Some time ago, we headed off to South Wales for a red panda encounter.
This super cute red panda feeding experience has been one of the highlights of our time running this blog.
So, wanted to share some other locations throughout the UK where you can get up close and actually feed a red panda.
Updated: April 2025
Red Panda Experiences
Since our red panda experience post has become one of our most popular, we’ve been a asked quite a few times about Red Panda Experiences.
Feel free to check out our round up video above and do us a favour and give us a cheeky subscribe on our YouTube channel ;).
So, we’ve even convinced a few people that red panda experiences are a good thing to do at the weekend.
If you’re like us, Tenby in South Wales is some distance to travel. So, we’ve compiled a list of 5 of the best places in the UK to do a red panda experience.
Note that they are in no particular order!
Red Panda Experience at Manor Wildlife Park in Tenby, Wales
Okay, so predictably we are going to start with the place that we actually visited for our red panda experience.
You can read all about our experience with the red panda by reading the blog post.
The experience lasted a little over half an hour in total.
We were treated to a guided tour around the red panda enclosure at first and our guide told us a little more about red pandas in general, and their resident red panda sisters – Betty and Cherry.
Afterwards, we spent the rest of the time feeding apples, carrots, and pellets to Betty the red panda.
In the wild, around 70-95% of their diet consists of bamboo, but we can tell you that Betty definitely prefers apples!
She was an absolute beauty and you will definitely get all the photos and videos that you can handle!
Betty was very eager and extremely comfortable around us.
When we visited, Betty’s sister Cherry was perhaps feeling a bit shy, so we didn’t get to meet her during the feeding experience.
However, you might get lucky on your visit!
Please remember that pre-booking is essential because this is their most popular animal experience. Once you purchase your experience, book in via email.
How Much Does the Red Panda Experience at Manor Cost?
This experience costs 90 pounds and includes the admission cost into the Manor Wildlife Park itself.
We thought this was very reasonable and is at the cheaper end of the experiences on this list.
Click here to visit the Manor Red Panda Experience booking page
Red Panda Experience at Chester Zoo, Chester – No longer being offered
Next up, the Chester Zoo red panda experience.
Chester used to have a red panda experience back in 2022 when we originally wrote this post but we’re sorry to say that Chester Zoo is no longer offering this experience.
If the situation changes, we’ll add details to this post as soon as we find out.
Despite this, it’s absolutely one of our favourite zoos to visit – so do make sure you check it out (even without the red panda experience).
We had the pleasure of visiting earlier in 2022 and you can read about our visit to Chester Zoo here.
Red Panda Experience Near London – Paradise Wildlife Park
Heading to the South of England next and just north of London is Hertfordshire Zoo which used to be called Paradise Wildlife Park.
The red panda encounter at Hertfordshire Zoo actually starts with welcome drinks and a meet-and-greet with a keeper.
You’ll head over to the red panda enclosure afterwards armed with a bowl full of food.
For the red pandas, not you.
Once inside the enclosure, you will have the opportunity to feed the red pandas by hand.
For this experience, you’ll be meeting Ash the super-cute resident red panda.
As with the other red panda experiences, your keeper will tell you all about the red pandasand general information about the species.
There are a few notable restrictions with this one.
The minimum age is 8 years old for this red panda experience.
Children under 10 must be accompanied by a participating adult and participants under 14 must be accompanied on site by an adult with a valid day ticket.
How Much Does the Red Panda Experience at Paradise Wildlife Park Cost?
The red panda experience at Paradise Wildlife Park costs £99 per person.
This unfortunately does not include entry into the park.
Standard admission is priced at £24.99 per adult (including gift aid) during off-peak and £27.99 in peak times.
Booking is required in advance and can be done so by visiting their booking page here.
You can also give them a call on 01992 470 490.
The Red Panda Experience at Longleat Safari Park
We both absolutely loved watching Animal Park on the BBC which was based around Longleat Safari Park.
So, it’s only natural that we would include their red panda experience in our list – as well being the UK’s number 1 safari park.
Longleat is located in the South of England in the county of Wiltshire.
The red panda experience at Longleat gets you up close for an amazing and memorable experience.
Longleat has several Red Pandas and their habitat just off our main square.
As with the other red panda experiences, you’ll be toured around the red panda enclosure and be hand feeding their red pandas.
Emma and Lionel are two of the resident red pandas here.
How Much Does the Red Panda Experience at Longleat Safari Park Cost?
The red panda experience at Longleat costs £150 per person and this includes entry into the park at £34.95 per ticket. The experience lasts for 30 minutes and is available to visitors aged 8 and over.
Your price also includes a VIP lanyard and a souvenir guide book, which are really nice additions.
The VIP lanyard also gets you 10% off at Longleat shops and restaurants.
So, once you have fed the Red Panda, go feed yourself for less!
The experience may be shared with other guests up to a maximum of 4 people.
Really great value and well worth including this into your visit.
The Red Panda Experience at Yorkshire Wildlife Park
It’s been some time since we have visited Yorkshire Wildlife Park but it is a really good one to visit.
This red panda experience is a reasonably recent addition to their animal experience catalogue and one we are eager to try for ourselves!
This is a 30 minute experience and gives you the opportunity to join one of the animal keepers at the wildlife park in the Red Panda reserve.
This is a red panda feeding experience, where you’ll be feeding the little cuties their staple diet of bamboo.
However, unlike the red panda experience at Manor Wildlife Park (for example) – they don’t allow hand feeding or stroking the Red Pandas on this experience.
How Much Does the Red Panda Experience at Yorkshire Wildlife Park Cost?
The experience is priced at £300 for two people person – it looks like they don’t provide a single priced option unfortunately.
