Bugtopia Hornsea Zoo
Bugtopia Hornsea Zoo
4.5
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
A whole lot more than just bugs! Find your WILD side with a visit to Bugtopia Hornsea and immerse yourself in an enthralling tropical rainforest experience on the charming East Yorkshire coast! Our beautiful little family run zoo is loved by adults and children alike, as we take you on an educational adventure, inspiring a passion for the natural world. Enter the fascinating Jungle Trail and look carefully to spot our free roaming residents exhibiting natural behaviour (which does include hiding, so walking around quickly in a short amount of time is always advised against!) Make sure you attend our awesome Animal Encounters delivered by our Expert Explorers, where you can see the animals in action, learn more about them and even get hands on yourself! Before travelling, always check our Facebook page or website for full visitor information!
Duration: 1-2 hours
Meets animal welfare guidelines
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See what travellers are saying
- Ambassador4006767 contributionsLittle bit of tropics in HornseaWhat an amazing little find, tucked away in the corner of Hornsea Freeport. £6 a bargain, friendly staff and knowledgeable the girl with the pink hair especially. Not the biggest place but take your time look round and you see things everywhere.Visited December 2023Travelled with friendsWritten December 30, 2023
- Ruth L27 contributionsGreat visit. Highly recommended.Was so very interesting. Small place and very hot, but needs to be for the animals. Some animals roaming around. Very informative signs re the animals in display cases. I don’t like spiders so didn’t look too close. The chap who served us was informative and told us to take our time as some animals are hidden. Great visit. Despite us being over 60!!Visited June 2024Travelled as a coupleWritten June 14, 2024
- Rob NDriffield, United Kingdom507 contributionsA jungle in the freeport.A great place to visit. If you are interested in bugs, reptiles etc the this is a place to visit. Great value for money but you need your be see everything as the animals and bugs like to hide up. Very knowledgeable people who like to talk yo you.Visited July 2024Travelled with familyWritten July 30, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
170 reviews
Excellent
106
Very good
32
Average
13
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10
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Smith93
Kingston-upon-Hull, UK66 contributions
Feb 2020 • Family
Had taken my 4 year old as to be honest I’ve always wanted to go here (I have a horse field tortoise myself and love most animals)
We did have a look around the shops and get something to eat before we went in as I assumed it was quite a large enclosure. To My surprise it turned out to be very small and you do have to spend a lot of time finding the animals which we was informed by the young lady at the front desk. In my opinion I think if your child is young it’s not worth the money as the little ones want to quickly see and move on. If your child is a lot older they would probably enjoy this and the exhibitions they put on. But my little boy got bored very quick so we wasn’t in there very long. Maybe should have waited and saved the money. It is nice and warm though.
We did have a look around the shops and get something to eat before we went in as I assumed it was quite a large enclosure. To My surprise it turned out to be very small and you do have to spend a lot of time finding the animals which we was informed by the young lady at the front desk. In my opinion I think if your child is young it’s not worth the money as the little ones want to quickly see and move on. If your child is a lot older they would probably enjoy this and the exhibitions they put on. But my little boy got bored very quick so we wasn’t in there very long. Maybe should have waited and saved the money. It is nice and warm though.
Written February 8, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Katy 1
1 contribution
Aug 2020 • Family
We felt very uncomfortable during the visit due to lack of social distancing. Entrance numbers were not limited or staggered, so we ended up in the over crowded hot room with too many other people making it impossible to stay 2 metres apart from other families. We only stayed for 5 mins with feeling unsafe, because of this it made it a very expensive visit.
Written August 29, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi there, thanks for taking the time to leave us a review. Whilst we appreciate your comments and will take them on board, I did just want to assure you of a few things. Entrance numbers ARE monitored at all times and when we are at capacity, people are asked to wait for others to leave before being admitted to the attraction. This was the case several times yesterday, as our staff communicated regularly to ensure the jungle was not over crowded. Every visitor entering the premises is reminded at our till that they must stay 2m apart from other families. We also have signage displayed throughout the entire attraction advising of this. We also have 2m markings on the floor throughout the attraction. Our staff are in the area throughout the day to continually monitor this, and throughout our encounters we have been consistently monitoring traffic and explaining to people where they should stand and repeatedly stressing the importance of social distancing. Yesterday was our busiest day so far this year, and our staff worked extremely hard carrying out all of these measures to the best of their ability, while still delivering an amazing experience to all of our visitors. We also had numerous reviews yesterday commending our staff on their efforts throughout what was a very busy day yesterday!
Due to the nature of our attraction (and where there are things to look at), there are occasions when traffic around the attraction stops moving. At this point, it important that visitors remember to maintain their 2m whilst waiting to be able to continue.
Unfortunately, throughout all of these numerous measures we have in place, we cannot physically force people to comply beyond specifically speaking to every person we see failing to do so, which I assure you we have been doing. We have also refused entry to those who refuse to comply with our safety measures.
