Our Day Visiting Paradise Wildlife Park

Paradise Wildlife Park sent us an invitation to visit and review what they had to offer for a family day out. We have passed signs for Paradise Wildlife Park when on the way to Legoland Windsor but we have never visited before. To keep it a surprise we didn’t tell the children until the morning of our visit. They were very excited to be visiting Paradise Wildlife Park to see the animals.

The Animal Park at Paradise Wildlife Park

On arrival, we made our way to the Animal Park. We entered the park via The Discovery Centre as this is where we collected our tickets. By doing this we were unaware that the park is split in two by the main drive. This did confuse us when we were looking for the diner for lunch. Thankfully we worked it out and there is a crossing in place to make your way safely to either side of the park. Entering the park via the main entrance makes this split in the park quite clear.

The first animal the children spotted was the White Tiger. We think it must have been his breakfast time as he was waiting near the gates and his keepers were on the way to see him.

We spotted the tractor and were asked if we would like to go for a ride. The children happily jumped on-board. The tractor takes you all the way around the edge of the animal park. We passed lots of animals on our way around the park and easily spotted many animals including the tigers and the cheetah.

After our tractor ride, we walked around the animal park for a closer look at all of the animals. We looked at the camels, alpacas, penguins and many more.

Feeding The Animals

You can also buy animal food to feed some of these animals. We decided against feeding the animals because Ethan was very excited and was rushing around everywhere. This kept us on our toes. I also didn’t think to bring any change with us. I wasn’t expecting a Paradise Wildlife Park experience to include being able to feed any animals. What is so great about the animal park is the animals are so close to you. The children had no problem spotting any of them and the animals you can feed clearly enjoy the human interaction.

We spent all morning spotting the different animals whilst both children enjoyed going into all the different viewing tunnels they could find. Lots of the animal enclosures also have high viewing platforms, Ethan enjoyed climbing all of the steps up to these. I did find our buggy a bit of a tie in these areas but mostly because of how fast Ethan is. I think if we had just visited with Little E we wouldn’t have needed to go up onto the higher viewing platforms. We possibly need to be a little braver now as Little E is getting older and leave the buggy at home.

Safari Sam’s Diner

We ate our lunch at Safari Sam’s Diner. You could choose from hot and cold selections. We stuck to burgers and chips as we knew this would be something that Ethan would eat. Eating out at an attraction can always be pricey but they served good-sized portions. We could have easily split one children’s meal between our two. Paradise Wildlife Park also provides picnic areas to eat a packed lunch.

The Playgrounds at Paradise Wildlife Park

After lunch we let the children explore the playgrounds. They had lots of fun in Adventure Land and Pirates Cove. There are even a Fire Engine and a Train that children can play in. I also spotted an accessible playground for disabled children and children of different abilities. To use this area you must speak to a member of staff. It’s a lovely addition to the play area. Ethan found the other area’s of the playground entertaining that I didn’t feel we needed to request this area. It housed swings and other playground equipment.

The children spent ages in the playgrounds exploring everything and thankfully the predicted rain stayed away for them.

You can find the playgrounds on the other side of the park in an area that houses the Woodland Walk. The Woodland Walk and the Wolves in the Woods attraction were closed for refurbishment during our visit.

The Woodland Railway

There is a Woodland Railway that had an extra cost of £1 per ride. I was unable to read the full details due to Ethan being so ‘busy’ but I am assuming for all of us to ride it would have cost £4. I wasn’t expecting an extra cost for the train. People could be made aware of this as they enter the park. I would rather this cost be added on to the ticket cost rather than worrying about finding extra money when you are in the park. There was also diggers that I think needed a pound coin to operate. I didn’t get close enough to make sure if this was the case as I was trying to avoid a potential meltdown with Ethan.

On Safari Sam’s Stage, there were Disney Princesses hosting games and activities for children wanting to take part but my children were having too much fun in the playgrounds.

When we finally talked our children into going back to visit some of the animals we had missed, they discovered the rainbow slide. I lost count of the number of times I watched them both fly down this slide!

When we finally captured our children again we persuaded them to come and say goodbye to some of the animals. We hadn’t seen the Zebras yet and I wanted to say hello to them.

Did We Enjoy Our Day Visiting Paradise Wildlife Park?

We really enjoyed visiting Paradise Wildlife Park. The children could easily see every animal we visited and the size of the animal park is perfect to make the visit so personal. The playgrounds alone could fill a whole day and we didn’t even find the inside soft play area. If we lived closer I would look into purchasing a season pass for the playgrounds alone.

What I Wish I Knew Before We Visited

Knowing about the extra costs for extra activities would have made me more prepared. It would have been nice to have fed the animals with the children but we didn’t get the chance too. I would have also liked to have known about the cost of the Woodland Railway. Another added extra is the Miniature golf, this is mentioned on the website.

Will We Be Visiting Paradise Wildlife Park Again?

I really hope so, there was so much that we didn’t see or do that I would happily return. We didn’t get to see any of the shows or attend any of the talks or feeds. We didn’t find the indoor soft play area or the Speedway Museum. In the warmer months, Paradise Lagoon is also open. Darren also discovered that we didn’t spot the White Lions. Hopefully, we will be able to return next summer.

In April 2018 we were invited back to Paradise Wildlife Park to visit their new area the World Of Dinosaurs. We had a fantastic day even if it was a bit damp!

DISCLOSURE – We were gifted tickets to Paradise Wildlife Park for the purposes of this post and to make our YouTube Videos. I always give our honest opinions, findings, beliefs, and experiences.