This price has increased quite a lot in recent times due to demand (we think).
IMPORTANT thing to note here: they DO NOT allow hand feeding or direct contact with the Red Pandas on this experience.
This red panda experience used to include entrance into the wildlife park, but since they updated their page, we can’t confirm this.
The experience lasts for 30 minutes.
Check out their website here to find out more and to book >>
The Red Panda Experience at Drusillas Park
Heading to the South East of England for this red panda experience, Drusillas Park is located in Afriston, East Sussex.
Their red panda experience lasts between 30 and 40 minutes and is available to anyone over the age of 5.
Drusillas Park offers a behind the scenes experience, helping to prepare the red panda’s food, before heading out to feed them. Afterwards, you will get a red panda experience certificate to remember your day by.
The keeper will also be on-hand to answer any and all questions about red pandas too.
How Much Does the Red Panda Experience at Drusillas Park cost?
The red experience at Drusillas Park is priced at £140 for one person or £195 for two people.
It should be noted that Annual Pass members can get 25% off all VIP Experiences including the red panda experience.
The experience lasts for between 30 and 40 minutes and is available to everyone over the age of 5. Under 16’s must be accompanied by an adult.
The price of the experience includes your entry into the park, non-participating guests will need to buy an entry ticket though.
To find out more and to book your experience, head to the website here >>
The Red Panda Experience at Shepreth Wildlife Park
Next, we’re heading just south of the University City of Cambridge in England for the next red panda experience.
Shepreth Wildlife Park offers a red panda feeding, meet and greet experience, allowing you to get close to your red panda friend during a half an hour time slot.
There a couple of restrictions to be aware of, firstly you have to be over the age of 16 to participate and (unlike the other experiences in this article) there is weight limit of 150kgs.
This is because the participant(s) will have to climb over a wall and a ladder in order to get to the red panda enclosure.
How Much Does the Red Panda Experience at Shepreth Wildlife Park cost?
The red panda experience at Shepreth Wildlife Park costs £125 for one person.
An additional adult can participate for £75, up to a maximum of 2 people.
For every Red Panda Experience purchased, they donate £10 to the Red Panda Network. Which is an idea we love.
Like most of the other experiences listed here, you get a 30 minute meet and greet encounter with the red panda.
They even give you a little e-Certificate after your experience.
With this experience, you have to buy the voucher and book the specific day once you receive it. Follow the instructions on the voucher or email office@sheprethwildlifepark.co.uk for more info.
Like most out of the red panda experiences out there, this one includes entry into the wildlife park and a certificate of participation to remember your day by.
To find out more and to book your experience, head to the website here >>
The Red Panda Experience at Paradise Park Wildlife Sanctuary
Anyone who reads this blog or follows our social channels know that we love Cornwall.
So, the red panda experience at Paradise Park Wildlife Sanctuary in Cornwall was always going to feature somewhere!
Paradise Park offers a 30 minute meet-and-greet with the red panda after a safety briefing from an instructor.
You will be able to hand-feed, stroke, and take photos of the red panda.
They say that one might even choose to sit on your lap!
OMG where do we sign up?
This is one of experiences that allows you to interact with the red panda – allowing you to stroke and feed the animal.
Their website even says that one might sit on your lap! (Yeah, we are definitely going to do this one).
How Much Does the Red Panda Experience at Paradise Park Cost?
The red panda experience at Paradise Park costs £275 for two people. It doesn’t look like they offer a single option at the moment.
Like the Shepreth, a donation (£25) to the Red Panda Network charity is included. Again, absolutely love this idea!
You will also get free entry into the park and a drinks voucher to enjoy at their Otter Pool Cafe.
Seems like a good one!
Thank You
Thanks for reading our list of red panda experiences in the UK, if you have your own amazing encounter to share, feel free to leave us a comment!
You can check out all of our cute red panda pictures from our experience by visiting the gallery below.
If you liked this post, you might be interested in reading about our Porcupine Encounter Experience. Or, in a similar vein to this post, where to find porcupine encounter experiences in the UK.
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2 responses to “Where to Find Red Panda Experiences in the UK”
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Hi there, thanks so much for putting this together! I am looking for my wife as a birthday present and one of the things we want to know is the level of interactivity with the pandas e.g. can you stroke them (respectfully and gently) the feedback intimacy etc. and whether there is a particular one you recommend with those things in mind? 🙂
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Hey Dylan, thank you for stopping by and we’re so glad you liked the article! Such a great idea for a birthday present. We can only speak genuinely to the red panda experience at the Manor Wildlife Park since that’s the one that we did. It was brilliant though. The pandas Betty and Cherry are perfectly comfortable with you stroking them gently (they have been trained to allow this) while you feed them. We’re sure that some of the other experiences will allow this too. It’s a great thing to do.
Thanks again for stopping by and for commenting on the article.
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2 responses to “Where to Find Red Panda Experiences in the UK”
Hi there, thanks so much for putting this together! I am looking for my wife as a birthday present and one of the things we want to know is the level of interactivity with the pandas e.g. can you stroke them (respectfully and gently) the feedback intimacy etc. and whether there is a particular one you recommend with those things in mind? 🙂
Hey Dylan, thank you for stopping by and we’re so glad you liked the article! Such a great idea for a birthday present. We can only speak genuinely to the red panda experience at the Manor Wildlife Park since that’s the one that we did. It was brilliant though. The pandas Betty and Cherry are perfectly comfortable with you stroking them gently (they have been trained to allow this) while you feed them. We’re sure that some of the other experiences will allow this too. It’s a great thing to do.
Thanks again for stopping by and for commenting on the article.