Werribee Open Range Zoo: Ticket prices, tours & encounters

Werribee Open Range Zoo near Melbourne offers a safari-style look at African wildlife. Special tours and encounters include small group early morning experiences following the keepers. Ticket prices cost from $42.

Werribee Open Range Zoo is one of the biggest zoos in Australia. And, unlike most zoos and wildlife parks in the country, it has a strong African theme.

You need to book Werribee Open Range Zoo tickets in advance.

Where is Werribee Open Range Zoo?

Werribee Open Range Zoo is just south of Werribee, Victoria. It’s a 34km drive south-west of central Melbourne. Traffic permitting, the drive from Melbourne to Werribee Zoo takes around 36 minutes.

The zoo is theoretically safari-style, with a free safari truck taking visitors around most of the enclosures. That said, there are several walkable sections, too.

Animals at the Werribee Open Range Zoo include rhinos, hippos, giraffes, lions and gorillas.

👇 7 great day trips while you’re in Melbourne 👇

Great Ocean Road tour – with koalas 🐨.
Brighton Beach, Moonlit Sanctuary and Phillip Island tour – with penguins 🐧.
Yarra Valley wine tour – with gin, cider and cheese 🍷.
Grampians National Park tour – with bushwalks and LOADS of kangaroos 🦘.
Mornington Peninsula tour – with hot springs bathing 🛀.
Wilsons Promontory tour – with all manner of native wildlife 🦘🐨.
Dandenong Ranges steam train ride – plus wildlife at Healesville Sanctuary and chocolate-tasting in the Yarra Valley.

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Werribee Open Range Zoo ticket prices

General admission tickets to Werribee Open Range Zoo cost $42, and should be booked online.

However, you can pay extra for more in-depth, unusual encounters. An early morning small group safari follows the keepers on their morning routine. Visitors get to watch a training session and help prepare the food for the animals. These early morning savannah encounters cost $163.

You can also do a small group 4WD safari which feels much less crowded than the safari truck. There’s also more detailed commentary, with closer encounters with the animals. These small group tours cost from $98.

14 fantastic experiences that make the most of your free time in Melbourne

Get the very best views – on a hot air balloon flight over the city.
See the changing colours of the river – on a sunset kayaking tour – with dinner. (Highly recommended ✅)
Feast and see the sights at the same time – on a four course dinner cruise along the Yarra River.
A genuinely excellent street art tour, led by prominent street artists. (Highly recommended ✅)
The also superb Aboriginal heritage, plants and bush food tour in the Botanic Gardens. (💲 Great value 💲)
Best of Melbourne bike tour – you can see more on two wheels than walking.
Hidden laneways bar crawl OR foodie discovery tour OR chocolate and dessert tour.
Combo ticket for Australian Sports Museum and MCG tour.
Hassle-dodging advance tickets for the Melbourne Skydeck, Melbourne Zoo, the Ice Bar (with cocktails) and Sea Life Aquarium.

Sunset tour at Werribee Zoo

Another option is the after hours sunset tour, which lets you see the creatures go about their evening routines. The joy of this is that most of the animals on show are more active at this time of day, when conditions are cooler. These sunset tours cost $55.

All prices are correct at the time of writing.

Other places to see wildlife around Melbourne include Melbourne Zoo, the Phillip Island Penguin Parade and the Healesville Sanctuary.