Over the weekend we were visiting family that lives in St Albans. We drove late Friday night so we would wake up Saturday morning with the whole day a head of us. We decided to head to Paradise Wildlife Park in Broxbourne, Hertfordshire. It was extremely easy to find, it was well signposted throughout our journey!
Paradise Wildlife Park is a family-run animal park which is home to over 500 animals, including many endangered species.
From the moment we drove into the car park, the kids were saying WOW! Before we parked the car we had passed so many slides and playground equipment, they couldn’t wait!
Whenever we visit somewhere new, I like to have a quick walk round first to get a feel for the place and figure out whats where. That clearly wasn’t going to happen, we had 6 kids with us and as we entered the park, we spotted the ‘World Of Dinosaurs’ straight away!
World Of Dinosaurs:
The kids ran ahead to see the dinosaurs, they were so excited. We could see and hear the dinosaurs through the trees!
Hidden in the trees, there are over 30 animatronic, full-sized dinosaurs. As we wandered down the path and through the trees, the dinosaurs moved and roared at you! There’s even a Dilophosaurus that spits at you (to the delight of the children!)
We spent quite a lot of time in the World of Dinosaurs. Next to each dinosaur was a little bit of infomation about it’s history. There was also lots of photo opportunities including being chased by a T-Rex in a Jeep, Jurassic Park style!
The kids were desperate to take a ride on the Rex Express train which was lots of fun. The little train (which is an additional £2 per person) takes you around the World of Dinosaurs. Any dinosaur and train lover would enjoy it! Our kids did!
We managed to get the kids out of the World of Dinosaurs (which was tough) and before heading to see the animals, they all took some time to try and discover some fossils in the large sand pit.
The park is split into two with the entrance road running through the middle. There’s a clever traffic system making sure pedestrians can saftely walk to the other side. One side has the dinosaurs on, the playgrounds, indoor soft play and even a splash pool. We next crossed the road to see the animals.
From big cats, birds, primates, reptiles and farmyard animals, there was so much to see!
Here is just a few of our favourite parts of the animal park:
The kids were fasinated with the big cats. We were able to climb up high to see the lions, leopards, cheetahs and more. (Getting a good photo of one was the hard part though!)
We loved watching the primates. There was so many different species of tropical rainforest monkeys. The kids especially enjoyed watching them jumping around, the monkeys also seemed to enjoy us watching them. Many times they came right up to the glass and had the kids in stitches!
One of my favourite animals to see was the penguins. I could have watched the endangered African penguins all day. They have a large pool and a great space for us to watch them.
Facilities
There was plenty of picnic areas as well as places to eat (although not all the eating places were open due to the time of year). We found a couple of picnic benches and enjoyed our food outside, with a couple of hot drinks from the cafe.
After our picnic, the kids wanted to check out the playgrounds. There were several different areas that looked great including a train engine which had been turned into a slide and a fantastic pirate ship area. There was also a play area with accessible play equipment that looked great and brilliant for the families that need it.
Overall we had a wonderful family day out and we would definitely visit again next time we’re in the area.
Our Top Tips:
- Make sure you have some change- most things are included in the price of the admission ticket, but we did find a few extras such as ride on toys, diggers, the Rex Express trains £2 per person, plus there is a charge for mini golf,
- If you visit during the summer, remember a change of clothes and a towel for the splash park,
- Pre-book online for discount.
For more information about Paradise Wildlife Park check out their website or Facebook Page.
Me and my family were kindly gifted tickets in return for an honest review. The photos and words used in this review are all my own.
Out and about mummy 