Planckendael Zoo

A Day Out to ZOO Planckendael

Visit Planckendael Zoo: Discover the World in One Day

Planckendael ZOO, located in Mechelen, is an ideal destination for a day out or during your city break. Founded in 1956 by the Royal Society for Zoology of Antwerp, the park offers a unique journey through five continents: Africa, America, Asia, Europe and Oceania. Walk through various worlds and discover nature like nowhere else. With the Centre for Research and Conservation, Planckendael contributes to the global conservation of endangered species. One of the highlights? The famous stork’s nests that attract worldwide admiration

Before the current Planckendael Animal Park existed, it was a wetland where there was initially a Roman settlement and later a large estate with a castle. The castle from 1780 is still used today as a brasserie and restaurant.

Discovering Five Continents on Foot

The zoo is located in Muizen, a sub-municipality of Mechelen. Mainly children but also adults visit the zoo daily. The zoo is large, so you should definitely plan one or more days for your visit to discover all the themes or continents.

Planckendael can count on various animal species such as Koalas, elephants, giraffes, penguins and many more. The feeding moments and walking between the penguins is always a wonderful experience for young and old. You can get the program for this at the entrance of the zoo.

Kai-Mook and his Elephants Family Expect You at Their Temple

Since 2012, Planckendael has had an elephant temple with Asian elephants, an endangered species. You will surely have heard about the Kai-Mook family on television or other media. These elephants moved from the Antwerp Zoo to Mechelen.

Since 2013, there have been five females and one bull. The breeding program is therefore a very important project for the Planckendael zoo. Kai-Mook is important because she is the first female elephant born in captivity in Belgium.

In 2015, a baby elephant was born in the zoo for the first time. May Tagu was the mother of the young baby elephant Baby Q, unfortunately, despite all the good care, the young elephant died after 4 weeks in May 2015. The outdoor enclosure of the elephants is no less than 12,000 square meters. The indoor enclosure with a sand stable and swimming pool is built exactly the same as the elephant stables in India.

On June 16, 2015, the management and caretakers of the zoo were able to announce the birth of a new baby elephant after the grief of Baby Q. Mother Phyo Phyo gave birth to Qiyo (happy generations in Japanese). It is already the fifth child that Phyo Phyo has given birth to. Kai-Mook is the big sister of the little brat. But the zoo has also been hit by elephant mortality despite all the good care for the elephants … More news…

Baby Boom in Planckendael

Planckendael can count on a large number of births every year . Not only do our elephants give birth, but other animals also give birth to young in the zoo.

The Indian rhinoceros Karamat, who has been staying at Planckendael since 12 December 2012, has, as expected, made her caretakers happy by giving them a young male baby rhinoceros weighing around 60 kg. Father rhinoceros Gujarat was not present at the birth because he was on a love holiday at Blijdorp Rotterdam.

The 12-year-old Ava, a huge fan and godmother of the young rhinoceros, was the only one who had the opportunity to see the young animal and help care for it. The general public will be able to see the baby rhinoceros in the spring, as soon as the weather conditions are optimal.

The Asiatic lioness Lorena gave birth to triplets, two males and one female, at the end of January 2016. The young lion cubs showed themselves to the public for the first time on 30 March 2016. Since they are in a breeding programme, these young lion cubs can be exchanged with other zoos at a later age.

Also on the savannah, the giraffes are happy to participate in the baby boom. Baby giraffe Qalimba, her best friend Quasim, and Panambi, are some of the young giraffes that you can watch hopping.

In September 2017, an adorable baby koala was born in the zoo. Mama Alinga and dad Maka showed love at first sight from the beginning, and the result of this can now be seen during your visit;

Tasmanian Devils for the ‘Save The Tasmanian Devil Project

Since February 2017, two Tasmanian devils have been housed in Planckendael. The two newcomers are the mother and sister of the two males that will also be on display in Pairi Daiza zoo from April, as part of a collaborative project between several European zoos. The Tasmanian devil is also threatened with extinction due to an aggressive and contagious type of cancer. This project aims to protect the animals from extinction. The two marsupials, Miena and Corinna, live in their new home on the continent of Oceania in Planckendael.

The Storks of Planckendael

Storks were introduced to Planckendael 30 years ago. The animal park lies on a migration route of storks, and every year they know how to find the park more and more, as you can see from the numerous nests scattered in the animal park.

