Paignton Zoo, United Kingdom > Reviews (12)

Me and a few family went to Paignton Zoo this week for 4th birthday treat for my niece and what a fab day out it was. Its been a few years since I went to this zoo & it has certinaly grown since I was last there.

The zoo is 80 acres so if you are planning on going then flat shoes are a must, there are also quite a few hills to walk, the zoo offers use of wheelchairs (electric & normal) so if you dont think you can walk around all of it then this is a very good solution.

If you are heading to the zoo you def need to set aside all day, you will never see everything in a couple of hours (we arrived at 10 and didnt leave until 4).

Once you enter the zoo you can choose which route you want to walk (there are several to choose from), we went through the reptile tropics & dessert first, this is where you find the snakes & spiders etc, then onto the crocodile swap (which has not been there that long), then it was the elephants & monkeys & we saved the apes & tigers for last. We where hoping to see the new cubs but they are not on show yet.

There is also a jungle railway which goes around the lake so you get to see all the ducks, swans, pelicans and other wet land birds as well as the tigres & gorillas. Im not sure how much it is to go on this train as we did not use it, I cannot imagine it cost a lot & looks like a fun way for the kids to see some of the animals.

If you keep your eye out when you are walking around you will see information boards telling you about what activities are going on in the zoo that day, feeding times & talks etc, this gives you a chance to see the keepers in action & to find out a little more about the animals.

There are plenty of places to stop an rest your feet, there are also plenty of picnic ares so you can take packed lunch & usually by these are as are play parks so the kids can go and have a run around whilst you relax for a moment.

There is also a restaurant at the zoo is called the Island Restaurant the food there is excellent quality and not over expensive (which sometimes you expect from these places). There are also a lot of snack shops dotted around the park that sell drinks & hot & cold food, these tend to get very busy at luch time so expect a bit of a wait for food.

Once you are ready to leave the zoo you have to pass through the gift shop, this shop sells some very nice expensive items & it also sells some cheaper stuff so you can treat the kids, most of it is of a reasonable price & I wouldnt say any of it is tat.

Overall I think this is a fantastic fun family day out & well worth a vist, its a nice clean & tidy well laid out zoo with loads to see and do.

Prices
Adult £9.85*
Child (3 - 15 years) £6.60*
Child under 3 years FREE
Senior citizen & Student £8.05*
Family (2 adults + 2 children) £30.70*

(if you dont want to give a gift aid donation to the zoo the prices are £1 cheaper)

Summary: If you want a family day out then this is the place to vistit, Fun for kids & adults)