Hodonin ZOO and 3D Labyrinth

Hodonin is a small town in the South Moravia Region at the Morava river, which actually forms a border between the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The city lays 60 km south east from Brno. Most of the way may be done by highway 2, the rest by local rout no. 55. The way should not take you more than an hour.  

THE LABYRINTH – UPDATE: UNFORTUNATELY, IT WAS DESTROYED IN A HURRICANE IN 2021

Maze visible from the distance is situated right across the ZOO’s entrance.  Kids were really amazed by the labyrinth size and appearance. This is the first time they could climb so high up in the trees. It’s like a dream come true for a kid. The ticket is valid for 3 hours, so kids may get crazy out there. But remember it’s not for the littlest one. The age limit is 3 years old and there’re no exceptions.  The good news is however they are planning to build a smaller labyrinth for younger kids, which may be awesome for toddlers.  

ZOO 

Because the ZOO was just behind the corner, we couldn’t resist not to go there. I knew beforehand that the ZOO is not big, but I didn’t expect we’ll be done after one hour. For such a small ZOO, the wide range of species is impressive. You can find there tigers, a lion, flamingos, primates, birds, sea fishes or even a shark. ZOO is a part of the European Endat ngered Species Programme, but you can notice some animals are still kept in small cages, without satisfactory conditions. I felt like crying to see the shark swimming around in the small tank, panthers to have no place to stretch properly or chimpanzees to be closed between concrete walls. Let’s hope it’ll change in the future.  

I like the fact that Hodonin ZOO also supports several in-site projects and programs to save endangered species. It seems they’re trying really hard.  

ATTRACTIONS FOR KIDS INSIDE ZOO

From the outside we could have seen the trampolines, bouncy castle and even merry-go-round. But everything turned out to be for extra price, I believe around 30-40 kc for few minutes.  Except that a big playground with swings and slides was available for them to play around. This one was for free. Kids could learn also few facts about recycling, see how the different materials are cut into pieces in order to recycle them.   

BEFORE THE VISIT

ZOO Hodonin is open all year round. The admission price is 90 kc per adult and 70 kc for a kid older than 3 years. Remember you’re not allowed to take bikes inside, even the kids’ balance bikes should be left outside.  Don’t forget to take the bike lock. There’s one parking lot dedicated for ZOO visitors and it’s on Lipova alej. We somehow didn’t find it, the navigation was directed at a completely different place. After all we parked at the street U cervenych domku. 

WANT MORE?

Hodonin is known primarily as the centre of the region, which excels in quality wine, beautiful nature and folk traditions, so September is a perfect time of the year to visit some wine cellars and try local rarities.  If you’re not into rush, take a walk in the city center. You can also visit Kobyli, known for its unusual viewing point in the middle of the field or visit Hustopece, known for almond trees plantation.