ahtari zoo

My long suffering partner doesn't enjoy zoos half as much as me but even she was impressed with this, well kept animals,we particularly enjoyed the playful stoats / weasels, pine marten, bears and the magnificent elk, wonderful conservation work going on here and should be supported, lovely walk through the grounds between animals, something for all

We drove all the way to Ähtäri from Helsinki just to check this zoo.It is a bit modest in size if compared to other zoos (about a 3km walk), but that's not necessarily a bad thing. There's a lot of nature and animals seem well kept in big spaces. We went when it was snowing, so the scenery was just breathtaking and special. Truly a nordic experience. :)I just wish I could have gotten a good look at the moose, but they were very far. If you really want to see a specific animal, try to get info beforehand on feeding times. Perhaps this could also be helped if bigger areas would have more than one viewing spot around it (most of the area around the moose was actually closed).But definitely worth a visit!

I'm generally not a huge zoo fan as I don't like seeing animals in captivity, but this zoo is really an exception. At Ähtäri the animals are living in very natural environments and all have space. They certainly seem more content than the residents of other zoos I have visited. The walkways have been designed to fit in with the natural forest rather than the other way round. The 3km walk is easy and pleasant and there are plenty of places to stop for your own picnic should you take one. At only 10 euros I also found the entrance fee very reasonable when compared with other attractions these days. This is a zoo full of animals from Finland and not stuffed with imported elephants and camels. Definitely worth a visit.

Very nice and peaceful place. You can see many typical Finnish animals. Our favourites are otter and bears. Good place to have a picnic too.

this is one of those places where you able to see them close. We visited there during July, so most of the animals were lazy as the weather were hot. I think this place is worth to visti. 3 km walk is not bad and the Finnish nature is surrounded by the zoo. Enjoy your day.

Here's a great chance to see Finnish wildlife. Especially great for kids as you actually get to see a lot of animals, including bears, wolverines, wolves, bobcats, otters and other animals you probably will never see or in fact ever want to meet no matter how much you walk around in the woods. The park is fairly large but there is so much to see that even our 5 yo walked the whole stretch without so much as a peep. There's small carriages for adults to drag their kids in if you feel your toddler isn't up for the challenge, which is a great bonus. About half way there's a cafe selling basic stuff like fries and ice cream and even fried local fish called "muikku" but if you prefer to bring your own snacks, there's a barbecue area and benches readily available.All in all a great place as zoos go. It's perhaps aimed at a younger crowd and there's a discount entry fee for children under three. The paths are clean and well maintained, the enclosures are quite large and the animals seem healthy. A bit pricey but then again, what isn't. :)

I recommend it for families. There are some easy access-possibilities, if you have a wheel chair for example.

My British wife who has done all her career with zoos says this is among top 5 of all she has seen around the world. Spacious animal enclosures with lots of activities for the animals, well done visitor info posters, setting on a beautiful nature spot must be among the reasons along the fact that the zoo focuses on local wilderness animals.

A zoo well maintained with all facilities and designed well to fit in the natural Finnish pine forest landscape. There is also a hotel and spa with all facilities in the area. Nearby are couple cottage villages and an 18 hole golf course. All situated in the area near lakes.

As a zoo it is indeed a nice place, animals seemed to have enough space and be very close to their real living coditions. However, as a group of foreign tourists we were a bit lost, arrived to Ahtari by train from Seinajoki and thought that zoo will be easy enough to reach by food. It wasn't. We ended up getting lost and walking a lot. Eventually, with a help of local, we reached the zoo and were able to enjoy it, but since it was December, we got really cold outside.

Beautiful day out with family. The kids were excited to see animals in their natural habitat. Well maintained grounds, lots of information.

This place is really peaceful. Animals have a great space to move at least compared to Helsinki Zoo. I come from Ähtäri and there has been planned some content especially for the Russians

Ainakin monipuolisempi, kuin Korkeasaari. Much better, than Korkeasaari ZOO in Helsinki. There you can se animals, in Helsinki there is no animals in Zooo

It was a relaxing time to walk around the zoo. Beautiful and pure nature.The animals have quite a lot of space and they seem healthy.You also get lots of information about the animals!

The Ahtari Zoo is basically a 3-kilometer walk with lots of different Nordic animals in it. There is a nice café in the middle of the trip, where you can buy pizza slices, drinks and ice cream. Go see the bears in feeding time, it really is a show!The ticket price, 15€, is maybe a bit too high.