We had previously visited Crocodiles of the World in Oxfordshire pre-blog, but it was too long ago to write a fair review. Good excuse to go back! If you’ve not been before it’s the UK’s only crocodile zoo. It’s not just about crocs though. There’s also other members of the crocodilia family such as alligators and caiman. Plus you’ll find snakes, other reptiles, monkeys, meerkats, otters and even a laughing kookaburra.
Did you know that crocodilia’s closest living relatives are birds and they’ve been around since the dinosaurs! Apparently they’ve hardly changed since then because they’re basically perfect. Well something had to be!
Crocodiles of the World is really quite small, but we’ve always been there for a couple of hours because the kids just want to go around again and again. There are three areas to the zoo; the main zoo, the crocodile house and an outside area. There’s also a small playground and picnic area.
The main zoo
This is the first building that you come too and mostly has the smaller animals in it. Except the Alligators – they’re in here too and they’re massive. Here you’ll find snakes, turtles, small crocodiles, and lizards. They do keep it quite warm in here, because that’s what the animals like. The enclosures in this section of the zoo are relatively small and the kids like to dash from one to the next to the next.
There’s one crocodile who likes to just hang around next to the glass staring at you. Every time we’ve been he’s been in the same, menacing position!
Some of the animals are easier to spot than others! Generally crocs are easy, lizards are harder. All the parents seemed to be helping each other out. Whenever you got to a new window and something was hiding, a person would come up to you and point out where it was!
The lace monitor lizard has to be Smallest Child’s favourite. She spent ages looking at him (all animals at Crocodiles of the World are boys apparently. Well according to her at least). I think she must have spent at least 20 minutes nose to nose with this guy. The fact that all of his skin is falling off (he’s malting) was FASCINATING to her. Given half the chance I reckon she would have snuck him into her backpack and brought him home. Turns out these guys are “somewhat” venomous so I’m glad she didn’t kidnap him. How can you be somewhat venomous though – surely either you are or you aren’t??
The outdoor area
Outside you’ll find a fishing cat (which I haven’t seen on any of the times I’ve visited Crocodiles of the World), otters, turtles & tortoises, meerkats and more. They also have tamarins which are my favourite little monkeys. They genuinely remind me of my kids; inquisitive, mischievous, bouncing off the walls, potentially destructive but very cute!
Meerkats are always popular with kids, and this little group are no exception. They’ve got a cute little feature here at Crocodiles of the World which is a viewing bubble. If you’re small (or flexible) enough then you can climb up into the bubble and get face-to-face with the meerkats. I’m nowhere near flexible enough to get in there, but I’ve got some super cute pics of the kids surrounded by meerkets.
The only problem with this area is condensation. When we visited Crocodiles of the World to do this review it was a damp and drizzly day. The enclosures of some of the animals have to be quite humid (there’s a reason why these guys don’t naturally live in England!) so the glass steams up a lot. In a few enclosures it was actually impossible to see inside. Realistically though, whenever you go to a zoo there’s always the potential you won’t see an animal – they’re not performing monkeys.
When you’re next to the laughing kookaburra start rolling your rrrrrrr’s or whistling. If you’re lucky then it might start laughing back at you. When we were there one guy played a video of one laughing to this bird and it went mental! Honestly, its a manic laugh. And quite creepy!
The crocodile house
Here’s where you will find most of the bigger crocs. This review of Crocodiles of the World has been written whilst covid measures are still in place. Sadly that means the usual Nile crocodile feeding sessions aren’t taking place. That’s a real shame because they’re awesome. Possibly not for the squeamish as they feed then dead chicks, but that’s the circle of life after all. The Nile crocs jump right out of the water to get their food – it’s so cool.
Because of the layout of the pools, and the glass, there are places where you can get eye to eye with a crocodile. Even knowing there’s a huge chunk of glass between you and those teeth it gets your heart racing.
Little safety tip – there’s an elevated walkway here which goes over the top of some of the enclosures. They’ve tried really hard to make sure even the smallest ones can see, and there’s lots of safety features in place, but don’t dangle the kids over the side to get a better view. It won’t end well.
The playground
There’s a small play-frame outside (Actually there’s two). It’s really nothing to write home about, but it helps to pad the day out a little bit more. You’ll also find a Komodo dragon out here. Not in the playground obviously – they can actually kill humans – but right next to it. These things are awesome though and it’s nice to have something to look at whilst the kids play.
There used to be peacocks here but when I visited Crocodiles of the World this time to write my review we didn’t see any. I don’t know if they were hiding or have moved elsewhere.
Our Crocodiles of the World Review
This isn’t the biggest zoo in the world. If you only do one circuit then you’ll be here for maybe 90 minutes. Like anywhere, the shows and talks really do stretch the day out, but there’s nothing they can do about those right now. We were there for about 3 hours (including lunch) and were very much done by the end. You’ve got an excellent chance of seeing pretty much all the animals, something that isn’t always a given at some zoos. I think it’s a reasonable price for the amount of time you’ll be there. The cafe is a different matter. £2.50 for a 500ml bottle of coke! No thanks, take a picnic.
Admission cost
A family ticket is £34 if you gift-aid it. You can buy tickets in advance from their website.
Parking / How to get there
Parking – There’s free parking on site
Address – Burford Road, Brize Norton, Oxfordshire OX18 3NX
Toilets
Toilets and baby changing on site
Food
Picnics are allowed, and I’d recommend taking one because the cafe is expensive. There’s outdoor seating, including some covered areas.
What else is there to do nearby?
Cotswold wildlife park (reviewed here) and Cogges Manor Farm (reviewed here) are both nearby.
Hi, I’m Vicky. My husband and I live in Aylesbury with our three children; a 14 year old son, an 12 year old son and a 6 year old daughter. I (mostly) love spending time together as a family. We visit all kinds of places and we’re quite happy to drive a fair distance for a decent day out. A few years ago I decided to set up Free Time with the Kids as a way to share our experiences of these family days out.
You’ll find the essential information you need to know before your visit that can be surprisingly hard to find out. Where do I park? How much will it cost me to get in? Are there any discounts available? Are there loos? Can I take a picnic or get food? My aim is to be your go-to guide for all your free and cheap family days out across Bucks, Beds, Oxon, Herts & slightly beyond. I really hope you find the reviews helpful. If there’s anywhere that you’d recommend please get in touch contact@freetimewiththekids.com or get in touch via Facebook
