1 / 3Tilgate Zoo
📍 Crawley, Greater London
Small zoo with over 100 animals spanning mammals, birds, reptiles, and invertebrates. Includes meerkats, capybaras, lemurs, tapirs, and barn owls. Daily keeper talks at noon; bookable hands-on animal experiences for ages 6 and over.
Had an absolutely amazing day here! Lots of animals to see - they all gave lots kf space and clearly well looked after and good visibility spots to see them all. Staff were all so friendly - from the lady in the reception sorting entry ( sorry didn't get your name!), then met manager Sam who was doing some maintenance and kindly invited us to watch him feed the servals and wild cats. We then met Holly who led the Armadillo feeding experience we had booked in for. She was incredibly friendly and knowledgeable. The experience itself was wonderful - half an hour with Milo the armadillo- feeding him and got to pet him. Thank you all for a wonderful day . We wi definitely be back!
🏆 Family Action Verdict
Best for families with children aged 4 to 12 who want close animal encounters rather than a large-scale zoo experience. The keeper talks at midday anchor the visit, and the bookable animal experiences are a strong draw for children who want hands-on contact. Visit in spring or summer — some animals are less visible in cold weather.
ℹ️ What to Know Before You Go
💬 What Families Are Saying
View all reviews →1,858 Google reviews
Helen Nobbs
a month ago
“Had an absolutely amazing day here! Lots of animals to see - they all gave lots kf space and clearly well looked after and good visibility spots to see them all. Staff were all so friendly - from the lady in the reception sorting entry ( sorry didn't get your name!), then met manager Sam who was doing some maintenance and kindly invited us to watch him feed the servals and wild cats. We then met Holly who led the Armadillo feeding experience we had booked in for. She was incredibly friendly and knowledgeable. The experience itself was wonderful - half an hour with Milo the armadillo- feeding him and got to pet him. Thank you all for a wonderful day . We wi definitely be back!”
Chris Downes
a month ago
“Really friendly staff and lovely animals to see. All were kept in large enclosures and appeared to be kept in good condition and were healthy. 😀 Looking forward to visiting again as good value. The surrounding park was also wonderful. 😀”
Dave Harris
7 months ago
“Decent small animal zoo with Reindeer, Tapir, Birds, Reptiles, and farm animals. Only £9 entry. Good couple of hours wandering around.”
Paloma Aguirre
6 months ago
“It’s a really nice place to see animals, some of the animals are not in the best condition and I didn’t see staff taking care of them. The place is really big and I get lost, they don’t give you a map or something, for the price is worth it. And I enjoy watching the animals they are very friendly!”
Reviews from Google
Overview
Tilgate Zoo packs meerkats, capybaras, lemurs, tapirs, barn owls, and invertebrates into a compact site within Tilgate Park. Keeper talks run daily at midday; bookable animal experiences give children aged 6 and over direct contact with selected species. All enclosures are described by reviewers as spacious and well-maintained. No site map is provided, so navigation relies on staff directions. Warmer months bring more animals into view.
