Flamingo Land Theme Park & Zoo Review

“Flamingo Land Theme Park and Zoo - Flamingo Land is...”

Written on: 01/07/2004 by preciouskdg (3 reviews written)

Good Points
Fantastic Value, Great for the Kids, Some excellent rollercosters

Bad Points
Gets very busy, not a lot for smaller children

General Comments
Flamingo Land Theme Park and Zoo - Flamingo Land is situated in Kirby Misperton which is about 4 miles from Pickering and 6 miles from Malton, North Yorkshire where we live. From the North, you would take the A64 to York and follow the signs to Pickering. Flamingo Land is well-signposted for quite a few miles before it, therefore, it is easy to find! It incorporates Theme Park, Zoo and Holiday resort in one.



(If you are wondering why we stayed at Flamingo Land if we live so close - some friends were visiting from Ireland and we don't have the room to accommodate guests so we all decided to have a week at Flamingo Land. It was last August and we forgot completely that we were only fifteen minutes from home! It was fab! )



Flamingo Land Theme Park and Zoo has been rated in the UK's top 20 attractions list and claims to receive over 1.1 millions visitors per year. Let's have a look and see why!



Flamingo land opens from April to end September. Gates open at 10.00am to about 5pm (closing time vary according to season). Gates tend to stay open a little later depending on the numbers of guests still present. Daily Admission is £15.50 per person or £58 for a family of four. Under threes are free.



The only problem with a day visit to Flamingo Land Theme Park and Zoo is that you simply can't fit all the attractions into one day. They do have their very own Holiday Village. We stayed in one of the luxury six berth holiday homes but you can simply take your own tent or caravan.



The holiday homes or caravans are superb. They offer modern and luxurious accommodation. You can almost forget you are in a caravan! In the caravan you can expect on e double bed in one room and bunks in another. In the lounge, the settee all folds out to become another double bed! Suitable for up to six people. We had four adults and three children. That was pushing it a little, I must admit!! But, it all added to the experience. All complete with the little chemical toilet cupboard!! Nice!



The caravans are connected to gas and electric and hot running water. They also include the following appliances:-



Colour television

Fully equipped kitchen with crockery and cutlery

Microwave

Vacuum cleaner (but really, who would hoover whilst on holiday! Yes, you guessed it, the mother-in-law!)

Quilts and pillows (although you do have to provide your own towels and bedding.)



There is a supermarket and an off-license on site also so you will never be short of anything. They do tend to be a little more pricey than normal, but really, that would be expected! I thought so anyway!



Within the price of the stay within the holiday home you also get :-



Free entry into the theme park every day of your holiday

Free entry into the evening entertainment complex

Free entry into the pool and spa complex

Use of the weights gymnasium (Admission to over 18s only)

Use of the tennis courts (rackets available for a small deposit of around £2.00)



Most of the touring caravan pitches are spacious, have a hard standing and are supplied with water and electricity. Touring guests also get use of the facilities although they have to pay a once only admission in to the Theme Park..



Prices vary depending on the season and timeof the week. I do have the up to date price list here so I will try to give as much info as I can!



Price per week are taken from Saturday to Saturday.



From March through to the end of May (excluding the May Bank Holiday) prices are £470 or less per week. The May Bank Holiday through to the first week of June costs £600 although the price does drop back down to £550 for weeks up until the first week in July.



Weeks during the summer holidays you can expect to pay £700 per week but this is the highest the price goes throughout the year.



As the year moves on into September and October prices drop down to as low as £350



Tents and Touring Caravans Prices start from as little as £30 per night and reach £210. Prices depend on how many nights and how many are in your party. I did not look into it too much as I hate tents!! There are extras to pay for extra cars, gazebos, etc.



Visitors are also given the opportunity to adopt some of their animals. To be quite honest, I thought it would be very expensive so didn't even enquire!



Flamingo Land Theme Park and Zoo covers approximately 375 acres and is continuously expanding with new rides and animal enclosures. This is one of the largest and most popular fun parks in the UK with more than 100 rides and slides, including white knuckle rides, super animal shows and wildlife from all over the world. It claims to hold Europe's largest zoo and houses exotic birds, mammals, fish and reptiles with camels, lions, tigers, and a polar bear ( who has unfortunately, since my visit, passed away!). The top rides include the Terrorizer, The Bullet, (which can be seen from one mile away from the Theme park!!), Wild Mouse, Top Gun, and Corkscrew.



