Snowleopard's Dutch Sights, Belgian Delights & German Ratites

Landau received some surplus from Planckendael a few years back - without checking not sure if they're still there.

But definitely a highlight of Planckendael!

 

They have since been replaced by Goitered gazelles there, the remaining Slender-horned gazelles went back to Planckendael, despite incidental breeding....

 

Just a few observations:

Unless you're particularly hyped to see the grison, some unusual owls and maybe the siberian weasel (if they haven'd succumbed to the current heat wave that is), I would suggest to have a look at the Aquazoo Leerdam. It's a very small but high quality aquarium, while the Paay is... well, the Paay. It would give you an extra half hour or so at either Overloon or ZieZoo.

De Aarde has high quality terrariums but very small too. I definately worth trying to reach but I guess (given that you move through zoos quickly) that you'll be able to see it in less than an hour. If Beekse Bergen takes up too much time, visiting it on the same day as Ouwehands (which you probably have scheduled too much time for) and de Oliemeulen would be doable.

 

I would recommend you to take a year card at Artis (76 euro): it gives you free entrance in Antwerp and Planckendael, a 50% reduction at Blijdorp Rotterdam and Burger's Zoo and several minor reductions at the other Dutch zoos.

 

A couple of you have mentioned buying annual memberships and I am curious. Will they sell a membership to someone with an address in a different country?

 

Yes, definitely!

This limiting of membership to locals is something I have only found in America, specifically at San Diego. In Europe, there seems to be a much more inclusive approach!

The inclusion of discounted entry to other zoos is a definite bonus, and is one that seems to be spreading. Early admission is relatively rare and is, I think , a very good thing. For my recent Ohio trip, i chose to take out a Cincinnati membership, as this was the zoo that offered that extra hour alongside the reciprocal entry to other AZA collections.

 

Indeed they sell memberships to someone in a different coutry. I never realized that there are places where they don't
Regarding the membership for Artis, you should definitely do that!

Indeed you get 2 free visits in Antwerp or Plankendael, just enough for you. It is stated that for the 50% discount in Blijdorp and Burger's you need besides your ARTIS membership, also your receipt. So be sure you keep that with you to avoid problems later!
The other zoos with discounts are: Apenheul, AquaZoo, Amersfoort, Wildlands, Dierenrijk, Dolfinarium, GaiaZOO, Beekse Bergen, Avifauna and ZooParc Overloon.
The € 76,- will give you an advantage in your trip compared to buying your ticket directly at the entrance of € 132,25, so you earn almost € 60,-

 

Additionally it might be worth to buy an Apenheul membership (online and have it shipped to a Dutch Zoochatter who you meet in your first days). They often sell it for 25 euros or less in October the year before and you get a 50% reduction at Amersfoort, Dierenrijk, Ouwehands, Avifauna, Overloon, Beekse Bergen, Aquazoo and 25% at Wildlands. That should save you another 70-80 euros or so.

 

Fantastic tip! How much is regular entry at Apenheul?

 

I'll address a few things:

There is so much to consider when planning a European zoo trek and it is a much larger project than my USA zoo trips. When crossing America, even with my wife and kids in the past, I've never once pre-booked a motel over the course of hundreds of nights. Not once. I would just drive and visit zoos all day and then pull over at a motel and try my luck. I somehow doubt that I can pull that off in Europe, although it would give me a great deal of freedom.

Since @sooty mangabey , @Tim May , @lintworm , @Giant Panda and @Maguari all seem to think that Antwerp and Planckendael need to be visited on separate days, then I'm definitely leaning towards that idea. Both @CGSwans and @ANyhuis have suggested touring those two zoos on the same day but it seems as if that would be a tight schedule. The vote is 5-2 at the moment. If I end up finishing Antwerp Zoo in around 5 hours then maybe I'll just go around to some of the animal houses a second time...and that's not such a bad thing.

I'll definitely purchase an Amsterdam membership and that seems like a great recommendation. An Apenheul membership could also be an option and hopefully I can get those mailed to my home in Canada...or else print receipts from the various zoo websites.

I have heard good things about the very small Aquazoo Leerdam but the main issue with that place is the fact that the hours are not very impressive. The facility is closed on Mondays, and then only open from either 1-5 or 2-6 in the afternoons on the other days. Someone told me that it only takes 30 minutes to see everything but those limited hours are kind of a pain. I'll try again to see if I can squeeze it in somewhere.

 

Would you normally just visit each exhibit once, regardless of the inhabitants being in view at the time?

 

Glad it's not just me thinking 'not a bad thing?!'..!

A bit of time to do at the very least a partial second loop of highlights and no-shows is a vital part of a zoo visit for me - indeed often the best part as well - particularly on a first time visit and particularly somewhere like Antwerp with lots of smaller mammals and birds that you easily could miss on a single circuit.

Takes all sorts and all that..!

 

I too think Antwerp deserves a full day, it's a zoo to savour. You're unlikely to see an Eastern Lowland Gorilla again so may as well sound time enjoying then.
Have you considered youth hostels? They don't need booking months in advance, if its a popular one you can book the day before but often you just rock up.

 

@littleRedPanda and @Maguari Oh no, no, no. When I added the phrase "and that's not such a bad thing" I should have perhaps added an exclamation mark (as @zoogiraffe would have done!!) or even a smiling emoji. Ha!

