This is a very compact zoo, but has been well thought out so the enclosures are large and interesting.

I have never been to a zoo where the animals are so animated, they all seemed happy.

The white tigers and lions are beautiful and I really liked the armadillo. Throughout the park you were able to get really close to all the animals and feed a lot of them.

A few parts were a bit run down, but don't be put off. They are building at the moment as well but that doesn't effect anything.

The car park does need work though as the spaces are too short for all but the smallest cars, hopefully this is something they are improving.

If you book online you can save £1 per ticket, not much but you may as well. It is worth paying the full price though, you'll get your monies worth, we spent 4 hours there.

We visited Paradise Wildlife Park with our two young children one afternoon in September. The zoo does an excellent deal where arrivals after 3:30pm can get in for £5 (children free) during school term time, which is a massive discount on the usual park admission of £16 per adult. The park is divided in to a number of quite different attractions and this review focuses on the zoo element of the park.

Paradise wildlife park is well laid out, modern and very well maintained. In particular there is a fantastic big cat section, with Lions, Tigers, Cheetahs, Snow Leopards a Mountain Lion and several other big cats. Whilst the paddocks for these big cats are not vast, it's clear that the animals are very well cared for, kept stimulated and in healthy condition. Of course all the animals would be better off in the wild, but as far as small zoos go - this is about the best we have seen. The zoo also has Camels, Zebras, Wolves, Lemurs, Emus and many other animals large and small.

We spent quite some time talking with one of the volunteer zoo staff and it was clear to us that there is a great emphasis on conservation and care of endangered species at Paradise Wildlife Park - all very laudable.

Touring the zoo in the afternoon was excellent, since it wasn't crowded and we were able to really enjoy our visit, spending almost 3 hours on site, and listening to a very informative talk on the plight of the Tiger in the wild. We didn't feel rushed, and the children were safe to run around with supervision at a distance.

There are a number of food and drink outlets on site, along with the obligatory retail experience, an area for small pets that children may feed and a great many wild birds in well kept aviaries. I believe there are also a number of bird displays during the day, but we missed the last of them.

The only thing that lets this park down is the intermingling with an eclectic mix of somewhat tacky, partially run down amusements and children's rides - all of which are absolutely fine in their own, but somewhat detract from the high standards of the zoo experience. Crazy golf and fair ground rides alongside endangered big cats is not for us - better that space be given over to larger paddocks for the camels, zebras and endangered felines!

The park is also home to the National Speedway Museum - again, nothing wrong with a speedway museum, but what has that got to do with conservation of wildlife?

That said, the zoo is outstanding and well worth the visit. If amusements and fair ground rides are your thing, there are better places to go along the Essex coast.

Its a good place to go if you want a one off day trip. I became a full year member so it gets a bit the same if you go too many times. But thats not their fault! Enough to do in one long day for first timers. I go with my two year old. Some of the areas of the park are a bit dated. The bouncy castles could be indoors. The softplay is large but can get a bit cold in winter. Once winter comes there is not much other than the main attractions of the animals. I do like the place and would say if you have a family then put it on your list to do.

we booked a meet the red pandas experience as a present for my mum, she had to arrange day with them other telephone which was easily done. Because we live so far away decided to stay in a hotel near by, as we arrived at the park we couldn't believe how quiet it was. If you went to chester zoo in the middle of school summer holidays you would be mad but we drove straight and got parked very quickly. The lady at ticket booth was pleasant and explained what time and where we had to go. We went and had breakfast at the little cafe which was very nice and prices were reasonable.
We went to the information place where my mum had to meet the keeper, we were offered biscuits, tea and coffee, which i found very welcoming. the keeper (sorry can't remember her name) met my mum and went through everything that was going to happen, we then said what time will you be at the enclosure so we can make sure we are there to take photos the keeper said we could go with them into the staff / animal food areas which i thought was brillant, anywhere else would have said other the person taking part could go with her. we then watched as the keeper and my mum got all the fruit and veg ready and made their way into the enclosure, she was in there for ages (at least 45 mins), she got to feed and touch the red pandas, amazing experience - worth the money! after that we spent the day in the park, which was massive, very quiet and you get very very close to the animals. alot better than any other zoo i have been to. we watched a family hand feed tigers (which i think we will book next time) and other animals be feed by keepers. very clean and tidy and we found the staff very friendly, we had no problems all day.

Perfect sized safari park with a lovely family feel and loads to see and do. We had a brilliant time.

The big zoos always feel a bit institutional for me, and Paradise is a wonderful alternative. It's built on a smaller area of land than most zoos, so it's very compact, which means you don't get exhausted walking around all day. And where most zoos keep you miles from the animals with lots of glass and distance, you get much closer to them here. Most animals are behind wire fencing rather than glass, and you're close enough to touch - they just trust you to be sensible. That means that you feel like you're actually interacting with the animals instead of just staring at them.

