Visited Paradise Animal Park after a couple of recommends. Lovely relaxed atmosphere on a spring Sunday and not overly busy.
Animals generally seem in good condition and staff appear to be knowledgeable.
With high vantage points it's great to take some pictures without cages in shot.
Little girl loved the play areas (despite some boys whose parents were oblivious to the fact their sons tried to chase and terrorise my daughter on the soft play area whilst they drank their coffee. (NO FAULT OF PARK FOR PEOPLE LACKING SOCIAL AND PARENTING SKILLS!)
Their was a restaurant serving hot food and a licensed bar for those who wished to use it.
Children's rides gave a feeling like the place that had not moved on For 25 years which added to the experience for me as it retained an element of tradition and innocence.
Only negative for me is some of the cat enclosures I felt were not big enough when compared to some other zoos I have visited.

Well worth researching the various discounts available - I printed an online voucher just before setting off and saved a tenner, although much of this promptly disappeared into various 'pound eating machines' in the excellent play area between the entrance and the animal section.
Although the car parks were fairly busy, the site didn't feel at all crowded which made for a relaxed afternoon's visit.
The big cats are undoubtedly the stars of the show, but there was a wide variety of other animals of all sizes in well designed enclosures, many with elevated walkways that provided a good view. Don't miss the free flying fruit bats!

Make sure you book your tickets online as it saved us about £10 for two adults and a child.
Good day out, they have some unusual animals here, white tigers, white lions.......
Food and drink not overly expensive and parking is free.

There were 10 of us (with a Groupon voucher) of mixed ability and we were taken around by Maggie and Tony. It was a beautiful warm, sunny day and we gathered at noon and finished at 4pm. We met the zoo keepers at every stop and could ask lots of questions about the animals and they went inside their special areas to attract the animals nearer to us so that we could get excellent fence-free photographs (apart from the tigers etc. but we were allowed to get closer in and watch them being fed).

Birthday present. Day included early arrival and personal tour around big cat enclosures. Very knowledgable, animated informative, and enthusiastic friendly guide (Aaron). This lasted about an hour. We then had breakfast (very basic) in the restaurant with glass windows overlooking the tigers. In fact up here is not such a good view as the downstairs large windows.
Rest of the day spent in the zoo. Very friendly helpful staff. Very clean everywhere. Animals have good accommodation. It is the first zoo I have been to where the animals are 'communicating' with each other. Nearly every species was doing that, particularly Moto, the lion, who every so often roars. That is quite an experience.
Feeding lorokeets not as good as I had hoped. All in all had a very good day. It was also out of school holidays so not over crowded. I can imagine it could be heaving!
Good day out and well worth a visit.

This was a nice visit on a lovely, warm Saturday afternoon. It was my first time at Paradise Wildlife Park and I thoroughly enjoyed it! The food was a bit pricey but that's to be expected.
Really impressed with the friendly environment and the wide range of animals. I'd say it's definitely more suited to children than adults, again that is mostly expected :)

Considering the apace available to display, I can only say how impressed I was with the amount and quality of the exhibits, and the real thought that actually must have gone into setting it all up to make it so really interesting. It really is worthy the money to enter Paradise Park just to see this, let alone the zoo as well. Dave, on the museum staff, was excellent and a real pleasure to chat to about Hackney and Rayleigh Speedways. If you're into speedway, then this place has got to be on your visit list. Excellent in all respects.

I have visited Paradise Wildlife Park on numerous occasions over the years, mainly with grandchildren, but on each visit it seems to be going downhill somewhat and there seems to be an increasing amount of money spent on play areas for young children, and in my opinion, this is to the cost the the animals and their enclosures. Some of the animals appeared stressed and their living environments left a lot to be desired. Quite a few of the cages appeared empty and dirty and the picnic area near the pool was abysmal. We arrived at opening time and the toilet floors and bins appeared not to have been dealt with. Sadly we shall not be returning.....

Excellent parking and facilities. Staff are excellent and very happy to answer questions. The animals appear to be very well looked after, and have a decent amount of space. Check your guide for talks and feeds during the day - they are informative. Also available are a wide selection of experiences.. I have bought the Tiger Breakfast twice and bought a friend the monkey keeper experience. All have been good value for money. Recommended.

Came down from Newcastle to visit family in hertfordshire, our day out here was the highlight of the week good value for money, great views of all the animals we got some lovely photograghs. We will definitely be returning on our next visit.

