Location: Isle of Wight
Top Things to do in Isle of Wight
10 Nature & Wildlife Areas in Isle of Wight That You Shouldn't Miss
The Isle of Wight is the perfect place to enjoy some peace, quiet and natural beauty. Except perhaps in the summer, when the Isle of Wight Festival draws visitors from all over the world. In 1970, the Festival was the largest rock-music event ever held. It was called Britain's Woodstock and featured Jimi Hendrix and The Who. (Not so much peace or quiet that week.) The island is also known for its world-famous sailing and lovely resorts, where people have been vacationing since Victorian times.
Restaurants in Isle of Wight
1. Haven Falconry
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 696 reviews
Haven Falconry houses 24 different species of birds, their total collection is over 55 birds. We also have a reptile and insect house, rabbits and guinea pigs and offer ferret walking and Fly a Hawk to add enjoyment of your visit! The Info Hub and Kite Kingdom is new for 2018! We specialise in personal private falconry experiences, outside events, educational establishments and we perform two flying displays a day at the Centre! Open daily throughout the year! Please note that Dogs are not permitted inside the Bird Of Prey centre, we do however allow Guide Dogs.
Reviewed By forlorntraveller - London, United Kingdom
I treated my wife (and myself) to the "Owl Experience", It was brilliant, We got to fly and get really up close with 4 different owls, Chloe was our host & handler, assisted by Jodie, Chloe knows her stuff when it comes to birds of prey, and being a Northerner has a great sense of humour, Jodie was great with both us, and the birds and it's clear both enjoy what they do immensely, they're both a credit to the Falconry, welcoming & informative. We will be returning next time we're down that neck of the woods to try the other experiences, they're great value for a couple and you really do get to see them at their best, and will probably learn something new, questions are invited after every different type of bird.
2. Yarmouth Common
3. Firestone Copse
4. Bouldnor Forest, Yarmouth, Isle of Wight
5. The Isle of Wight Donkey Sanctuary
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,881 reviews
Donkey Sanctuary - providing homes for unwanted and rescued animals. Carrying out educational work with schools and donkey therapy in residential settings.
Reviewed By 888lydiav - Wolverhampton, United Kingdom
Visited here in April and what a beautiful 50 acres of land with over a hundred donkeys to live in harmony Absolutely recommend to animal lovers and avid walkers as the animals are spread out nicely. Toilets are provided and are clean Cafe provided a wide selection of food and the staff were super friendly All donkeys have name tags and tons of information about their history dotted around the sanctuary.
6. Newtown National Nature Reserve
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 47 reviews
Reviewed By ES1211 - Reading, United Kingdom
Park at the NT car park opposite Newtown old town hall. It is a really pleasant walk down to the harbour. If the information centre is open you can obtain a leaflet with reserve trails on. There is information on the board in the car park. You pass through hay meadows and ancient woodlands with rare butterflies and red squirrels to be seen if you are lucky. It makes an ideal family walk. It is such a relaxing area, I will always return if I am on the IOW. The bird hide is supposed to open at 10.00, unfortunately on the day we visited it was late opening.
7. Alverstone Mead Nature Reserve
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 39 reviews
Reviewed By PVilly
I was staying with friends who live right opposite the entrance to Sandown Meadows reserve and we went for an early morning bird watching walk. It turns out that there are actually three nature reserves right next to each other - Sandown Meadows, Sandown Community Orchard and Alverstone Mead - so we decided to visit all three! You can do this via a figure of eight route which means you can alternate between the old railway track path and muddier paths across fields. The bird hide at Alverstone was definitely the highlight, especially with the birdfeeder which was covered with blue tits and great tits. We didn't see any kingfishers and red squirrels - so an excuse to go there again!
8. Hersey Nature Reserve
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 7 reviews
Reviewed By 803laurencep - Cumbria, United Kingdom
Pleasently surprized at the variation of what is found here as its a small area im sure the surrounding area contributes to it ( pity the surrounding area is going to be developed resulting in a loss of habitat) green woodpecker- little grebe- king fisher- water rail- buzzard- barn owl- kestral- moorhen- coot- to name a few
9. Wildheart Animal Sanctuary, Isle of Wight
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 2,859 reviews
At the Wildheart Animal Sanctuary we look forward to welcoming you to meet our wonderful animals for an immersive and stimulating visit. You will meet some of the most exciting, yet threatened animals on our planet, including Tigers, Lions, Meerkats, Lynx, Reptiles and much more. The Sanctuary rescues many of its inhabitants from poor and inhumane conditions around Europe. There are daily talks from our Animal Carers and also animal encounters to help you have the opportunity to get up close and hands-on with our animal residents. You will discover and learn about the journeys of how the animals came to the Sanctuary and their vital role in championing the cause for their species in the wild overseas. There is a large animal playground to tire the little ones out. Enjoy delicious, fresh and local food and drink from our Wildheart Café overlooking Sandown Bay. Or you can picnic in the company of our Capuchin and Spider monkeys!
Reviewed By KAL1667
My partner and I visited Sandown zoo yesterday for the ‘big cat’ experience ...............there are no words to describe how incredible it was. Kerrie was a brilliant guide, extremely knowledgable and so passionate about the beautiful tigers and lions & they were so responsive to her - it was incredible to see these beautiful animals up close, they all look amazing and are clearly very spoilt which is no more than they deserve. If you get the chance to go to the zoo, I would absolutely recommend it; the whole place is clean and so well looked after, the animals are adored by the staff and I felt so privileged to be able to be that close to these amazing cats. Huge thanks to Kerrie for making it a wonderful day and a massive thanks to Charlotte and all her team for giving their love and lives to the zoo.
10. Amazon World Zoo Park
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 1,484 reviews
This all-weather recreation of the Amazon rainforest houses over 200 species of animals and birds.
Reviewed By 527josied
Fantastic place, so many lovely unusual animals to see, they have armadillos, badgers, sloths, wallaby that you can walk up to and feed, turtles and tortoises, wild birds and parrots, meerkats and many more. It was an amazing experience as its not animals you see everyday. We enjoyed sitting and having some lunch at the cafe there and had fun looking around the shop at the end. I would highly recommend amazon World.
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