Great for a family - human family! (Paradise Wildlife Park)

Member Name: califema

Product:	Paradise Wildlife Park
Date:	01/09/09 (169 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Close to the M25, easy to get in

Disadvantages: Pricey, small enclosures, crowds

I visited PWP in August and i would like to share my opinion about it and tell you a bit more what to expect.

Getting there
Paradise Wildlife Park is easily accessible by car and by public transport. There are no bus routes that run directly there but you can get a free shuttle bus directly from Broxbourne train station. All you have to do is to ask the ticket office to phone the PWP and they will come and collect you. Yourney from Broxbourn takes appr. 5-10 minutes. They have a decent car park and on the arrival they assist all car drivers. Car parking is situated within walking distance to park entrance. You need to purchase admission tickets before entering car park.

Admission
We paid £48.00 for family ticket (2 adults +2 children) which I tough was very reasonable as all zoos are a bit pricey ( now i know - it isnt worth it!).
Here are detailed ticket prices:
Adult £14.00
Child (2 - 15 years) £11.00
Senior Citizen £11.00
Guest with disability £8.00
Family of 2 (1 Adult & 1 child) £24.00
Carer for above £8.00
Park offers season tickets as well:
Adult £70.00
Child £50.00
Senior £50
Disabled visitor £40.00
Family of 2 £115.00
Family of 4 £230.00

Under 2' - free admission.

Opening times:
1st March to 31 October 09:30 - 18:00
1st November to 28 february 10:00 - 17:00

Show Times - weather permitting:
11.30Weird and wonderful show
12.30Birds of Paradise display
1.30Animal Olympic show
2.30Birds of Paradise display
3.30Weird and wonderful show
4.30Animal Olympic show
Park holds additional events for Friends of PWP ( 24th July - 19th December). You should call Katy on 01992470490 for further details if you wish to reserve tickets.

Eating here
There is a large food outlet in the middle of the zoo with fries (1.40), jacket potatoes (4.10) with different fillings and burgers ( apr. 5 pounds for meals - nuggets, burger or hotdog + fries and drink) for 2.95. Avoid this place if you can - busy, long queues and nowhere to sit. They serve tastless and pricey food. In the opposite to fast food outlet you will find large grill where you can purchase burgers and hot-dog. Hot-dog ( chilled bun and sausage + mustard and ketchup) made me feel sick and irritated my bowels therefore i would recommend you will bring prepared lunch as you I saw plenty of picnic areas, where you can avoid crowds for example in the woodland area.

Children attractions:
We found park to be interesting and joyful. Some rides are free to use like two bouncy castles ( one is for under 5' only), large roundabout and very tall slide. Here is the list of my sons favourite things to do and places to visit - a must for every child :
Fun fair area - with bouncy castles, also two small food outlets - one with ice cream and soft drinks and the second one with sweets.
Paradise Lagoon - medium and free to use for visitors. Don't forget about swimming pants and/or Little Swimmers nappy - children cant swim with an ordinary nappy on.
Pirates cove
The special place - for disabled children, ask ticket office or staff for assistance.
Adventure land
Diggers - 1 pound coin to operate 'real' JCB digger
Soft play area for toddlers ( indoor)
Playground with climbing frames, slides, swings and play houses.

Park has a private baby feeding room and bottle warming facilities.

Animals
Park isnt spacious in my opinion. All animals ( except big cats) had decent but small enclosures. You can see more than 40 animals including lions, reindeers, ocelote, pinguins, sheep etc. Some enclosures were really tiny and i saw some death ones ( some 'tropical' fish species in the pond and 2 birds).
Reptiles house houses Boa snake, cocroaches, Aligator and others. It is hot and humid inside as you probably know and during busy times it is difficult to come closer to the window.
Park has a large farmyard area (sheltered area) where children can feed fury animals (you will need to purchase food bag for 1 pound) - guinea pigs , sheep, hens etc.

I would still recommend a visit to PWP but do not expect you will visit a decent Zoo - they care about customers ( children) but in my opinion some animals ( especially birds) were not looked happy and healthy - cages were so tiny for large birds (European stork ). Park is very small compared to Colchester Zoo and pricey - they offer relaxing time but i do not think it is a perfect place to learn about animal life and habits. Park should change its name for Paradise Amusement Park- you will need to visit it to understand why i would not recommend it for serious animal lovers.

Summary: See review