Park Admission
Walk-through wildlife adventure across 150+ acres and 15 lands, with polar bears, big cats, giraffes, African penguins and six play areas included. Advance tickets from £23.99 per person.
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Visitor feedback and an independent overview of Yorkshire Wildlife Park, a 150-acre walk-through wildlife park on the outskirts of Doncaster, South Yorkshire.
Yorkshire Wildlife Park combines a large walk-through animal park with keeper experiences, an on-site hotel, seasonal events and The Yorkshire Hive shopping and dining area.
Walk-through wildlife adventure across 150+ acres and 15 lands, with polar bears, big cats, giraffes, African penguins and six play areas included. Advance tickets from £23.99 per person.
Keeper-led encounters including polar bear, cheetah, lemur, meerkat and giant otter experiences, as mentioned in visitor reviews.
Overnight stays beside the animal reserves, with short breaks advertised from £90 per person and rooms with animal views.
Halloween (24 Oct – 1 Nov 2026) and Winter Illuminations with the 2026 Polar Bear Express theme, plus The Yorkshire Hive's free-entry shops and dining.
Independent, checkable facts behind the park, rather than marketing claims.
Wild Life Group Limited, company no. 06531168, incorporated 11 March 2008 and formerly Yorkshire Wildlife Park Limited.
View on Companies House ↗Holds a 4.6 out of 5 rating from 23,949 reviews on its Google Business Profile.
Runs the WildLife Foundation charity and lists BIAZA, EAZA and WAZA among its affiliations. It describes conservation as being at its heart.
View conservation work ↗Shares animal news and events on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, X, YouTube and LinkedIn.
View on Instagram ↗Yorkshire Wildlife Park holds a 4.6 out of 5 rating from 23,949 reviews on Google. Below is a selection of 129 recent written reviews. Visitors most often praise the spacious enclosures, walk-through areas, polar bears, cleanliness and friendly staff, while critical reviews mention the amount of walking, food prices, parking charges and animals being out of view. These are included alongside the park's response where one was given.
“We did the Cheetah experience on Saturday 15th August at 11.30am. I forgot the name of our ranger but they gave us the best experience. Very chilled vibe and informative, made the whole experience memorable and I …”
“Beautifully laid out wildlife park. Each animal has large spacious enclosures designed to recreate their natural environment wherever possible. Loads of information boards around describing the animals, their habitats and conservation needs. Play areas for little ones. A great day out …”
“Amazing”
“A great day! Saw lots of animals, the Zoo was clean and tidy with lots of cleaners out and about. Had the Lemur animal experience it was awesome and Zoe the animal keeper was full of knowledge and little amusing stories. Stayed in the Hex …”
“Brilliant day out. The park is really well laid out so you feel close to the animals and they have good sized habitats. There are also a few where you can walk through which is brilliant! …”
“Amazing zoo every animal you can name highly recommend you pay a visit 😉”
“Brilliant a lovley. Christmas experience they are trying hard here something for Yorkshire . We have been a few times now , really enjoy they are putting a lot into this …”
“Fantastic place with a good variety of wildlife loved it …”
“Absolutely brilliant, it's been a few years since we last visited but wonderful as ever. Very clean park, with helpful and friendly staff from the guy checking tickets through to the Animal talk girls (Wallabies, Millie and Lions- …”
“Great day out for all the family New penguins are amazing …”
“Animals are very active and easy to spot! Make sure you're ready for a lot of walking though. Food is okay, a fair price for an individual but adds up for families. …”
“Nice park, lots of animals …”
“We visited for the first time as a family and we absolutely loved it! Would love to visit again in the future. …”
“Amazing experience, loved all the animals and friendly staff, well worth a visit! …”
“We visited with my two boys and their Nan, and I just had to leave a review for Charlie, who made our day so special. …”
“Great place, easy to find, loads of parking. Big place and lots of walking. A pram is suggested for the younger children. A bit pricey but you can be there for quite a long time. We did 6 hours with a 2 year old. …”
“Really nice place and serves a good cause. …”
“Excellent animal park in my opinion. Easy to get to, huge amount of parking space which is nice. The park itself is very well laid out and has lots of room, clean and well kept. …”
“Amazing day for my grand daughters 3rd birthday. So much to see and the weather was amazing for late September. Will come again …”
