An In-Depth Review of Marwell Zoo: A Perfect Family Day Out?

Thinking of a family trip to Marwell Zoo in Hampshire? We recently spent a day there during our UK family holiday in May 2025 and wanted to share our completely honest thoughts. From the animal enclosures and kids' play areas to the very real challenges of navigating a large, hilly park with a surprise injury, here’s our deep-dive review to help you decide if it’s the right day out for you.

Our Overall Verdict: A Quick Summary

Aspect	Our Rating	Quick Thoughts
Animal Enclosures & Welfare	★★★★★	Excellent. Spacious, natural-looking habitats. The animals look genuinely well cared for.
Variety of Animals	★★★★☆	A fantastic range, from zebras and giraffes to a brilliant Tropical House full of reptiles.
Kid-Friendliness & Play Areas	★★★★☆	Great fun! Plenty of play areas dotted around to break up the walking, plus fun extras like face painting.
Accessibility & Layout	★★★☆☆	Be prepared: it's a very large and surprisingly hilly park! Comfortable shoes are non-negotiable.
Facilities & Value	★★★★☆	Good facilities at the entrance, but be smart about food and drink to manage costs.
Overall Experience	★★★★☆	A fantastic day out that we'd highly recommend, despite some self-inflicted challenges!

In short: Marwell Zoo is a brilliant, commendable zoo with a clear focus on animal welfare. It's a full day out, so plan for lots of walking!

First Impressions: Arriving at Marwell

The drive from our holiday base in Pagham was filled with anticipation. The excitement really builds as you start seeing the road signs for the zoo. Upon arrival, the entrance area is welcoming and sets a positive tone for the day.

A quick word of warning from my own painful experience: the walk from the car park to the pre-entry toilets is a bit of a trek in itself. If you're nursing an injury as I was (more on that later!), be mindful of these little extra walks.

Once through the main gates, we were immediately struck by two things: the zoo is much larger and far hillier than we had anticipated! But this wasn't a negative; it was impressive. It meant the zoo didn't feel cramped, and it hinted at the space the animals would have. This brings me to my most important first impression: the animals seemed to be housed amazingly. It was immediately clear that they had loads of free space to roam in large, well-maintained, natural-looking enclosures. You could just tell they looked well cared for, which is always the most important thing for us on a zoo visit.

The Main Attraction: The Animals!

The variety of animals at Marwell is fantastic. Here are some of our highlights:

• Zebras & Giraffes: You can't go to a zoo like this and not admire these iconic African animals. Their enclosures were vast, giving them plenty of room.

• The Tropical House: For us, this was a real standout. Stepping inside felt like entering another world. It was humid, lush, and teeming with life. The sheer number of vibrant green lizards and iguanas was incredible to see up close, and a real treat for the kids to spot them all.

• Other Noteworthy Residents: While we didn't get to see everything, Marwell is also famously home to beautiful Snow Leopards, playful Humboldt Penguins, and majestic Amur Tigers. They also have a unique 'Wild Explorers' habitat with rhinos and gazelles.

Fun for the Kids (Beyond the Animals)

One of the best things about Marwell is that they understand kids need more than just looking at animals. Dotted around the park are some brilliant adventure playgrounds.

The girls had a fantastic time climbing on what looked like a shark's head emerging from the ground and some cool pyramid-like climbing frames. These play areas are perfectly positioned to let kids burn off some energy between animal viewings. We also spotted a face-painting stand, and our eldest couldn't resist getting transformed into a tiger for the day!

Our Personal Experience: A Painful Lesson!

Now for the dose of reality. As I mentioned, I started the day with a very painful coccyx injury from a swimming pool mishap the day before. Navigating a large, hilly park was always going to be a challenge. My Fitbit later told me we'd walked 13,917 steps (almost 6 miles!) – a serious undertaking when you're in pain!

This led to our day's "important lesson." Enjoying the sights, we realised we had forgotten to bring the kids' drinks with us from the car. The round trip to fetch them was only about 15 minutes, but for me, every step was a trial. It was a stark reminder of how a small oversight can become a big problem.

Our Top Tips for Your Visit

Based on our experience, here are our top tips for families planning a trip to Marwell Zoo:

• Wear Comfortable Shoes: This is my number one tip. The park is vast and hilly. Prioritise comfort!

• PACK THE DRINKS! Learn from my painful mistake. Pack a backpack with all your drinks and snacks for the day so you don't have to make any unnecessary trips back to the car.

• Check the Weather & Plan Your Route: The park is very exposed in places. If it's hot and sunny, bring hats and sun cream. If it's rainy, bring waterproofs! Look at the map beforehand to plan a rough route to avoid excessive backtracking.

• Arrive Early: It's a full day's worth of entertainment, so arriving early allows you to explore at a more relaxed pace.

• Consider the Land Train: Marwell often operates a road train around the park. If you have little ones with tired legs (or an adult with an injury!), this can be a lifesaver for getting between the major zones.

Final Thoughts: Would We Go Back?

Absolutely, yes.

Despite my injury and the self-inflicted 'drinks dash', our day at Marwell Zoo was a resounding success. It's a fantastic zoo that we would highly recommend. The spacious, natural habitats and the clear care for the animals were commendable, and there was more than enough to keep the whole family entertained for a full day.

Just... remember to pack the Calpol and the drinks!

Disclaimer: This review is based on our personal family visit in May 2025. All opinions are our own.