We went in July 2020 just after lockdown eased and schools had broke up for the summer but safety was well managed and most people were sensible enough to wear a face covering.

A lovely small zoo with a great collection of animals. It was nice to get up close to some such as the lorikeets and lemurs. Staff were all friendly and took good care of the animals. Also lovely to see the 'keeper for a day' getting to learn about all the animals and that the staff were taking the time to teach them.

I’m so amazed at how content the animals are! They seem so happy and love the human interaction- also absolutely adorable!
The splash park system is brilliant, the bands work great- just go and get your bands as soon as you get to the park though. The play areas and rides are amazing, and the staff are all so wonderful. Thank you drusillas

I was very impressed with how hard the staff were working to put in place the safety measures for running the park. I saw everything being wiped down and hand sanitisers were in place - you have to use the sanitisers before going on any rides, and all social distance measures are in place - it's really down to the public to also adhere to them.
There was a wide variety of unusual animals with lots of hands on equipment (which were cleaned regularly) and we all learned many new facts. The weather wasn't great, and the park emptied out towards the end of the day, which meant we could watch many of the animals very peacefully.

I visited Drusillas on Tuesday 21st July with my 4 year old. I have to say the measures in place for sanitising were absolutely spot on, there were sanitisers everywhere, the rides were wiped down and the toilets spotlessly clean.
There was no rubbish anywhere and the staff were visibly cleaning and sweeping.
The entrance receptionist was brilliant with my 4 year old, as was the lad on the penguin slide who indulged her with an intense conversation!!
Well done to the staff and Management team.

We visited on Friday as our end of term treat! We had not actually been for a few years but wanted some fun and an animal fix! We were not disappointed!

Although there were many people there, the staff and layout meant that, with a little waiting here and there, we felt safe. And the cleaning was brilliant! It took us 1.5 hrs to get through the beautiful animals and all the babies were wonderful to see - a real reminder that ‘life goes on’ during lockdown.

It was very hot so we didn’t spend ages in the play areas, but we did the animals (again) and actually found doing them at 10 and then 2 we saw those that were ‘hiding’ or sleeping earlier! Enjoyed the rides, queues not too bad.

All the staff were fab - and the volunteers.

The children want to come back again this summer - with their friends!

Thank you for a lovely day and start to our holidays!

Visited post lockdown reopening with our (almost !) 4 year old and we were delighted by it all.
Pre booked and pre paid, nice and easy. Parking easy, and staff every where cleaning where the kids touch etc.
Plenty of room for social distancing even though some of the other guests were found wanting!!
A few things closed but still loads to do. Play area, Farm area, Zoo and Dinosaur walk ! All good.
Service in the cafe all good, not so sure about the hotdogs though!
If we could design a perfect day out for our Grandson....Drusillas would be it and I reckon will keep him happy for many years to come too !

Well done to all the Management and Staff for getting back up and running again, great job, thank you 👍

We arrived about 15 minutes prior to opening and the queue wasn’t too bad but grew fast. I couldn’t tell if entry was slow on opening to stagger the flow or just because people were slow buying tickets (we booked ahead online).

The one way system is well implanted for social distancing. As with any zoo right now you’ll find families who are good and those who don’t care about COVID distancing... so be patient and let idiots pass by.

Our kid really enjoyed seeing the animals but he’s too small for the play park right now. Majority of rides / play areas seemed open though.

We were in and out in 1 hour, so more driving to and from than actual park. I suspect when your kids can use play area that helps burn time.

Fantastic day at Drusillas, can not fault it. A few things were closed due to current situation but plenty of other things to do. Not crowded apart from near the playground with parents etc sitting while kids had their fun.
Social distancing not a problem. Rides are taking smaller number of people which if busy would make queue more, but today wasn't a problem. Longest wait probably a few minutes.
Plenty of hand sanitizer stations and staff (who all wore masks) encouraged everyone to use.
Didn't use any of the food outlets as we took a picnic.
Park very clean with staff going round cleaning the interactive places where the children had touched. Although didn't see anyone cleaning as we went through the zoo the glass looked very clean and no finger marks so they were obviously cleaing on a regular basis.
Will definatly visit again!

Absolutely brilliant day out. The park is only small but packed with things to do and see. It is very organised lots of toilets and hand washing stations. Staff are constantly cleaning and ensuring everyone’s safety. The seating around the park is well spaced and staff are all lovely and friendly.
The animals are beautiful and all look very clean and healthy, their enclosures are large, with open tops and glass sides so you can get nice and close to the animals and they have plenty of room to enjoy themselves. They are all very relaxed and not bothered by visitors. There are some unusual breeds and also a small petting area. There is a large playground for children, a water play area which had lots of interactive fountains etc and plenty of places to eat and to by yummy treats. There is a little train that goes around it’s only a 5 minute ride but fun for the under 5s There are also 2 large gift shops open with reasonably priced souvenirs. The whole park is clean and well kept I would recommend it for all ages. Im not usually a zoo lover but Drusilla’s ticked all the right boxes.

