Gan Garoo – Australian Park, Nir David – Visitors Guide

Gan Garoo (Gan Guru) is a thematic zoo in Beit Shean valley. And it is the perfect attraction for families. But it has one downside.

Notes: for additional info about animals and wildlife, check out Zoos and Aquariums in Israel‎.

Map

Gan Garoo is located in Nir David, close to Gan Hashlosha (Sachne), Nahal Kibbutzim, and Beit Shean National Park.

Directions for drivers: Link to Waze and Link to Google Maps
Directions for public transport: Link to Moovit

Interactive map of the area:

There is free parking next to the entrance to the park.

The park is not huge, and once inside, you can walk in the counterclockwise direction to cover all attractions.

Opening Hours

During July and August, the park is open at:
Sunday – Thursday and Saturday: 9:00 – 20:00
Friday: 9:00 – 15:00

In all other months, the opening hours are:
Sunday – Thursday: 9:00 – 15:00.
Friday and holiday eve: 9:00 – 15:00.
Saturday and holidays: 9:00 – 17:00.

Note: in July 2021, the splashes compound was opened. Kids can run and play with water there. This compound is open daily from 14:00 to 18:00 (with breaks and probably only during the summer).

Entrance Fee

Gan Garoo and Gan Goo-Yura – Dinosaur Maze are in the same facility, and the ticket price includes entrance to both of them.

• Adult or child (above two years old) – 60 NIS
• Adult or child (above two years old) when purchasing on the official website – 51 NIS
• Senior citizen, soldier, or handicapped – 47 NIS
• Guests of Nir David Country Lodge – 41 NIS
• Residents of Beit Shean and Emek Hamaayanot – 44 NIS

Note: opening hours and ticket prices were updated in October 2022. In any case, recheck the official site before visiting.

Coupons

At the beginning of this post, I mentioned that Gan Garoo has one downside. And it is the entrance fee. For almost the same price, you can visit one of the big Zoos and Aquariums. Thus in the next section, we will look at how to decrease costs.

Many credit card companies offer discounted tickets, and you can even find two tickets for 59 NIS.

• 1+1 at MAX
• 45 NIS per ticket at Cal
• 40 NIS per person at HTZone
• 35 NIS per person at teachers association

Contact Information

Phone: 04-6488531
Email: shivuk3@nirdavid.org
Facebook: @Gan.Garoo.Israel

How Much Time Does a Typical Visit to Gan Garoo Take?

We visited Gan Garoo several times, and on average, we spent three hours there.

Gan-Garoo extends across an area of approximately four acres. The zoo’s grounds are shaded and pleasant to explore.
Visitors may sit down on benches or at tables or enjoy a picnic on green lawns.

The average time of a visit to Gan-Garoo: between 1-1/2 and 4 hours, depending on the ages of children.

Note: unless stated otherwise, all quotes were taken from the official site.

What Ages is Gan Garoo Suitable for?

If your children enjoy animal petting corners, they will probably like Gan Garoo. From my experience, children aged 2 – 10 love this place.

When to Visit?

The rule that applies to most animal-related attractions is to visit in the morning or the evening. Usually, during those hours, the animals are more active. Moreover, I prefer colder days. If you come in the summer at noon, you will find the kangaroos and other animals resting.

Once, due to constraints, I visited on a hot day. Besides suffering from the heat, the animals were not cooperative. I took the following photograph during that visit pretty much sums up the situation.

If you will be in the area during a hot day, and looking for a family attraction, consider Nahal Kibbutzim or Gan Hashlosha (Sachne) instead.

At Gan Garoo

When entering the park, we usually cover the area walking counterclockwise. On the right, there are several big cages with Australian birds.

And then you reach the koala area.

Koalas

Important update about koalas. Currently, there are none.

In February 2018, Milo, the last Koala in Israel, passed away at a ripe old age. For more than six years, the Gan Guru team has been trying to bring in additional koalas from zoos in Australia. But it is currently unsuccessful. The intention is to import Koala only as part of conservation programs and in coordination with the Australian authorities, and therefore the task is lengthening.

Koalas rest 18-20 hours a day. Thus, in most cases, you will find them sleeping.

There were several koalas:

But they were mostly asleep. Koalas sleep a lot because they are tired of eating. What a life 😉

From time to time, a guide came and made a presentation. Explaining about koalas, feeding them, and petting them a little.

Though often called the koala “bear,” they are not related to bears. Koala is a marsupial or pouched mammal.

Koalas live in eastern Australia, where the eucalyptus trees they love are most plentiful. They rarely leave these trees, and their sharp claws and opposable digits easily keep them aloft. They doze during the day, tucked into forks or nooks in the trees, sleeping for up to 18 hours.

When not asleep, a koala feeds on eucalyptus leaves, especially at night. Koalas do not drink much water, and they get most of their moisture from these leaves. Each animal eats a tremendous amount for its size—about two and a half pounds (one kilogram) of leaves a day — Koalas even store snacks of leaves in pouches in their cheeks.

A special digestive system—a long gut—allows koalas to break down the tough eucalyptus leaves and remain unharmed by their poison. Koalas eat so many leaves that they take on a distinctive odor from their oil, reminiscent of cough drops.

Source: nationalgeographic.com

Kangaroo

When we think of Australia, the first animal that comes to mind is, of course, the kangaroo.

