Cuteness Alert! You may risk making strange noise and bend your head to the side while looking at the photos below. In this post I am sharing my experience at the Hellabrunn zoo in Munich with many animal pictures including 2 baby polar bears playing in the water!
INFO & PLANNING TIPS - HELLABRUNN ZOO
Founded in 1911, Hellabrunn was the first geo-zoo where animals live according to their geographic distribution. The enclosure are large and fitting into the Isar meadows landscape. Animals can be observed easily.
TIPS FOR TRAVEL PLANNING ADDICTS - Hellabrunn zoo
Getting to Hallabrunn zoo
- By public transport: U3 underground train to the station "Thalkirchen (Tierpark)". Then walk 10min to the zoo main entry.
- By car, note that parking places are limited as we are in a city. The address is Tierparkstr. 30. There are one parking near the main entrance and one near the flamingo entrance.
Visiting Hellabrunn zoo
- WARNING! credit cards are not accepted - cash or debit card only
- Opening hours: 9am to 5pm in Winter - 9am to 6pm in summer - attention many sections are closed during Winter as the weather is not appropriate for the animals.
- It is not the biggest but it is possible to spend a whole day there. You can plan your visit with the zoo map. Signs are everywhere and it is easy to get around
- There are many facilities and food areas.
- More information on the Hellabrunn Tierpark website
Where to stay in Munich
While visiting Munich, I recommend staying central from where everything is reachable by public transport - check out Norman's sugggestions of places to stay in Munich
Eating in Munich
If you are wandering where the best places are in Munich to savor local cuisine, Cédric has written a food guide to Munich to give you options.
And now, what you have been waiting for: the photos!
The young polar bears playing in the water
I was lucky to visit in spring 2014 when the polar bears where still young and on that day they played together for an hour in the water. I just sat and watched them enjoy the moment. A great experience!
The elegant Giraffes
The giraffes enclosure has different view point including one platform where they do the feeding. You can really admire them from every angle and watch their elegant walk.
The lions staring at me
I have seen many lions in zoo and in the wild, but those were the most beautiful. They looked strong and established. Sometimes they disappeared behind the trees but their stare was piercing.
The alpacas showing off their best haircuts
The Hellabrunn zoo has a crazy collection of alacaps of different colors abd they sure zar proudly their haircut. There were many more but I had difficulty taking picture so them.
The meerkats: my favorites
So I have a calendar with pictures of meerkats on my desk. I love them. They make me smile all the time. Their enclosure in the Hellabrunn zoo is near the giraffes and allows you to watch them play in the many holes that have been set up. I personnally stayed a few hours. It was not like seeing them in the wild in Nambia, but still a great experience.
The King penguins, proud and colorful
There is also a large "aquarium" where the penguins live. Big windows allow everyone, tall and small, to see the magificent and colorful creatures. They looked in such good shape with the vibrant colors. And I read that they got a chick in December 2014!
The early morning reflections
Early morning is a great time to visit the zoo. There are not yet many people and you can capture some very nice reflections.
The complex geographical environment
There are many very large enclosures with a great mix of animals that do live in similar environments in the wild. I like being able to see them together. However, oubviously, they cannot place the lions with the other savannah animals...
And more cuteness!
The Hellabrunn zoo has a really large variety of animals from everywhere around the world Their collection is very extensive. I have not photographed all of them but here are a few more pictures:
What is your favorite animal?
So much cuteness!