Coronavirus and your visit to Banham Zoo

The government has now made it mandatory to wear face coverings in indoor settings.

As the safety of our colleagues, animals and visitors is our highest priority, we are asking that face coverings are worn in all indoor areas around the zoo. When ordering inside our restaurant masks are required, although visitors may remove masks when eating.

Furthermore we have highlighted below some key points to help you understand what you need to know about this change at Africa Alive and Banham Zoo

• The guidelines make it clear that our teams in both our shop and restaurants will not be required to wear face coverings, however they will still be wearing protective visors.
• Customers can remove their face coverings to consume food and drinks in our restaurants. Hand sanitisation facilities are available throughout the park and in the restaurants.
• Face covers will be available for purchase at the admission kiosk on entrance to the zoo @ £1 for each adult, all children  will be provided with them free of charge with an accompanied adult
• Children under the age of 11 are exempt however we will provide children with a mask if their adults wish them to wear one, free of charge. These will only be be issued when with an accompanied adult.
• All our visitors will need to wear these masks when indoors.
• The government have clearly stated the liability for wearing a face coverings lies with the individual. (Please note that some members of the public are exempt from wearing face coverings due to health reasons)
• We will continue to follow the government guidelines on social distancing and hygiene within our parks and within our teams.

So what will be different? We have been working super hard behind the scenes to make our zoo as safe as possible

• Both Zoo’s will be moving to CASHLESS  payment to prevent any handling of notes and coins
• Visitors and Members will need to book online for a timed entrance slot every 1 hour which prevents any queues forming. You can book 1 family visit every 3 days to ensure a fair distribution of tickets.
• If you arrive on the day at the zoo, please book in the safety of your car and then proceed to the admission with your e-ticket on your mobile device (to avoid disappointment, please be aware once the time slots are filled you will need to wait for the next available time)
• Online booking only and Wifi has been installed in the car park so anyone without a ticket can book in the safety of their car rather than join any queue at an entrance point
• Entrance admission is therefore reduced from minutes to seconds as they will use a voucher which will be scanned to enter – No more queues, we hope!
• Separate entrance and exit points meaning no overlap in guests
• Over 200 new signage boards with reminders to wash hands, keep social distance and follow new one way rules
• Hand washing or sanitisers at over 20 points throughout each zoo and prior to entrance
• Unisex toilets which will be one family at a time with enhanced cleaning schedule
• One way system at all pinch points throughout the zoo
• Extra catering outlets served by outdoor hatch only, limited indoor eating is available in the Pavilion restaurant. Now 8 different places to eat and drink round the zoo!
• All outdoor seating to be spaced to ensure good distance from other families
• The following have now been reopened due to changes in government advice – all playground equipment, hand stamping equipment, woodland trail slides and swings. Please check before your visit as government advice is changing frequently.
• We still have some viewing stations which may cause pinch point or overlapping one entrance and exit CLOSED until further notice
• Retail shop on exit only and limited numbers based on sq ft are allowed in at any one time, we apologise for any queue as a result during this period
• Sneeze screens at every till or customer facing point
• All front facing staff to wear shields and any cooking staff to wear masks
• Social distancing markers on ground throughout the site
• The Train round site remains closed for this summer period
• Some indoor animal experiences still remain closed for this summer period, although where possible we have reopened as much as possible
• A limited range of outdoor animal experiences will continue to run – please check with guest services before your visit for availability