Yorkshire Wildlife Park

What it’s like

Walk-through reserves, a dinosaur trail and giraffe feeding at a big Doncaster wildlife park with six play areas thrown in.

You walk through the reserves here rather than just peering over a fence, which is the bit that tends to land best with younger kids when a face suddenly appears close up. Pangea, the dinosaur walk-through, is listed as a separate draw alongside the animals, and there's giraffe feeding and meerkat encounters if you want to book an experience on top of general entry. Older kids aged 11 to 17 can do a Ranger Academy course if you fancy making a day of it into something more structured.

There are six indoor and outdoor play areas across the park including the Uproar Play Barn and Planet Putt, so wet or cold days aren't wasted waiting for the animals to move. Last entry is 3pm and the gates open at 9:45am, which gives you a proper run at the place if you arrive early, though a family with a toddler will likely peel off well before closing.

Ticket prices shift by day and by how far ahead you book. An adult is £28.99 online on an off-peak weekday but £34.49 on the day at peak times, and children run from £24.99 up to £30.49 on the same scale, so booking ahead saves a genuine £3.50 a head. Toddlers aged 1 to 2 are £2 and babies under one go free.

Food is spread across five main eateries, Safari Café, Monkey Playhouse Café, Caramba, Masai Café and Tsavo Lodge Bakehouse, plus seasonal snack bars, so you're not stuck queuing at one spot with hungry kids. Pushchair and wheelchair hire are both available if you pre-book online, and there's a bus service, the 357, running hourly from Doncaster Interchange if you're not driving.

What’s on here

• SAT24

  Halloween Event

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Facilities

Need to know

Best for

Good for all ages up to 15, with older kids getting Ranger Academy options

Last entry

3pm

Booking

Save £3.50 per person by booking online before midnight the day before your visit

Food

5 main eateries (Safari Café, Monkey Playhouse Café, Caramba, Masai Café, Tsavo Lodge Bakehouse) plus seasonal snack bars

Pushchairs

Child stroller hire available, pre-book online recommended

Wheelchairs

Manual wheelchair and mobility scooter hire available, pre-book online

Getting there by bus or train

First Bus South Yorkshire 357 service from Doncaster Interchange, hourly Mon-Sun

• Booking online before midnight the day before saves £3.50 a ticket
• Six indoor and outdoor play areas mean a washout day still works
• Ranger Academy courses are aimed at 11 to 17 year olds specifically
• Accessible tickets need proof, so bring documentation if that applies to you
• Last entry is 3pm even though the park stays open until 5pm

Plan your visit

Animals

• African Penguins (Boulders Beach)

  Home to newly arrived African penguins, a critically endangered species.

• Brown Bears

  Rescued brown bears living in a grassy reserve with lakes, toys, hay beds and shelters.

• Capybaras

  Capybara brothers Chip and Dale.

• Cheetahs (Cheetah Territory)

  10,000 square metre reserve designed for cheetahs, opened summer 2023.

• Common Marmoset

  Enclosure with ground-level glass viewing.

• Giant Anteaters

  Enclosure with ground-level glass viewing.

• Giant Otters

  Enclosure with ground-level glass viewing.

• Giraffes (Giraffe House)

  Giraffe house with ground-level glass viewing.

• Golden Lion Tamarin

  Species held as part of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria breeding programme.

• Lar Gibbons

  Lar Gibbon trio Gale, Manis and Koopa.

• Lemur Woods

  Walkthrough enclosure with natural pathways, animals and visitors not separated.

• Leopards (Leopard Heights)

  One of the largest leopard reserves in the world, a purpose-built breeding and reintroduction facility.

• Lions (Lion Country)

  10-acre enclosure originally built for 13 rescued lions.

• Maned Wolves, Tapir and Bush Dogs (Atlantic Forest)

  Land opened in 2021 featuring Maned Wolves, Tapir and Bush Dogs.

• Meerkats and Mongoose Manor

  Enclosure with ground-level glass viewing panes.

• Okapi House

  Enclosure with ground-level glass viewing.

• Polar Bears (Project Polar)

  10-acre reserve, the largest Polar Bear centre outside Canada, home to the largest collection of Polar Bears in England.

• Red Pandas

  Red pandas including Zemi and Alice.

• Sea Lions (Point Lobos)

  Sea lion reserve with two naturalistic lakes, one holding 1.9 million litres of filtered water.

• Tigers (Land of the Tiger)

  Reserve where tigers roam woodlands and grasslands or play in a waterfall pool.

• Titi Monkeys

  Titi monkeys including parents Jessie and Javari and their infant.

• Visayan Warty Pigs

  Enclosure with ground-level glass viewing.

• Wallaby Walkabout

  Walkthrough enclosure where visitors and wallabies are not separated.

Areas to explore

• Amazonas

  Walkthrough enclosure where animals and visitors are not separated.

• Jungle Lookout Play Area

  outdoors

  Outdoor play area with natural pathways around it.

• Play Areas

  6 indoor and outdoor play areas included in park entry.

• Uproar! Play Barn

  indoors

  Indoor play area located in The Yorkshire Hive.

Experiences

• Pangea - Discovery of Dinosaurs

  Immersive prehistoric walkthrough experience with over 30 life-sized moving dinosaurs.

Shows

• Shows & Ranger Talks

  Ranger talks and live shows held at the park.

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