Fodor's Expert Review Calgary Zoo, Botanical Gardens, and Prehistoric Park

The zoo, on St. George's Island in the middle of Bow River, is one of Canada's largest, with more than 1,400 animals in natural settings. The Creatures of the Night exhibit contains nocturnal animals and the Canadian Wilds section replicates endangered Canadian ecosystems. Prehistoric Park, a Mesozoic landscape, displays 22 life-size dinosaur replicas. Destination Africa showcases two African ecosystems, the TransAlta Rainforest and the African Savannah, and has mixed-species exhibits of more than 100 animals, the largest indoor hippo immersion habitat in North America, and 84 plant species indigenous to the African continent.