Tropical World
Tropical World
4
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
About
Tropical World is home to exciting and exotic mammals. Spread your wings and let your heart flutter in the Butterfly House. Witness first-hand the life cycle from the hungry caterpillar to the beautiful butterfly. Come with us on a journey below the surface of the water, from the mangroves to the swamps and meet the incredible creatures that live there. Unwind for a while and bask in the heat with our snakes, lizards and invertebrates. Wander among the cacti and soak up the heat as the Meerkats play. Slither over to Creature Cavern and tip toe into the darkness to meet the animals lurking in the shadows, from the venomous to the clawed and prickly. After working up a thirst trekking through the rainforest and desert, make the most of your day by stopping off at the café for refreshments. The stylish conservatory overlooks the beautiful Canal Gardens. Pop into the gift shop and you really can take a can take a meerkat home with you, thanks to our adorable range of cuddly toys!
Suggested duration
1-2 hours
Features animals
Learn more about animal welfare in tourismSuggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listingFull view










Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Top ways to experience nearby attractions
The area
Address
Reach out directly
Best nearby
We rank these restaurants and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.
Restaurants
333 within 3 miles
Attractions
250 within 6 miles
See what travellers are saying
- Foodie11111136 contributionsEnjoyable morningCame with 3 kids under 5 (kids under 5 go free which I think is fantastic). Everyone really enjoyed the morning. There were plenty animals to see. We went early but it did get busy as we were leaving so I would recommend baby carrier instead of pram because some bits are quite narrow. We didn't see a designated car park so parked down the road not an issue as was a short walk. Overall great experience, reasonably priced and would definitely come back.Visited January 2023Travelled with familyWritten 22 January 2023
- Helen S17 contributionsA pleasant surpriseHaving read the recent reviews I wasn’t expecting much from thevisit but I was pleasantly surprised. I went with my grandchildren aged 5 , 3, 2, and 18 months. They had a ball! It was quiet as it’s term time here (they live in Wales where it’s half term). It wasn’t dirty, the cafe was spotless. There were some empty tanks /enclosures but there were plenty of interesting things to see if you take time to look. There is also redevelopment work going on which I think will make it even better in the summer months and as it’s winter there weren’t as many butterflies but the ones we saw were incredible 🦋! I can imaging if you went during school holidays or if you were entertaining children over 10 it would be a very different experience but I can honestly say it was worth the £12 entrance fee for us all. My advice - wait until the spring and pick a quiet school dayVisited February 2023Travelled with familyWritten 22 February 2023
- mary greenburg8 contributionsvery cold inside, take a jumper!!i visited here on “learn about butterflies day” as i heard they have butterflies there. you enter through the gift shop which is unusual, i was drawn to a beautiful rubber butterfly toy which turned out to be a stingray so i put it back. i wanted a butterfly toy but they only had this beautiful rubber sting ray. once inside the attraction i felt very cold, i recommend taking a jumper as they have to keep the temperature down for the button flies to thrive in there. i saw a few butterflies but i didn’t look very hard and for a lot of the time i had my eyes closed due to the light (there was light inside). i saw many interesting things including two men in a cage, a bit of pink lady apple (my favourite apple), an elusive broom. there were lots of warning signs about. apparently you can’t give money to the animals or touch the water. i like to be able to do what i want so i found this to be difficult. overall i give them 4 out of 5 as it was the best day of my life so far yours sincerely mary greenburgVisited March 2023Travelled soloWritten 15 March 2023
- Helen TThirsk, United Kingdom271 contributionsDon't bother driving far to come here!Bit of a dissapointment to be honest. £7.60 adult, under 5s free. Shop selling tat and large cafe with lots seating, inside and out. The tanks, enclosures, areas inside for viewing were lacking in excitement, a few creatures if you could spot them. 1 alligator in a small green filled pond area, 3 small monkeys, 3 meerkat, 2 lizards, few turtles and tortoises, spider, 2 snakes, 3 butterflies. A few tanks with fish floating about. Took 45 minutes at a very slow pace. Part of the tropical House is under reconstruction, a big area! As to what is going in here the staff wouldn't reveal. But it needs to be something good to attract people back. Wouldn't return and recommend a visit here.Visited March 2023Travelled with friendsWritten 22 March 2023
