In for exploring the exciting animal word in one day in a magnificent setting? Well, then Pairi Daiza is something for you. From Africa over Europe to America, from Australia to Asia, all sorts of animals meet your eyes in this splendid themed animal park. Some days are even topped up with some marvelous evening shows. And in the winter, you are treated to some splendid light spectacles. Without any doubt the best zoo in Europe!

Pairi Daiza is not ‘just’ a zoo

Visiting Pairi Daiza is not just visiting a zoo. It’s a real experience, immersing you in the world of the animals, with a deep respect for their original habitats.

The enormous park is divided in several themed worlds, in which you can really enjoy the ‘look and feel’ of each continent. Animal habitats are extensive and large, with ample room for them to wander around. At some locations, visitors even share the animals habitat. The whole park breathes the same value: an absolute respect for the other, the person who comes from another place bringing a different culture, philosophy and beliefs.

Wander around and enjoy Cambron-abbey, Cambron-by-the-sea, the Middle Kingdom, the Southern Cape, the Land of the Origins, the Kingdom of Ganesha, the Land of the Cold and the last frontier. More on these worlds in my next blog.

A day visit?

Pairi Daiza is really extensive. It’s not a theme park but a real zoo and yet, there is, besides the animals, a lot to see and enjoy. In the Kingdom of Ganesha, you definitely want to wander around the temples and in the Middle Kingdom you cannot walk by without admiring the Chinese temples. Not to speak about the many photogenic places.

We went a couple of times, just for one day, and had to run to get ‘everything done’. If you want to cover each world extensively and take your time to enjoy fully, you need more then one day.

You can visit the zoo nearly year round. In all seasons, there is something special to see.

We visited the park on a spring and summer day and around Halloween. With Halloween the park is open to 21 pm, which is a real treat. We enjoyed a fabulous show with fire dancers (by Pyronix) and some splendid video mappings on the Abbey Tower. In December and January too, the whole park is illuminated with thousands of lights and lanterns. A plus is that in these periods too, the park is open till late in the evening.

Stay overnight?

The park now offers possibilities to stay overnight. The lodgings are located in the zoo itself, in the Land of the Cold and the Last frontier. We didn’t stay overnight ourselves, but heard the lodgings are really nice. Their location is already superb. Depending on what you like, you can chose for a room with a view on the polar bears, brown bears, wolves, walruses, …

Cost?

A ticket for Pairi Daiza costs 39 euro (online) for adults and 33 euro for children (2-11). This is a very reasonable price.

There are various picnic places across the park where you can eat your own lunch for free. You can also find quite a lot of restaurants, varying from a quick snack to a more extensive dinner (all-in buffet). We had a meal in the Brasserie, which was OK but a bit overpriced (25 euro for a burger).

Further, there are some souvenir shops across the park, selling all kinds of stuff. We bought a hoodie for one of the children (45 euro) which seems to be good quality. The main shop near the entrance has the biggest variety. I in particular liked La Maison de Thé, a tea shop with an extensive collection of teas from all over the world. They sell different blends, from Bangkok tea to Bananas. To enjoy at home!

Information

The park has a good and extensive website. It provides you all information on the worlds and the facilities. You also find information on how to get to the park. There is a train station reachable by foot. I once took the train to get to the park and that too went very well.

Looking for some more day trips? Then have a look at some of my other blogs such as a great City walk in Ostend.