My children were zoo keepers for the day and it was a fantastic experience. The staff are all incredible, friendly, dedicated and just so helpful. The animals are really well looked after and the cages are immaculate. I love this place and would thoroughly recommend it!

Set in beautiful Hertfordshire countryside. This is an informative zoo with so much fun things to do for the children. Reasonably priced,and thoughtfully laid out for all to enjoy . Some zoo's leave you tired having walked round but here it is all on the level and very compact. We were so impressed we've bought an annual pass

Advise you to purchase tickets online as you get a discount. Weather helped being sunny. Bit disappointed that quite a few enclosures where closed for refurbishment, but this gave us a chance to see some of the shows. Would also advise you take a pack lunch as food is expensive. Kids wanted to go on other attractions but this is at an additional cost. Remember this is not a zoo so don't expect to see a vast amount of different animals. Kids enjoyed the play area more than the animals!!

If you want to have fun with your kids this is the right place xxx 100%*****.
From small animals to large, for fun, for a wonderful day out I really recommend paradise wildlife park.

Had a great day out with my family including two three year old girls. We all enjoyed watching the animals especially the big cats. The high platforms allowed us to watch the Lions, Tigers and Cheetahs at play and feeding. Fantastic to sit in the high level cafe drinking a cup of coffee at eye level to the tigers who seemed to be eying us up for their own snack. Some really good photos taken. All the animals seemed well cared for and cages kept clean and safe. The enclosures looked adequate to me with plenty of room to move about for all the animals at the park. Great fun had by the girls in the dome inside the meerkat enclosure. Watched some really interesting talks about various animals and reptiles. Arrived at 10am left at 6pm could have stayed longer. Face painting was brilliant on the two girls, they loved it. The children's play areas were well thought about and suitable for all ages. Would certainly go back again.

Location & parking..
The park was extremely easy go find, the parking was free and there was ample amount of spaces.

The park itself..
I went with my other half for a day out - my only big fault was there isn't a huge amount to do if you're just an adult couple without children.
There was various 'shows' going on with keepers and feeding of the animals which was lovely, very informative and gave you a real insight into each animal and how they care for them individually. The park had a good range of animals and different sections you could visit. Plenty of places you can grab a bite to eat and a drink. There isn't much else I can write as most of the activities/ places I found were aimed towards children and families.

Food & drink..
There was plenty of restaurants and food stands that seemed clean and the food smelled lovely but due to the overpowering smell of the park and animals which can't be helped we decided against having lunch there.

Price..
The price was extremely reasonable and we booked our tickets online in advance to avoid queuing but that didn't really work out because the queue for prepaid tickets was just as long, if not longer than the buying ticket queue.

This was a special trip for a very special young man's 16th birthday, and the park was just that - special. He had the meerkat encounter to start the day and from the moment we checked in at the discovery centre he was treated as a VIP. Can not fault the staff for their knowledge and customer service. Loved the walkway to see the big cats on their high perches. If we lived closer would buy an annual pass!

I cannot help but call this place a guilty pleasure, in that the experience is bitter for the same reasons it is sweet.

If, like me, you are a true lover of big cats you will have to chew over whether to love or hate this place.
I read a review below regarding the sizes of enclosures and I also read the response. Personally, I do feel that the sizes of the enclosures are prison-like when you compare them to the endless miles of land they would have to roam in the wild.
The response stated PWP would never keep animals that need a large amount of space such as elephants; a big statement to make (Surely big cats should fall into this catagory as well as camels etc) I am not saying captivity is bad in itself as all we all know that the wild poses a great danger (ironically thanks to humans) to many beloved species, but it would be nicer to see larger, more stimulating enclosures, even at the cost of our close-up experience of them.
I have been to many zoo's and wildlife parks in the UK and abroad and for very selfish reasons this is the one I most enjoyed. And this is my second visit. Being able to get so close to the big cats which are strikingly breathtaking is amazing and for those who never get to go on a safari and see these amazing animals in the wild, this is probably the closest you will get!
Besides the big cats there are a good selection of animals to see but the experience very much depends on how active they are and where they position themselves; pretty much down to luck!
We managed to see two shows; "Animal Antics" and the bird show. Both were very informative and the selection of facts shared were great and I loved learning about the cockroaches especially (who knew cockroaches could be so interesting)!
We ate on sight and the food was decent and prices as expected for a park like this (expensive compared to the quality). Nice little souvenir shop on sight which wasn't too pricey. Staff were very friendly and nice; from the keepers, to the face-painters, the guy at the food bag stall and the girl who served us in the souvenir shop.
Plenty of outdoor fun for the kids to keep them entertained, with or without kids this is definitely an all day adventure!
Why so critical about enclosure space if I had been already? This was for a 6 year olds birthday treat which she LOVED and in her words it was "the best day ever". Would I sacrifice experiencing the big cats if it meant they could have much larger enclosures? Without hesitation.