- ErinC14 contributionsNot what it used to beIt’s been our first visit for a few years, there has been change, but not for the better. There are very few animals to see. Last time we were there, there were so many butterflies flying around, this time we saw 2 and that is with really pausing and looking carefully. There was a meerkat by itself, whereas before there was a whole family of them you could spend ages watching. Some tanks and areas completely empty, and some of the tanks looked filthy. The whole place looks tired and dated. There are obviously renovation works going on to parts which, I hope, will help. We spent so little time there because of the lack of animals and the place seemed suspiciously quiet for a Saturday. Overall we were very underwhelmed and our visit didn’t represent good value for money. I recommend getting the tropical part back to its best and filled with butterflies, and giving the whole place a spruce up. Unless it improves, I don’t think we will be back.Visited March 2023Travelled with familyWritten 25 March 2023
- our lives our w... tBradford, United Kingdom5 contributionsA very enjoyable day outwe went with our group which is comprised of people with learning disabilities. upon arrival we was made to feel very welcome by the staff in the cafe as that is where we visited first. the food in the cafe was prepared fast and was very nice however we did feel it was slightly expensive for what it was. the entry to tropical world was fair as we felt the entry fee was reasonable and fair. we thoroughly enjoyed our tropical world experience as all the animals seemed happy and the exhibits was clean. we encountered some builders working on the new exhibit which we are looking forward to seeing the finished result on future visits. we would highly recommend tropical world as it was an enjoyable day out and we look forward to visiting when the renovations are completed.Visited March 2023Travelled with friendsWritten 3 April 2023
- Annabel W1 contributionFabulous day/ Amazing staffVisited Tropical World twice this month, the children had a wonderful time as there was so much to see, we loved seeing g the monkeys and the crocodiles. The staff are all amazing and really friendly, we had a triple pushchair with us which they kindly stored in the party area, the gift shop is fully stocked with the most wonderful things, great ideas for party presents. We had drinks outside, it was a really lovely day out.Visited August 2023Travelled with familyWritten 7 August 2023
- ChelYorkshire, United Kingdom21 contributionsBetter than I thought!Not been in years and was worried as heard such bad reviews. However we finally went today and it was a good experience. The only issue is the heat and warmth but I appreciate why it has to be so hot. Recommend going if with young children.Visited September 2023Travelled with familyWritten 10 September 2023
- Suzy12 contributionsGood Day OutI recently visited Tropical World for the first time in quite a few years. I'm very glad to say it is still a really nice day out in the Leeds area, plenty of animals to see. The butterflies and birds in particular have quite a big area to roam around, making it easy to spend quite a lot of time looking for them. When I visited, some enclosures were closed and undergoing refurbishment, however it's good to see the attraction is still open despite this, and I'm intrigued to see what the new arrivals will be. The animals and enclosures all seem to be looked after very well. If anything, I would say the butterfly room could be monitored a little more closely, I noticed one had escaped and was flying around near the exit which was a little concerning as I'm sure they need to be in the warm environment set up for them. That said, this is overall a good day out with plenty to see, and I'm sure once the refurbishments are complete it will be better than ever!Visited September 2023Travelled with friendsWritten 17 September 2023
- BrinalinaRochester, United Kingdom9 contributionsMEERKATS!!Very good! Loved the meerkats and fishes lots to look at. Its quite humid in there so id recommend wearing something cooler. Nice gift shop and quite a selection to eat and drink at the cafe. Would definitely recommend if up in leeds with children.Visited September 2023Travelled with familyWritten 22 September 2023
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Contribute
Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.0
2,447 reviews
Excellent
1,043
Very good
780
Average
306
Poor
150
Terrible
168
Curiosity572465
1 contribution
Oct 2023 • Family
Had a really lovely afternoon. We all enjoyed looking for the different species using the pictures/information at the side of each enclosure.Made a game of who could find them first. The shop was very affordable for all families so that children could buy little momentoes. Great outdoor space for picnics. Good cafe and very welcoming staff. Thoroughly enjoyed visit, well worth the entry fee. Thank you.