These beautiful birds are counted every year to know how many newborns there are and for ringing purposes. 2015 was a record year with 54 nests including 84 young storks.

In doing so, Planckendael was able to put the thousandth ringed stork to its name. The migration of storks from warm countries such as Spain or even Africa back to Planckendael takes place during the months of March and April. A stork grows from 0.95 to 1.10 m tall and has a wingspan between 195 and 215 cm. As you know, legend has it that the stork brings the babies home, which is why it is one of the best-known bird species in Western Europe. You can read more about the stork at Natuurpunt.

Children on the Playground

Ievery continent in the zoo has its own playground, adventurous or otherwise, for the children. A playground full of elephants, no real ones admittedly, a raft and a canoe sail the little ones to Bonobo Island and the African village.

A stork playground with a view of the storks will certainly please the kids. A playground for big and small can be found between the trees at the animal park. Higher and higher you climb to the top of the trees via wooden planks and thick ropes. The view at the top gives a beautiful panorama of the Asia nature reserve. This adventure playground is located at the Restaurant Toepaja.

Children always enjoy petting animals. The petting zoo of Planckendael gives them plenty of opportunity to do so. You do have to travel to America on foot for that. But don’t worry, the signposts in the park will show you the right way. Goats and hopping dwarf goats, donkeys and chickens welcome the whole family to their farm stay.

Celebrating at the Zoo

Planckendael is one big party, it not only takes care of the animals but also the children. A birthday party or a communion in the park, that is a big party. Eating pancakes and ice cream with friends and letting the animals celebrate with you, it is all possible in Planckendael

With a guide, the children can go on a trek or safari and that during a 90-minute trip. Visit the animal kitchen, feed the animals and much more. And you know, you can even choose your favorite animal yourself. Whether it is a giraffe, a cheetah or a rhino, the choice is yours. Booking in advance is of course recommended.

Practical Info on Visiting Hours

Planckendael is open from 10am every day of the year. Unfortunately, the animals also need to rest after a busy day, which is why the zoo closes at 6pm except on Sundays when the animals are allowed to stay up a little longer until 7pm. During the winter season, these visiting hours may change. Perhaps a good tip, with a season ticket you can enter the park as early as 9 a.m., so you can see the animals wake up, if you wake up in time yourself, of course. Plan your safari trip from home with the Planckendael map and the website.

How to reach Planckendael ?

Getting to the zoo is easy, whether by public transport, bicycle or car. On foot is a bit more difficult, unless you are an experienced walker. I will give you in advance the address of the animal shelter, Leuvensesteenweg 582 in Muizen ( map ).

Planckendael has 3 car parks with a capacity for 2350 vehicles. A parking ticket costs 11 €/day. You can take a parking ticket at the available vending machines or at the exit if you have forgotten it. More info prices https://www.zooplanckendael.be/nl/dagtickets

By car: Via the E19 Brussels – Antwerp take exit 11 ( Zemst ) from here follow the signs to Planckendael. Via exit 10 ( Mechelen-Zuid ) follow the Tangent towards Leuven N26 Via the E19 Antwerp – Brussels take exit 09 ( Mechelen-Noord ) or exit 10 ( Mechelen-Zuid ) then follow Centrum towards N26 Leuven.

Public transport: De Lijn public transport has a stop right at the entrance to the zoo. Bus numbers 284 ( Mechelen – Leuven ), 285 ( Mechelen – Leuven ) and 686 ( Mechelen – Zaventem ) depart from Central Station at Platform 18 towards Planckendael. A ticket costs €2.50 per person ( one way ). Recommended if you visit Planckendael with several adults a 10-ride ticket 17 €. Children under 6 travel free. *Pricessubject to change.

Planckendael Express Bus : At the back of Mechelen Central Station, you can take the Planckendael Express. You can recognise the bus by the Elephant Babies. This special bus will run back and forth between Mechelen and Planckendael every 15 minutes from the Easter holidays until the end of September from 9.45am. Read more here …

Share your Experiences and Suggestions about Planckendael!

Have you been to Planckendael recently? We would love to hear about your adventures and recommendations! Your insights help me keep this tourism page updated and improved. Whether you’ve discovered a hidden gem, found a great restaurant or have tips for other travellers, your feedback is invaluable. Share your experiences and suggestions with verschueren.eddy@gmail.com and help others get the most out of their visit to this wonderful animal park. Together we will create the ultimate guide to Planckendael!