Fantastic Day Out! Well organised, Helpful Friendly Staff,Easy Access.<br>Got to go again!!

I honestly love this park, and I have been visiting it regularly for a while now. However, during our latest visit there were a couple of moments which were rather disappointing, and which made me think that the park is going downwards.
1) Enclosures are not as big as they should. I can't fault the ones for the jaguars and the white tiger. However, the enclosures for the lions, cheetahs, 3 other tigers and a leopard are way too small. The cheetah was just circling around in a rather agitated manner. Moto the white lion was walking around with a so to say almost "wooden" walk, as if he was older than in reality. Again, the enclosure needs to be larger.
2) The size of the enclosure for 3 wolves in the Wolf Walk area has VERY much to be desired. I worked for the UK Wolf Conservation Trust not long ago, their enclosures are far superior to what I have seen in Paradise. The same thing to say about the birds' enclosures. Seriously, there should be some space provided for an adequate flight and movement of the birds! The hornbills looked really battered, by the way. Lots of birds that used to be there are now missing (they could not all die just in 1 year, could they?)
3) Paddocks for the herbivores also have lots to be desired - more vegetation or soft substrate; the size of the territory yet again. I know it is necessary to keep the hooves of the herbivores naturally trimmed all the time, but reindeer on the concrete look seriously pathetic!
Basically, the impression is getting worse, to be honest.

Spent an amazing Birthday here, they have a wide variety of animals here, the cat's are outstanding. Have finally got a great photo of a red panda, have been trying for years. And got some of the best ones of otters I have ever taken, they are so adorable. The platforms and the glass viewing points are outstanding for seeing the animals and for taking photos. For me the best was sitting in the café, drinking a cuppa ( on a very cold March day) and being eye level with the very playful Tigers.

I am a huge animal lover and completely disagree with the comments many people have made on here implying that the animals are mistreated and in confined spaces. While it is obvious that the centre is making some of the enclosures bigger, the animals were certainly not unhappy or in very small cages!

This place clearly is having a way to go before competing with the likes of Woburn but the conservation work and enthusiasm of the staff here conveys the love and care this centre has for animals. We participated in a meet the meerkat experience and it was fantastic because the staff were so concerned with the welfare of the creatures and were so well informed.

I do think that the stupid people who let their children bang on the glass should be dealt with but mainly by the parents themselves! There are signs everywhere and the other option is very big gaps between us and the animals which may be the only option if some people persist in being uncaring.

Ultimately - a lovely day out in a great place.

Visited over the easter weekend expecting it to be packed lucky it wasn't and a pleasure to walk round...
I don't agree with animals being caged but this centre is heavily into conservation...and for a lot of species theses days it it the only way for them to servive...At the moment there is a lot of work going on to upgrade the enclosures..but everything is kept to minimal disturbance and let's face it the animals come first....
In certain areas you can actually pay a small fee enter the enclosures to hand feed the species all done sympathetically with the animals best interest always in the forefront.
On site there is a good selection of children's rides etc. Cafe's in different locations throughout the site.
Also the national speedway museum (must admit didn't go in this time but will next visit).
Nr the museum there is a little lido for tiny ones that will be absolutely great on the summer months...
A great safe FULL day out for all the family

Having booked the meet the wolves experience day as a Christmas present for my better half and we were more than impressed.

When we got to the park (early as the wild experience is before the park opens) we were given tea, coffee and biscuits.

The wolves themselves were amazing, feeding them by hand and stroking them through the bars.

The keepers Pier (sorry if we spelt it wrong!) and Lynne were very knowledgeable and keen to tell us about the animals.

We spent the rest of the day at the park, eating breakfast at the cafe overlooking the tigers was great.

Very enjoyable, relaxed family day out - would definitely look to visit again and do another experience day!

Firstly I would recommend getting here early to avoid ques etc, my husband and I met the red pandas and what an amazing experience, we learnt so much from our host I believe her name was Jess, and got to hand feed them. What an amazing experience.

Then we went around the zoo which we were very impressed with a lot to see including farm animals, Tigers, penguins.

Our children really enjoyed the soft play area and the out door play area, there is a little steam train, bouncy castles etc.

We will definately be returning.