Written 25 October 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.
Chloe M
1 contribution
Oct 2023 • Family
Loved it there. Very well priced, Clean, tidy, lovely settings, nice cafe. A lot bigger than I realised . Great shop and fabulous helpful staff. Children loved finding all the different species and reading all the different information. Will be going again soon !
Written 25 October 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.
David a
Nairn, UK4 contributions
Oct 2023 • Family
I am an ex leeds resident visiting my leeds family...I was sad to see the ...let's say poorer version of tropical world.
My family have visited many times in the past...but today's offering isn't worth the £8 per person entrance fee...I can see the demise of this great visitor attraction because of both the lack of animals and the unkempt state of the interior...here's hoping it will bounce back to its best...otherwise you could see it gone, which would be a sad
My family have visited many times in the past...but today's offering isn't worth the £8 per person entrance fee...I can see the demise of this great visitor attraction because of both the lack of animals and the unkempt state of the interior...here's hoping it will bounce back to its best...otherwise you could see it gone, which would be a sad
Written 12 October 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.
Brinalina
Rochester, UK9 contributions
Sep 2023 • Family
Very good!
Loved the meerkats and fishes lots to look at.
Its quite humid in there so id recommend wearing something cooler.
Nice gift shop and quite a selection to eat and drink at the cafe.
Would definitely recommend if up in leeds with children.
Loved the meerkats and fishes lots to look at.
Its quite humid in there so id recommend wearing something cooler.
Nice gift shop and quite a selection to eat and drink at the cafe.
Would definitely recommend if up in leeds with children.
Written 22 September 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.
Suzy
12 contributions
Sep 2023 • Friends
I recently visited Tropical World for the first time in quite a few years. I'm very glad to say it is still a really nice day out in the Leeds area, plenty of animals to see. The butterflies and birds in particular have quite a big area to roam around, making it easy to spend quite a lot of time looking for them.
When I visited, some enclosures were closed and undergoing refurbishment, however it's good to see the attraction is still open despite this, and I'm intrigued to see what the new arrivals will be.
The animals and enclosures all seem to be looked after very well. If anything, I would say the butterfly room could be monitored a little more closely, I noticed one had escaped and was flying around near the exit which was a little concerning as I'm sure they need to be in the warm environment set up for them.
That said, this is overall a good day out with plenty to see, and I'm sure once the refurbishments are complete it will be better than ever!
When I visited, some enclosures were closed and undergoing refurbishment, however it's good to see the attraction is still open despite this, and I'm intrigued to see what the new arrivals will be.
The animals and enclosures all seem to be looked after very well. If anything, I would say the butterfly room could be monitored a little more closely, I noticed one had escaped and was flying around near the exit which was a little concerning as I'm sure they need to be in the warm environment set up for them.
That said, this is overall a good day out with plenty to see, and I'm sure once the refurbishments are complete it will be better than ever!
Written 17 September 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.
Kyj12
United Kingdom120 contributions
Jun 2023 • Family
Nice day out , better than other tropical worlds & kept the kids happy!
Big park around it to keep you busy
Big park around it to keep you busy
Written 14 September 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.
Chel
Yorkshire, UK21 contributions
Sep 2023 • Family
Not been in years and was worried as heard such bad reviews. However we finally went today and it was a good experience. The only issue is the heat and warmth but I appreciate why it has to be so hot. Recommend going if with young children.
Written 10 September 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.
Slayer03
Harrogate, UK19 contributions
Aug 2023 • Family
Not sure what’s happened but this place is really run down.
Counted all of about 5 butterfly’s none flying around tho. Lots of empty exhibits throughout. Saw a couple of birds in the bird area and 3 meerkats whereas there used to be a lot. Seemed very empty on walking round for animals.
The monkeys were cute. But the fish tanks looked in desperate need of some clean glass.