“Brilliant experience …”
“A lovely day out. We were there for over 4 hour and did not see it all. Easy to find with postcode. …”
“What a waste of money hard of the animals was not out too see i wouldn't go again …”
“Amazing day out”
“We have visited Yorkshire Wildlife Park several times a year for many years now. The new glass fronted penguin enclosure is absolutely amazing. My wife, son and I recently enjoyed a lovely Silver Atlantic Forest Experience hosted by …”
“Genuinely my favourite place in the north of England. No improvements needed. …”
“It was the most amazing special day today for myself husband and 3 sons. We had a perfect,special and most peaceful day walking around the whole of the wildlife park at our own pace, enjoying every stop to see and spot the most lovely well kept amd well looked after animals. And it was so clean , everywhere here was immaculate clean. …”
“A very solid zoo. Great enclosures. Enjoyed reading about the release and breeding projects and animal welfare was on point. …”
“A great day out for all. We regularly visit, we brought annual memberships as our Christmas presents and enjoy the walk. We see something different every time we go. Great cafe on site and plenty of places to sit all over the site if you bring a picnic. …”
“Yorkshire Wildlife Park never fails to impress, and the recent refurbishments have taken it to another level. The refreshed habitats, improved layout, and upgraded amenities make watching the animals even more special. Fantastic …”
“I can't believe we have polar bears in Yorkshire. Such a great place to take the kids. Nice little cafe there too …”
“This was amazing lots of animals there. I had an absolutely lovely time it was so nice and the food there was banging …”
“What a lovely wildlife park to come too. We stayed next door at the Hex hotel. Very large plenty of animals to see and talks about some of the animals. Lots of staff who were only to happy to chat with us when we wanted to know any thing …”
“There wasn't many animals on show, maybe to cold for them, very disappointed with the visit. Prices for food and drink was very reasonable 👌 …”
“Great experience, amazing wildlife, even the dinosaurs are fun, plenty to keep the kids happy …”
“We have previously had really positive experiences with Yorkshire Wildlife Park, which makes this even more disappointing. …”
“Why is there captive polar bears in Yorkshire? Release them and stop making money from their suffering”
“Fantastic park with lots of animals and good facilities”
“Amazing place …”
“Polar bear experience - we did this yesterday, the staff in the guest services building were lovely and very welcoming and friendly, The keeper was fab really lovely and informative and made sure we had a …”
“My problem with the park seem to be the same has other disabled visitors you have a poor parking set up your cameras take a shot of your car before they turn in to disabled car park and dont show your car if you pull out top side of car …”
“A great place to visit, the nieces had an amazing day out …”
“I love everything about the Yorkshire wildlife Park. Brilliant enclosures for the animals. The African hunting dogs was a highlight for me. Tigers,polar bears,red panda ,lemurs&:the maned wolf. What a wonderful day . …”
“Loved it! Yes they've moved the entrance and exit to the other side, however we saw a lot more Animals this time and really enjoyed it. …”
“We stopped here on our way up to York, it was a convenient way to make use of our day and stretch our legs. This has to be one of the cleanest and most spacious wildlife parks I’ve ever …”
“We stayed over night in the hex hotel. Sat on the balcony early morning watching the animals. We had bearded wolves,gibbons, bush dogs. I thought we were looking at hippos. Once in the park I realised they were tapiers. …”
“This is a great wildlife park. It might seem a little expensive but you can easily spend a full day there so is good value really. There is discount on your ticket price for ordering on line, at latest the day before you visit. You also …”
“Very well kepted. Good variety of animals …”
“Nice place to visit especially when you have a kids, lots of different animals, even me I was so amazed 😆”
“Really enjoyed it,lovely and clean, lots of choices of animals, lots of walking but very easy paths for pushchairs Plan to get there early we got there 11.45 and 5pm we hadn't seen all of the animals. Will definatly visit again❤️ …”
“Would recommend anyone to visit at least once, especially if like me it's closest to you than any other zoo or similar attraction. Pro's: …”
“Enjoyed our day out, big cats sleeping so managed to see one tiger, passengers on the coach saw quite a few cats. The ice cream was delicious 😋 the part where the dinosaurs are 🦕 older children would like. Got to see most of the animals. …”
