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18 Isle Of Wight Zoos, Animal Attractions And Wildlife Parks (2025 Guide)
There's a good choice of animal related days out and zoos on the Isle of Wight, with plenty of free things to do as well as paid attractions such as Tapnell Farm Park, Monkey Haven and Wildheart Animal Sanctuary.
If you fancy staying somewhere with animals onsite then options include:
Anyway, here's our guide to 17 of the Isle of Wight's zoos and animal attractions. These things change all the time, so please contact us if you find a dead end.
If you fancy staying somewhere with animals onsite then options include:
- the Island Riding Centre is an equestrian centre near Newport with dog friendly cottages including Giddyup (sleeps 4) as well as accessible accommodation including Wild Horse Retreat (sleeps 5) and Hold Your Horses (sleeps 8).
- Nettlecombe Farm has alpaca, reindeer and Shetland ponies and offers farm feeding sessions for self-catering guests. Options include Wren (sleeps 3), Corner Cottage (sleeps 8) and Swallow (sleeps 10).
- Compton Farm is a working farm (cows, pigs) with camping and touring near to the Isle of Wight's South West coastline.
Anyway, here's our guide to 17 of the Isle of Wight's zoos and animal attractions. These things change all the time, so please contact us if you find a dead end.
The Island Riding Centre is a good choice if you want an animal-themed holiday
1. Wildheart Animal Sanctuary (formerly Isle of Wight zoo)
Wildheart Animal Sanctuary was previously Isle of Wight Zoo before a name change in 2021. Chris Packham was one of the trustees for a few years.
Prior to that, we called it Sandown Zoo and my mother always tells the story of the time that my young brother happily toddled up to a tiger cub being taken for a walk along the seafront. In the 1970s it was described by the Sunday Times as ‘The Slum Zoo of Britain’ but it's a very good attraction nowadays. They recently invested in a couple of big domes that look rather cool.
Wildheart Animal Sanctuary specialises in big cats, but when we visited there were also raccoons, wallabies, owls and farm animals. Thanks to car insurance adverts, there is also a meerkat encounter.
See our guide to discounts to Isle of Wight attractions, which includes Wildheart Animal Sanctuary or the blog about one of our visits to the Sanctuary/Zoo.
Prior to that, we called it Sandown Zoo and my mother always tells the story of the time that my young brother happily toddled up to a tiger cub being taken for a walk along the seafront. In the 1970s it was described by the Sunday Times as ‘The Slum Zoo of Britain’ but it's a very good attraction nowadays. They recently invested in a couple of big domes that look rather cool.
Wildheart Animal Sanctuary specialises in big cats, but when we visited there were also raccoons, wallabies, owls and farm animals. Thanks to car insurance adverts, there is also a meerkat encounter.
See our guide to discounts to Isle of Wight attractions, which includes Wildheart Animal Sanctuary or the blog about one of our visits to the Sanctuary/Zoo.
I may be a tiger, but I'm just lion down for a bit...
2. Tapnell Farm Park
Tapnell Farm Park appeared in 2016 and quickly became one of our favourites. Many of the animals were adopted from Seaview Wildlife Encounter and Coleman's Farm (both of which closed back in 2015). There's a petting zoo with farm animals, as well as wallabies and meerkats. There's also an indoor play barn and a bouncy pillow for younger children, an adventure barn for junior school aged children and a nicely done burger restaurant next door called The Cow.
Read the blog about one of our many visits to Tapnell Farm.
Read the blog about one of our many visits to Tapnell Farm.
Tapnell Farm Park is great fun and they have plenty of animal activities
3. Monkey Haven
Monkey Haven is an award-winning attraction with various primates include lemurs, gibbons and macaques as well as owls including tawny, snowy and teat (that last one is a joke). Presumably the need for an owl sanctuary is in part because of all the Harry Potter fans who decided they wanted their own Hedwig.
It's not massive but it gets terrific reviews, and we enjoyed our day out. As well as the animals, there's a play area for younger children and a tea room.
There are occasionally ways to save money on admission in our guide to discounts to Isle of Wight attractions.
It won Best Small Attraction and Best Green Attraction at the Red Funnel Isle of Wight Awards in 2022.
It's not massive but it gets terrific reviews, and we enjoyed our day out. As well as the animals, there's a play area for younger children and a tea room.
