The UK’s best wildlife attractions, zoos, safari parks, petting farms and aquariums

One of the most enjoyable wildlife attractions in the country only looks after a handful of species and regularly releases its animals back into the wild.

The Cornish Seal Sanctuary – a home for injured seals, as well as beavers and puffins – topped our table with a score of 83% and a full five stars for the wildlife experience and customer service.

It was one of many attractions that focus on conservation and animal welfare, and also provides a fantastic day out. 

We asked over 2,000 people to rate famous wildlife attractions, such as London Zoo, Chester Zoo, the SEA LIFE Centres and Whipsnade Zoo, as well as almost 50 other places around the UK. 

Ten of the wildlife attractions have been made Which? Recommended Providers (WRP) – awarded for their excellent visitor score, great value for money, commitment to conservation, and transparent pricing, among other criteria.

We also asked an expert for advice on how to make sure you’ve visiting an ethical, high welfare zoo, safari park or aquarium on your next day trip.

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Our top wildlife attraction: Cornish Seal Sanctuary 

83%, Which? Recommended Provider

The Cornish Seal Sanctuary, on the Helford River in the south of Cornwall, rescues between 30-70 seal pups every year. After they’ve been nursed back to health they’re either released back into the wild or – if that’s not possible – cared for in the sanctuary's spacious enclosures.

Visitors told us they loved hearing about the individual stories of the seals and getting to see them close up at the underwater viewing point.  

‘It’s not like a zoo or wildlife park,’ said one animal lover. ‘It warms the heart to visit such a unique place and understand each individual seal’s story and journey.’

The sanctuary also has 10 Icelandic puffins and a small colony of beavers.

The UK's best wildlife attractions 

Best nature reserve: WWT Wetland Centres

81%, Which? Recommended Provider

The Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust looks after 10 sites of valuable wetlands – one in every corner of the country – from Castle Espie in Northern Ireland to its 100-acre haven of peace and tranquility in South West London.

These nature reserves host a huge amount of wildlife – most varieties of British bird, as well as otters, voles, lizards and other reptiles and amphibians.

Many visitors recommended the wetlands as a place to take children. ‘Organised pond-dipping was my grandson’s favourite activity,’ one person told us, adding ‘The five year old has developed a keen interest in birds as the result of his visits there.’

You might want to take binoculars. The wetlands are not zoos and so some of the most exciting wildlife can be elusive. 

Highest rated safari in England: Cotswold Wildlife Park 

81%, Which? Recommended Provider

Somewhere in between a zoo and a safari park (it describes itself as a ‘walking safari’), Cotswold Wildlife Park brings spectacular species such as giraffes and lions to rural Oxfordshire, within a few minutes drive of the area’s famous Cotswold stone villages.

It gets the full five stars for its wildlife experience and for the friendly customer service, as well as four out of five stars for attractiveness.

‘The animals all look healthy, well-cared for and happy,’ was one comment. The park is a member of the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums (EAZA) and has its own wildlife conservation charity. 

Highest rated safari in Scotland: Highlands Wildlife Park

81%, Which? Recommended Provider

The spectacular Highlands Wildlife Park in Inverness-shire leans into its location in the wild Cairngorms. You won’t find lions or elephants here. Instead it specialises in the kind of animals that are well adapted to its cold, northerly location.

There are Siberian tigers (now more commonly called Amur tigers), arctic foxes, grey wolves, snow leopards and even two polar bears.

One visitor pointed out that animals will decide if they want to come out of shelters ‘so visitors should not be expecting every animal to be visible.’ 

Our expert (see below) says this is a sign of a well-run safari park or zoo.

Highest rated zoo: Paignton Zoo Environmental Park

81%

Paignton Zoo in Devon is the highest rated zoo in our survey. It has over 2,000 species including African lions, giant tortoises, howler monkeys and orangutans from Borneo.

One reason for its success is probably its spacious grounds. It’s housed in a beautiful, botanic garden with exotic plant life, as well as animals. It’s more than twice as big as London Zoo, with fewer than half the annual visitors. 

Unsurprisingly then, only 2% of people complained about overcrowding – compared with 15% at London Zoo. 

