The park unfolds downhill from the harbour’s north shore. Most visitors enter at the top, walking down through a sequence of habitats and reaching the wharf at the harbour.
Taronga covers about 28 hectares on the south-western slope of the Mosman headland. The park is arranged by habitat: Australian bush, Asian forest, African savannah, South American rainforest, coastal birds, and marine mammals — connected by stairs, terraces, and the Sky Safari cable car.
Most visitors begin at the upper entrance, near the Sky Safari upper station, because the long downhill walk suits families with young children or strollers. The full walk from the top to the harbour wharf takes about three to four hours, passing through fifteen or so main habitats and several open vantage points.
The open walk in the middle of the park threads through eucalypts and native grasslands. Visitors can watch kangaroos, wallabies, emus, and black swans moving on the other side of a very low fence. It’s Taronga’s most direct introduction to Australian wildlife for international guests.
The top of the park has the Asian elephant enclosure, the giraffe overlook, and the chimpanzee habitat. The overlook is one of the best harbour vantages in the city — the Opera House and the bridge sit in the distance, with the elephants walking through eucalypts in the foreground at first light.
Wild Ropes is a high-ropes course built through the trees, with three lines of escalating difficulty for visitors aged eight and over. Booking is usually done on arrival at the visitor centre; the course closes in poor weather.