There is an extra charge for these visits, please contact us for further details.
Unique Garden Safaris
You may not know it but Paignton Zoo is not just home to exotic and threatened animals, it is also home to amazing plants. These unique Garden Safaris take a look at the Zoo’s collection of plants and the botanical gardens. A member of the Zoo’s Gardens Department will be your guide and the length of the tour can be tailored to your groups’ needs.
Safari 1: Natural habitats – fairly flat, duration 1-2 hours
The walk begins in the Brookside Aviary with a look at woodland areas and continues through to the wetland concluding with a look at the Mediterranean Garden. Highlights of the tour: use of native plant species to re-create natural habitats, swamp cypress, Chusan fan palm, Banksia, Chilean wine palm, protea and culinary herbs.
Safari 2: Gardens – some hills, duration 1½ - 2½ hours
This walk includes Reptile Tropics, the Desert House, Mediterranean Garden, Economic Garden, Monkey Heights, Medicinal Garden and Baboon Rock.
Highlights of the tour: history of the Zoo as a botanical garden, Chusan fan palm, gunnera, banana, cocoa, cycad, giant bamboo, agave, aloe, cacti, pagoda tree, apothecary’s rose, foxglove tree, the Japanese raisin tree and ginkgo.
Short Stay Visits
You ideally need a whole day to see all of the Zoo, however if time is tight then why not consider a Short Stay Visit? Visits can be tailored to suit your groups’ needs.
Enjoy lunch or a cream tea in the Island Restaurant. Why not visit the Zoo after breakfast and enjoy a couple of hours wandering through the six habitats from around the world before enjoying lunch? Or come in the afternoon to combine your visit with a delicious Devon cream tea?
In two hours you can catch some of the highlights: lions, tigers, rhinos and elephants, gorillas and orang utans.
Monkey Heights offers raised walkways and clear views of the Zoo’s collection of monkeys; Reptile Tropics and the Desert House are indoors and under cover and home to an amazing array of reptiles and birds.
Evening Badger Watch
If you are looking for a trip in the evening, then why not try Badger Watching? European badgers have lived wild in Paignton Zoo for many years but are hardly ever seen in the daytime. One clan of badgers occupies this main viewing site and only when visitors leave do they begin their night-time feeding and socialising activities. You can view these magnificent creatures from our custom built viewing hide with the aid of artificial moonlight. As dusk descends you will make your way to the hide with one of our zoo keepers and with luck, and reasonable weather, you will see some of the badgers emerging from their sett and starting their evening forage for food. |
