Cotswold Wildlife Park

Burford, Oxfordshire OX18 4JP

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Opening Times

Open daily from 10am, except Christmas Day.

April-October last admissions are at 4:30pm with the park (and car park) closing at 6pm.

November - March last admissions 3:30pm and closure at 5pm or dusk if earlier.

The Madagascar exhibit closes at 3pm.

Admission Prices

Adults

£14.50

Children (aged 3-16 inclusive)

£10.00

Senior Citizens (65 and over)

£10.00

Season tickets and group rates also available; see zoo's website for details.

Description

Cotswold Wildlife Park is set amidst 160 acres of spectacular parkland in the beautiful Cotswold countryside. At the heart of the park is the listed Gothic-style Manor House, built in 1804 to replace the previous Jacobean residence. Some of the rooms are open to the public as conference rooms and the brass-rubbing centre, and some of the outbuildings have been converted into animal houses. The Park features many fine trees, and the numerous beds and borders around the Park are planted in a variety of styles.

Many of the larger animals are housed in large enclosures with wide open spaces to give the feeling of the animals roaming free. However, visitors can still get a good view by being able to walk around several sides of the enclosures. In the case of the Rhinos and Zebras, this includes virtually the entire perimeter. The enclosure for the Asiatic Lions features huge glass windows, to give a great view without obstruction by the more conventional bars or sturdy wire netting. Other large animals in the collection include Llamas, Bactrian Camels, and the rare Scimitar-Horned Oryx, and Blackbuck.

The Cotswold Wildlife Park also features a selection of smaller mammals, including Wallabies, Red Pandas, Capybaras, Tapirs, Lar Gibbons, Siamangs, Spider and Squirrel Monkeys. There is also a group of Egyptian Fruit Bats.

Another major attraction at the Cotswold Wildlife Park is the Walled Garden, which used to be the kitchen garden for the Manor House. Advantage has been taken of the sheltered environment in this area to include many more tender, colourful, and exotic plants. This area is now home to a colony of Humboldt Penguins, Meerkats, Otters, Coatis, Mongooses, Ruffed Lemurs, a selection of Tamarins and Marmosets, and a number of aviaries. Visitors can walk through one of the aviaries and also the Tropical House, which features a range of exotic birds, and a pair of Linne's Two-toed Sloths.

There are also several other aviaries around the Park, including those housing a variety of Pheasants, Owls, and other birds of prey. There is also a large woodland walk-through enclosure with a lake that is stocked with a variety of water birds, cranes and flamingos.

The Park also has an Insect House, with a range of spiders, scorpions, ants, bees, butterflies and stick insects, and a Reptile House, featuring a variety of reptiles, amphibians and fish, including the extremely rare Morelets Crocodiles, Green Iguanas, Chameleons., and a selection of Pythons, Boas, and other snakes. The park also has a group of Giant Tortoises housed in their own separate outdoor enclosure and heated house.

For the children, there is the Children's Farmyard area, which offers a selection of farm animals and pets, such as ponies, goats, pigs, and poultry, some of which are friendly enough to be touched and stroked. The Park also has an adventure playground, and a narrow gauge railway runs past most of the larger enclosures.

There are a number of refreshment kiosks around the Park, together with picnic shelters, benches and spacious lawns. A sandwich bar is also available, and the restaurant at the back of the Manor House serves a range of hot and cold meals, sandwiches cakes and drinks. It also houses the Geoffroy's Marmosets' enclosure.

Official Website

www.cotswoldwildlifepark.co.uk

(Opens in separate window)

Facilities

Car Park

Free

Eating

Oak Tree Restaurant, Refreshment kiosks, picnic areas and shelters

For Kids

Outdoor play area

High chairs available in restaurant

Baby changing facilities

Children's Farmyard

Special Needs

Accessible for wheelchair users to all enclosures and the restaurant

Disabled toilets

Invalid chairs are also available at no charge

Other Facilities

First Aid Post, Public Telephone

Restrictions

No bicycles, scooters, skateboards or skates are allowed around the park.

Dogs are permitted provided they are kept on a lead, and they must not be taken into the walk-through enclosures, the Tropical House, Bat Belfry, Children's Farmyard, or the restaurant.

Attractions

Animal Collections

Mammals, Birds, Reptiles, Amphibians, Fish, Invertebrates

Note: The animal pictures on this page are merely representative of this type of attraction; they do not mean that the animals can be found at this specific attraction.

Star Animals

Giraffes, White Rhinos, Asiatic Lions, Chapman's Zebra, Scimitar-Horned Oryx, Linne's Two-toed Sloth, Siamang Gibbons, and many, many more.

Special Attractions

Madagascar: walk-through enclosure with lemurs and other Madagascan and island species.

Animal feeding times, Tropical House (now re-opened following refurbishment), Bat Belfry, Insect House, Walk through areas, and various gardens.

Other Attractions

Narrow Gauge Railway (April to October, extra charge applies), Brass Rubbing Centre (extra charge applies, for paper & wax), Gift Shop, Conference Facilities

How To Get There:

By Car

The Park is located 2 miles South of Burford, Oxfordshire, on the A361. Burford is mid way between Oxford and Cheltenham on the A40. From the A40/A361 roundabout, turn south onto the A361, towards Lechlade and Swindon. After about 2 miles, turn right at the next crossroads, and the entrance to the Cotswold Wildlife Park will be on your left almost immediately.

From London:

Follow the M40 to junction 8. Turn onto the A40 and continue past Oxford and Witney to the junction with the A361 at Burford. Turn left at the roundabout onto the A361 towards Lechlade., and continue to the Cotswold Wildlife Park as described above

From M5:

Leave the M5 at junction 11a, then turn east onto the A417. Continue to junction with A436, and turn left towards Andoversford. Continue to the A40, and turn right towards Witney and Oxford. Continue to junction with A361 at Burford, turn right at the roundabout onto the A361 and continue to the Cotswold Wildlife Park as described above.

From Birmingham:

Either take the M5 to junction 11a (Gloucester & Cheltenham) as described above, or take the M40 to junction 9, then A34 south to the A40 near Oxford, then proceed as described above (from London). Alternatively, for a more scenic, but not necessarily much slower, route, leave the M40 at junction 15 (Warwick), then follow the A429 south through Moreton-in-Marsh and Stow-on-the-Wold. Shortly after passing through Stow, turn left onto the A424 to Burford. On the outskirts of Burford, turn right onto the A361 and continue through the village and across the A40. Continue south on the A361 to the Cotswold Wildlife Park, as described above.

From Swindon, and M4 J15:

From the M4, take the A419 north around Swindon, towards Cirencester. Turn right onto the A361 and continue through Highworth and Lechlade on Thames towards Burford. About 7 miles from the centre of Lechlade, look out for the signs to the Park, and turn left at the minor crossroads. The entrance to the park will then be almost immediately left again.

By Public Transport

There are no regular bus services or bus stop for Cotswold Wildlife Park, nor nearby train stations. See the Park's main website (linked above) for their advice on getting to the Park if not travelling by car.

Data on this page last updated: Apr 13 2014

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