Many of the animals you can actually touch, and you can also buy bags of food so that you can feed a lot of them. Even better, you can book in for one of their amazing experiences, where you can hand-feed tigers, tickle tapirs (they roll over like dogs!), stroke snakes, etc. There are also free presentations throughout the day, so there's always plenty to do, and it's easy to chat to a keeper, who will be able to tell you all about each individual animal.

For some reason, the animals seemed much more perky and active than in most zoos - perhaps because the fact that there are fewer visitors means they don't feel so overwhelmed, or perhaps they're just very well cared for.

I was also really impressed with the facilities. There's a brilliant adventure playground area - very imaginative - and good cafes. There's a nice woodland walk, too, with deer and foxes.

I really recommend the place, and I'm amazed it's not better known. But then if it was, it might not be such a cosy and friendly experience.

My Partner and I recently took his Niece here and had a lovely time. We spent around 3 hours there and it's a great place for children. As you enter there is a large play area for children and this includes an indoor play area if the weather isn't too good. The park was very clean and we felt the animal enclosures were in a good condition. They had a nice Farm area which the children enjoyed. There is a good variety of animals (loved the snow leopards!) and the keepers genuinely seemed to really care about them. They give various talks throughout the day which was good. It is quite a small zoo and it doesn't really take too long to go around so you can extend your time by attending the keeper talks. The gift shop was very well priced in comparison with other zoos I have been to. I would definietely recommend this place to Families.

lovely place to visit,big variety of animals to see. so much for children to do,indoor and outdoor activities.arcade games,playhouses,bouncy castle,picnic areas.information about the animals.seasonal swimming pool.good value food,would defo reccommend!

My husband and I went to Paradise on my birthday, just to do something different this year. I have to say, reading some of the other reviews, I wasn't sure whether to expect great things or not so great. But our whole experience there (except for the trains, which were all delayed) was wonderful.

The best part of the day was seeing the white lions, the snow leopards (we got to see day 2 of the female and male meeting for the first time and hear their stories, it added a lot to the day), the red pandas (who are very shy), and the cheeky lemurs, who were very playful and fun to watch.

Some of the cats did pace, but I think people don't really understand that they do this after about 4 pm because they know it's almost feeding time. Hell, my housecats do this pretty much all day, and they have plenty of room. The big cats get hungry and they get restless, so they pace. This was pretty obvious as early in the day they were lazy and sunning themselves. You can see by their coats they are well treated, beautiful animals.

There were lots of families there, and some kids as young as 2, who were all really enjoying themselves. Kids were feeding the smaller animals, and you could buy food to feed some of the animals for £1.

All in all, I thought Paradise was much better than the zoo, because you could get really close to the animals. It was really special to be able to see some of the really endangered animals too, and a few species I'd never seen before.

I had been given a monkey tour with afternoon tea via Buy a Gift. Hadnt heard of the park prior to that. We had a fabulous day, the keepers were very passionate about the animals in their care & ensuring that they had enrichment & suitable habitats. The staff were all incredibly friendly and welcoming - excellent customer service - down to the chaps driving the courtesy minibus, the receptionist & especially the keepers. The tour was AMAZING, got to close up (through bars) meet all the primates & learnt loads about them all from the amazing keeper Jo - very knowledgeable & amusing. Ending with a trip into the lemur enclosure where they bounced all over us - havent been able to stop smiling since. They are very obviously re-investing all the time in improving the enclosures/habitats and are already vastly superior to London zoo (which are appalling), despite the fact that their investment is undoubtedly miniscule in comparison. London Zoo - you may want to take note - this is a good indication of what you can do. The park whilst small is fabulous - you can get closer to the animals here than anywhere I have been, whilst remaining safe. Fabulous photo ops. The monkey tour concluded with a very generous afternoon tea overlooking the tiger enclosure - plain fare but very yummy - again excellent staff. Cannot recommend this place more highly. The staff clearly are passionate about animal care & the owners are obviously far more interested in the welfare of the animals than the bottom line - they are making excellent headway in improving the enclosures & the wolves in particular are in better condition than I have seen anywhere else in captivity. We will be back! Plenty of toilets & excellent for wheelchair access.

I attended as part of the big cats experience. The weather was good, and this helped, but the staff were lovely and the day was superb.
We are already planning to come again.