We apologise that you felt unsafe during your visit yesterday, but I would like to assure you (as you can also see from our signage and website) that Bugtopia Hornsea is taking every single measure available to us to ensure that social distancing, mask wearing and other general Covid Safety measures are adhered to. It is very sad that certain other visitors, despite our best efforts, continue to disregard the efforts of ourselves and other businesses to keep visitors safe. We hope you will return when we are somewhat quieter so that you are able to fully enjoy what we have to offer here.
Written August 30, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Sara D
2 contributions
Jul 2022 • Family
The staff were knowledgable, although I’d have preferred it if they were just hanging out to tell you things about the animals rather than just doing their set tours and then returning to the office. We had a good talk on cockroaches which was well aimed/inclusive of the little kids and adults.
It really is VERY small, you can see from one end of the green house to the other. When you enter they give you a mini lecture about how you won’t get the most out of it if you’re quick to go around but it’s tricky to do such a small place any slower!! We sat on a bench and looked around and waited but there really doesn’t seem a lot in there.
We tried to look for bugs but actually considering the name, there weren’t many and you obviously can’t climb into the undergrowth to look for them. We were hoping for some butterflies but only saw a couple. We enjoyed the tortoise wandering around, and the (quite aggressive) parrots were good fun. I think if it had been a fiver each I’d have thought it was good value, but I just can’t bring myself to say it’s worth the money. I really really wanted to like it here, but I just felt that for the cost there really wasn’t a lot to see, and I felt like the little talk the staff give you when you get there maybe means they know this…
It really is VERY small, you can see from one end of the green house to the other. When you enter they give you a mini lecture about how you won’t get the most out of it if you’re quick to go around but it’s tricky to do such a small place any slower!! We sat on a bench and looked around and waited but there really doesn’t seem a lot in there.
We tried to look for bugs but actually considering the name, there weren’t many and you obviously can’t climb into the undergrowth to look for them. We were hoping for some butterflies but only saw a couple. We enjoyed the tortoise wandering around, and the (quite aggressive) parrots were good fun. I think if it had been a fiver each I’d have thought it was good value, but I just can’t bring myself to say it’s worth the money. I really really wanted to like it here, but I just felt that for the cost there really wasn’t a lot to see, and I felt like the little talk the staff give you when you get there maybe means they know this…
Written July 11, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Emma B
Wigan, UK61 contributions
Sept 2020 • Couples
My husband and I visited at the beginning of September. We arrived and was greeted by a couple of staff. There was £1 knocked off each admission price due to Covid and not being able to handle the animals.
I must admit, I was not expecting how hot and humid this place was (clearly didn't research enough or expect it to be like a real jungle). We were advised to take our time as the animals are sometimes hard to spot.
So walking around we spotted many animals. They were really nice to see.
Yes this place is small and yes, you could get round in 5 minutes... but it's what you make it. Spend more time looking and searching and you'd be surprised.
We were there 1 hour 15 minutes and also listened to the snake talk which was really good and informative.
We did leave after 1 hour 15 minutes due to me not doing so well being in the heat for so long. That was the only reason.
We were advised about social distancing and a family were complaining but I don't understand how people not social distancing is the staffs fault. They can only advise, not enforce.
Overall, a nice place to see.
I must admit, I was not expecting how hot and humid this place was (clearly didn't research enough or expect it to be like a real jungle). We were advised to take our time as the animals are sometimes hard to spot.
So walking around we spotted many animals. They were really nice to see.
Yes this place is small and yes, you could get round in 5 minutes... but it's what you make it. Spend more time looking and searching and you'd be surprised.
We were there 1 hour 15 minutes and also listened to the snake talk which was really good and informative.
We did leave after 1 hour 15 minutes due to me not doing so well being in the heat for so long. That was the only reason.
We were advised about social distancing and a family were complaining but I don't understand how people not social distancing is the staffs fault. They can only advise, not enforce.
Overall, a nice place to see.
Written October 8, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lauren Swift
Leicestershire, UK25 contributions
Oct 2021 • Couples
Brilliant day out to bugtopia with my mum and fiancé. Had a great time looking at all the animals, they have a great selection of animals and information about the animals there. Some of the animals are free roaming and its great to see. Robin the zoo keeper was very friendly and informative. We stayed for the bug talk and the reptile talk which are both about 15 mins each and really great to go too.
Written October 3, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Luke B
18 contributions
Oct 2020 • Family
Had such an amazing time here, hidden away on a little retail park, thought the sat nav had done us. But had a look around and finally found it.
Once we found it, it was great. Knowledgeable team, but because of covid we couldn't handle on the talks, the talks were informative and concise, and the host was very helpful and enthusiastic about the animals and animals in general.
We hung around for a bit and she showed us tarantulas being fed, and talked to us more about them.
Can go out and return, the animals were very funny and they were stars themselves.
Even entertained our child, so it's always a plus.
