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First Gear, First Adventure: Chester Zoo
Adventure-Trukz gave Chester Zoo a safari-style driving experience that lets young visitors get behind the wheel for the first time, fully themed to the zoo’s own conservation identity. Since launch, the attraction has become one of the most talked-about parts of a family day out, delivering full return on investment within 12 months while strengthening dwell time and family engagement.
The Challenge
Chester Zoo is one of the UK’s most popular visitor destinations, welcoming over two million visitors each year. As a conservation-led charity, the zoo continually looks for new ways to engage families while reinforcing its educational mission. The team wanted an attraction that would:
• Give young visitors a genuine, independent driving experience
• Reflect and reinforce the zoo’s conservation identity, right down to the colour scheme
• Welcome a broad age range so the whole family could take part
• Sit comfortably within the zoo’s existing footprint and daily operations
• Be easy for the team to supervise and run safely at scale
They wanted something visually distinctive, practical to operate, and capable of becoming a long-term part of the zoo’s offer.
A Vision Born at IAAPA
The project began with a conversation at IAAPA Expo Europe, quickly evolving into a co-developed solution aligned with the zoo’s operational needs and educational mission. Chester Zoo wanted the vehicles to feel entirely their own, so Adventure-Trukz became the first vehicles to feature the zoo’s new logo and colour palette, creating a strong visual statement during the zoo’s rebrand.
“We worked closely with Aqualand to design the experience exactly how we wanted it, right down to the colour scheme. We went for a safari, explorer-style theme that really fits with who we are as a zoo, so when guests see it as part of their day, it feels completely at home.”
Off Road Adventure Operator, Chester Zoo
Built for Every Age and Every Family
Adventure-Trukz at Chester Zoo welcomes children aged four to fourteen, with vehicles built to let a parent or carer ride alongside younger or less confident drivers.
“Being able to welcome children aged four to fourteen means the whole family can get involved – parents often come and help supervise in the trucks too, so everyone has a great day out together.”
Off Road Adventure Operator, Chester Zoo
For younger or first-time drivers, having an adult in the vehicle makes a real difference to how confident children feel behind the wheel:
“Having an adult sit alongside makes the child feel more comfortable, so they’re not panicking. It also gives us peace of mind, because if they do get stuck, the parent is right there to help.”
Off Road Adventure Operator, Chester Zoo
Operational Simplicity and Reliability
A key objective for Chester Zoo was to introduce a new, independent driving experience without adding unnecessary operational complexity. Aqualand’s on-site training and ongoing support ensured the team felt confident running the attraction from day one.
“It’s simple to run once you’ve learned it. We had a few initial tweaks to make, but since then it’s been genuinely enjoyable to operate – and it’s something a little different for the team to get stuck into as well.”
Off Road Adventure Operator, Chester Zoo
The team also highlighted how the vehicle design itself supports safe, independent driving for younger visitors:
“Having the power right there with the team is really helpful. Even when a child does crash, we can put it into reverse for them. Slowing the speed down has helped too – it gives kids time to recognise when they’re going to crash and figure it out themselves.”
Off Road Adventure Operator, Chester Zoo
Ongoing support from Aqualand has helped keep things running smoothly day to day:
“Aqualand have been really good to work with. We have a WhatsApp group with the team for anything we need, and they came out to deliver a couple of days of training, supporting us and our coordinator to make sure we had everything – from setup procedures to the safety manual – to run everything properly and safely. They’re always on the end of the phone.”
Off Road Adventure Operator, Chester Zoo
Tangible Impact
Since launch, Off Road Adventure has become a genuine focal point of a Chester Zoo visit, supporting both guest engagement and commercial performance.
• Strong commercial return – ROI achieved in under 12 months, with pricing of £5–£6.50 for 10-minute sessions.
• High throughput at peak times – Days over the summer holidays have seen all eight Adventure-Trukz running at once, with queue lines extended to manage demand.
• Strong walk-up appeal – A large proportion of guests are walk-ups who discover the attraction on the day, drawn in by seeing it running.
• Broad family engagement – The wide age range and parent-assisted driving mean the whole family can take part together.
The team shared some of the guest reaction they see on a daily basis:
“We’ve had really busy days over the summer holidays, with all eight trucks out and queue lines extending well beyond what we expected. We get a lot of walk-ups from guests who didn’t know we were here – seeing it running is what draws people in.”
Off Road Adventure Operator, Chester Zoo
“One little boy told us it was the best part of his whole day at the zoo, and that he couldn’t wait to come back just to ride the trucks again.”
Off Road Adventure Operator, Chester Zoo
Supporting Long-Term Growth
Chester Zoo’s family-friendly appeal, increased dwell time and inspired thousands of young visitors to connect play with conservation values demonstrate how a fully supported Adventure-Trukz installation can enhance a guest journey while delivering long-term commercial performance.
“We pride ourselves on finding new ways to engage our visitors to keep them coming back time and time again, and the thrill of independent driving in field conservation-style trukz, even for our youngest guests, is sure to help inspire every conservationist of the future.”
“The project was carefully planned with the support of the Aqualand Industries team, and they deliver service around the vehicles using a real partnership approach.”
Dominic Strange, Chief Operating Officer, Chester Zoo
Explore What’s Possible for Your Attraction
For zoos and visitor attractions, Chester Zoo demonstrates how a fully supported Adventure-Trukz installation can transform an underused space into a distinctive, on-brand, revenue-generating attraction.
If you’re exploring new ways to enhance your visitor offer, talk to our commercial team to discuss how a tailored Adventure-Trukz solution could work within your space.
+44 7712 521 855 
