I spent 5 hours learning about looking after and feeding and food preparation and cleaning out Tigers, Lions etc. outside compounds and indoor bedding areas. Guided and instructed by Ian, he was very informed on all the Animals and it showed he really cared about the welfare of all the animals there. I got to prep food for the Tigers, Lions etc. and went around and fed the animals. Never been so close to them before but everything is done with Health and Safety and care of the animals. After my 5 hours of caring for the animals I went off on my own for a tour around all the Wildlife Park.

Since seeing a Tapir on TV a few years ago, I have always wanted to actually see one up close and found this Hands on Experience day with Paradise Wildlife Park where we were promised 30 minutes personal introduction to the Park's tapirs and a chance to actually stroke and tickle the animals. The event was everything I had hoped it would be. After the usual health and safety talk, we moved over to the Tapir enclosure and were immediately introduced to Dad and Daughter tapirs (Mum was a bit grumpy so was enticed into the adjacent paddock with bananas). After a quick introduction to the animals we were then encouraged to stroke and tickle the tapirs who rapidly rolled over onto their sides to get more tickles whilst our guide continued to answer all our questions and provide a great insight into the workings of the zoo and the care of the tapirs. I really hadn't thought we would be able to get so close to these wonderful animals - what a fantastic experience. I suppose it was a bit expensive - so special occasions only - but in my view, well worth the cost as it is a unique experience and you know your money is also helping to keep the zoo up to its high standards.
Just a special mention of our keeper / guide, Poppy, who really made the whole experience something special. She was knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and clearly loves the animals in her care.

We went to the wildlife park for the experience of feeding snow leopards. The early morning private tour and champagne breakfast overlooking the tiger enclosure were all excellent.

The discussion with zookeeper Tony were very informative about the big cats and the park in general.

Unfortunately the zoo in general has the feel of being very much in need of renovation.

We visited with 2 boys aged 9 and 11. There is a lot to see in a fairly compact area. The high walkways for viewing the animals are al really good idea. The family all enjoyed the experience although I felt that perhaps some big cat enclosures were a bit small as we noticed one pacing rather agitatedly, we felt. Maybe some bigger play equipment for older children but mine were very happy. We were members of Whipsnade before and are used to all the space there, but it is expensive there if you pay for just a day. This was good value, I feel, as I booked online thru' a company which did family tickets for £44. You had to book the day before but that was fine. My older son preferred here to Whipsnade as he doesn't like all the walking around there, so the compactness was good for him!

I took my grandaughers aged 2 and 3 and had a lovely day out. They loved the animals and the soft play and the park.
Biggest fault is no supervision. Day was spoilt by older children aged 12/13 taking over and running around like mad things.
I did also come last summer and there were 4/5 older children with water guns squirting everyone. They were unsupervised.

We visited with our 8 and 10 year old children and had a great day. We got a good online deal for a family ticket which made it very reasonable. The park is lovely and the animals are well looked after and have plenty of space. The selection of big cats is the best I have ever seen in the UK. Would definitely recommend and would go again!

It's brilliant, ok the gift shop is a little over priced but the whole experience is fantastic I will definitely come again and again

I love taking the wife and kids to PWP and have been a few times now. The kids love seeing the animals and getting up and close to them - its a shame the petting farm bit isn't a bit bigger with a few more animals as that is certainly a key part to it. However there is a lot of animals around the park to see. The only thing we struggle with in all honesty is the price for a family - Tickets alone being £60+ then with travel and food etc it works out pricey. Would love to have got a yearly pass as that works out good value at £300 per year for the family meaning you would have to visit at least 6 times per year to get value for money on it.

At £17 per adult, I thought there would be a good 3/4 of a day worth of things to see. However we went round almost twice in 3 hours including a drink break. Some enclosures looked too small for the animals, lion walking up and down the fence, very little in his enclosure to engage his interest. The cafe served meals that looked okay, however tea and coffee served in take away style cups and we only wanted a cake however what they had looked awful so just had a drink.
This would suit families more, there is a crazy golf available however that was an additional £2 a round!
Animal food was available to buy at an additional £1 per bag, which children seemed to enjoy giving to the animals.
Staff were friendly enough and when we watched some feeding taking place, there was a very clear affection and good knowledge about the animals.
We looked around the Speedway museum on site, we were the only ones in there, it was great to see bikes, photos, badges and trophies, even though we do not have a huge interest in the subject.

Always like a good zoo to look around some good view from up high which were great. Loved getting up close with the Zebra, compared to some places we have been some of the enclosures seamed a bit small for the Animals. If you have young kids they will love the place so much to do. We enjoyed the ride on the little train and a game of golf (Both cost extra) All in all a good day out.

