Wingham Wildlife Park — Attraction in Dover

A Little Gem of a Zoo - Perfect for a Family Half-Day We recently visited Wingham Wildlife Park and had a wonderful time. This isn't a massive, sprawling zoo, which is actually one of its strengths. It feels more intimate and accessible, especially if you have young children. Good for Children: The park is extremely child-friendly. The layout is easy to navigate with a buggy, and there's a fantastic variety of animals to capture little ones' imaginations, from playful meerkats to impressive big cats. My kids particularly loved the walking trail through the lemur enclosure and the dinosaur exhibit, which adds an extra layer of fun. There are also a few play areas dotted around, giving kids a chance to burn off some steam. A Half-Day Visit: We found that you can comfortably see everything in around three to four hours. This makes it a great option if you're looking for a fun morning or afternoon activity without committing to a full, tiring day out. Of course, if you want to take things at a very leisurely pace or stop for a long lunch, you could easily extend it. Book an Experience: The one exception to the half-day rule is if you book one of their experiences. We didn't on this occasion, but we saw a few people participating in the animal encounters, and they looked fantastic. It's clear that these are a big draw and would definitely make your visit a full-day affair. A Word of Warning - Summer Wasps: I do want to mention a heads-up for summer visitors. We were there on a warm day, and the park was unfortunately a bit of a haven for wasps. They were particularly noticeable around the food stalls and bins. It didn't ruin our day, but it's something to be aware of if you or your children are sensitive to them. Overall: Wingham Wildlife Park is a charming and well-maintained zoo that offers a fantastic experience, especially for families with young children. It’s the ideal size for a memorable half-day out, unless you're lucky enough to book one of their amazing animal experiences. Just be prepared for some extra buzzing friends if you visit in the...

We have a year pass for Wingham Wildlife Park and if you're a local (within half hour or so) it's well worth it.

It's such a family friendly park with a lot of animals, all positioned in close proximity to each other. This means even those that have small children that can't walk far or need to be carried for significant amounts of time can enjoy the park without it feeling like a full on hike. The park is designed in a way that allows you to get to any of the enclosures easily, with various routes as possibilities, so you can quickly find your favourite animals. Many of the enclosures can also be walked around the complete perimeter, so you get great viewing angles of the animals.

There are a fair number of benches dotted around the park so those with weary legs need not worry. There are also patches of grass suitable for picnics when the weather is good.

On the subject of food, we tend to take a packed lunch with us, so I can't comment on the price or quality of the food available in the park. However, there are a decent amount of picnic tables in the cafe area. This is also conveniently positioned next to the outdoor play area, so the adults can enjoy a relax whilst the kids burn off some more energy.

The hands-on keeper talks are good and allow you to get up close to the animals and even hold/touch some of the smaller ones. They have a great at variety of animals varying from reptiles to butterflies, all the big cats to meerkats, birds to monkeys. They even have dinosaurs. The only thing they're probably missing is an aquarium but the park is ever expanding with new enclosures, so who knows?

To round up, the park is fantastic for all animal lovers. So whether you're going on your own, as part of a group or family, it's a great day out. You won't get to see so many animals within such a close walking distance to each other anywhere else in...

Had a penguin feeding experience for myself and my daughter booked for my birthday, and we both thoroughly enjoyed it. The penguins are well looked after, and the keeper we had guiding us, Holly, was very knowledgeable and informative. I didn't know we were going to but we took the penguins for a little walk about before feeding which was great fun, waddling about encouraging them to get some exercise although Bubbles was the only one that didn't take a shortcut to rush back for the fish!

Spent the rest of the day wandering about the rest of the park to see some amazing animals and learn about the help and conservation they do. It wasn't too busy when we went and had lots of space. I think we saw pretty much everything.

I highly recommend feeding the birds in the tropical walk too, but be prepared for a hectic rush of feathers when you get the little pot. They don't hold back, and you might end up with one on your head or shoulder, but they were lovely, and it was all great fun.

There are plenty of areas to grab a snack or drink or something more substantial if needed. They have a great soft play area inside and many outside areas that cater for all ages. I even managed to climb up the larger Fort with my daughter and try out one of the lower slides (only to encourage her, of course!)

The dinosaur trail is looking a little tired now, but there's lots of work being done on extending and improving the animals' habitats, and that's where you want the money to be spent.

All in all, lots to see and do for a great family day out. I would also recommend their experiences and want to go back for another to learn more about these animals, many of which are sadly on the...