Hoo Zoo & Dinosaur World

Date of visit - 01/08/2024

We had visited Hoo Zoo & Dinosaur World, back in 2018.  To be honest, it wasn't until we pulled into the car park that I got a feeling of "we've been here before", proper deja vu... as it turned out, it wasn't some creepy out of body experience, we HAD been here before, although at the time of our last visit the park was called Hoo Farm Animal Kingdom - the dinosaurs not being added until 2021, which is probably why I hadn't twigged.

The car park for the venue is compressed gravel, with I believe a grass overspill car park. There were disabled spaces, near the entrance, by the zoo's own admission these are limited, and none of the disabled spaces were available to us on the day of our visit.

Carer's go free with the usual documentation (PIP/DLA), plus some other local concessions (inc. Foster carer ID card, Carers ID card), it may be worth checking before attending if you think you might qualify for one of the discounts offered.

Of particular note, they do NOT accept ACCESS cards as proof of care needs.

Once inside you can either use the signs and "you are here" map boards to find your way around the park, or you can download the Hoo Zoo app, which is available for Android and Apple. The app is quite good, although as per anything of its type likes to send you notifications, which you can, of course, switch off.

The paths around most of the zoo are on good level ground, and again compressed gravel. There are the odd obstacles like small single steps, but generally it is reasonably accessible for most.

Further information is available from their accessibility statement.

When I ordered our tickets I had included a tub of animal food with our order, which was presented to us as we booked in. I was impressed with how much food we received, and also that it came in a recyclable cup, with a lid that detailed exactly which animals you could feed with the food provided. I thought this was a good idea, and different to other feeding zoos I had been to, where it's normally some food in a paper bag.

Being incredibly sensory our Little One wasn't quite so sure about feeding the goats. He has done it before and always tolerates it, but I'm not sure, if he was able to tell us, if this would be his favourite thing to do. My daughter's children, on the other hand, loved it.

Experiences, it's all about experiences - hopefully more good then bad!

What I should probably mention now is the word zoo. If you are coming to this zoo expecting big cats, elephants, giraffes, etc., then this isn't the place for you.

They do have a wide range of animals, particularly ones that can be fed, like llama, goats and sheep. They also have deer, ostrich, emu, wolves, lemur and wallaby walkthroughs, owls, some of the smaller big cats, like caracal, serval, bobcat and rusty spotted cats - you get the picture, there are lots of different animals.

The website gives you a better impression of what you should be able to see on your visit.

Probably the biggest surprise for me of the day was seeing a capybara taking a swim. I have seen these giant "guinea pigs" at many an animal park, but never seen one with just its nose and ears above water before!

The lemur walkthrough was fun, the lemur's get quite close at times, not that Little One takes any notice most of the time. Occasionally movement catches his eye and he looks, but it is often just a fleeting moment. A tip, as picture four above illustrates, they can be quite quick, so if you are trying to capture that cute moment, don't hang about posing - or they will be gone!

The lemur walkthrough is one of the areas where you can pay to have an "experience". On the day we visited there was a family, with a teenage girl, presumably whose experience it was, she was covered in lemurs and appeared absolutely delighted by the experience - to be fair, as did the lemurs, who clearly enjoy the experience too!

Again, if you think your child would tolerate getting up close and personal with the animals then it might be worth looking at, as this really did look like an experience of a lifetime. Warning, though they're not cheap!

After we had been to visit the lemurs we made our way through the sensory forest. This is a nice area for children who like a little bit of peace and quiet, but at the same time can, if they want or are able, to produce some sounds of their own, with several sound based installations to explore.

Our Little One doesn't normally take any notice of these sort of things. We have bought him keyboards, bongos, xylophones, etc., but with little success or interest on his part. He did, however, take a bit of notice of the percussion here, particularly liking the Penguin xylophone.

From here, we went via the deer and wallaby walk towards the dinosaurs.

Now over the years we have been to lots of animal places that have spiced up their sites with dinosaur displays, from Edinburgh zoo, Colchester, Howletts and Port Lympne, none of these came anywhere near to the quality of the display of dinosaurs on display here.

The animals have been thoughtfully placed in a natural looking setting. There are apparently over 30 animatronic (moving) creatures, with most of the favourites, like the T.Rex, Triceratops and Diplodocus catered for. There are good display boards, giving information on each creature.

Note of warning here, some of the animals are noisy too - which may not be to everyone's taste. The zoo though is currently running SEN nights, for SEN children, adults and their families, at reduced prices from daytime admission. During these sessions the dinosaurs are turned off, so no noise or movement.

Alongside these SEN nights the zoo also has areas, marked with headphones, where those with auditory needs might consider wearing noise cancelling headphones. Again, I've not really noted too many places making such an active decision to assist and inform.

After visiting Hoo-Rasic World, yes, that IS the name of their dinosaur area, we carried on around the rest of the park, taking in the new (since we were last here in 2018) outdoor play area. This was a nice area for more able children to let off a bit of steam, with boat-shaped climbing frame, bouncy pillow and swings. There are also indoor play areas, for the slightly younger, but we didn't use these, so can't give an opinion.

My thoughts on Hoo Zoo, well it has changed immeasurably since we last visited in 2018. They have clearly thought about the needs of some of the less able in society, although they could do with more disabled car parking spaces. The SEN nights are a real positive too, and gives another indication of how the zoo sees people who may have different needs. Thoroughly recommended if you are looking for a smaller animal zoo. The dinosaurs are great too...