf, and the hill at the other end.
Taronga vs Sydney ZooFive zoos people mix up, and which one fits your day.
How long to spendHours needed, the best route, show times and when to go.
What to bringFood, water, bags, prams, banned items and what to wear.
Koala encountersNo holding, but how close you can get, and the other encounters.From the blog
Works, openings and changes worth knowing before you go. All posts.
FAQ
Straight answers to what people ask most about Taronga Zoo tickets.
There are adult, child (4 to 15), concession and family tickets, and children under 4 get in free. Booking online on the zoo's own site is about 10% cheaper than paying at the gate, and a ticket stays valid for 12 months. The ferry is not part of a plain entry ticket. Every option is explained in the ticket guide.
No. The admissions desk sells tickets on the day, paid by card, because the zoo is cashless. Booking ahead is still worth it: online tickets cost less, and you skip the queue at the desk in school holidays.
No. The public F2 ferry from Circular Quay Wharf 4 is a normal Opal fare (tap on with a card or phone) and takes about 12 minutes. Combo tickets bundle a private Captain Cook or Fantasea ferry instead. See the ferry guide for which one suits you.
The zoo itself says about 3 hours. Add the seal and bird shows, a picnic and the steep walk, and most visitors stay 4 to 5 hours. Our timing guide has a route for a short and a full visit.
Early. The gates open at 9:30am, the animals are more active in the morning and the crowds build after lunch. Plan around the shows: Seals for the Wild at 11am and 2pm, Free Flight Birds at 12pm and 3pm.
Yes. A picnic is welcome and there are refill stations for reusable bottles. Alcohol, balloons, balls, scooters, skateboards and bikes are not allowed, and there are no lockers. The full list is in what to bring.
Not at the moment. The old Sky Safari retired in 2023 and its replacement is due in late 2027. Until then, walk in through the Lower Entrance by the wharf, or take bus 238 up to the Main Entrance. A free shuttle runs only in NSW school holidays.
No. Guests are not allowed to touch or hold koalas at Taronga. The paid Koala Encounter puts you close to one with a keeper for a few minutes. Details in the koala encounter guide.
Its last two Asian elephants, Tang Mo and Pak Boon, moved to Monarto Safari Park in South Australia in 2025 to join a larger herd. The old elephant area is now Rhino Reserve. Any listing that still mentions elephants is out of date.
No. Sydney Zoo is a separate, private zoo at Bungarribee in Western Sydney, opened in 2019. WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo is a mostly indoor attraction in Darling Harbour. Taronga is the harbourside zoo in Mosman. See Taronga or Sydney Zoo.
Taronga, at 28 hectares against 16.5 for Sydney Zoo. Taronga is also much older (1916) and the only one with harbour views; Sydney Zoo, out in Western Sydney, has free parking and the city's only elephants.
Yes, two ways. Wildlife Retreat is a hotel inside the zoo grounds, with zoo entry and breakfast included. Roar and Snore is a tent sleepover with night tours, for ages 5 and up.
Ready to book
Keeper talks and the four daily shows come with every entry, and most tickets cancel free up to 24 hours before.
More: a keeper tour with a koala · whales and the zoo in one day · every ticket and tour
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