This park is a real treat, the animals are so well taken care of, although obviously not in the wild, I am sure they are happy. The cages are so near but safe and you get a good view of all the animals, which include Red Pandas. Lions and Tigers.
It was a freezing day, but their are plenty of inexpensive cafes to eat and drink in. It's a thoroughly good day out the staff are wonderful. We had a guided tour and this gave us a real insight into the Zoo and the animals and their welfare.

Must come back in the summer, thanks for a lovely day.

Came here with my partner and kid and had a lovely day. Thoroughly enjoyed it. They have made some improvements since i last came which looked great. Will be coming back again soon. Food is very pricey and not that great. Adivse to take a picnic. Only thing that lets the place down.

I take my daughter here quite often, I absolutely love it! It's a good price and u can really spend the whole day here!
I love all the little things u can do amongst the animals, my daughter (who is 6) absolutely loves the crazy sand hut, honestly she's obsessed! I also love the face painter she's so lovely and a great price! Always get it done and a hair braid.!
The bouncy castles are also a hit with my lil one.
Overall I love paradise and recommend it to everyone that will listen!
I also saw you can go in with the meerkats, il definitely be doing that when I can!
Parking is also great with plenty of spaces even in the second car park which is just across the road.

All I can say is wow I've been to London zoo and all the others but never here I'm so glad I came here all the animals are so active and they all get so close u could touch them very cheap and good for couples or families they have a range or animals from white lions to rabbits and monkeys all the staff are helpful and full of useful information about the animals would definitely come again

At the back end of 2016 myself, wife and 18 month year old daughter went to the Paradise Wildlife Park for a ‘Breakfast With the Big Cats Experience’. The place was easy enough to find (we went by car) and there was ample parking, which you do have to pay for at the end of the day. Just a note on parking we were there before opening time due to the experience we were on so I imagine it does get busier the later it gets. From there we made our way to the centre just left of the entrance and were served coffee or tea and biscuits.
Once all had arrived (group of about 25) we were taken to our first enclosure the White Tigers and given a wealth of information. The zoo keeper was exceptionally knowledgeable and every question was answered in full – it seemed there wasn’t anything she didn’t know. This was the theme of the couple of hours we spent with her – from one big cat to the next given all the information you could possibly want. We saw tigers, lions, cheetahs, snow leopards and jaguars and all had one common feature, which was at that time in the morning they were all very active and entertaining to watch – none more so than the jaguars who were working out how to open up a bag of hanging straw. It really made for the polar opposite of what you usually expect from the big cats who always seem to be sleeping in the day when we are at zoos. Of course this was doubled up with the fact the zoo was empty and just our group so seeing them was easy enough.
The talks were a bit long for an 18 month old (we were actually bought the experience as a gift and opted to take her for a day out) but with the cats being highly active, meant she was entertained all the same without getting bored. Once all the cats were visited we were taken to a small shack like café, next to the tiger enclosure (you could see them from there if they were at the right end) and served an all you can eat continental breakfast. Again this was exclusive to our group (the zoo had opened at this point) so there were no intruders. By the time we got to breakfast it was about 10am so if you are an early eater may be wise to have a snack or eat something before. On offer were croissants, pastries, toast with butter and preserves, fruits and cereals. You could eat as much as you wanted / what was left and there was plenty for all.
Once breakfast was finished that was all for the experience but it included a day pass to the rest of the zoo, which we obliged. This isn’t a huge zoo, the big cats are definitely the pull here but there are various others to see including meerkats, camels, zebra etc. It is easily navigated and has a main restaurant and other food outlets throughout. One of the impressive things about it, especially for those with younger children are the play areas, including a soft play area and some big slides. Just across the road from the main zoo (where you can find a woodland walk to see the wolves) is rather large outdoor playing area with slides, swings and climbing apparatus. Our daughter could have spent half a day playing in there alone and really gave it another option worth considering for a half day – day out.
All in all we really enjoyed this zoo and offered plenty to those with children. There are enough animals to keep all interested and the volume of big cats was impressive. The experience itself was excellent catching the cats at a time of day they are up and about and the breakfast was decent and generous. All in all I would recommend this without hesitation.

Went for my mums birthday to feed a tiger. It was a cold day but we were greeted with hot drinks and biscuits. The keeper Shirley was great. Her passion for the animals shone through and made the experience. Feeding the tiger was amazing. We looked round the rest of the park after and it was nice. All the keepers were really friendly. The park itself was clean and well set out. Not too big so brilliant for little ones.

