2896 Hertfordshire Zoo!

Taking my nephew out for the day is something I LOVE to do; I am DETERMINED to be the fun aunty. I tend to spoil him rotten, but I try to spoil him in sensible ways. (At least that is what I tell myself).

So, Hertfordshire Zoo. Formerly known as Paradise Wildlife Park. The main thing I will say is… I am impressed. The price of an adult ticket was a bit on the high end of the cost, but I will say it is well worth the money. The travel is minimal, parking is easy, and the entrance is easy. We didn’t have to queue for long, which is a bonus because standing still for long periods is actually very difficult.

When you first enter the park/zoo… there is an area which is a walk-through exhibit (if that is the right word). It is built up to look wild as if you are walking through a woodland area. As you walk through there are all different dinosaurs, some move, some make noises, and some are above your head. My nephew is 2 and a half and at first, he wasn’t too sure about it. He was a bit scared, showing their good job with the displays. I did have to carry him for a little bit, but after about 10 minutes he was walking around, avoiding the ones that made noise.

At the end of the Dinosaur part, there is a little shop where you can stop for a tea break. It was nice timing and great fun for the kids. There was a sand pit where children could play and some sites where they could go inside and have pictures etc. There are plenty of bins around, I don’t think I spotted one bit of litter while I was walking around the whole park.

The actual zoo part is very well displayed. The map is not the easiest to follow, there are lots of little walkways to see different areas of the animal enclosures but it's not always clear where you are. We nearly missed half the zoo so a bit more signage could be helpful.

The range of animals is mad, and we actually got to see the majority of them. Ya know, there is always one that is hiding in their bed all day or just hiding in general. But all the animals seemed to be quite active, and in many of the enclosures, you could go upstairs and look out over the whole area. And a lot of the enclosures had the names of the animals. Not just their species, but their names. I don’t know why, but this just adds a little touch that makes you appreciate the animals and the work the park does with said animals.

We got very lucky, and it wasn’t super crowded the day we went. It allowed us to look at pretty much whatever we wanted at our own pace.

The day did get cut short because my nephew took a little spill and cut his knees. It was so sad. The park rangers (are they called that?) were brilliant. Went straight for the first aid bag, checked him over, and made sure there was no gravel in his cuts. Honestly, all I wanted to do was hug him. I will say… when a child is hurt and all they want is you… that is the sweetest compliment.

 And of course, his knees were too sore for him to walk so I had to carry him for the rest of the day. Safe to say I was exhausted by the end.

Overall, it was a nice day. The weather was pleasant, it wasn’t crazy busy, and lunch could have had a couple more options, but we only looked in on one place. Until my nephew cut his knees he wasn’t having a great day, Enjoyed the stairs a bit too much if you ask me.

I will be returning! I didn’t get many pictures as I was chasing my nephew a lot of the day. So, I need to go back to take some pictures.