This wildlife park is fairly local to my home town. The park has been build up gradually over the years and is now one of my favourite places to visit for a day out. Not a fan of zoos at all but here they have loads of space to play (and hide) if they want too. Well worth a visit.

Took the family - we al enjoyed it.

Very nice day out for children and adults

Take up the option of a guided tour, you will get so much more out of the day.

We had a great time here, young, middle-aged and old alike. Brill day out for all the family.

We spent about 6 hours here on a chilly November day with our grandsons (aged 2 and 8) which I think shows that there is plenty to do with children, mainly outside but with several things to do indoors as well. The animals in the zoo seem well cared for and range from farm animals to tigers so something for everyone, some of them can be fed with bags of special food purchased for £1 near the entrance. There is also a free tractor trailer which gives round the zoo every half hour.

As well as the animals there is an extensive play area with a good variety of slides, climbing frames etc with several themed items such as pirates or vehicles. There was plenty for both the 2 and the 8 year old. Indoors there is large safe climbing/play area with a conveniently situated coffee bar for the adults to sit at whilst they can watch the children play. In addition to these areas, and closer to the zoo area, there is a bouncy castle, a helter skelter and a mini carousel, all again included in the admission price.

Very popular with our 2 year old was the Thomas train ride (£1 each) which went round and between the dinosaurs distributed among the trees (these can also be seen on the woodland walk).

The National Speedway Museum is also on the site also crazy golf and in the summer a children’s splash area, however we did not visit these as we ran out of time.

All in all we thought it was a good day out, initially we had thought it expensive but there was so much there that we decided it was value for money.

I went to this zoo in April 2010 with my family and really enjoyed it, we were able to feed some of the animals and get up close to a majority of them. I love zoos but this one has to be one of the better ones ive been too.

This is a small zoo compared to Colchester but i really like the idea of being closer to the animals and they all seem happy and well looked after which is the main thing.

I would highly recommend this zoo to anyone interested in zoos and animals.

My grandchildren have visited this Zoo with us several times a year since they were 2, they are now 9 and still love going here. I am not a supporter of Zoo's as I believe that animals should be in the wild, this place appears to look after their animals very well and all seem to be in good health. Other attractions great for the kids

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!