Second visit here and had a fantastic day out with my 2 young children. It was half term so was expecting chaos but pleasantly surprised to find it fairly relaxing.

The big cats once again didn't disappoint - excellent view points all round and always roaming very close to the fence. The cafe overlooking the tigers is a nice pit stop and offers great views.

So much to see and do - a real gem, with nearly all animals on clear view (unlike many zoos with 1 animal hidden away somewhere that everyone is trying to get a glimpse of).

Recommended for all ages.

We live quite close to the zoo and have heard the lions roar on occasion, but to see the big cats up close and during feeding time is a treat.

Not the cheapest food and drinks and entrance, but the cafe that sits on top of the big cat enclosures has great views. It is a small zoo and you can get round it in about an hour and half and there are things for children to do too so no one gets bored.

I would definitely recommend.

We had such a lovely day today here. The sun came out and the animals all came out to play too. It wasn't overly busy so we could browse the attractions at length and the kids were happy and felt safe to run ahead a bit. Everything was clean and the enclosures and animals were well looked after. We took lunch and ate at one of the many pic nic spots, we did go into the main cafe but it was a bit naff so we just had a coffee to warm our hands! There was also plenty of play areas for the children to play on in between looking at the animals :) a great day out!

Visited on a really sunny Saturday in June 2016. It was a very busy day but we still got a parking space as there are plenty and also an overflow car park.. Kids had a great day and so did I. We especially enjoyed our visit to the monkey area. Lion was asleep when we went round his area through reinforced glass of course. There was a swim area aswell. Restaurant area was great! We also loved the play area for kids.

Overall, we enjoyed our visit and would recommend and definitely visit again!

Great place to see big cats close up.
Recommend the winter when cats are more active, feeding time in the afternoon is first class and the keepers are very friendly and engaging.
As a birthday treat I fed MOTO and his girls - awesome.

This zoo is a gem of a find with 5 of the big cats including white lion and white tiger. The zoo allows you to get very close to the animals and has walkways above the enclosures to give a better view as well. They hold talks and shows throughout the day for information.
The park also has plenty of play areas for children up to 10 yrs old but nothing much for teenagers
Food expensive in the restaurant so bring a packed lunch
Allow 2 hours just to go around the animals or all day if with young family.
There is a minibus transfer if coming by train , £2 return I think, or plenty of onsite parking.

Overall a good variety of animals and well worth a visit

This was my first visit after saying for years wanted to go! We had an excellent day. The park was clean and tidy and still a lot to see with it being winter. There were a few exhibits closed for refurbishment and also the Birds of Paradise exhibit was still open but with precautions for avian flu. The macaws were pretty lively and we learnt about the training for the Toucan to go in to a smaller box to keep warm during winter. We got to see plenty and the new penguin area that is under construction looks as though it will be great. There are plenty of playground areas for the kids, picnic spots and the café is also quite decent. All staff we encountered were very friendly and polite. Overall, a great attraction and one we will look to visit more regularly as our little one grows up.

Nice day out
White lions are well worth the admission fee alone
Would have been 5 but too many things you have to pay for after you paid to get in.
Like the train although it's only £1 if you go to Colchester zoo it's free
Drinks at the cafe are expensive & food is limited
Still enjoyed it

My partner and I recently came to the zoo for a reptile bug bonanza experience.
Our day was brilliant, the experience itself is an hour and a half and then you get to go round the zoo afterwards.
We were met by Reece who is a reptile keeper, he started off by taking us over to meet the tortoises and we got to feed the big female Marion! This was a great start for us as we both love tortoises.
We then went over to the main part of the zoo and saw some of the stick insects, some of them were very large and I have to admit that despite booking the experience bugs aren't really my thing, however reece was excellent and very patient, explaining everything about them and I ended up conquering my fears and holding one!
We also met a python and a skink as well as tarantulas and centipedes, throughout the experience reece was massively informative and a wealth of knowledge on all the animals we were shown which he clearly loved.
The park itself seemed well run and despite some work going on it was very clean and all the animals around the park seemed happy, I don't really agree with some of the reviews stating that the enclosures are too small!
All in all a fantastic day and would thoroughly recommend the reptile bug bonanza, my only complaint is that this experience seems to be missing from their own website and I had to purchase through a third party which seems strange.
We also saw some talks in other parts of the zoo and the keepers doing these all seemed very enthusiastic and again very knowledgeable.
I'd also like to point out another thing regarding our keeper Reece, that we offered him a small tip as we were so happy but he modestly asked if we would donate it to the zoo instead as it would be better spent, I think this was such a lovely thing to hear!!