There are occasionally ways to save money on admission in our guide to discounts to Isle of Wight attractions.
It won Best Small Attraction and Best Green Attraction at the Red Funnel Isle of Wight Awards in 2022.
A busy schedule at Monkey Haven
4. AMAZON WORLD
Amazon World (PO36 0LX) has plenty to do, including a fair amount of indoor stuff. In case you're trying to complete an i-spy animals book, the highlights include monkeys, meerkats, otters, bats, ocelot, anteaters, sloths, lemurs, tortoises, lizards, snakes, turtles, parrots, toucans and fish (all subject to availability, of course). Four racoons escaped in 2024, which gained attention from news outlets throughout the world. They were rounded up a few days later.
Amazon World also advertise that they have cockroaches and ants but then again, so do some caravan parks. For more advice on saving on entry tickets, see our guide to discounts on Isle of Wight attractions.
There's a large soft play area at the same site called Monkey Madness. It was originally a separate attraction but it's included in the entry fee.
Amazon World also advertise that they have cockroaches and ants but then again, so do some caravan parks. For more advice on saving on entry tickets, see our guide to discounts on Isle of Wight attractions.
There's a large soft play area at the same site called Monkey Madness. It was originally a separate attraction but it's included in the entry fee.
5. Quarr Abbey (free)
Quarr Abbey is home to some pigs that you can feed and it has the major advantage of being free. They sell food for the pigs in one of the shops, or you can bring your own. You aren't allowed to feed them food waste, but if you bring along fresh fruit and vegetables then they will happily gobble it up.
You may want to check their Facebook page, as they often publicise when the ultra-cute piglets have arrived.
Besides the animals, Quarr Abbey has a coffee shop, occasional free tours of the abbey and a woodland walk where you might spot a red squirrel. It's near to the Fishbourne ferry, so it's somewhere to waste an hour if you have arrived early.
See our guide to other free days out on the Isle of Wight.
You may want to check their Facebook page, as they often publicise when the ultra-cute piglets have arrived.
Besides the animals, Quarr Abbey has a coffee shop, occasional free tours of the abbey and a woodland walk where you might spot a red squirrel. It's near to the Fishbourne ferry, so it's somewhere to waste an hour if you have arrived early.
See our guide to other free days out on the Isle of Wight.
Quarr Abbey sounds like a headline in the Sun about Peter Crouch's wife
6. Search for a red squirrel (free)
There are estimated to be about 3500 of these handsome chaps on the Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is one of the few places in England where you can still see red squirrels. They are much shyer than grey squirrels making it much more of a challenge to spot one - they certainly won't approach you to steal a sandwich.
Your best bet is generally a woodland, rather than inside Morrisons - but I imagine you worked out that for yourself.
Maps and studies done by the Wight Squirrel Project show that there are lots of sightings on the north-east side of the Island (the rural bits surrounding Ryde) and a big chunk around the lesser-known areas of Hamstead and Bouldnor near Yarmouth. There aren't many sightings around the South Wight or the Island's south-west coastline.
There are a couple of options for anyone planning a red squirrel spotting outing:
1. The simple and low effort plan is to go for somewhere that is easy to access, such as Firestone Copse near Wootton Bridge, Quarr Abbey near Fishbourne, The Garlic Farm in Newchurch or Parkhurst Forest. These all have big, free car parks and tracks where you can take a pushchair. The downside of these well-managed places is that they are full of people, dogs, bikes and other noisy things that scare off squirrels.
If you go for Parkhurst Forest, then you might like to try the 'viewing hide'. The nearest postcode to the Parkhurst Forest hide is PO30 5UL (read about our soggy visit to The Hide).
Your best bet is generally a woodland, rather than inside Morrisons - but I imagine you worked out that for yourself.
Maps and studies done by the Wight Squirrel Project show that there are lots of sightings on the north-east side of the Island (the rural bits surrounding Ryde) and a big chunk around the lesser-known areas of Hamstead and Bouldnor near Yarmouth. There aren't many sightings around the South Wight or the Island's south-west coastline.
There are a couple of options for anyone planning a red squirrel spotting outing:
1. The simple and low effort plan is to go for somewhere that is easy to access, such as Firestone Copse near Wootton Bridge, Quarr Abbey near Fishbourne, The Garlic Farm in Newchurch or Parkhurst Forest. These all have big, free car parks and tracks where you can take a pushchair. The downside of these well-managed places is that they are full of people, dogs, bikes and other noisy things that scare off squirrels.
