Photo: Mira Meijer, Burgers' Zoo (CC BY-SA 4.0, resized)
Burgers' Zoo and Safari, Arnhem — Private Day Trip from Amsterdam
Not a zoo of cages. You walk through a tropical rainforest, a desert and a coral ocean under one roof each, and watch the safari herds from the edge of the savanna. An easy day out with children.
- Whole day
- 3hours riding time
- Up to8passengers
- Mercedes sedan, V-Class or Vito
Tour highlights
- Immersive habitats you walk through rather than look into
- The Safari — African savanna herds seen across open ground
- A covered tropical rainforest, so weather is irrelevant
- An indoor ocean with a coral reef and a walk-through tunnel
- Around ninety minutes from Amsterdam, deep in the Gelderland woods
- Flat paths and pushchair friendly throughout
Burgers’ Zoo — walking through, not looking in
Burgers’ Zoo has been in Arnhem since 1913, and it built its reputation on something specific: large covered ecosystems that you walk through. The Bush is a tropical rainforest under glass, warm and humid, with the animals living in it around you. The Desert is a different climate again. The Ocean has a coral reef and a tunnel you walk beneath.
It changes what the day feels like. Children who lose interest at a conventional zoo after an hour tend to keep going here, because the environment itself is the attraction.
The Safari
The open savanna section is what most people picture when they hear the name — mixed African herds on open ground, watched from the edge rather than through bars. It is the part everyone photographs.
Why we drive it
Arnhem is about ninety minutes east of Amsterdam and the zoo sits outside the town, in woodland. By public transport it is a train and then a bus, which with a pushchair and a bag of spare clothes is a long morning before the day has begun.
We take you door to door, the driver waits, and the coats you shed in the rainforest hall go in the van rather than round your waist for six hours.
Worth knowing
The covered habitats are kept at their own temperatures. The rainforest is genuinely warm and humid — wear layers you can take off, and expect a camera lens to fog for the first minute.
If your group is not all young children, ask about adding the Kröller-Müller. It sits inside the Hoge Veluwe national park twenty minutes away, holds one of the largest Van Gogh collections anywhere, and you ride between the gate and the museum on the park’s free white bicycles. Few visitors know it is there.
Where is it?
Photos
Your day
- 08:30
Pick-up in Amsterdam
About ninety minutes east, through the Gelderland countryside.
- 10:00
Arrive at opening
Mornings are quieter and the animals are more active. Both matter more here than at most attractions.
- 10:30
The covered habitats
The rainforest hall, the desert and the ocean. Each is a full walk-through environment at its own temperature — the rainforest is warm and humid, so dress in layers you can take off.
- 13:00
Lunch
Cafés inside, or a picnic — your driver can keep a cool bag in the van.
- 14:00
The Safari and the rest
Open savanna with mixed herds, then whatever the children want to see twice.
- 17:00
Head back
Flexible — message when you have had enough.
- 18:30
Back in Amsterdam
Dropped at your door.
What's included
- Private Mercedes V-Class or Vito minivan
- Hotel or apartment pick-up and drop-off
- English-speaking driver for the whole day
- Fuel, tolls and parking
- Bottled water and free child seats
Not included
- Zoo entrance tickets
- Food and drinks
Can be added
Add the Hoge Veluwe and the Kröller-Müller
Twenty minutes away is a national park with a museum inside it holding one of the largest Van Gogh collections in the world, and free white bicycles to ride between them. A very different second half to the day.
Ask us for the combined price
Arnhem and the bridge
The bridge of A Bridge Too Far, and the Airborne Museum at Oosterbeek. Of real interest to British and Commonwealth visitors.
Ask us
Frequently asked questions
How is this different from a normal zoo?
The animals are kept in large mixed habitats you walk through rather than in enclosures you look into. The rainforest hall, the desert and the ocean are each a covered environment with their own climate. It reads more like walking somewhere than visiting something.
Is it good in bad weather?
Unusually good. Several of the biggest attractions are fully covered, so a wet forecast does not ruin the day the way it would at an outdoor zoo.
Is it suitable for small children?
Yes. The paths are flat and wide, pushchairs are easy, and there are playgrounds and indoor spaces to break the day up. Child seats are free and fitted before we collect you.
How long is the drive?
About ninety minutes each way from central Amsterdam.
Can we combine it with the Van Gogh museum in the national park?
Yes, and it makes an excellent day if your group is not all small children. The Kröller-Müller sits inside the Hoge Veluwe national park twenty minutes from the zoo. Tell us and we will plan the timings.