Netherlands 10 Biggest Animal Parks
Holland has many zoos, aquariums and animal attractions for families and children to enjoy. These are the Netherlands 10 biggest animal parks…
NETHERLANDS 10 BIGGEST ANIMAL PARKS
#1 SAFARIPARK BEEKSE BERGEN
At 120 hectares, Safaripark Beekse Bergen is by far the largest animal park in Netherlands. It opened in 1968 and nowadays attracts upwards of 1.2 million visitors a year. You can explore the park on foot or by car, bus or boat. There are over 150 animal species represented. Stay overnight in the safari park resort.
#2 BURGER’S ZOO
Burger’s Zoo in Arnhem opened its doors in 1913. It sits on 45 hectares of land in the Veluwe nature park and receives approximately 1.1 million visitors per year. The zoo is set up in 7 ecosystems which replicate natural habitats as much as possible: Mangrove, Bush, Ocean, Rimba, Desert, Safari and Park.
#3 ROTTERDAM ZOO
The Diergaarde Blijdorp (Rotterdam Zoo) covers 26 hectares and in the north-east part of the city. It opened in 1857 in a different location and was moved to its current space after WWII. The zoo welcomes around 1.6 million visitors a year and is home to over 180 animal species. Attractions within the park include Oceanium (aquarium) and Amazonica (butterfly park).
#4 GAIA ZOO
The 25-hectare GaiaZoo is the Netherlands fourth largest animal park. It is located in the south-east of the country (Kerkrade, Limburg) on the German border. Opened in 2005, it attracts a half million visitors a year. The zoo is home to over 2,000 animals across 150 different species.
#5 WILDLANDS ADVENTURE ZOO
The Wildlands adventure zoo opened in 2016 taking over the former Emmen Zoo. The park is located in the northeast of the country in the province of Drenthe. In 2019 it welcomed 930,000 visitors. The Wildlands property is on 24 hectares of land, making it the fifth largest animal park in Netherlands. It is divided into 4 sections: Anamazi (marine and climbing), Nortica (arctic), Jungola (jungle) and Serenga (savannah).
#6 OUWEHANDS DIRENENPARK
The Ouwehands animal park in Rhenen opened in 1932 and now welcomes around one million visitors a year. It sits on 22 hectares of the Laarschenberg ‘mountain’ in Utrecht, making it the sixth biggest animal park in Netherlands. Species housed at the zoo include pandas, gorillas, bears, orangutans, elephants and giraffes. It has been voted best zoo in Netherlands by ANWB members.
#7T DIERENPARK AMERSFOORT
The 20-hectare Amersfoort Zoo opened shortly after the end of WWII and celebrated its 75-anniversary in 2023. It welcomes approximately 800,000 visitors a year and has over 100 different animal species. In addition, the Dinobos section features life-size replicas of several dinosaur species.
#7T ZOOPARC OVERLOON
Tied for seventh place is ZooParc Overloon which opened in 2000 on 20 hectares of land in eastern North-Brabant province. It is part of the Libema portfolio (which also includes Safaripark Beekse Bergen, Dierenrijk and AquaZoo Leeuwaarden). ZooParc Overloon is divided into 8 themed sections: Headquarter (pandas), Boulder Beach (penguins), Outback (kangaroos), Amazone (rainforest animals), Jangalee (tigers), Itampolo (Madagascar), Ngorongoro (Africa) and Madidi (rainforest birds and reptiles).
#9 APENHEUL
The Apenheul primate park in Apeldoorn opened in 1971 and covers 13 hectares of land, making it the Netherlands ninth biggest animal park. It welcomes approximately 500,000 visitors a year. The reserve specializes in bipeds with over 35 different species of monkeys, gorillas, apes, orangutans, lemurs, tamarins and macaques.
#10 DIERENRIJK
Dierenrijk opened in 2004 on 16 hectares of land in Mierlo, North-Brabant making it the tenth largest animal park in Netherlands. It is often referred to as the Eindhoven Zoo due to its close proximity to the city.
The 10 parks listed above, along with the next 3 largest (Vogelpark Avifauna, AquaZoo Leeuwaarden and ARTIS Amsterdam Zoo), are members of the NVD Dierentuinen (Dutch Association of Zoos). Founded in 1966, the member zoos work closely together in the areas of education, recreation, nature conservation and research.
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