There are a lot of things you can imagine when you think ‘Isle of Wight’, but Amazon may not be the first thing that springs to mind. As it turns out though, we have a pretty grand zoo here, called the Amazon World Zoo Park, which plays host to over 200 animal species, not all of which are from the Amazon, but a fair number are.
As a day out, Amazon World Zoo is good for three to four hours, depending on how long you’re wanting to spend there. Take a picnic, spend time in the dinosaur themed play park, and you could possibly make a day of it – but if you want it to fill a morning or afternoon only, you can do that without feeling like you’ve missed out on a lot too.
On arrival, you’ll find free parking, which is always a bonus. There’s a cafe, and a shop filled with gifts and trinkets from about £1.
As you enter through the doors into a rainforest themed room the smell of humid damp hits your senses – but bizarrely it’s not an unpleasant smell at all. There’s a large indoor section to Amazon World Zoo Park, which emulates the feeling of being in a hot, sticky climate, making it perfect for a rainy day.
Once you’ve wandered through the open enclosure spotting the free-roaming birds, fish, and some Amazonian classics like the sloth and crocodiles, as well as the amazing floral-life of a warm climate, you enter into the reptile enclosure with snakes, spiders, and other creepy crawlies that make for skin crawling viewing.
Stepping outside the animals change a bit, and there’s an eclectic mix of species from flamingoes to penguins, from lemurs to gorgeous red pandas and even a wallaby cage where you can get up close and personal inside the enclosure with the wallabies.
There are regular animal feedings that you can participate in, but be warned – off season at least – that if you’re a minute late you’ll miss it!
Facilities
Animal World Park Zoo has ample toilets, baby changing facilities, a cafe and an outdoor ice cream shop. There’s space to have a picnic both in the park, and outside at the play park.
You can pay by card at the gift shop, and Amazon World Zoo Park accepts Tesco Clubcard Day Out Vouchers too.
And you can view a gallery of our photos from Amazon World Zoo Park here
For up to date opening hours, admission costs and directions, click here to visit the Amazon World Zoo Park Website
Freebie
Print this activity to take with you to the park. Tick off all these animals as you see them!
Amazon-World printable sheet