We had a great day out here! It was really clean, felt safe - not too busy, ample hand sanitising stations and great to see staff encouraging the use of it! Staff also really helpful & friendly.
We recently (since lockdown) visited a larger zoo and felt disappointed after the visit so I didn’t have high hopes for here but we had the best day, we saw loads of animals &
It felt much ‘safer’, my 2 year old was in her absolute element with the rides too. Just wish we lived closer to visit again! DEFINITELY RECOMMEND lovely little day out - great value for money!!!

I visited Drusillas with my family yesterday and was very impressed by the measures you have employed to keep the visiting public safe post lockdown. I was very impressed by the continuous cleaning regimes that were evident throughout the day. The constant access to anti bac at every opportunity (especially as you went on rides) and the truly wonderful staff you have across the park, who throughout tried to keep everyone happy and safe at the same time.
So we’ll done to everyone at Drusillas Park.

I go to Drusillas about once in every three years and have always enjoyed my visits.
I thought it might be a good place to go during lockdown and chose a Monday because I thought it might be quieter with many children at school and parents at work and restricted visitor numbers.
We arrived at about noon and there was no queue to get in and the toilets at the entrance were empty and clean so that was a good start. Lots of hand sanitiser around and Social Distancing signs to remind you.
We started round the zoo trail and it was fine at first but then large family groups came up behind us and it was suddenly really crowded. We tried to let them pass or speed up ahead of them but were enveloped by People with no concept of Social Distancing at every turn. Small children were running loose and just barging into us and the parents didn’t take any notice. Children and adults were touching absolutely everything including the interactive exhibits which did shock us.
Also noticeable was that not a single person either working there or visiting was wearing a mask. It is as if Covid is not a thing. Perhaps it isn’t in that part of Sussex but we know so many people who have or have had Covid that it is very real to us.
Anyway we made our way around the zoo and enjoyed the antics of the animals which looked fine except the anteater who was pacing up and down. Also wasn’t too happy that the fennec fox - a nocturnal animal - was sleeping in the bright sunshine and didn’t seem to have a dark place to retreat to - just so we can see him 😢
We then wanted to get something to eat but had to pass through the children’s play area. This was really crowded. We joined the queue for the Oasis Cafe (which seemed to be the only place that was open). The queue bizarrely ran across the main path and alongside a seating area. There was no social Distancing in the queue whatsoever and even though there was a sign on the bench saying not to sit there, one lady insisted on sitting there alongside the queue exclaiming loudly that she didn’t see why she shouldn’t sit there.
We stood in the queue for a good 15 minutes and it didn’t move an inch forwards. It got very much longer behind us. People were walking through the queue as it crossed the footpath. It seemed to us that it might have been more sensible to move the queue to hug the side of the building and also the have a barrier separating the queue from passers by. Also, when lots of people need food in this situation, would it not be better to serve sandwiches or something that can just be picked quickly up rather than fully fried meals?
Anyway, the queue became more and more crowded so we left as we felt endangered and walked to the gift shop - that was being controlled but was quite empty anyway and we asked if there was anywhere else we could buy food. The attendant pointed us to a takeaway kiosk past the Hello Kitty area and that was much better. We bought a pizza to share and sat at the outside tables and chairs which were spaced out and that was much better than the crowded area. Perhaps some more signage to make clear there are other food areas open would be good to relieve the crowding in the play area.
We had wanted to go round the zoo again to see the bits that we had missed due to overcrowding but felt really uncomfortable by this stage and decided to head off to the beach. I think we were there for about an hour in total.
So, in summary, if you don’t care about Covid this place is fine to visit but if you do, then it is probably best avoided at present.
It seemed busier to me than on a normal weekday during term-time.

I visited Drusillas on it's reopening day after much anticipation post lockdown. I am slightly surprised to see other comments saying otherwise as my experience was very different. We had an amazing day out, although we were slightly disappointed it was just the zoo open. However, we felt very safe throughout our visit. There was very clear signage, ample hand washing facilities, and the staff were very friendly and helpful. We will certainly be returning when the entire park is open!

First visit to anywhere since the lockdown, long wait to get in but understandable due to safety measures. Rides were closed but as we didn’t have children it didn’t matter. The zoo bit was fine and we enjoyed our visit. It’s not a very large park so if we had paid the full £23 per person, I’d be disappointed.
So the reduced pricing of £13 per person seemed reasonable.

We had a really nice day out here on Sunday. We arrived ten minutes before it opened and there was a small queue with social distancing measures in place. They also put on stricter social distancing measures during the first part walking through with the monkeys but it didn’t feel like we were waiting or queuing for anything for long. Once into the open areas you had a bit more freedom to roam at safe distances and we had such a nice normal day which is a first since lockdown began. I really appreciate how the staff were cleaning around the site and the hand sanitiser available to use. I felt completely safe with my toddler and very much enjoyed sitting down to have lunch and a coffee as it feels like such a novelty now!
The animals seemed very content and I really enjoyed the variety of animals, as did my toddler. I have sometimes come away from other zoos feeling sad for the animals but it was very much the opposite here, they are clearly well looked after and very happy.