If you go for Parkhurst Forest, then you might like to try the 'viewing hide'. The nearest postcode to the Parkhurst Forest hide is PO30 5UL (read about our soggy visit to The Hide).
Parkhurst Forest has a red squirrel 'hide'
2. The more adventurous plan is to go full-Attenborough and make your way to somewhere without such easy parking, such as Bouldnor Forest near Yarmouth or Alverstone Mead Nature Reserve (look for the hide around here) and Borthwood Copse near Sandown. The Wight Squirrel Project also suggested Binstead Wood, although I can't say I've ever been there.
Alverstone Mead links up nicely with a cycle track called the Red Squirrel Trail.
If you go for the second option then you'll want to follow these tips from the Wight Squirrel Project:
As an aside, there is a curious little snippet buried in a report by the Wight Squirrel Project. It says that a grey squirrel was spotted in Bouldnor in 2002 and that the last reliable sighting of a grey on the Island was in 2003. It's not known how it afforded the ferry fare, but as grey squirrels live for about nine years it seems likely that we are in the clear for now.
Anyone bringing a grey squirrel across could potentially be jailed for two years. Not sure what reaction you would get from the other inmates when you explained to them why you were in prison.
Alverstone Mead links up nicely with a cycle track called the Red Squirrel Trail.
If you go for the second option then you'll want to follow these tips from the Wight Squirrel Project:
- most red squirrel sightings happen at dawn and dusk
- red squirrels don't hibernate, but summer tends to be an easier time to see them than winter
- if you are one of those people who can point at a tree and say "that's a lovely Scots pine" then you'll be able to figure out their whereabouts more easily. In early summer, squirrels nibble on Scots and Corsican pines. In late July, they gorge themselves on 'good hazel coppice with plenty of light'. In autumn, they dine on beech and sweet chestnut. Later in the year, they scurry around the floor looking for stuff they have buried, in the same way that I rummage through the house looking for Christmas decorations.
As an aside, there is a curious little snippet buried in a report by the Wight Squirrel Project. It says that a grey squirrel was spotted in Bouldnor in 2002 and that the last reliable sighting of a grey on the Island was in 2003. It's not known how it afforded the ferry fare, but as grey squirrels live for about nine years it seems likely that we are in the clear for now.
Anyone bringing a grey squirrel across could potentially be jailed for two years. Not sure what reaction you would get from the other inmates when you explained to them why you were in prison.
7. THE ISLE OF WIGHT DONKEY SANCTUARY (FREE)
Free parking and free entry makes the Isle of Wight Donkey Sanctuary a fantastic value day out. It's obviously a charity so they do appreciate visitors making a donation or adopting a donkey. You have to leave it there though - it turns out their understanding of adoption is different to mine.
The Donkey Sanctuary won 'best place for dogs' at the Red Funnel Isle of Wight Awards in 2022.
The Donkey Sanctuary won 'best place for dogs' at the Red Funnel Isle of Wight Awards in 2022.
These handsome chaps are free to visit at the Isle of Wight Donkey Sanctuary
Looking for Isle of Wight hotels? Try our guide
8. Carisbrooke Castle Donkeys
One of the highlights of Carisbrooke Castle is the deep well, which has a bucket that is pulled up by donkeys walking around a huge wheel.
All the donkeys have names beginning with J, apparently because it was the letter that King Charles I signed off his letters with whilst held captive at the Castle. Luckily he didn't sign off with an X or they'd have run out of names a few years ago.
You can also see the donkeys in their field by walking around the dry moat at the castle (you don't need to go into the Castle to do this).
You can get in free with English Heritage membership. See our guide to discounts for Isle of Wight attractions.
All the donkeys have names beginning with J, apparently because it was the letter that King Charles I signed off his letters with whilst held captive at the Castle. Luckily he didn't sign off with an X or they'd have run out of names a few years ago.
You can also see the donkeys in their field by walking around the dry moat at the castle (you don't need to go into the Castle to do this).
You can get in free with English Heritage membership. See our guide to discounts for Isle of Wight attractions.