This was a combined Christmas/Anniversary/Birthday present for my wife and me, yes it was that expensive. We had a brilliant day weatherwise and there were so few people there it was easy to see everything. £16 each entry for the family aged 31/32/33 was good value for all day from 10:30 to 16:30 for us. We had a "Tee" shirt, certificate and coffee each thrown in for our experience. We expected Meerkats everywhere and were prepared. What we had was 4 and a small bowl of food each for the Meerkats. We went into the enclosure, as small as my lounge, and sat down. The Meerkats came for the food and did sit on us taking food and allowed us to stroke them. After about 10 mins they had eaten enough and moved away and within 5 mins they had gone back into their "bedroom" to sleep (said by and expected by, the keeper). We sat for a further 10 mins while the keeper groomed one that reciprocated on her and then we decided there was nothing more to do so left. Taking off £10 for the "extras" and £16 for entry leaving £73 for that was a huge rip off. £25 + £16 entry would have been over the top but I would not have worried.

The rest of the Zoo was small, well stocked and well organised, seemingly really aimed at children under 16 and those who have limited access to animals and countryside. Being so close to the animals was an excellent bonus, however the bigger animals were a little cramped for space and some big cats showed signs of boredom, just pacing around in the same manner and small, never ending circuit.

We all had a very good day, but I have to report honestly as I find.

A zoo is what it is really, and they are triyng their best with breeding etc, but it just didn't have the wow factor that you get at other zoo's. I imagine money etc is a big factor, and compared to the stories they tell of how it used to be, it is amazing. Had a tour through Groupon, and value wise it was good. Just wanted more, and half a day was more than enough

I had never heard of this particular park but was kindly given a Meet the Meerkats gift experience which was located here. Unfortunately I chose a terrible day to go as we experienced heavy rain all day and the park was almost deserted. The fact that this did not hinder me from having a wonderful time says a lot for the park, I believe. They have the largest collection of big cats that I have ever seen and we were able to see white lions as well as cheetas and pumas. Certain animals like the tapias and red pandas were hiding from the rain but we managed to see most of the other animals. This park has a diverse collection of fascinating creatures as well as a display on poaching and items seized by custom officers. The staff were very welcoming and friendly and there are places to purchase refreshments as well as freshly made sandwiches, soups and cakes. There is also a large play area and some arcade games for children. I am glad to have discovered this lovely park and intend to return when the weather is a little nicer!

Excellent day out at the wildlife park. Start off with a walk around the animals feeding the deer , sheep , goats and many more animals. Then little ones had face painted . I then let the kids play in the soft play area while i had a coffee the food was expensive so take picnic

The only downfall is that you think after paying quite abit to get in rides and activites in side would all be included which there not so it does add up.

As part of a belated christmas present Sue had an hour with the meerkats at Paradise Wildlife Park. This included a hands on feeding session and we had the rest of the day visiting the other animals. The staff were very knowledgeable and friendly. The park is well laid out and the animals are well cared for. A vey well worth day out.

Went there as part as a groupon deal... will definitely be back! What a great surprise it was to discover such an amazing place!
Got a very interesting tour of the Big Cats territory with a very entertaining guide who gave us lots of interesting fun facts.
All the staff we talked to was very pleasant, the animals seemed happy and at no point stressed by the surroundings. We got to have breakfast overlooking the tigers enclosure...
We came across a few ppl who had purchased "experiences" at the zoo (feeding cheetah, penguins, lemurs etc) and all seemed extremely pleased. (and made me feel very jealous!!)
All at 30 minutes train from Liverpool Street (7 pounds return), the park providing shuttle coach, it's been a great day out!
Would recommend without a doubt and happily go back at some point!

This is a great attraction, not huge and obviously not in the same league as London zoo, Whipsnade or Woburn but that's ok and it's great with small children. The animals seem well looked after and the staff are friendly and helpful.
There are lots of other attractions that you have to pay for, but only if you want to. You can also buy food to feed the animals which pleases those wanting more interaction with the animals but seems a cheek to those who don't want to! I've never eaten here but there seem to be plenty of people who do.
Nice little trip out.

I visited the Paradise Wildlife Park Tuesday 31/8/11. The staff were really friendly and helpful. Nothing was too much trouble and I will try to go more often. Lovely family day out.

First ever visit ( won't be the last ) & was very impressed with the whole park.
I was so impressed how child, pushchair & special needs friendly the whole park was.
I loved the big cats the most, the raised viewing platforms allowed us to look down into the enclosures and get a closer look at them.
Would recommend paradise to all my family & friends.