Visited on Sunday 28th June. Really enjoyed it even without the rides. Social distancing wasn't always happening but equally no one was standing next to you within 1 metre for any period of time, and you're outside nearly all of it so we weren't overly concerned. Used the hand sanitizers on the way round. Our toddler did touch the buttons and flaps, but we kept her hands wiped. She's at nursery again anyway now so kids that age are going to touch things others have. If you are worried about that you should probably not be visiting places like this just yet. Everyone needs to use their judgement and common sense, not rely on every public place to spoon-feed us our safety measures. So with that attitude we very much enjoyed it, are confident we stayed safe and will be back later in the year whenever the rides can open again.

As for the animals, an interesting and educational visit, I do feel conflicted about locking them up especially the larger ones, but there are awful zoos around with miserable big animals in poor conditions, I don't think this is the case at Drusilla's.

Lovely day with wife, 2 year old and our friend and their 1 year old girl. Great variety of animals ranging from cows to camels. For competitive kids (and adults) there is an Olympic tournament where you can see how fast you can go, how far you can jump and how high you can climb.
The play areas are great (indoor and outdoor) and the food in the main restaurant is good (at least for this sort of place). The jacket potatoes in particular are good.
The kids highlights were; the train, hello kitty car, tamarins and the singing hens!
A great day out and if you are local I recommend the membership which will work out much cheaper.

We visited on Thursday the 5th of March for our 3 year olds birthday. Although it was one of the wettest days of the year we still had a brilliant day. The animals, rides and play areas were amazing and immaculately kept. The staff were phenomenal, every team member we came across were genuinely friendly, proud and committed to their place of work.

Not to mention Richard who opened rides especially to make our little girls day special. It is rare to find a child’s activity trip as well run, managed and thought out as Drusilla’s. This is a must go for kids under 10 and we will definitely be back.

We have visited Drusillas regularly for the last 6 years. My eldest daughter recently did Keeper for the Day for her birthday and loved every second of it. She loved getting to go behind the scenes, find out what the animals eat and how they're cared for day to day. She learnt so much! My youngest is already asking to do Keeper for the Day for her 6th birthday!
As always the park is clean, the animals are all well cared for and the staff are helpful and friendly! Food is reasonably priced and tastes amazing! We love the onsite Starbucks too!

Drusillas is amazing! We have to visit every year, we would certainly visit more if we lived closer.

There is so much to do, from the Zoolympics, the Animal Spotting, seeing the beautifully cared for animals, the play parks and the theme park rides. We are literally there all day.

The restaurants serve great food, a mix between hot and cold at reasonable prices. Their choice of puddings are amazing!

The Hello Kitty area is cute and the kids love it, we cannot wait to visit when the Jurassic Jungle is complete!

Thank you for an amazing day out!

Day out with a 2 year old, and such a great range of animals, indoor and outdoor play areas and rides suitable for all ages.

It can get very busy in peak times, but well worth a day out.

I visited yesterday with my family (4 children ranging in age from 5-12) and we all had such a fantastic day. Even my eldest who didn’t initially want to go as ‘its for babies’ enjoyed every minute. The animals all seem very well cared for, the outdoor play areas are great as is the soft play. My kids particularly enjoyed the zoolympics challenges as we went around the zoo and we spent a good 30 minutes at the ‘how high can you climb’ challenge. We didn’t eat here so can’t comment there but we did have 5 hours of endless fun, would thoroughly recommend!

We have been visiting regularly since we got annual passes at Christmas. My 15 month old loves it, watching the monkeys, going on the train and in the soft play and on the hello kitty car ride (he'd go on that all day long!) We tend to go during the week so it's quieter. Even when we accidentally went in a half term the only bit that was really busy was the soft play. We love it here!

Drusillas is a lovely zoo set in abeautiful East Sussex setting. We have visited many times over the years but this time was special as the zoo keeper day was a birthday present for my eight year old grandson. What a day! We learnt so much and were really impressed by the behind the scenes organisation as well as the knowledge and skills of the zoo keepers.
An amazing experience...for both of us!

My grandchildren loved the zoo and the play park. There are lots of interactive things to do like, for example, how fast can you run. Then you can time yourself against other animals and see how much faster a cheetah can run! The grandchildren enjoyed filling out the little booklets and writing the results of their tests. There was another booklet telling you about the various animals and places where you could stamp the page to show you had seen the animal. We were able to enter the enclosure when the lemurs were being fed and be very close to them - without actually touching them. It was also fun being provided with some bowls of food for the parakeets and having them land on your arms. We were all very impressed by the zoo and the friendly, knowledgeable staff. But I think it's a good idea to bring your own food. There are picnic tables provided. The playpark was also very popular with lots of equipment and things to do.