Carisbrooke Castle is home to some well good donkeys
9. Butterfly World
If the thought of confronting a monkey or a lion at one of the Isle of Wight's other animal parks seems a bit much, then you might consider a trip to Butterfly World near Newport.
They have hundreds of butterflies and a wide range of Japanese Koi Carp, which gobble your hands. You can also watch butterflies emerging from their chrysalis (anyone know what the plural of chrysalis is? Chrysali?). It is indoors so it's a popular choice for a wet day.
Read the blog about our return to Butterfly World after a 33 year absence.
On a related note, there's a very rare butterfly called the Glanville Fritillary that lives in the wild on the Isle of Wight. If you know what that is, then you'll be very excited about the prospect of spotting one. Compton Bay's cliffs and Mottistone Estate are two popular spots for seeing them.
They have hundreds of butterflies and a wide range of Japanese Koi Carp, which gobble your hands. You can also watch butterflies emerging from their chrysalis (anyone know what the plural of chrysalis is? Chrysali?). It is indoors so it's a popular choice for a wet day.
Read the blog about our return to Butterfly World after a 33 year absence.
On a related note, there's a very rare butterfly called the Glanville Fritillary that lives in the wild on the Isle of Wight. If you know what that is, then you'll be very excited about the prospect of spotting one. Compton Bay's cliffs and Mottistone Estate are two popular spots for seeing them.
Dave, one of the butterflies at Butterfly World in Newport (I may have made up the name)
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You can fill a bit of time at the handling area with its various mini beasts
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10. Horses!
Riding a horse along the beach always looks great fun in slow motion on films, and it is several times more fun in real time.
Options for getting into horse riding include Island Riding Centre in Newport, Sally's Riding School in Bembridge/St Helens and Hill Farm Stables in Freshwater.
If you are staying at Nodes Point Holiday Park, then you can sign up with them for horse riding on one of the nearby beaches.
We went for a ride with Sally's Riding School. I couldn't quite get the right rhythm for trotting and suffered the consequences.
Options for getting into horse riding include Island Riding Centre in Newport, Sally's Riding School in Bembridge/St Helens and Hill Farm Stables in Freshwater.
If you are staying at Nodes Point Holiday Park, then you can sign up with them for horse riding on one of the nearby beaches.
We went for a ride with Sally's Riding School. I couldn't quite get the right rhythm for trotting and suffered the consequences.
Be honest, have I got a big nose?
11. West Wight Alpacas
Have you ever wanted to trek Alpacas around the Isle of Wight? Perhaps not, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad idea. West Wight Alpacas in Wellow also has a fancy farm café and shop and gets good reviews on TripAdvisor.
You can visit the farm for about £10 or you can take an Alpaca for a walk for about £25.
It featured on the Channel 5 Series called Isle of Wight: Jewel of the South (the programme where Alan Titchmarsh did a gushing commentary).
You can visit the farm for about £10 or you can take an Alpaca for a walk for about £25.
It featured on the Channel 5 Series called Isle of Wight: Jewel of the South (the programme where Alan Titchmarsh did a gushing commentary).
"It's going to be cold on this walk" "Don't worry, alpaca coat" (ha!)
12. Rockpooling (free)
Searching for crabs and other watery creatures is a great free day out. Most people staying in the East Wight head over to Bembridge, where you’ll find a variety of crabs, anemones, sea snails and prawns. If all that fails, there's a nice pub in Bembridge that will do you a packet of prawn cocktail crisps.
Other locations include St Helen’s, Steephill Cove and Freshwater Bay (the hidden bit round to the right as you face the sea, rather than the stony bit). See our beach map if you're lost and remember to check that it's low tide first.
Read our blog about a rockpooling trip to Bembridge or our triumphs at Freshwater Bay.
Other locations include St Helen’s, Steephill Cove and Freshwater Bay (the hidden bit round to the right as you face the sea, rather than the stony bit). See our beach map if you're lost and remember to check that it's low tide first.
Read our blog about a rockpooling trip to Bembridge or our triumphs at Freshwater Bay.
We found this mammoth creature at Freshwater Bay
13. The Isle of Wight Reptilarium and Terrapin Sanctuary
Slimy creatures with forked tongues don't just occupying Mrs Thatcher's Cabinet (Ed: think you might need to update your satirical references). You can now see them at the Isle of Wight Reptilarium and Terrapin Sanctuary, which is a smallish attraction in Fort Victoria in Yarmouth. They've got a selection of snakes, chameleons, geckos and frogs. It costs about £6 for adults.