we went with 2 children aged 5 + 2 years old through an offer made by groupon - we stayed overnight at the cheshunt marriott hotel and then went to the park on the following morning.
We were supposed to be there at 7.45am for a private tour of the park and then breakfast in the tree top cafe, due to over booking we ended up going at 9am and had to sit around for a while for everyone to get organised - not easy when you have young kids.
Having said that once we were on the move we went straight up to the cafe and had breakfast, as much toast, croissants, cereal or drinks as we wanted and we had a lovely view of the massive tiger in the enclosure next to us.
We then had the tour of all the big cats and were told all about them and the other breeding site they have, it was very informative but again trying to keep 2 kids in one place while we were listening to what was being said was hard.
Once we had gone around the big cats we were able to go do our own thing and went round all the other animals, I have never known a park where you can touch & feed sooo many different animals, there were Zebra's, Emu's, Reindeer, Camels, Alpacas, Lama, rabbits, guinea pigs, goats and you could touch them all, we even stroked an owl after one of their displays.
In a nutshell a great place to be closer than you would normally be anywhere else.
They also had plenty of other rides which were chargable but not expensive so a good mix to keep the little ones amused.
The animal experiences are a great opportunity too, we did not do any of them as they were all booked up but you could see the people doing them as you walked round I watched a few people inside the enclosures getting a great experience feeding the animal and in some instances being climbed on by them.
We had a great day here and would recommend it to anyone as in my opinion it is one of the best zoo's I have been to and probably enjoyed it more than the kids.

Where to start!! We have now been to the park over 12 times in just over 3 years. We have done many of the experiences including, feed the tiger,feed the meerkats, breakfast with the tigers( fantastic value).

We have also through ideal world done VIP tour for the day which is a must.

The park does what it claims. There is something for everybody, young and old and caters very well for people with disabilities. The park is mainly on the level with tarmac paths so ideal for people who are not so goosd on there feet.

car park is well laid out and always somebody on hand to help you aprk or answer questions.

i really could go on and on about this park and its staff and probably bore you too death!!.

It really is a case of go and see for yourself i promise you wont regret it.

If you ever get a chance you must go and visit the sister park in Kent WHF which is not open to the public. WOW WOW WOW IS ALL I GOT TO SAY

Once again thanks to Steve and all at Paradise for making the park what it is

Paradise Wildlife Park is an excellent day out - much better than Chester Zoo and London Zoo.
I purchased a "Feed the Big Cat Experience" for my financee. As this included her admission, we arrived early and I paid for entry myself (a VERY reasonable £14 if booked online). You stop at a pay-booth before being directed to the car park.
Car park was quiet and had no hassle finding a space. We immediately picked up a map and had a look round the park. They sell small bags of food for feeding the animals but this doesn't mean you can feed everything - mainly goats, rabbits and emus.

They have some very impressive animals there such as white lions and a snowy leopard. The Big Cat experience itself was amazing. Feeding Rocky, the biggest tiger in the UK, was perfect for my financee. We intially had a tour of the food preparation area (not suitable for vegetarians!) and the keeper who took us round was very friendly and knowledgable. I had assumed I would have to wait outside, but I was very much involved. Then we were lead to the tiger area and she was able to feed this magnificient creature.

Food and drink in the park was VERY reasonably priced (£3.70 for Strongbow Extra Cold - as much as anywhere else), as was the gift shop.

You are able to get very close to the animals and I would thorougly recomend this Wildlife Park to anyone. Also saw two bird shows which were very well presented. As a whole this park is extremelly good value for money and the dedication by the staff is obvious.

Only negative was the sheer number of schoolchildren there (gets a bit irritating) but that's not the fault of the park!

I was made to feel at ease instantly at reception and was introduced to a gentleman who had also bought Shadow a big cat keeper experience and would be sharing the day.We were then introduced to Steve who proved to be extremely knowledgeable ,very patient with both humans and animalsand easy to get along with.My son who had gone along to take some photographs was actively encouraged to do so and he also enjoyed himself.Nothing could prepare me for meeting and stroking the lions,I even shed a tear at the sheer pleasure of doing so.We were blown away at stroking the tiger and we fed him by hand too-unbelievable!We also went into the cheetahs enclosure and sroked them while they were eating.If you are squemish it may not be for you as we had to de-poo the lion enclosure and help create some delicious meals from raw meat which helped us understand some of the work that goes on in the background.The an imals are all well fed andVERY well cared for and help provide an excellent learning tool for us poor ignorant humans.10 out of 10 Paradise I'm still on a high,forget your fancy holidays cos I stroked a tiger !Amazing!

i bought an Ideal World Experience for myself.2 sons,their wives and my grandson aged 5. I was quite worried that it wouldn't live up to expectations,but in fact it could not have been better. We were with another group,so 12 altogether, but our guide was great, and no one felt left out; we held or touched snakes,lizards, a tenrec(like a tiny hedgehog) and a tarantula - and then it kept getting better. We went in with the meerkats -amazing!- and the tapirs and wallabies, and fed a variety of other animals.Finally, my 2 sons fed the snow leopard by hand. All the animals are well cared for, and in enriched pens. The grounds a re beautiful, and ok, the rides etc can add up, but there was more than enough to see in the 6 hours we were there without going on them. We had a wonderful time, and if you have the chance to buy one of the Experiences, do take it, it's money well spent!