Pafos Zoo

The Pafos Zoo is an unexpected wildlife sanctuary. Christos Christoforou’s work of love boasts today two of the most extensive collections of parrots and venomous snakes in Europe.

Pafos Zoo: More than a Tourist Attraction

Although it only opened to the public in 2003, the Pafos Zoo is a veritable tourist landmark. It counts among the most fascinating attractions on the island, as the first and largest licensed zoo of Cyprus.

As much as little explorers love the Pafos Zoo, this attraction is equally interesting for the inner child in every adult. Animals from all over the world enjoy a safe haven on the premises of a 100 000 m² facility, which boasts, besides animal habitats, the Natural History Museum, the Traditional Art Museum, a souvenir shop, a restaurant, a snack bar, and an ice cream kiosk.

The Pafos Zoo will fascinate you. Its collection of birds counts 1000 heads from over nearly 200 different species. According to the zoo, about 45% of its feathered exhibits are threatened or near threatened in the wild.

Then, its remarkable reptile collection has specimens from over 50 species, including the Nile Crocodile, the Gaboon Viper, and the Aldabra Giant Tortoise.

Finally, the mammals section of the Pafor Zoo counts about 500 individual animals from more than 40 different species: they have spectacular Siberian tigers and white lions; Dromedary camels, zebras, and Cypriot donkeys; elephants; red kangaroos and wallabies; marmosets, lemurs, and tamarins; and the list goes on.

The zoo organizes all kinds of thematic events for little visitors, like face painting, reptile interaction, and mystery guest appearances. The Pafos Zoo is also actively involved in the conservation of the species they shelter and protect. In 2017, they released Siberian tiger Aphrodite in a protected habitat in Russia to help rehabilitate this group into the wild.

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