Calgary 
The Calgary Zoo’s popular Penguin Walk is celebrating its fourteenth anniversary as the king penguins will once again take to the pathways for another royal waddle through the zoo.
Credit: Calgary Zoo
This year, you can see as many as 13 king penguins participating in the daily walk, including Diana, Grace, Solomon, Cleopatra, Philippe, Henri, Napoleon, George, Boudicca, Rupert, Arthur, Alfred and Augustus.
In their natural habitat, king penguins journey vast distances seeking open waters. According to the Calgary Zoo, offering these majestic birds daily walks significantly enhances their health and well-being.
If you plan to watch the walk, you should arrive before the 15-minute walk starts to find a viewing spot along the designated route from Penguin Plunge to the Discovery Trail Bridge and back to their habitat. Green chains and silver/white stanchion posts indicate the route.
Calgary Zoo encourages visitors to remain in their viewing spot for the duration of the walk. Those who do not want to wait until the penguins return up the route are requested to use the detour pathway by the Prehistoric Park entrance.
Penguin walk is subject to weather conditions. The walk will be cancelled if the temperature is above +5ºC or below -25ºC.
Calgary Zoo will also cancel the walk during high winds as the penguins are susceptible to respiratory illnesses caused by airborne fungal spores.
King penguins are listed as “Least Concern” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List as they need healthy polar habitats to survive, and these ecosystems are heavily affected by changing climates.
Penguin Walk
WHAT: During the winter, the king penguin colony heads out on zoo grounds for a daily enrichment walk to keep their brains and bodies healthy, and visitors experience the fun! This incredible program allows visitors to get an up-close look at the king penguins as they explore, exercise, and waddle their way through the zoo. This is a free-choice activity for the penguins and is subject to weather conditions and animal inclination.
WHEN:
Saturday, January 10 – Sunday, March 15, 2026, 10:30 a.m. daily (weather conditions permitting)
The walk will continue weather permitting until ~ end of March.
The walk is subject to weather conditions; Excessive winds, warm (above +5ºC) or cold (below -20ºC) temperatures will cause walk cancellation.
Any updates will be posted to the zoo’s website and social media channels.
WHERE:
The daily walk starts at Penguin Plunge, loops down to the Discovery Trail Bridge, and returns to their habitat, lasting over 15 minutes.
Calgary Zoo, 210 St. George’s Drive NE, Calgary
HOW MUCH:
Adult: $26.95 & up
Senior (60+):$25.45 & up
Child/Youth (3—15): $19.45 & up
Infant (2 & under): Free
