Last updated on January 12, 2024.

One of the best attractions in the city of Cali is the zoo. The Cali Zoo (Zoológico de Cali) is the best zoo in Colombia and regarded as one of the best in South America.

Cali Zoo in Colombia
Cali Zoo

It has a small collection of animals from Asia and Africa, but it focuses on animals native to Colombia which sets it apart from other zoos. You’ll see tapirs and capybaras rather than elephants and giraffes.

 

Visiting the Zoo

Admission cost COP$33,000 for an adult ticket and COP$23,000 for a child’s ticket (as of January 2024). There are food and drink stands throughout the zoo and a food court near the entrance. It took us about three hours to see everything in the zoo and have a quick lunch at the end. It gets very hot in Cali so we recommend getting there as early as possible to beat the heat. Taxi is the best way to get there.

Entrance to Cali Zoo in Colombia
Entrance

The zoo is very well organized into stations. At some stations, employees are there to answer questions about the animals. Everything is in Spanish.

 

Flamingos and Fish

The first animals we saw in the zoo were flamingos. We snapped a few photos before heading to the aquarium, which is housed in a beautiful tiled building with a waterfall and koi pond out front. Most of the fish were from the Amazonas region, including piranhas.

Flamingos at the Cali Zoo in Colombia
Flamingos
Piranhas at the Cali Zoo in Colombia
Piranhas

 

Aviary

Next, we crossed a bridge over the Río Cali to visit the aviary. There were exotic birds and others such as ducks and Andean condors.

Río Cali at the Cali Zoo in Colombia
Río Cali
Aviary at the Cali Zoo in Colombia
Aviary
Andean condor at the Cali Zoo in Colombia
Andean condor
Macaw at the Cali Zoo in Colombia
Macaw

 

Primates and Antelope

From there, we got to see a few species of monkeys native to Colombia followed by a pen of antelope from Asia.

Monkey at the Cali Zoo in Colombia
Monkey
Antelope at the Cali Zoo in Colombia
Antelope

 

Reptiles

The reptile section had some of the largest crocodiles I’ve ever seen and a snake house with a few venomous snakes, pythons, and boas.

Crocodile at the Cali Zoo in Colombia
Crocodile
Crocodile and tortoises at the Cali Zoo in Colombia
Crocodile and tortoises

 

African Animals

African species, including ostriches and zebras, were next. As I mentioned before, there were no elephants, giraffes, or hippos.

Ostrich at the Cali Zoo in Colombia
Ostrich
Zebras at the Cali Zoo in Colombia
Zebras

 

Butterflies and Colombian Animals

After walking through a butterfly house, we saw a few more Colombian species, including a black bear, wild boars, and deer.

Butterfly at the Cali Zoo in Colombia
Butterfly
Bear at the Cali Zoo in Colombia
Bear
Boar at the Cali Zoo in Colombia
Boar
Deer at the Cali Zoo in Colombia
Deer

 

Owls

The owl section was interesting, even though there were only about four species. It was a bit secluded from the rest of the zoo.

Owl at the Cali Zoo in Colombia
Owl

 

Felines

Feline species, including lions, pumas, and tigers were next. The most interesting and popular animal in this section was the white tiger.

White tiger at the Cali Zoo in Colombia
White tiger

 

More Primates

There were more primates to be seen. Tiny monkeys from Colombia and baboons from Asia were on display.

Baboon at the Cali Zoo in Colombia
Baboon

 

More Colombian Animals

Then we got to see more Colombian species, including one interesting pen with iguanas, capybaras, and tapirs all together. The anteaters were next but weren’t visible. Neither were the coatís.

Iguana at the Cali Zoo in Colombia
Iguana
Capybara and tapirs at the Cali Zoo in Colombia
Capybara and tapirs

 

Australian Animals

The final part of the zoo was an exhibit on Australian species. Kangaroos and emus along with a few birds and reptiles were the stars of the show.

Australia exhibit at the Cali Zoo in Colombia
Australia exhibit
Kangaroo at the Cali Zoo in Colombia
Kangaroo
Emu at the Cali Zoo in Colombia
Emu
Author

Owner of Paisadventure. World traveler. Chicago sports lover. Living in Colombia.

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