I used to love taking my children here but now it doesn’t seem worth the money I do hope they invest on bringing it back to its former glory.
On a positive the gardens are lovely and well kept and the cafe food is very good.
Counted all of about 5 butterfly’s none flying around tho. Lots of empty exhibits throughout. Saw a couple of birds in the bird area and 3 meerkats whereas there used to be a lot. Seemed very empty on walking round for animals.
The monkeys were cute. But the fish tanks looked in desperate need of some clean glass.
I used to love taking my children here but now it doesn’t seem worth the money I do hope they invest on bringing it back to its former glory.
On a positive the gardens are lovely and well kept and the cafe food is very good.
Written 25 August 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.
Kerry B
2 contributions
Aug 2023 • Family
I was really disappointed .. not been for a few years but was telling my daughters about how wonderful the place was .. it was a lovely place once.. today was a disappointment the whole place looks tired and dirty... not many animals to see we counted at least two blue butterflies and about 5 meerkats a male staff member came to feed the meerkats what a grumpy sole he was.. had no interested in his job at all no interaction with the meerkats or visitors he just threw what looked like dog meat into the cage and walked away, the tanks all looked dirty and half was empty their was plenty of fish.. definitely won’t be coming back.
Written 23 August 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.
EdenYorkshire79
Leeds, UK44 contributions
Aug 2023 • Family
I agree with the recent reviews. One butterfly which disappointed my granddaughter and lots of empty tanks. Not many birds now or meerkats which was a disappointment too. The bats are gone, they were a favourite. Plenty of fish , maybe the animals were shy and hiding but not many to see. Was loads better last time we went several years ago .
Written 15 August 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.
Olivia
Bradford, UK2 contributions
Is there any opportunity to hold any of the animals?
Monica1080
York, UK110 contributions
No. The butterflies may land on you though!
Are dogs allowed?
Monica1080
York, UK110 contributions
I don’t think so. Assistance dogs only from what I can remember.
Is tropical world only 1 way round
janet b
Leeds, UK134 contributions
Well there is only one way in and one way out , but also the pathways are not very wide , so it helps if you are all going in one direction. But that doesn’t mean you cannot back track to go back and look at something you missed or couldn’t see because there was too many people.
Katelise
E.Yorks7 contributions
Is there any benefit to buying tickets in advance online?
The Mystery Shopper
York, UK314 contributions
The que can be long but it dose actually go down fast, so hard to say just what’s your preference maybe summer holiday it will be more busy so book
Clark-UK-family
Burgess Hill, UK138 contributions
Is this an inside park or is it mostly outside. Just worried because its meant to rain when we go.
Scottington
England, UK416 contributions
All of the tropical house is inside and the enclosures are very warm so even if its horrible outside I wouldn't wear to many layers.
hols_2705
Hessle, UK46 contributions
Do I need to buy tickets online?
OzFoodie_101
Canberra, Australia86 contributions
No, you can buy on arrival
andyn5173
Sheffield, UK113 contributions
I'm travelling here from Sheffield by car with 2 kids, is parking on site? Or is there a short walk as it's in Roundhay Park?
Thanks.
andyn5173
Sheffield, UK113 contributions
Hi all, thanks for the replies.
We ended up parking on Mansion Lane bang opposite the Tropical World.
What a great place it is.
Enjoyed our day out, will return in Summer with a picnic for Roundhay park too!
Thanks to all who helped with suggestions.
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listingTROPICAL WORLD: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)
Frequently Asked Questions about Tropical World
- Tropical World is open:
- Sun - Sat 10:00 - 16:00
- Hotels near Tropical World:
- (0.13 mi) Beechwood B&b
- (3.54 mi) The Chambers Park Place
- (3.41 mi) Dakota Leeds
- (4.15 mi) Harewood Holidays
- (3.52 mi) The Queens Hotel
- Restaurants near Tropical World:
- (0.01 mi) Explorer Cafe
- (0.05 mi) The Roundhay Fox
- (0.31 mi) Aanya
- (0.37 mi) La Palmera Restaurant
- (0.41 mi) Aarti Indian Restaurant