People tend to forget, due to the fact that I've seen an awful lot of small zoos in the past few years, that for the big zoos I do take my time and double-back on countless occasions. At San Diego I take two days, Omaha is an open to close zoo, Bronx was open to close back in 2008 and I still felt a tad rushed, Columbus took all day, Brookfield took all day, Saint Louis takes all day, and in fact all the major U.S. zoos are at least 5 hours or more. I certainly don't go fast by any means as I savor those places as I never quite know when I'll be back. Antwerp and Planckendael will 100% be on separate days and I'll double-back to animal houses if I miss a few critters...or just because of the sheer enjoyment of touring an iconic European zoo. I'm certainly no 'speed demon' inside the really good zoos and zoo nerds on this site forget that when they read of me spending an hour inside some obscure Alligator Sanctuary in rural Michigan.

When I visit the tiny, mediocre or downright awful zoos of Wisconsin, Arkansas, Oklahoma or wherever, then I'm often inside for 1-2 hours at that is it. I'll go on road trips and see Bald Eagles, Bobcats, Coyotes (rare in Europe), probably a hundred Red-tailed Hawks, etc., and in those zoos I see no reason to dawdle. Another Bobcat sleeping on a log...time to move on! But the big zoos...well...those are the true delights of the zoological world and seem even greater after touring many crappy, junky places.

I've got up to at least 8 hours in each of these 6 zoos: Amsterdam, Antwerp, Planckendael, Pairi Daiza, Burgers' and Rotterdam. If anyone cares to join me then you are more than welcome and I'll be in those zoos all day long. I can already taste the Belgian french fries.

Truth be told, I'm also really looking forward to the many 2-hour Dutch and Belgian zoos as they will offer up their own tantalizing rewards. Maybe there will be some 'porta potty' toilets to greet me at the entrance, which are usually disgusting and therefore I'll have to go pee in a discreet 'neck of the woods'. Maybe I'll come across a grison or two. Maybe I'll see people smoking inside of a zoo...a rare thing in North America as almost all zoos are completely non-smoking. It's going to be an adventure!

 

Another shocking thing about European zoos (from an American standpoint) is people walking their dogs on a leash. Pets are strictly forbidden on this side of the pond, unless it can be verified as a needed service animal (to assist with a handicap, in which case you have to have documentation and a specially marked harness on the dog).

As for driving all over America with no motel reservations, I think you're nuts. I am in my fifties and have been traveling my whole life and have never once gone anywhere without a reservation. Not only do you risk not finding a place for the night, you also risk paying up to twice as much if the town is nearly sold out. You don't seem to mind, though I will remind you that you almost did not find a room in San Diego with your family right before we met for the first time. Anyway absolutely book ahead for Europe and use TripAdvisor or Expedia or similar to read reviews before booking (and to find the best rate).

 

Since we are all helping you plan your trip (whether you want the help or not), I will add in my two cents on exchanging money. There are three main ways I know of to get your Canadian dollars into Euros. I have read the least expensive way (lowest fee) is to order them from your bank. They will need advance notice to get the money in, but will charge a very low fee. Unfortunately I belong to a credit union and not a major bank, so I have never done this.

The second least expensive option, according to Euro expert Rick Steves, is to use your credit card at an ATM overseas for cash advance. They will charge a nominal ATM fee and a nominal Foreign Transaction Fee, but if you only do it once or twice (taking out the maximum amount each time) then it is worthwhile. I did this on my first (and shortest) trip to Europe, using the ATM inside London Heathrow Airport. I am not sure why I never did it since.

The third and probably most expensive option is to use a foreign exchange counter at the airport (or train station). I have done this on my subsequent four Euro trips, mostly out of ease of use. But I really need to rethink this, especially as on my next to last trip I had to change from Euros to Swiss money going in and again going out, which means I probably lost a lot in the transaction. I think when I go back I will just find a friend that uses a major bank and have them get the money for me and buy them dinner as thanks.

 

I also wouldn't advice foreign exchange counters. They will take a fee and will also have bad exchange rates, the rates are sometimes over 10% more than a cash withdrawal at an atm. Almost everywhere in the Netherlands you can pay with bankcard, creditcard or visa. At least placemat like zoos, petrolstations, restaurants and hotels, but if you would like to sleep in B&B's you would probably need cash money.

Regarding the dogs Arizona Docent is mentioned: I have been shocked for my whole life that it was allowed, not only for stress in the zoo animals and dogs, but also because of veterinary reasons. Some dogs are also bad behaved, but that shouldn't be a reason, because then a lot of children and adults shouldn't also be allowed to visit a zoo
But in recent years more and more zoos don't allow pets anymore, only service animals. Finally

 

I've always been surpised by the concept of dogs allowed in Zoos. But having visited many zoos in both Europe(in the past) and the UK since the 1960's, I can only remember seeing it once in Europe- in Burgers Zoo, Arnhem- it was sufficiently unusual for me to take note of it at the time. It has always very rare in UK, at least in the mainstream zoos- only Cotswold Wildlife Park seem to allow it(or did) among all the major collections.

 

I can't say dogs are that common in Dutch zoos. Of all the major zoos, I can only think of Ouwehands were they are allowed. Service dogs are by law allowed in every zoo. Burgers' doesn't allow dogs in these days.

 

Normal entrance fees are now 22.50, a huge increase, probably because the park is full basically every summer day and with the previous entry fees they couldn't handle the crowds. Annual passes go for 39 euros now, in October they always used to be sold for about 20 euros

I would e-mail whether they can mail you all the paperwork to Canada. Otherwise you could probably send everything to my adress (though I don't have a Dutch adress yet ). Another Zoochatter would also be an option if you meet him on your Artis or Blijdorp day .

It really takes only 30 minutes to see and is about 10 minutes drive from De Paay, so could be combined if you are there on the right day . It might be a challenge to find as it is located in the cellar of a home for the elderly