Africa Alive! Could you spend a whole day here?

Red Panda

Red Panda

Well-Known Member
Hi

Im planning on a zoo weekend to Norfolk and wondering can you fill a whole day visiting this zoo?

Thanks.
 
What time of year are you going to East Anglia, redpanda? (NB Africa Alive! is across the border in Suffolk; they're sensitive about these things down there you know!)

If you like birds, then the great RSPB reserve at Minsmere is only thirty minutes or so away from Kessingland to the South. Thrigby Hall (which has red pandas!) is a similar distance away to the North.

Colchester Zoo, which very definitely is a full day's visit, is an hour away. Where do you intend staying, as you can very easily spend a long time on slow roads in this part of England?
 
Hi

We are planning on going the end of March. We have been to Colchester last year. We are looking at a B&B near Banham. We like our country B&Bs :) Yes, I have seen there are a lot of bird sanctuaries and reserves in Anglia :P thats why we dont know how long to go for lol :)
 
TBH, I'd stick with Banham one day and look at doing Kessingland/AN Other on the other. I would suggest leaving Amazonia to another day, having seen your other thread; Cromer is the other end of what is a pretty big county with some pretty slow roads!!
 
Thanks Ian

I think Amazona Zoo is closed until April anyway :( and I was thinking of stopping by on way down to Linton zoo but that's only open weekends. Never simple planning holidays lol
 
Red Panda said:
Hi

Im planning on a zoo weekend to Norfolk and wondering can you fill a whole day visiting this zoo?

Thanks.
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I manage to go round the whole place twice, spending a fair time looking at certain exhibits, and fit in a round of crazy golf in about four or so hours (and I'm a little slower at "doing zoos" than some people I know) -basically not a full day zoo.
 
Red Panda said:
Thanks Ian

I think Amazona Zoo is closed until April anyway :( and I was thinking of stopping by on way down to Linton zoo but that's only open weekends. Never simple planning holidays lol
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It might be worth considering Shepreth, which is within spitting distance of Linton. It's a bit of a one-off, starting as a "sanctuary" and growing to have an interesting and varied selection of animals (including a good handful of unusual species). I particularly like the Nocturnal House which has got to be the most cost effective (bangs per buck) of it's kind in the UK.

Also worth considering, and vaguely on route, is Hammerton.
 
We did a good 5/6 hours at Africa Alive. Really enjoyed it. It was the summer so good weather helps as there isn't a lot of cover.
 
I went to Banham in the morning (it opens at 9.30) and AA in the afternoon, and felt that I wasn't rushing and saw everything. You could easily take a more leisurely approach though.

Second Hamerton which I much preferred to Linton.
 
I easily spent a whole day at what was still the Suffolk Wildlife Park in 1997 and I'm sure there's more to see now. I tend to be able to spend a whole day at most zoos - Tropiquaria, for example, is very small but I can be found waiting outside at opening time and I do not leave until the place closes (and then only reluctantly).
 
One other thing to bear in mind for late March: the site is close to the North Sea, and unless you're VERY lucky it will be cold, and probably windy too. Don't expect to see the lemurs doing much outdoors - or the Aardvarks.

Would also recommend Southwold for fish and chips!! :)
 
Norfolk and nearby Suffolk is rather rich with zoological collections. You have Banham Zoo, Africa Alive!, Amazona Zoo, Thrigby Hall Wildlife Park, Pensthorpe, Amazonia: World of Reptiles, and two Sea Life centres (Hunstanton and Great Yarmouth, with the former being also a seal sanctuary) amongst other, smaller attractions like the Animal Ark, and Wroxham Barns.

I'd personally recommend Aldeburgh over Southwold for fish and chips, although Southwold is nearer.
 
While it is not zoo related, if you go to Aldeburgh for fish and chips, Thorpeness is close by. It's a strange collection of buildings with various styles, including the House in the Clouds. Perhaps second only to Portmeirion for quirky buildings in the UK.
 
Africa Alive

Thorpeness Mere usually has feral Eyptian Geese in evidence; they are quite a feature of some parts of East Anglia. Thrigby Hall is lovely; Saltwater Crocodiles, Black Leopard, Snow Leopards, Siamangs, Painted Storks. Crocodilians go outside in nice weather, which is unusual in the UK.
On a recent visit there was a pair of Blue Eared Pheasants in an aviary with hornbills, on grass. Usually these large digging pheasants destroy turf, so let's hope this aviary is big enough for this not to happen.
Norfolk and Suffolk are good for zoos and wildlife. Lots of geese in the winter, all six British deer species, about fifty resident Cranes [may be more than this] and there is just a possibility of Lynx, if persistent rumours are to be believed.
 
FBBird said:
Thorpeness Mere usually has feral Eyptian Geese in evidence; they are quite a feature of some parts of East Anglia.

all six British deer species,
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Egyptian geese are very successful in East Anglia because of the dry climate- being very early nesters the goslings will perish in wetter areas. Holkham Hall has a big population but as you said, you can see them almost anywhere in East Anglia, particularly the Broads but even on open farmland well away from water. But they do seem to have spread into places like Surrey/North Hampshire recently too.

I don't know anywhere in East Anglia where there are wild Sika- the deer park near the (well known & publicised) Honey Buzzard site at Fulmodeston does have them, along with Red and Fallow.
 
Wow, thanks guys for all the messages. We went to Hamerton last year so looking for new places to visit.

I will look up Shepreth as we need some place to visit on way home.

I will definitely look for those places for fish and chips :)
 
Africa Alive

Apologies, Pertinax, I got a bit carried away there; on reflection, I don't think I've ever seen wild Sika in East Anglia. Sorry.
I saw Egyptian Geese with about three weeks old goslings at Oulton Broad in late October, and would not expect them to survive.
 
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