We recently visited Yorkshire Wildlife Park, find out how our day went.
We have been wanting to visit for a while, so we made sure to get it in our calendar for the summer. If you love animals then this is a great place to see some of the most amazing creatures on Earth.
The Yorkshire Wildlife Park is a wildlife conservation and rehabilitation centre. Opening in 2009, it has over 500 animals.
We visited on a very sunny, warm day which we were thankful for because our summer has been awful with rain pretty much every day. We drove to the wildlife park from Sunderland and it took us just under 2 hours, which wasn't too bad. The park is super easy to find and has a large car park with separate/closer disabled parking. Entrance to the park takes you through the Hive, which is a great little area with shops, eateries and a play barn. On our visit the Ferris wheel was also operating.
We headed to the gates and showed the staff our tickets on our phones which was easy and quick, so no need to print tickets.
Maps are free and I would suggest grabbing one so you have one with you as the park is huge.
We started at Point Lobos and the Atlantic Forest which took in the Sea lions, Maned Wolves and Lowland Tapir. We basically just followed the pathways which then took us to Himalayan pass and we were treated to a Red Panda having some food. Super cute! You can also see the Otters here.
We followed the path around until we reached Experiencing Ethiopia, We did sway off a bit and head up to Polar project 2, one of the large enclosures for the Polar bears. We were lucky enough to watch a bear play in the water with it's food. The park is one of the best conservation sites in the UK for Polar Bears and the large enclosures mimic their natural habitat. They are fascinating to watch and seemed like they were putting on a show for the visitors.
In the African section there's lots to see and do, some of the animals you can expect to see include:
Spotted Hyenas
Gelada monkeys
Leopards
Lions
Giraffe
Rhino
Again following the pathway around we came to a handy picnic area with eateries, Ice cream parlour, large gift store, play areas and more.
We did stop for an Ice Cream which was delicious and we had a look in one of the shops too, some great pocket money options here.
After our little break under a parasol (it was really warm) we headed back on our journey around the park.
The woodland trail takes you past the painted dogs, Baboons, Visayan Warty Pigs and Lemurs. Again some great areas to just watch and take it all in.
From here we headed up to the Polar Project where we spotted more polar bears playing in the sun with treats they had just got out of a bottle. One of the bears had everyone laughing as it did little dances to scratch its whole body on the rocks.
We did the walkthrough which is included in your entry ( more on theses further down) The Amazonia's was my favourite, we literally had Golden Lion Tamarins jumping over our heads and Capybara watching you as you walk past. You can also see Golden Marmosets, Mara, Red Titi Monkey here.
We then made our way along the pathway which took in the Tigers and we did stay there for quite a while just watching them. You follow the large walkway which I do have to point out is one way! Quite a few people clearly didn't see the large one way sign on the way past.
We also enjoyed Pangea, an interactive dinosaur story. This is fantastic for all dinosaurs lovers. The figures are huge and some even move and roar. Loads of info boards about them too. A nice little touch to end the visit.
The park has some really great walkthrough experiences including the Lemur and Amazonia's and has gone to quite a lot of effort of to raise awareness of some of the issues the animals face. The park is very focused on education and environment.
More about the park
Lots of play areas dotted about throughout the park, I think this is a great idea and breaks some of the day up for the younger visitors. Our three are too old for play parks now but it was great to see so many kids having a great time. There's also an indoor play area too, so if the weather is rubbish at least you can take a break from it.
Lots of picnic spaces dotted about the park and benches if you feel you need a rest. If you are taking your own food into the park I would recommend taking it in with you from the start as the park is massive. Alternatively there are lots of eateries dotted around the park with some mouth watering options available. The prices were not too bad from what I could I see. We opted to take our own food in.
The park is very accessible with flat terrain and wide pathways. You can easily get around in a wheelchair or use a pushchair. There are pushchairs and mobility equipment available to hire at the main entrance. There's one high up viewing point that you can't get to if you have mobility issues, but you can see the enclosure from the ground anyway, so you are not missing out.
Lots of keeper talks throughout the day and extra shows for kids to enjoy in the amphitheatre.
Lots of toilets dotted about the whole site and I did hear someone say there's a changing places toilet located in the Hive, just before you get to the main park entrance.
There's an interactive app you can download which has the park map, animal guides, audio guide, a planner to help plan your day and more. Find out more HERE
Tickets
It is one of the pricier days out but for a Zoo I don't think it's that bad.
We are a family of 5 consisting of 2 Adults, 17 year old, 15 year old and 11 year old. Tickets should have come to £116. You can usually find great deals online and if you subscribe to the park you do get offers sent. However for our visit we took advantage of the Lottery Days out vouchers and actually managed to get our visit free of charge. Ticket prices also vary depending on the time of year too.
Location
The entrance to the park is located at The Yorkshire Hive, Hurst Lane, Doncaster.
Use the postcode DN9 3QY for sat-nav directions to the new car park entrance.
Unfortunately, if your Sat Nav has not been updated it may take you to the wrong entrance so once you are within close proximity, please follow the 'Brown Signs' directing you to Yorkshire Wildlife Park car park.
The park opens from 9am
All in all it was a great day out, I do feel it would be even better if they added birds and maybe even a reptile house/bugs.
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Spring walk ideas (Also nice during summer)