Paradise Wildlife Park review – a fab day out! (AD – Gifted)

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We were gifted our tickets in exchange for coverage. Recently I was fortunate to be able to enjoy a nice day off with my husband Tom and daughter Daisy. We decided that we would take Daisy to the zoo, for the first time! As we live just 15 minutes drive from the Paradise Wildlife Park it seemed only right that we would go there.

We have been lots of time before in the past and never had a bad day out there. As this was going to be Daisy’s first zoo experience we wanted it to be a  good one.

Today I am sharing our Paradise Wildlife Park review with you and I hope it makes you want to go.

Paradise Wildlife Park review

Facilities at Paradise Wildlife Park

The facilities were the first thing that we noticed – namely the toilets. In our fifteen minute journey Daisy had gone for a wee (perhaps the excitement of it all?!) so I visited the baby changing facilities. These were located within a disabled toilet and I noticed that they had both left and right handed disabled facilities. I’m not entirely sure what the function of this is, not being disabled myself, but can only assume that it is a great help for disabled people. Also, the changing facilities were clean, functional and just what you need with a little one. There was plenty of space to wheel the pram in with us and change Daisy easily.

Play areas at Paradise Wildlife Park

There were LOTS of fantastic play areas at Paradise Wildlife Park. They have so many fun areas to choose from. This is despite it being out of season when we visited and some areas being closed. There was a Pirates Cove, Adventureland, bouncy castle, covered play area (with slides) and much more. We even took Daisy on a little train in one of the covered play areas. It was great fun and Daisy was having a wonderful day too.

Animals at Paradise Wildlife Park

They have a great array of animals at the Paradise Wildlife Park. Just a few examples include Tapirs, Penguins, Zebras, Lions, Cheetahs, Jaguars, Bats, Meerkats, Camels and many more. Best of all the part is well laid out to allow you time to actually see ALL of the animals in one day! In the past we’ve been to wildlife parks and other zoos and they are so vast that you have to rush if you want to see everything. At Paradise Wildlife Park we were able to travel at a leisurely pace and it was a great family day out.

Some of our particular favourites exhibits were the bat house, the rainforest area (lovely and warm during January!) and the bird show arena. While the birds couldn’t be displayed due to current DEFRA regulations we could still see most of them. They have beautiful Lorikeets and we could observe them eating through their protective netting. This was a lovely moment and I adore seeing the Lorikeets when we visit – best of all during certain times of day you can buy a little pot of nectar to feed them! This is such a special activity for the whole family – however this wasn’t on again due to DEFRA regulations (out of the zoos control!).

Daisy loved seeing so many different animals. I personally loved being so close to zebras and this time the camel didn’t manage to try and steal my hat!

Talks, feeds & shows at Paradise Wildlife Park

Throughout the day, from 10:45 – 16:00 there are a host of different talks and activities. The keepers are knowledgeable, friendly, polite and kind to the animals. You can see that the staff here really love the animals. They staff care and the animals are well looked after.

The talks are educational but they are also fun too – also, who doesn’t want to see lemurs being fed?! Oh – and otters!

Our opinion of the Paradise Wildlife Park

We had a wonderful day! Daisy had so much entertainment from the moment we arrived to the moment we left. There was so much to see and do. The animals are clearly well cared for and it was great to see them in their exhibits. Some of the animals came right over next to us, such as this zebra.

We arrived just after opening and we spent a good 4 hours in the zoo. My husband was off to work a short while later or we would’ve been there until closing!

We enjoyed so much about visiting Paradise Wildlife Park

Some of the things that I love about Paradise Wildlife Park are the free activities. For example there is a sand pit, lots of play areas, slides and even picnic areas. This zoo isn’t just about maximising revenue from you! You can spend your entrance fee and then you need not spend anything else throughout the day.

However, should you want to then you can buy lovely items in the gift shop, food to feed to some of the farmyard animals and you can even buy an experience to feed animals such as tigers – wow. When leaving the zoo if you’ve had a fantastic time and want to buy an annual pass then they will refund the cost of your ticket that day. This is a great deal and the annual passes are really good value – especially if you live close by.

One other facility I love about Paradise Wildlife Park is that if you don’t drive they will collect you from the train station, in their themed minibus, for a small fee. This is a great incentive to visit even if you don’t drive and makes a day there feel really welcoming.

We had a wonderful day and will definitely be back again later in the year. There are multiple events at Paradise Wildlife Park throughout the year and the staff were so friendly. Lots of staff said hello to us as we walked around the park which made us feel really welcome.

We only live down the road so I’m sure we’ll be heading back for another visit soon! If you’re local, like us, then why not check out some of these other local attractions?

Sealife Adventure Southend review

Fruit picking at Cammas Hall, Hatfield Broad Oak

The World of Dinosaurs at Paradise Wildlife Park (AD – Gifted)

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