Tickets
Tickets must be pre-booked online in advance for a specific time of arrival!
Flexi Booking Guarantee
Add our Flexi Booking Guarantee to your tickets and change the date of your visit once to an alternative event date!
*Requests to change a booking date must be made at least 48 hours before the original visit date and time. Subject to availability. Further Ts & Cs apply.
Important Notice:
You will be excited, you will be scared but please control yourself! Do not lash out, touch, violate or abuse scarers. They will not touch you.
Failure to follow the above and you will be asked to leave and no refund will be given.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The zoo was unrecognisable and the props and scarers were so professional. It had just the right amount of terror and humour too and the train ride was absolutely brilliant.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
What an amazing experience! The Trail of Terror is so well done, it was enjoyable in a scary, jumpy and spooky way! There are so many areas and so many scarers – a huge effort goes into this event and it really shows!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Amazing experience, great costumes, super scary, really well organised, really really recommend it. Well done Colchester Zoo staff!
Expect the unexpected…
Not for Scaredy-Cats!
Face your fears and look out for the creatures of the night along a 1.5 mile route all put together by our in-house team! – Zoo team by day, scarers by night!
Terrifying Train Ride
Hop aboard our road train and dare to take a ride you won’t want to remember! With scary tales at every turn, you won’t want to miss this…
Safe Zones
Take a breather and enjoy spook-tacular food and drink, without the fear of being frightened, at our Safe Zones located along the route.
Share your Snaps
Reflect on the horrors enjoyed with your friends and don’t forget to share your spooky snaps on social media using the hashtag #TrailOfTerror.
Food & Drink
Don’t forget to stop off at our Safe Zones and enjoy a spook-tacular meal so there’s no need to eat beforehand!
Meerkat Hangout
Wrap and Roll
Southern Kitchen
PLEASE NOTE:
- All outlets will be CARD ONLY during our ‘Trail of Terror’ event.
- CZS Member Discount is not valid on catering purchases during ‘Trail of Terror’ evenings.
- All food outlets are subject to change and may close due to unforeseen circumstances without prior notice.
- Allergen information is available at each outlet. Please speak to a member of the team regarding any allergen concerns.
Important Notice
This evening event does not include access to our daytime event Shriek Week. Although this event is hosted by us here at Colchester Zoological Society and the trail is within the park, this event does not include animal viewing.
Please be aware that all activities, terms & conditions, dates, times and prices are subject to change.
FAQs
Yes, everyone who wishes to attend our Trail of Terror event will be required to pre-book a Trail of Terror ticket online in advance for a specific date and timeslot. This is a popular event so we recommend pre-booking your tickets early to avoid disappointment.
Admission to this event cannot be used to upgrade to an Annual Membership. Our Guest Services office will be closed during the event.
As CZS will be closing and reopening outside of normal zoo operating hours for this special event, all visitors attending Trail of Terror will be charged the same admission price per person. Unfortunately, it is not viable for us to offer a discount to CZS Annual Members for admission due to the general operation of the event.
Please note that Tesco Partner Reward Codes, Annual Memberships, complimentary tickets, or any other discounts are not valid for admission to the Trail of Terror.
Due to the nature of this event, we will not admit anyone under the age of 5 years old. We do not recommend this event for anyone under the age of 12 years old however, this is at guardians’ discretion.
Those aged under 16 years must be accompanied by a responsible adult over 16 years at all times whilst in the park. Unaccompanied persons under 16 years will not be admitted.
Yes, we will have a number of food outlets open offering hot food, snacks and drinks throughout the evening so you can take a break and enjoy some spook-tacular treats! Please be aware that all outlets will be card only during our Trail of Terror event. CZS Member discount will not be valid on catering purchases during Trail of Terror evenings.
We will have entry timeslots every 15 minutes. This allows for a smooth flow of people throughout Trail of Terror, helping to avoid overcrowding and queuing for long periods of time. As you enter certain areas of the trail, our team may ask you to wait for a short period of time to allow for previous groups to move on and keep a steady flow throughout the trail.
CZS will close to daytime visitors at 4:30pm (weekdays) and 5:00pm (weekends & school holidays). The Trail of Terror will then open for evening visitors and the Zoo as you know it will remain closed. Therefore, it will not be possible to see any of the animals.
Trail of Terror consists of a marked route which you will be asked to follow. This is one way and you are not able to turn back. If you would like to see the animals at CZS, Trail of Terror is not the event for you. Instead we recommend joining us during the day.
There are some areas that may present difficulty because of uneven ground or after wet weather when the surface may become muddy or slippery. Due to the natural terrain and landscape of Colchester Zoological Society, the Trail of Terror will include hills.
Please note that mobility scooters and wheelchairs will not be available to hire during our Trail of Terror event.
Smoking and vaping is strictly prohibited within the Zoo grounds. Please only use our designated smoking area located in the car park, outside the Zoo’s main entrance.
We plan to go ahead in all weather conditions, unless the team feel that it is unsafe to do so. If we are unable to open due to adverse weather, a member of our team will be in contact with you as soon as possible.
A Flexi Booking guarantee is available for an additional fee of £10 per transaction and must be purchased at the time of booking. The Flexi Booking guarantee allows the lead booker to change the date of their visit once to an alternative event date, subject to availability. Requests to change a booking date must be made at least 48 hours before the original visit date and time. Customers must also pay the difference if they move to a date with a higher ticket price.
Bookings made without the Flexi Booking guarantee are non-refundable, non-transferable, and cannot be amended or rescheduled under any circumstances.
Please be aware that due to the unpredictable nature of the trail, this event may not be suitable for some people with sensory or other specific needs. Personal assistants will be admitted free of charge to accompany a guest with disability but verification may be requested on arrival. If an assistant is required, they will be admitted to the event but you will need to select this upon booking.
Throughout the Trail of Terror, there will be loud noises, sudden movements and special effects that may be too intense for some people and in particular children. You will be passing through dimly lit areas, buildings and woodland type areas where sudden scares and unsettling encounters could happen at anytime and anywhere!
You may experience the following throughout your visit with the exception of Safe Zones only:
- Fog and strobe effects
- Jolts and sudden movements
- Spiders and other creepy critters
- Loud noises
- Enclosed spaces
- Fire may also be used by our actors
- Uneven ground