14. Isle of WIght Deer Farm
This working deer farm opened up to the public in 2019 and now offers tours on foot or by vehicle. It's in a pleasant spot near to Carisbrooke Castle that I've often admired on the walk past Carisbrooke Priory. Occasionally I lean on a gate on Nunnery Lane, admire the view and say things like "ahhh, this is nice" even though there's no-one else there.
When I checked, the vehicle tour was £15 per person and the walking tour was £14 for a family of four.
"Is that too dear?" I said to the wife.
"No, they've got more than 200", she replied.
When I checked, the vehicle tour was £15 per person and the walking tour was £14 for a family of four.
"Is that too dear?" I said to the wife.
"No, they've got more than 200", she replied.
15. Haven Falconry
Haven Falconry gets staggeringly good reviews of 5/5 on TripAdvisor. That makes it a better attraction than Disneyland Paris (4/5), The Colosseum in Rome (4.5/5) and Christ The Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro (4.5/5).
It's also a fair bit cheaper than Disneyland Paris at about a fiver, or less if you are also visiting the Isle of Wight Steam Railway.
You can watch owls, hawks, falcons and vultures swooping around or pay a bit extra if you want to hold one.
It's also a fair bit cheaper than Disneyland Paris at about a fiver, or less if you are also visiting the Isle of Wight Steam Railway.
You can watch owls, hawks, falcons and vultures swooping around or pay a bit extra if you want to hold one.
"What are you looking at?..."
16. White Tailed Eagle Spotting (free)
For a free (and probably fruitless) alternative to falconry, head for Culver Down in the East Wight.
There's just a small chance you'll see a White-Tailed Eagle swooping around the skies for its lunch with its massive two metre wingspan.
Six birds were reintroduced to Culver Down in 2019, a whole 239 years since the last one nested there.
Of course, you might just stare up at the sky for ages and not see anything. Please don't walk backwards with binoculars near the cliff edge.
There's just a small chance you'll see a White-Tailed Eagle swooping around the skies for its lunch with its massive two metre wingspan.
Six birds were reintroduced to Culver Down in 2019, a whole 239 years since the last one nested there.
Of course, you might just stare up at the sky for ages and not see anything. Please don't walk backwards with binoculars near the cliff edge.
Culver Haven is the white bit of cliff at the end of Yaverland beach
17. Isle of Wight Pet Centre (free)
There are various pet shops on the Isle of Wight but the Isle of Wight Pet Centre is worth a mention as it also has a café. It is on the outskirts of Newport (PO30 1XP).
We've found that this sort of thing makes for a cheap day out with very young children. Our children stuck to a strict nap schedule, which only left us with about 27 minutes to actually get out and about each day. Coughing up £30 for a family ticket to a proper zoo didn't really seem worth it.
The café has nice inland views and there are some birds and small creatures to look at in the pet shop.
We've found that this sort of thing makes for a cheap day out with very young children. Our children stuck to a strict nap schedule, which only left us with about 27 minutes to actually get out and about each day. Coughing up £30 for a family ticket to a proper zoo didn't really seem worth it.
The café has nice inland views and there are some birds and small creatures to look at in the pet shop.
18. Robin Hill Country Park
Those with long memories will know that Robin Hill was practically a zoo in the 1980s, with dozens of animals including some pretty rare ones (read our history of Robin Hill if you have six or seven hours spare).
Most of the animals are long gone but the park still has a falconry centre and puts on regular shows. There are also a few peacocks who strut around as if they own the place.
It'll cost you about £20 to get in, but the park also has things like a toboggan run and bouncy nets in the woods. It is aimed at primary school aged children.
Most of the animals are long gone but the park still has a falconry centre and puts on regular shows. There are also a few peacocks who strut around as if they own the place.
It'll cost you about £20 to get in, but the park also has things like a toboggan run and bouncy nets in the woods. It is aimed at primary school aged children.
Robin Hill has falconry and some peacocks - but most of the animals moved to Morocco in the 1990s
The-Isle-of-Wight-Guru-Don't-Blame-Us-Disclaimer™ All the information on this website is correct, as far as we know, but please do check details directly - and please contact us if you find anything inaccurate. Here's our full disclaimer.
