Uploaded September 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Our Viking River Cruises Rhine River Cruise ended in Basel, Switzerland and we decided to visit Zoo Basel on our last day. Zoo Basel, or "Zolli", was founded in 1874 as Switzerland's first zoo, initially focusing on indigenous animals before shifting to exotic species. It has a pioneering and successful breeding program and With over 1.8 million visitors annually, it is Switzerland's most visited paid tourist attraction.
There is a great variety of animals at Zoo Basel with several different areas and houses including:
An aquarium with a wide variety of fish, seahorses, jelly fish and penguins
A primate house with monkeys and great apes
A children's zoo with llamas, ponies, goats, pigs and chickens
A Rainforest Type Atrium with several types of birds
And a variety of animals from Pygmy Hippos (and a baby!), pelicans, snow leopards, kangaroos, elephants, giraffe, okapis, kudus, bison, rhinoceros, zebra and many more.
The zoo offers a Penguin walk, pelican feeding and sea lion feeding. There is a cafe, restaurant and gift shop. The landscaping at Zoo Basel is beautiful, choosing natural habitats and focusing on conservation and education. It is well worth a visit if you are in the area.
For more information on the zoo - https://www.zoobasel.ch/de/
Music from Bensound.com
Our Viking River Cruises Rhine River Cruise ended in Basel, Switzerland and we decided to visit Zoo Basel on our last day. Zoo Basel, or "Zolli", was founded in 1874 as Switzerland's first zoo, initially focusing on indigenous animals before shifting to exotic species. It has a pioneering and successful breeding program and With over 1.8 million visitors annually, it is Switzerland's most visited paid tourist attraction.
There is a great variety of animals at Zoo Basel with several different areas and houses including:
An aquarium with a wide variety of fish, seahorses, jelly fish and penguins
A primate house with monkeys and great apes
A children's zoo with llamas, ponies, goats, pigs and chickens
A Rainforest Type Atrium with several types of birds
And a variety of animals from Pygmy Hippos (and a baby!), pelicans, snow leopards, kangaroos, elephants, giraffe, okapis, kudus, bison, rhinoceros, zebra and many more.
The zoo offers a Penguin walk, pelican feeding and sea lion feeding. There is a cafe, restaurant and gift shop. The landscaping at Zoo Basel is beautiful, choosing natural habitats and focusing on conservation and education. It is well worth a visit if you are in the area.
For more information on the zoo - https://www.zoobasel.ch/de/
Music from Bensound.com