“Brilliant place to visit. Been a few times and each time I go they have added new enclosures and things see. The animals are well looked after and seem happy and content. The park is well maintained, I didn't see any litter laying around. …”
“One of the best zoos I've ever been to Great animals, incredible enclosures and very great and friendly staff. The animals all looked really happy and well cared for. The conservation work they do is …”
“I took my son here for his birthday, and unfortunately, it was a very disappointing experience. We walked around the park but barely saw any animals, which completely spoiled what was meant to be a special birthday day out. …”
“Lovely Yorkshire wildlife park. Love seen the animals especially the polar bears. The cafes were reasonable priced too. …”
“Fantastic …”
“What a fabulous wildlife park this is. It must have the most spacious enclosures and habitats for the animals out of any park I have been to. You get really close to the animals too. Clean and tidy everywhere. Food and drink good quality and value. …”
“Amazing place to go and on my birthday made it more special …”
“Fantastic place . Was there for a wedding . My only problem were taxis back from the venue to the Hex hotel was an awful journey the managers should employ people to organise a way to get back from the venue to the hotel we all had problems …”
“Great day out with plenty of animals to see. Walk through areas with certain animals very good. Well kept enclosures and plenty to keep you busy all days as well as the Yorkshire Hive shops & cafes by the park entrance.Excellent choice of lunch venues/ snack stops. …”
“As long as you don't mind a lot of walking this is experience not to be missed only advice is take your own food and drink !! …”
“Absolutely brilliant, lovely staff great exhibits. And loads of space for the kids to blow off steam and enjoy themselves. …”
“Absolutely brilliant day out, the animals are very well looked after and the whole site is kept very clean, it was my second visit and I will definitely visit again. Very reasonable ticket prices. On site food and drinks are quite expensive though …”
“A really good day out! So much to see and great facilities around! …”
“Play areas dotted around the zoo instead of just in one place makes it much easier to entertain the kids compared to other zoos and the animal enclosures are huge with walkways above which feels a lot nicer too. A great family day out …”
“Visited with my two nephews and all of us loved it, lots of animals to see, plenty of cafés and picnic areas to sit at as well! Also had a great model dinosaur walk! The wallaby walk and lemur trail were cool, and it was nice to see the polar bear and tiger exhibits are really good sizes compared to some zoos we have been to …”
“Great place to experience some of the endangered species in their natural habitat …”
“Just an excellent experience. Well worth the visit. Camt rate it any higher or I would. Edit: for some reason I originally gave this a 1 star which was never my intention. 5 star place to visit. Sorry about that and thanks for the reply. …”
“Fantastic day out miles of walking to be done so comfy shoes recommend. There is also a lot of gravel paths and the amount of people mostly kids that skidded and fell on it was awful to be honest. …”
“a little short on Wildlife …”
“A great day out with family. We got to see most of the animals. The cafe at the entrance with really nice. …”
“Great place to visit big enclosures for the animals and lots to see …”
“We went on the event day so the Yorkshire wildlife was open until 9pm. We didn’t realise how massive the safari walk actually was until we got there (if you’re not used to walking much then you’ll be exhausted by the end of it) . So be …”
“I would never visit a place that keeps wild animals imprisoned in environments where they simply do not belong. Zoos try to dress it up as conservation, education, or protection, but at the end of the day, these animals are being exploited …”
“Good day out. Plenty of animals, but often out of view. Expensive food, but that's expected, and quite often not all outlets open, or low stock. They are always expanding, so just getting better.”
“Amazing place …”
“A great family day out in responsible care. Upon arrival, i noticed my tickets were booked for the next day. I went to the …”
“Loved it here. It was very spacious and the animals seemed to be well looked after and all had loads of space to roam. …”
“Had a fantastic time here spent 4 hours walking around all the areas and watching the animals. Very family orientated with lots of things children can do including play area. Cafes available and picnic areas all over the park. Great to see …”
“Amazing place to have a family day out, take a picnic and enjoy the animals and parks.”
