Marwell Zoo
About Marwell Zoo
Marwell Zoo is a beautiful 140-acre outdoor attraction, nestled in Winchester’s countryside. Take a stroll around the park, enjoy the fresh air, and spot a variety of exotic and endangered species.
With a host of animals and a stunning environment, Marwell Zoo is the perfect family attraction!
About Marwell Zoo
The zoo is owned and operated by the conservation charity Marwell Wildlife, which was established in 1972. The best thing about coming to the zoo is that by visiting you’ll be supporting their projects to conserve species and habitats across the globe!
Things To Do
The Animals
First off, let's start with their BRAND NEW habitat: Thriving Through Nature! It's home to exciting new species including rock hyrax, amphibians, and lizards. The area is designed to appeal to the senses with calming water sounds, scented plants, light effects, and textured surfaces.
They’ve also stripped back the written signage and used Makaton symbols to make the experience as accessible as possible. Plus, you can trail your hands through a waterfall, touch and smell leaves, and run your fingers over the sandy rocks.
Not to mention they've completely upcycled and revamped the old tropical house building to bring Thriving Through Nature to life. The building is heated by the zoo poo biomass heating system!
We encourage everyone to take a stroll around with a patient and watchful eye and imagine that they are trying to see the animals in the wild… With hundreds of incredibly exotic and endangered animals such as Rothchild's giraffes, white rhinos, Amur tigers, Humboldt penguins, scimitar oryx, red pandas, clouded leopards, snow leopards, all three species of zebra and more, you’ll always have more to see!
Step into paradise at the innovative and sustainable Energy for Life: Tropical House! This innovative and sustainable exhibit also features an energy-from-waste plant where zoo poo will be turned into energy to heat the park's buildings, helping us to reach their goal of becoming carbon neutral! That’s one way to truly recycle!
As you walk through this immersive exhibit, gaze at the beautiful and colourful birds flying overhead and come face-to-face with Linne’s two-toed sloth. Not only that, but you can also discover vibrant species of exotic plants with their array of bright colours.
Get up close to Wallabies as you wander through the Wallaby walkthrough, which has a relaxing water feature and natural seating – making it the ideal spot to unwind. If you need to take a break, stop and listen to the natural sounds of the park - soothing and calming all in one.
DOWTK Top Tip! We recommend downloading Marwell Zoo's App for accurate animal feed times, an interactive detailed park map and fun animal facts!
Kids Playgrounds
The kids can go wild in the must-see fabulous five adventure playgrounds too! Whether they choose the bespoke Okapi playground for 6-14-year-olds or the Life Among The Trees playground - with 5 incredible playgrounds to choose from, they'll never get bored!
Plus the new and improved Fur, Feathers and Scales playgrounds are both inclusive with accessible equipment so, all children can safely play.
It's the purr-fect place where your little monkeys can let off steam! By hopping, skipping and jumping their way around, having a creative adventure outside! They can clamber up climbing nets, burrow through net tunnels, swing and just have fun!
Grounds & Gardens
Behind Marwell Hall, you'll find a formal garden encompassing 3 garden styles from the 16th and 17th centuries. Enjoy the vibrant colours of a range of beautiful exotic plants. The Knot Garden is filled with lavender and roses and uses box hedging to frame the garden.
With an English knot pattern, as well as strapwork and needlework. The Parterre Garden is filled with flower beds with colourful roses and lilies and the final garden, The Kitchen Garden, is used for growing herbs, fruit and vegetables! From lemon balm to carrots and popular plants from the 17th century!
Gift Shop
Don't forget to pop along to Marwell Zoo's gift shop for fun, ethically sourced gifts. With a range of animal plushies, notebooks, homeware and more, you'll have plenty of ideas for gifts to give animal lovers! It's the perfect way to take a bit of the Marwell Animal Kingdom home with you!
Food & Drink
We bet your cubs will have worked up an appetite, but don’t worry, there are plenty of food kiosks available all around the zoo! Munch at Cafe Graze with a selection of hot meals as you overlook the "once-extinct Przewalski's horses" instead of meerkats!
Gobble down on yummy pasta, handmade pies, veggie stir fry and the classic but comforting jacket potato. There’s so much choice, your bellies will be full from just looking at the menu!
There’s also Coffee Corner coffee shop for a pick-me-up, as well as a selection of hot & cold drinks, ice creams, and savoury pastries if you're looking for some light bites. Yummy!
All are freshly prepared with locally sourced ingredients! How many people can say they’ve had lunch next to a rhino?
Oh, and there are also a couple of indoor picnic areas for you to stop by and enjoy a picnic!
Why We Recommend Marwell Zoo For Families
Marwell Zoo is the perfect place for animal lovers to be immersed in the Animal Kingdom world with hundreds of animals, exotic plants and activities! Head on over to the zoo for an unforgettable day out - we wonder what animals you will get to meet!
- Engage in animal feeds
- 100s of animals for you to meet and acres of gardens to explore it makes the perfect family day out
- When you visit, you’ll contribute to the action-oriented conservation charity Marwell Wildlife and learn more about their conservation programmes.
Hundreds of really cool animals!
Marwell Zoo has hundreds of incredibly exotic and endangered animals such as Rothchild's giraffes, white rhinos, Amur tigers, Humboldt penguins, scimitar-horned oryx, red pandas, clouded leopards, snow leopards, all three species of zebra and more, you’ll always have more to see!
5 Fun Playgrounds!
Choose between the Okapi playground for 6-14-year-olds or the Life Among The Trees playground. Plus the new and improved Fur, Feathers and Scales playgrounds are both inclusive with accessible equipment so, all children can safely play.
BRAND NEW Exhibit
Introducing their brand new habitat: Thriving Through Nature - home to amazing new species. You'll discover rock hyrax, amphibians and even lizards!
Opening Times
Standard Opening Times
Monday to Sunday 10:00 - 17:00
Seasonal Times
1st November 2023 - 28th March 2024
Monday-Sunday 10:00 - 16:00
29th March 2024 - 31st October 2024
Monday-Sunday 10:00 - 17:00
Pricing & Tickets
- Child (3-16) : £13.94
Adult (Aged 17 – 59 years): From £17.09
Child (Aged 3-16 years): From £13.94
Children under 3: FREE
Senior (60+) and student (with valid student card): From £13.49
Carer: FREE
Marwell Zoo Members: FREE with valid Membership card
Book in advance for cheapest tickets
Find other attractions similar to Marwell Zoo by visiting our attraction tickets section.
Plan Your Visit
Typical visit time 3 - 4 hours
Suitable for Kids and Adults too
FAQs
Yes, there is parking.
Parking is free!
Contact Details
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Last Updated: 01:30 28/03/2024
Marwell Zoo Reviews
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