‘It’s my favourite wildlife destination in the South West,’ was one comment. ‘The animals always look happy and healthy.’

It is not a Which? Recommended Provider as the charity that previously owned it sold the zoo last year. Here’s hoping the new owners can maintain its high standards.

Highest rated petting farm: Acorn Farm

80%, Which? Recommended Provider

The only ‘exotic’ animals at Acorn Farm in Merseyside are a couple of meerkats. Despite that, local people love this working farm with its sheep, cows, goats, pigs, horses and chickens – not to mention smaller animals such as rabbits and guinea pigs.

Adult entrance is only £4 and the farm prides itself on educating local children about farm life. 

‘The staff were so friendly and willing to talk and I feel as though they all genuinely loved their jobs,’ enthused a visitor. ‘This showed in the care of the animals because everything was pristine and happy.’

Highest rated aquarium: The Deep

80%, Which? Recommended Provider

Our top aquarium The Deep gets a full five stars for attractiveness – the fabulous architecture rising like a glass fin from the Humber estuary. It also gets the highest score for customer service and, crucially, the wildlife experience.

Sharks, rays, and the UK's only pair of green sawfish can all be seen gliding past the floor-to-ceiling windows of its 10-metre high Endless Ocean tank.

As a conservation charity, The Deep is also supporting work to restore seagrass meadows and rescue rare turtles.

‘The wildlife has lots of space and is stunningly well displayed,’ was one comment. ‘The sights of the different fish swimming together at different depths are mesmerising, even on our third visit.’

How to check whether a wildlife attraction has high animal welfare

We spoke to Samantha Ward, Professor of Zoo Animal Welfare & Legislation at Nottingham Trent University, for her tips on how to be sure that a wildlife attraction is treating animals well.

1. Zoos, safari parks and aquariums in the UK have to meet good welfare standards as part of the Zoo Legislation (Zoo Licencing Act). Membership of an organisation such as the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA), the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums (EAZA) or the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) also provides reassurance. If you want to visit a zoo outside the UK, check for membership of one of the latter two organisations.
2. Visit the attraction’s website to see if it has a conservation charity or is otherwise involved in efforts to conserve species. Good zoos will have clear information on how they’re supporting wildlife – in the wild as well as with breeding programmes.
3. Look at the animal enclosures. Are they providing a rich, complex environment that closely matches the environment the animal would have in the wild? Space is important but allowing the animal to engage in natural behaviour (for example, allowing meerkats to dig or orangutans to climb) can be even more important. 
4. Check how much freedom the animals have within their environment. Can they choose to retreat to different parts of the enclosure – inside or outside spaces? If a zoo has public feeding times, can the animal also choose to feed at other times?
5. Look out for unnatural, repetitive behaviour from wildlife. Animals pacing backwards and forwards or moving in repetitive circles can be signs of abnormal behaviour. If fish are swimming in unchanging circles this can also suggest that they don’t have enough space or complexity in their environment, as does rays swimming on the surface at an aquarium. They wouldn’t typically swim on the surface in the wild.
6. Does the zoo provide mental stimulation – with challenges such as puzzle feeders or scent trails – to prevent boredom? If a wildlife attraction has training sessions these should be dynamic, challenging and engaging for the animal, rather than repetitive routines for human entertainment. 
7. Does the zoo have a good policy of mitigating stress caused by noisy visitors? Are keepers monitoring attractions to make sure animals aren’t disturbed by visitors?
8. Is the attraction doing enough to educate visitors and promote conservation – rather than just providing entertainment?

How we did our research

In January and February 2026 we asked 2,006 members of the Which? Connect panel and members of the general public about their experiences visiting wildlife attractions in the last two years. They told us about 3,894 trips.

We chose the highest rated attractions as Which? Recommended Providers, taking into account their star ratings – particularly the value for money score. We also took into account whether they were able to demonstrate commitment to conservation and animal welfare (through membership of BIAZA or a similar association), or by having their own conservation charity.

Booking fees

We decided not to make any attractions with a booking fee a Which? Recommended Provider. We think that booking fees are an unnecessary annoyance and may – if they’re not made clear at the outset – be against new legislation on drip pricing. 

We’re writing to attractions with unclear booking fees to ask them to make their pricing more transparent.