Kangaroos at Gan Garoo have a big yard, and you can wander among them and pet them as well. Moreover, there are several machines where you throw a coin and receive a portion of food. Not sure exactly what it is, but it looks like dry dog food. But the kangaroos love it and eat it off your hands.

Most people think kangaroos are endemic to (live only in) Australia. Several species of tree kangaroos and forest wallabies also live in Papua New Guinea.

Source: outback-australia-travel-secrets.com

Female kangaroos can determine the sex of their offspring. They can even delay gestation when environmental factors are likely to diminish the chance of young surviving.

Like all marsupials, kangaroos are born extremely early, the equivalent of the seventh week of pregnancy for humans. They travel from the birth canal as little more than an embryo by blindly propelling through the mother’s fur to the safety of the pouch, where they will spend several months developing before finally leaving to explore the world.

Source: onekind.org

How fast are Kangaroos?

The Red Kangaroo is the largest living marsupial and can grow to two meters (!). It weighs up to 90 kg (200 pounds). Top speed: over 60 km/h (close to 40 mph). A Red Kangaroo can leap eight meters far (25 feet) and three meters (10 feet) high!

Source: outback-australia-travel-secrets.com

Kangaroos are adapted to dry regions and can live with very little water as long as there is green grass.

Interesting facts about hopping:

• Kangaroos are the only large animals that move by hopping.
• They cannot move backward.
• All macropods have powerful hind legs and large feet. (Only the tree kangaroos have strong front legs and smaller back legs compared to other kangaroos.)
• The large and strong tail is used for balance when hopping. As the fifth limb when moving about on all four legs, er, five.
• Hopping is a fast and energy-efficient travel method designed to cover considerable distances on land that offers little food or water.
• Odd kangaroo fact: kangaroos can not move their hind legs independently, only together on land. But when they are swimming (they are good swimmers), they kick each leg independently.

From the kangaroo yard, we continued to see other animals.

Lorikeet Parrot

After feeding the kangaroos and petting goats, we went to feed the parrots:

Each of us got several sticks with a piece of an apple, and we went to feed the parrots. Here is my daughter feeding two simultaneously.

But you can not feed them too much. Thus after several times receiving new apples, a park staff member stopped giving us fresh apples.

About The Park

One of a kind in Israel and, in fact, unique worldwide.
Only here, or in far-off Australia, can you enjoy the unique and exciting experience of walking amid a pack of free-roaming kangaroos, Where you can pet and even hand-feed them.

Gan Garoo features a rich assortment of Australian animals including, kangaroos of various types and a Lorikeet parrot aviary where you can feed the birds with fruit skewers.
Among the animals you will encounter are the Australian Cassowary, emu, small reptiles…

History

At the beginning of the 1990s, Kibbutz Nir David decided to establish a tourist attraction on the kibbutz’s grounds, adjacent to Gan Hashlosha (Sachne) National Park.
Numerous ideas were proposed until finally, the decision was made to establish a unique zoo. After a great deal of thought, it was decided to build an Australian zoo.

In checking the feasibility of the plan, we discovered two things:
1. That Australian animals are strange and unique.
2. That Australian authorities are not eager to export animals from their country and impose rigorous conditions upon any party who wishes to do so.

Yehuda Gat, Gan-Garoo’s founder, established relations with the Australian National Parks Authority, the Australian ambassador in Israel, and some zoos in Australia. For our part, we undertook to establish a park of the highest possible quality and dedicate it to flora and fauna of the ‘fifth continent’ – the fascinating country of Australia.

On July 28, 1996, an inauguration ceremony was held at the Park and attended by the Australian ambassador as well as many other notable figures.

Gan-Garoo holds an operator’s license issued by the Australian National Parks Authority and a proud member of the Israeli Zoo Association and World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA).

We became the first zoo in the world (outside of Australia) in which visitors can pet a kangaroo.
We are one of the few zoos in the world that has succeeded in satisfying the strict conditions set by Australian authorities to receive koalas!

Summary

Gan Garoo is not a big park. A typical visit will take several hours. Many attractions are aimed at kids, and they will be delighted. But I, as an adult, did not suffer and enjoyed it. Thus, if you love animals, keep this option in mind. However, as I mentioned above, the entrance fee is not cheap, therefore, use coupons to decrease costs.

For a complete review of similar attractions, check out Zoos and Aquariums in Israel.

Have you ever been to Gan Garoo? Tell us about your experience in the comments below.

That’s all for today, and I’ll see you in future travels!

Stay Tuned!

Additional Resources

Here are several resources that I created to help travelers:

• Trip Planner with Attractions and Itineraries is the page that will help you create your perfect travel route.
• What is the Best Time to visit Israel? To answer this question, we will consider the weather, prices, holidays, festivals, and more.
• Information and Tips for Tourists to Israel will answer the most common questions tourists have about Israel (including safety, passports, weather, currency, tipping, electricity, and much more).
• Israel National Parks and Nature Reserves include a complete list, top ten, map, tickets (Israel Pass, Matmon, combo), and campsites.
• If you are looking for things to do, here are the pages for Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa, Sea Of Galilee, Akko (Acre), Eilat, Nazareth, Safed (Tzfat), and Makhtesh Ramon.