“Enjoyable day out with work. …”
“My favourite place to visit. Fabulous animals with large, open enclosures. Polar bears are my favourite …”
“The best wildlife park in the UK. Worth a visit alone to see the Polar Bears. …”
“Lovely wildlife park. A lot of fabulous animals to see. Plenty restaurants and eating areas. …”
“fabulous place. an amazing day. more excited than all the kids there …”
“Had a fantastic time with my family at Yorkshire Wildlife Park. We stayed at the hotel. The hotel was great, very clean and relaxing. …”
“Fantastic day out. Its huge and plenty to see. I would definitely recommend. Its actually affordable too. …”
“Really disappointed with our visit. After spending a lot of money on tickets, we’ve now received a parking fine. We had a valid Blue Badge, and the signage stated 3 hours for disabled badge …”
“Lovely space to see beautiful animals and get your steps in …”
“Went here on a Wednesday, and it was fairly quiet. The place was clean and there were plenty of animals to see. There were also places to eat and there were talks dotted around the park, which provided a brilliant insight into the animals. It was an enjoyable experience, and I would definitely come again. …”
“Great variety of animals”
“Absolutely amazing it was bigger than I expected. The tigers,cheeta's, polar bears and wallabies are awesome the whole family really enjoyed themselves too. …”
“We visit here at least twice a year. We all absolutely love it, definitely a must if you have never been here. …”
“Visited on a Monday, got stuck in traffic on the way and a 2hour 30mins journey took 4 hours, so not a great start, we worried we wouldnt have time to see everything before having to leave but we just about got everything in before closing …”
“Love YWP! The animals look happy and well cared for. The keepers are so helpful, chatting to my granddaughter about her plans to work with animals in the future. The park is clean and although it's a little expensive it's a great day out.”
“Very nice place to visit …”
“Brilliant! We had a great day out, the food is a little pricey but there's so many good spots for a picnic. They also provide strollers (£10-15) that maneuver great over the gravel paths and can fit a 6 year old. This meant we could really …”
“Fabulous place to visit. Love the new penguins! Saw the sealions being fed! Amazing. Was lucky enough to see Scouting for girls and Paddy McGuinness in the last wild live shows. …”
“Hardly seen any animals except polar Bears”
“We had a really enjoyable family visit to Yorkshire Wildlife Park. The park is very easy to get around with a pushchair or pram, with plenty of …”
“Wonderful animal park …”
“When we visited, they were working on a new Penguin enclosure and construction was being done on the lion enclosure. We stayed at the Hive Hotel for 2 nights which was nice. We didn't have reservation view but it was good for the price. Could use more photo opportunity setups. …”
“Great experience”
“Yorkshire wildlife park keeps growing, now with penguins! Excellent day out for all, even on the busiest days there is plenty of room for guests. We have been annual pass holders for +5 years with many visits yet we always find new …”
“We visited the park and it is excellent. You get an excellent view of all the animals and their enclosures are spacious and well kept. The park it's self is clean and easy to navigate around.”
“Lovely day out. Didn't get chance to see everything though, love this place and will return …”
“A perfect day for A trip to YWP, the weather was warm but cloudy. Not so many people there, that you were jostling for position to see the animals. We saw the lions, tigers & bears, along with many other species of animals. Lunch was lovely, all in all a great day. Thank you YWP …”
“Unfortunately due to weather we could only manage to get round the dinosaur part Unfortunately we all got really soaked my son was upset and wanted to go home so we couldn't get to see the rest of the park but are going back when the weather is better …”
“Great place for everyone to visit, particularly families with children. Excellent facilities and friendly staff. Spent 3 hours walking around the park and the highlight for us was seeing the lions and tigers. …”
“Don't visit just after feeding time - all the animals go inside for a nap!!! 😂 …”
“We've been numerous times and hold annual cards, each visit is slightly different with the animals sometimes playing hide and seek. Food is what you'd expect, plenty of picnic/play/toilet areas. …”
“Always a fab day out. Of all the wildlife parks and zoos we have visited with the kids, this has to be the best. The animals and the park and both fab. Plenty of toilets and food kiosks around. A lot of walking involved as it is big. …”
“We visited bank holiday Sunday, a family of 7 and had the best day! The park is beautiful, well maintained and easy to navigate. …”
“To be honest I visited the Zoo twice this year and am disappointed with Yorkshire Wild Park. After nearly paying £30 for a ticket. It’s actually not worth the money. I did see some animals in the Zoo but spent 70% of time looking at empty …”
“This place was well worth the 2 hour drive. Yes very busy but place so spread out with so much to see and do. Animal enclosures are so big your not on top of each other trying to see the animals. With animals from the moment you get through …”
“Even on the packed Wild Live finale day at midday, the park managed crowds effortlessly with a great number of places to eat and plenty of seating throughout. There was a talk on the lions when we're were there which was informative. …”
“Wow one of the best wildlife parks in the UK! Great day out …”
“The updated layout works well, lots to do and lots to see. It's was great with my 4 years old as lots of parks and play areas. The app is great, but they could do a little better letting you know what food and drink options are available and where to get them. …”
“Really enjoyed it, fab park with lots to do and see. Will definitely be returning …”
“Lots of animals including polar bears 🐻❄️ …”
“Excellent family day out a little pricey for the current climate but it was worth me saving up. The burgers there are great value and tasty. …”
“Huge wildlife park, be prepared for walking. Animals appear healthy and relaxed.”
