The Swiss Alpine village of Les Marécottes is a popular tourist destination, attracting visitors all year-round. Situated in the Canton of Wallis/Valais close to the city of Martigny, Les Marécottes has several popular attractions. Two of them are a Zoo that boasts alpine animals and a pool, situated at an elevation of 1100 metres. On this page, you can learn more about Les Marécottes Alpine Zoo and Pool.
With its elevation, the Alpine Zoo of Les Marécottes calls itself ‘The highest zoo of Europe‘. The zoo and the outside pool are located next to each other and it is possible to buy combi-tickets to get a discount on the admission fees.
Les Marécottes Zoo
The zoo primarily focuses on animals that are native to the Swiss Alp. Some of the animals you can find are wolves, marmots, deers, lynxes and chamois. The zoo also houses black bears, despite these not living in Swiss wilderness. The black bear is however on the coat of arms of Canton Bern.
As the enclosures of the zoo are exclusively open-air, the zoo is primarily a great attraction to visit in the summer, when the weather is nice and the temperatures are mild even on higher altitudes. As a visitor, you can feed some of the animals with special forage that you can buy at the cashier of the zoo. Be aware that you can not feed animals that have signs on their enclosures indicating that they can not be fed by visitors!
The zoo also houses a petting zoo where both kids and adults can pet goats. Especially in the summer, chances are that there are some adorable baby goats in the petting zoo, ready to be cuddled! The Zoo of Les Marécottes also has a restaurant near the entrance and a small playground for children.
Important to note that while most paths in the zoo are asphalted, viewing points for some exclosures do require a bit of a climb and can be a bit difficult if you have trouble walking. However, most of the enclosures can be accessed and viewed from the main path.
Les Marécottes pool
Hot and sweaty after a few hours walking around in the zoo? Luckily, there is a natural pool right next to the zoo that allows for a refreshing dip. And when I say refreshing, I truly do mean refreshing. During our visit in early August, the pool temperature was not much more than 20 degrees celsius. Quite chilly indeed!
The pool lays between two rock formations and is truly breathtaking with clear blue water and a mountainous backdrop. Around the pool is plenty of space to lay down your towel, both on the rocks or on the grass by the front and back of the pool. While there is a lifeguard at the pool, be aware that the water is deep and young children need to be kept under supervision
All in all, Les Marécottes Alpine Zoo and Pool are the perfect summer day attraction for a trip with younger kids!
How to get there
As with many attracties in Switzerland, Les Marécottes Zoo and Pool is easiest reached the car coming from the city of Martigny. Due to the elevation of Les Marécottes, do expect driving on some mountain roads with hairpin turns (approximately 10 minutes). There are free parking spots available by the entrances of the attraction.
If you prefer taking the train, the train station of Les Marécottes is just a short walk from the zoo. Wherever you are travelling from towards Les Marécottes station, expect to change at Martigny station on the way there. For example, travelling from Lausanne to Les Marécottes takes approximately 85 minutes with a change in Martigny. To plan your own journey, use the website of the Swiss Railways.
[su_box title=”Practical information” style=”noise” box_color=”#9dc07f” title_color=”#ffffff” radius=”5″]- The zoo is opened year-round between 09.00 and 20.00.
– The pool is normally opened between mid-June and mid-September between 10.00 and 19.00.
– The admission to the Alpine zoo is CHF 9 for children and CHF 12 for adults.
– The admission to the natural pool is CHF 6 for children and CHF 9 for adults.
– For more information on admission fees and opening hours, visit the website of Les Marécottes AlpineZoo and Pool.
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[su_box title=”Address” style=”default” box_color=”#56743c” title_color=”#ffffff” radius=”5″]Les Marécottes Zoo and Pool
Les Combasses 3
1923 Les Marécottes
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