The Zoo is home to over 1,000 animals, including: flamingos, lions, zebras, sea lions, reptiles and the penguins. Many of the animals are endangered species and would be threatened in the wild. They also have animals such as Siberian Tigers, Polar Bears, Chimps and Hippos. There is also the largest flock of famous pink flamingos in the country. Recent arrivals in the zoo apparently include three Giraffes, two white Rhinoceros, and two Hippopotamus. As I live quite close to the Park I get to know about the new arrivals in the local newspaper.



Although the amount of animals they hold is quite spectacular, it may be disappointing to go and not see any of them! One day when we walked around the zoo, most of the animals refused to come out of their shelters. It was rather disappointing, but I suppose we wouldn't like hundreds of people gawping at us all day every day, would we!?! But what animals we did see, giraffes, elephants, chimps, etc., were quite exciting!



In addition to the regular zoo there is also a small animal farm. As well as the traditional farm animals, you can see Pansy the Pot-Bellied Pig, a family of Pygmy Goats and a baby miniature donkey and his mother. Also there is a giant and I mean giant Tortoise. It is huge!! Children can watch eggs hatching, feed the animals. It is very hygienic and children are asked to wash their hands before and after touching the animals.



There are also five family shows within the zoo complex. Each one is performed at least four times throughout the day allowing you enough time to see them all.



Professor Bubble's Jungle Jive Show - The animal puppets or animatronics, ( or whatever they are!) will keep the children entertained throughout the show!



The Sea Lion Show - A real family favourite.



The Parrot Show



Circus - Traditional all action circus



(Oh dear, I have forgotten the fifth one! Sorry !!)





There are several clubs and bars to choose from. In the American and Plaza Bars there's something for everyone from the Little Monster's Children's Hour, where children of all ages can join in with singing and dancing! A bit like the Haven version of the Tiger Club! The Traders Bar is more for the adults with a more select entertainment menu including Ra Ra style dancers and other cabaret acts.



All bars are spacious and friendly and have fruit machines, all named brands of drinks. You do not pay much more than you would in a regular bar for the drinks. They do get very crowded so if you want a seat, get there early!!



As food is concerned there is an amazing variety for all the family. There is an Indian Takeaway or eat-in bar, which, I think, is fantastic. You can expect to pay around £6 for curry and rice which is quite reasonable for the amount and quality you get. There are also American Style Fast Food bars which serve chicken, burgers and fries. Also there are caf style diners for your steak and chips, etc. All around the park, too, there are hotdog stands and ice cream stands. You will not go hungry!!



The White Knuckle rides seem to be what Flamingo Land is renowned for. Unfortunately, I hate rides like that so I can not comment. Queues do tend to be massive throughout the day so it is best to go first or last thing!! Here are a couple of the rides which are in operation:-



Wall's Magnum Force - Europe's only triple looping rollercoaster reaching a G Force of 5 while offering a spectacular view of the Yorkshire Moors from a breath-taking height of 100 feet.



Top Gun - flight simulator ride allows the passenger in the cockpit to manoeuvre himself through blood-rushing 360-degree spins in a torpedo style fuel-injected flight



Cliff Hanger - prepare to be dropped from the height of 120 feet. And then catapulted into orbit at a force of 4 Gs..



Terroriser - The UK's only ride combining the plunging sensation of a rollercoaster with the spinning of a waltzer.



The Bullet - One of the best coasters in the world



As well as the White Knuckle rides there are loads of smaller roller coasters and many of the traditional rides, such as Tea Cups, Flying Swings, Pirate Ship. There is also a Cable Car which takes you over the top of the whole park. Also there is a monorail which travels around the Baboon Island and gives you a great view! Queues for smaller rides tend to be much shorter. Sometimes they are more enjoyable than you ever remember too!! I had great fun on the baby rollercoaster dragon with Zach!! I'm a wimp, I know!!



It is quite awkward for the smaller children as the rides for them are few and far between. It is definitely more suitable for children over 4 foot 6. There are about a dozen rides for toddlers and they can go on the monorail and cable car with the adults so that's not too bad!



Honestly, one day is definitely not enough to get around the whole park! You will leave feeling disappointed at having to miss so much! Go stay for a week! You will not regret it!



Hope this has inspired a few holiday bookings and thank you for reading!



Kerry xx



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