Perhaps the most important parts of Artis are the Zoological Museum, the Aquarium and the African Savannah area, as they’re what make the whole park a zoo. The African Savannah site features animals from that parts of the world such as antilopes, zebras, big cats and other species. Various kinds of monkeys, the insectarium for fans of bugs, and an aquarium all help visitors get acquainted with the various relationships between man and nature.

In 1988, the Planetarium was inaugurated, followed by the Geological Museum in 1992. Inside the Planetarium, the visitor is pulled back in time to billions of years ago, when the Universe was being formed. At the 'Cosmosphere' exhibition in the main hall surrounding the 20-metre planetarium dome (where the shows are projected by state-of-the-art equipment), one can enjoy the history of space exploration. The story of how life on our planet developed further can be found in the Geological Museum. Its multimedia shows are combined with exhibits of natural minerals and dinosaur skeletons.

The Artis aquarium is an old building, constructed by father and son architects named Salm in 1882, but the 1997 renovations gave it a fresher look. The dark, cool aquarium is a nice retreat from a hot day, and its two levels contain a large collection of European and American freshwater species, North Sea saltwater species and reef fish. Among the 300 species of fish that the Artis Aquarium breeds are arowana and pacu, or the Banggai cardinal fish (an endangered Indonesian species) and even amphibians and evertebates.

Last but not least of the five elements that comprise Artis is the kingdom of flora, i.e. the Botanical Garden, which is simply crowded with curious plants from all over the world. What’s more, one can appreciate the collection of 50 sculptures in Artis. One example of these lovely pieces of art are the two proud eagles perched on top of Artis’s entrance gates. Once all your energy has been used up, there’s a chance to rest in the adjacent café.