Bristol Zoo Project - the new site at Cribbs Causeway
The new Bristol Zoo Project on a 136-acre site near Cribbs Causeway: the Central African Forest habitat and the Bear Wood mixed-species walk. Out-of-town day.
The old Bristol Zoo in Clifton closed in 2022 after 186 years. Its successor, the Bristol Zoo Project, has moved to the former Wild Place site near Cribbs Causeway and is slowly taking shape as a much larger, conservation-focused operation.
What to see
The Central African Forest habitat houses the zoo’s gorillas, cherry-crowned mangabeys and okapi - a genuinely immersive indoor-outdoor space designed around the social needs of the primates. Bear Wood is the newer attraction: a fifteen-acre mixed-species woodland walk where brown bears, wolves, lynx and wolverine share the same enclosure. It is one of the most ambitious temperate-zone exhibits in Europe.
Getting there
This is not on the Insight Bus circuit. From central Bristol, catch the number 3 bus from the city centre to Cribbs Causeway (about 45 minutes) or drive (20 minutes, £5 parking). Allow a full day.
Access
Mostly step-free; some woodland paths have gravel and moderate gradients. Accessible toilets throughout, mobility scooters available to hire at the entrance.
Related: the old Clifton site is Stop 06 on the Bristol Insight circuit. Tickets for the Bristol Zoo Project at bristolzoo.org.uk.