We did this review of Paradise Wildlife Park in Hertfordshire as an end of Easter holidays treat with extended family. As always though, I wanted to keep it as cheap as possible and so we used the kids’ Blue Peter badges so they could get in for free! Which is my favourite price!!
The dinosaurs
The first main area that you come to at Paradise Wildlife Park is the dinosaurs. Yup, it’s a zoo but they have their very own version of Jurassic Park. The dinosaurs are massive and they move. There’s all the ones you’d expect; T-rex, triceratops, velociraptor and all the made-up ones from the movie including indominus rex. Obviously. The Rex Express train ride goes through the woodland so you get up close to some of them as well.
The splash pad
Actually, I forgot a bit, there’s a “beach” area as soon as you enter which has a brilliant looking splash pad. It’s got changing rooms and a reasonable amount of seating. I think this is going to be very popular in the summer. When we visited Paradise Wildlife Park it was still a little bit chilly, but I swear the kids were still tempted!
The animals
Paradise Wildlife Park is a zoo and so obviously this review is going to talk about the animals. They do have a slightly weird layout here – you have to cross a road to see most of the animals. It’s also not the biggest zoo. Certainly nothing in comparison to Whipsnade Zoo, but they’ve got a decent variety and I felt like the animals had good sized enclosures. Particularly so in the newer areas, but I’ll come back to those.
Of (what I think are) the older bits, the lions were probably my favourite. Currently they have three lionesses and one male. And boy, did he make his presence known. I’ve only heard a lion roar once before, but he was putting on quite the show during our visit! One thing that this place is REALLY good at doing is giving lots of opportunities to view the animals. There are viewing windows all over the place so you don’t have everyone all crowding all around the same small area to get a good look. Even when the male lion was eye to eye with one of the visitors (squeaky bum time TBH), you got a really good view of what was going on from the upper platform so it didn’t matter.
This photo of Smallest Child made me giggle when I looked back at it because she looks like she’s actually in the enclosure with the lions!
The keeper talks
If you get the chance to attend any of the talks then I’d definitely recommend it. We caught the red panda talk and it was really interesting. I didn’t know, for instance, that giant pandas aren’t actually pandas until I listened to the talk! They also have a flying bird display which sadly we missed. It’s a shame because we always enjoy those but we just didn’t get over there in time.
They’ve got all of the usual favourites at Paradise Wildlife Park. There’s penguins, meerkats, camels, zebra, red pandas (most adorable animals ever), wallabies, lemurs, reptiles etc. They don’t have that many “big” animals though (and I’m thinking hippos, rhinos, giraffe etc) because there isn’t really the space. What they do have is pygmy marmosets which are a new favourite in this house. We already like marmosets, but these little guys are a whole new level. TBH they reminded me a bit of the kids the way they were literally bouncing off the walls!
The best bit
For me the best bit of Paradise Wildlife Park has to be all of the new enclosures you access via the boardwalk. Over here you’ll find the snow leopards, jaguars, sun bears and tigers. Their enclosures are really big and have tons of huge windows so you’re pretty much guaranteed to be able to see the animals. Obviously, they’re not just there for our entertainment, but it is pretty special when you do get to see these magnificent creatures.
Because the boardwalk gives you a birdseye view of the enclosures you’ve got a much better chance of seeing the animals. Don’t worry though, it’s easy to get around even with a pushchair. The tiger’s enclosure also has a built in fish pond which is very cool. Apparently tigers will eat fish if they’re hungry so I’m not sure how happy I’d be if I was one of those fish!
The play areas
Although there are LOTS of them, I do think the play areas really let Paradise Wildlife Park down, particularly in comparison to other places I’ve visited to review. They’re not particularly exciting and they’re very run down. In some cases they’re down-right odd! There has been so much investment at Paradise Wildlife Park recently that I do wonder if the playgrounds will also be upgraded soon? I do hope so because they need something much better!
This review of Paradise Wildlife Park is based on our experiences at the time of our visit. Things can change over time, including the facilities available. If you have any specific requirements such as access it’s always best to check with the site directly before visiting. If anything I’ve said in this review is no longer accurate then please do let me know. Thank you.
Our Paradise Wildlife Park review
I’ve waited a little while to write up this final review of Paradise Wildlife Park as I wanted to think about it a bit more. Did we like it? Yes. Are the dinosaurs unique and cool? Yes. Does it offer good value for money in comparison to other zoos? Umm, no I don’t actually think it does. The main reason for that is size and what’s on offer. We were there for 4 hours and we’d seen all the animals, lingering over them, had a play on the playground, and had lunch. Cotswold Wildlife Park is an all day trip, and significantly cheaper (although I do appreciate it’s further from London). Whipsnade is sometimes slightly more expensive (they also accept BP badges holders to bring the price down, and on certain dates it’s actually cheaper) but you will be there from open until close without any effort! It’s huge and there are a lot more animals.
I really like the investments that they’ve made so far, I think they’re great. I do think that changing the playgrounds will made a big difference so you can bulk out your day a bit more. If we hadn’t been able to use the BP badges, if we’d had to pay the full £119 for all 5 of us, I wouldn’t have been very happy.
Admission cost
Prices vary by date. Peak season (which seems to be all dates from at least 1st March – 31st October, including weekdays) are £25 per adult, £23 per child. Blue Peter badge holders go free.
All prices are correct at the time this review of Paradise Wildlife Park was published. Please check their website for the latest prices.
Parking / How to get there
Parking – free car park on-site
Address – White Stubbs Lane, Broxbourne, Hertfordshire EN10 7QA
Toilets
On-site, including baby change
Food
Picnics allowed. Cafe and various kiosks on-site.
What else is there to do nearby?
If you want a much smaller zoo, but at a much smaller price, check out Cedars Nature Centre in Waltham Cross. Willows Activity Farm also isn’t a millions miles away. Getting away from the animal theme, Celtic Harmony offers history themed family days out.
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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