The Welsh Mountain Zoo
Set high on a hill over Colwyn Bay is the Welsh Mountain Zoo.
Our Review
This is a small zoo compared to some of the larger zoos (such as Chester or London), but that doesn't make this zoo any less good.
There's a whole range of animals, and with its layout, quite some time is needed to explore it all.
We've visited twice and found it great. Here are some of the highlights...
Animal Talks and Shows
There are a number of animal talks throughout the day. There are three however that are close together so that you can easily go from one to the other.
Talk 1 - Chimps
Head over to the chimp house for a talk on the chimps there. If you're lucky you'll see some interesting behaviour, especially when they are fed their treats.
When we visited the chips were fed outside directly after the talk, so head up to the viewing area.
The chimps feeding at the Welsh Mountain Zoo
Talk 2 - Birds and the Penguin Parade
After seeing the chimps are the birds of prey and penguin parade. Yep, they parade the penguins out of their enclosure right past you.
The penguin parade at the Welsh Mountain Zoo
Talk 3 - Sea Lions
Once the penguins and birds have finished you can go right next door to see the Sea Lions.
The Sea Lion display at the Welsh Mountain Zoo
More Animals
Brown bears play fighting at the Welsh Mountain Zoo
As you would expect, the Welsh Mountain Zoo has more than just Chips, Penguins, and Sea Lions.
There's a whole load of animals, including some big cats (Snow Leopard and Bengal Tiger), and some very playful brown bears.
There are no very big animals like elephants, hippos, rhinos, or giraffes. Mind you, the steep winding road you drive up to get there could present a few challenges to getting those really large animals to the zoo.
The Bengal Tiger sleeping at the Welsh Mountain Zoo
Other things worth mentioning
Hawk in flight at the Welsh Mountain Zoo
The clue is in the name: Mountain. This is not the steepest we've been to (Combe Martin still tops that), but if you have mobility issues then note that the zoo is not flat.
Also, the drive to the zoo can be steep. We approached via sat nav from the West, which took a narrow winding road (thanks sat nav, now we know why there were no zoo signposts on that route). Approaching from the East is better.
Compared to other zoos the entrance price is much more reasonable.
On The Map
Address
The Welsh Mountain ZooThe Welsh Mountain Zoo, Colwyn Bay
Conwy Principal Area
Conwy
LL28 5UY
Wales
Longitude: -3.74775
Latitude: 53.294511