GaiaPark Kerkrade Zoo
GaiaPark is an exciting modern zoo, in which the animals live in spacious natural enclosures. It is also the first zoo with one central theme: the Gaia theory, which views the Earth as a living planet. : The name of the zoo therefore also pays homage to Gaia, the Greek goddess of the Earth, the ancient “Mother Earth” symbol, as well as having a modern vision of life on Earth. One important goal for GaiaPark is the conservation of nature and species. All over the world, zoos work together to protect endangered animals from extinction. There are animal breeding programmes for hundreds of species in Europe alone, one of the more larger organisations is the European Endangered Species Programmes (EEPs). GaiaPark is home to 25 species of animals that fall within an EEP. GaiaPark is a fantastic day out for children and adults alike! At GaiaPark, the 'experience' is the central focus. You will take a trip back in time, as well as a journey to far-off countries with exotic animals like gorillas, giraffes, cheetahs and even a wood with apes running around freely. You can choose from four different expeditions, each with its own exciting adventures and encounters.
The Equator expedition takes you back 300 million years in time, to when Limburg was a tropical, warm region. Your journey then takes you to today’s equator, to the rainforest of Amazonia, full of monkeys and brightly-coloured birds, and the journey ends in Congo, with powerful gorillas and fascinating pygmy hippopotami.
The Dinosaur safari takes you to the Limburg of the Cretaceous period (100 million years ago), when dinosaurs ruled the land. You’re journey continues to the African country of Namibia, too, were you can admire the larger land animals of today: giraffes, cheetahs, zebras and the magnificent white rhinoceroses.
On the Mammoth expedition, you will meet a mammoth and a woolly rhinoceros, animals that lived in Limburg during the Ice Age. It was only 10,000 years ago, bet Limburg looked very different back then. This expedition then leads you to the tundra landscape of today, with long-haired musk oxen and wolverines.
At GaiaPark you can also take a trip around the world. Your journey will lead you to Eastern Europe, with wolves and aurochs, to the bare tundra, to the dense forests of Amazonia and the Congo, and finally to the savannahs of Namibia, where you will find wild dogs and the unmissable comical meerkats.