Shame we missed the butterfly season. But a great place to visit.
Once we found it, it was great. Knowledgeable team, but because of covid we couldn't handle on the talks, the talks were informative and concise, and the host was very helpful and enthusiastic about the animals and animals in general.
We hung around for a bit and she showed us tarantulas being fed, and talked to us more about them.
Can go out and return, the animals were very funny and they were stars themselves.
Even entertained our child, so it's always a plus.
Shame we missed the butterfly season. But a great place to visit.
Written October 30, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Charlotte N
3 contributions
Aug 2022 • Family
Had a great couple of hours in Bugtopia today! It is absolutely what you make it. There were plenty of bugs and interesting wildlife to admire if you sit and watch. The butterflies were mesmerising 🦋
It's obvious that the staff enjoy their jobs and the hourly talks/handling/feeding sessions were very interesting and a treat to watch. Due to the heat/humidity, you can come and go as you please which is a great idea when you need to cool down. You can make an afternoon of it if you browse the shops and have lunch. The entry price is reasonable and worth it for the experience. We were a family of two adults, and two 10 year olds (£22).
If you have ever been and didn't see anything, you didn't look hard enough.
Thanks for a great time! We will be coming back in the winter for the ranger experience.
It's obvious that the staff enjoy their jobs and the hourly talks/handling/feeding sessions were very interesting and a treat to watch. Due to the heat/humidity, you can come and go as you please which is a great idea when you need to cool down. You can make an afternoon of it if you browse the shops and have lunch. The entry price is reasonable and worth it for the experience. We were a family of two adults, and two 10 year olds (£22).
If you have ever been and didn't see anything, you didn't look hard enough.
Thanks for a great time! We will be coming back in the winter for the ranger experience.
Written August 22, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ChrisJ19571
Beverley, UK61 contributions
Nov 2022 • Family
I came away thinking it was a total waste of money. The man who took my money spoke so fast by the time he'd finished I'd no idea what he told me. He seemed to want to get back to doing something else. While we were in there we didn't see a member of staff to help us spot anything in there so only saw the larger and obvious things ie parrots, snake etc. Only saw 1 butterfly. I'm sure there are more in there but customer service does not seem to be a priority. If someone had helped us get the most out of the visit I'd probably go again but as it was I definitely won't.
Written November 20, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JLS
Nottingham, UK4 contributions
Aug 2023
With Bugtopia described as a ‘zoo’ we had thought that it would be bigger than it was and we were expecting at least part of it to be outside. When we were paying we were warned that it was hot inside. However we found it too hot to tolerate and we spent less than 10 minutes inside. We all needed to get out as quickly as we could.
There were 9 of us with 3-year old and we couldn’t wait around for any of the meet the insect sessions.
It was nice to see butterflies flying round and birds so close. We just couldn’t appreciate it properly. If the comfort of visitors could be addressed (with more space and an outside area too) then it would be better. It needs to be more than the hot house.
Overall I didn’t find it value for money.
There were 9 of us with 3-year old and we couldn’t wait around for any of the meet the insect sessions.
It was nice to see butterflies flying round and birds so close. We just couldn’t appreciate it properly. If the comfort of visitors could be addressed (with more space and an outside area too) then it would be better. It needs to be more than the hot house.
Overall I didn’t find it value for money.
Written August 13, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Alice
6 contributions
Aug 2021 • Family
An interesting little place. The children loved it. It was very small and I think a little overpriced for how small it is. They did let you go and come back for the price but half hour in there and you’ve seen it. The staff were friendly and talked about the animals a bit pointing them out and giving some interesting facts.
Written August 14, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi we would like to visit on Saturday for my daughters 2nd birthday, im just wondering if its indoors or outdoors? With the weather forecast for the weekend we'd just love to plan ahead
Written January 11, 2023
Its all indoors. It's incredibly hot (understandably due to the types of bugs/animals) so I would highly recommend layering the children so they (and you) can take some layers off. A bottle of water too. They give you a receipt so you can come and go all day, so we used this to go outside to cool off, have lunch, and come back.
It's a great place, we spent a good 3 hours going in and out. Its not massive, but if you go slowly, and enjoy the feeding and handling talks you'll have a great time. We sat and watched the butterflies come past us. Great value if you choose to make the most of it.
Written January 12, 2023
I would like to visit Bugtopia with my nursery children and parents to promote a great knowledge and experience to support their development, children are age between 0 to 5 and can be a group between 40 to 50 people.I am wondering if you could acomodade us and if there is any special price.
Written February 2, 2020
Hi Carla, we certainly can accommodate you. Your best option would be to drop us an email and we can send you out our educational visit pack and discuss your options. (Trip advisor won't let me put the email address here but you can find it on our website). Thanks
Written February 2, 2020
Hi, is this venue suitable for a wheelchair user?
Written April 1, 2019
Yes, as far as I can remember yes it's all on one level and very interesting
Written April 24, 2019
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