Spend the day with lions, jaguars, bears and hippos in this zoo with a museum showcasing an aristocrat’s preserved house.
The Santa Fe Zoological Park is Medellin’s principal zoo, containing big cats, hippos, bears and a range of weird and wonderful members of the animal kingdom. In all, there are more than 1,000 animals from South and North America, Asia and Africa. There is an auditorium, a museum, a gift store, and a variety of restaurants and cafés within the park.
Get a closer look at the big cats, such as Bengal Tigers, jaguars and pumas. Visit the monkey enclosure to share a laugh with the furry primates. Take a look at the exotic animals in the tropical section, such as a pigmy marmoset and a capybara, the largest species of rodent in the world. Stroll through the aviary to enjoy the exotic colours and sounds of the birds. Check out the butterfly enclosure to learn about Colombian butterflies and their life cycles.
Appreciate the range of trees and plants around the zoo. It is one of the areas of the city with the largest proportions of forest.
The park is built on a former ranch from the early 20th century. Its owner donated it to the city in 1951, and it became a zoo in 1960. Visit the Casa Santa Fe Museum to explore the patron’s former house, preserved as she left it. Marvel at the elaborate fountain, ornate with Arabic tiling. Amble around the house’s well-kept garden.
The zoo is open daily, year-round, from morning until late in the afternoon. Entrance is free for toddlers and half-price for children under 12. There is a spacious parking lot, which carries a small charge. For zoo admission and parking, they accept both cash and credit cards.
The Santa Fe Zoological Park is based near the Poblado region in the south of the city. It is several blocks west of Medellin’s Museum of Modern Art and the Ciudad del Rio Park, which are just the other side of the Medellin River. Take the subway to Industriales Station and walk a few blocks to the southwest to find the zoo, or take a cab from Poblado.