“Wonderful to see the new additions of 4 cheetah cubs and the penguins”
“Another great day out with the kids, come here at least once a year and never disappoints, even got to see the polar bear close up this time. …”
“First time here, excellent wildlife park. Travelled up from Essex, 3 hours drive. Well worth the travel. Only thing to work on is the cleanliness of the Doughnut stall near the Tiger, little dirty looking. …”
“We had a really enjoyable day at Yorkshire Wildlife Park and would definitely recommend visiting. …”
“Can't fault this place especially now they have more attractions such as the penguins and the Gibbons. I think that supporting YWP is extremely good because of the conservation programmes they run and also the animals they rescue. It a big …”
“Great Day out, lots to see and do for youngsters. …”
“Fantastic place for all ages. Large enough park for you to picnic and walk all day. Clean and friendly. V.expensive for family so look out for offers”
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Ratings differ between review sites, partly because each attracts different reviewers. Both are shown here so you can see the wider picture.
Reviewers highlight the spacious natural enclosures, the walk-through areas and keeper talks, and note that food is expensive and the park involves a lot of walking.
Read on Tripadvisor ↗An unclaimed Trustpilot profile, where 45% of reviews are one star. Reviewers cite empty or hidden animals, value for money, parking charges and the mobile app; 22% give five stars.
Read on Trustpilot ↗These attractions suit a similar animal-and-family day out in Yorkshire and the wider region. They are included as ideas, not ranked recommendations, and some are a longer drive away.
Butterflies, meerkats, otters and falconry at North Anston, near Sheffield.
Warwickshire zoo and conservation charity, home to all four great apes. A longer drive from Doncaster.
Coastal aquarium with seals, otters, sharks and a penguin colony on Scarborough's seafront.
Yorkshire Wildlife Park is on Hurst Lane, on the outskirts of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, DN9 3QY. The park describes itself as the UK's no.1 walk-through wildlife adventure.
The park says it covers more than 150 acres, including 15 themed lands and habitats, three walk-through animal reserves and six indoor and outdoor play areas included in the admission price.
The park lists 9:45am to 5pm with last entry at 3pm for mid-October to 1 November 2026, and states that advance admission starts from £23.99 per person. Hours and prices change seasonally and the park can close at short notice, so check the official opening times page before travelling.
Yes. The Hex Wildlife Hotel is on site, and several reviewers describe waking up to views over the animal reserves. The park advertises short breaks from £90 per person.
The park states that all of its car parks are free, but that conditions vary: the main all-day car park has no time limit, the short-stay car park beside The Yorkshire Hive is limited to two hours with ANPR cameras, Blue Badge holders can use the disabled car park all day when the badge is displayed, and the Hex Hotel car park is for hotel guests only. Several reviewers mention parking charges, so read the signs on arrival.
Yes. The park is operated by Wild Life Group Limited, company no. 06531168, an active private limited company incorporated on 11 March 2008 and previously named Yorkshire Wildlife Park Limited. Its WildLife Foundation charity works on conservation projects.
The park holds a 4.6 out of 5 rating from 23,949 reviews on its Google Business Profile. Reviewers most often praise the spacious enclosures, the walk-through areas, the polar bears and the cleanliness; the most common criticisms are the amount of walking, food prices, parking charges and animals being out of view on some days. Tripadvisor shows 4.4 out of 5 from around 10,000 reviews, while the park's unclaimed Trustpilot profile shows 2.1 out of 5 from 99 reviews, where complaints centre on empty enclosures, value for money and parking charges.
Hurst Lane
Doncaster, South Yorkshire, DN9 3QY
Wild Life Group Limited · Company no. 06531168 · Active · Incorporated 11 March 2008
| Opening hours | 9:45am–5pm |
| Last entry | 3pm |
| Period listed | 13 Oct – 1 Nov 2026 |
Hours change seasonally and the park can close at short notice. Check the official opening times before travelling.
01302 535057
yorkshirewildlifepark.com
Official opening times ↗