Cotswold Wildlife Park & Gardens
Cotswold Wildlife Park & Gardens is a 160-acre wildlife park that combines a large zoological collection with stunning botanical gardens set around a Victorian manor house. It is one of the UK’s largest privately owned zoos, featuring over 260 species of animals.
Where It Is
The park is located at Bradwell Grove, Burford, Oxfordshire (OX18 4JJ). It sits approximately two miles south of Burford on the A361, positioned between Oxford and Cheltenham.
What You Can Do There
Animal Encounters: Walk through the Madagascar enclosure with free-roaming lemurs, get eye-to-eye with giraffes on a raised walkway, or watch rhinos graze on the manor house lawns.
Daily Talks & Feeds: Attend scheduled sessions, including penguin feeding at 11:00 am and 3:00 pm, and lemur talks at 12:00 pm.
Explore the Gardens: Wander through the Walled Garden, Tropical House (with sloths and bats), and seasonal floral displays.
Family Activities: Ride the narrow-gauge railway (April–October) or let kids play in the Skymaze adventure playground, which features 20-foot high treehouses and slides.
Children’s Farmyard: Visit the farm area where children can approach and pet goats.
Who Should Go and When
Who: It is ideal for families, animal lovers, photographers, and gardening enthusiasts. It is also exceptionally dog-friendly, allowing dogs on short leads in most outdoor areas.
When: The park is open daily from 10:00 am (except Christmas Day).
Best Time: Arrive early (at opening) to see more active animals and beat the crowds.
Peak Periods: Summer and spring are most popular; Saturdays between 12:00 pm and 3:00 pm are typically the busiest times.
Quiet Times: Wednesdays and Thursdays after 2:00 pm tend to be quieter.
What Makes It Unique
Setting: Unlike traditional zoos, the enclosures are integrated into a historic estate with large, naturalistic paddocks that offer uninterrupted views.
Curation: It houses one of the largest reptile collections in the UK and was the first in the country to successfully breed several rare species, including wolverines and crowned sifaka lemurs.
Dog Policy: It is one of the few major zoological collections in the UK that allows visitors to bring their dogs.
Benefits of Specific Activities
Online Booking: Buying tickets in advance via the Cotswold Wildlife Park website often saves money compared to gate prices and reduces time spent in queues.
Interactive Experiences: Booking a “Keeper for a Day” or animal encounter provides behind-the-scenes access to animal care and conservation education.
Picnicking: The park has vast lawns where you can picnic right next to rhino or zebra enclosures, providing a more affordable and scenic lunch option than the on-site café.