Pairi Daiza, Belgium: How to Visit The Best Zoo in Europe

Pair Daiza Zoo & Botanical Gardens near Brugelette in Belgium is a zoo with a difference. Spending time here isn’t just about wandering around looking at the animals. Pairi Daiza is an experience that takes you on a journey across the five continents and immerses you in the worlds of the animals that live there.

Pairi Daiza has been voted ‘Best Zoo in Europe’ three years running and is an unmissable experience when visiting Belgium. You can even stay overnight for an extra special, close to the animals experience!

Read on for a detailed guide to visiting Pairi Daiza.

A moment of appreciation here for Mr THL. I’m forever dragging him on an ‘adventure’ or roping him into one of my good ideas ( like that self build camper that’s going at a glacial pace) He’s always good for it.

Anyhoo, back to Belgium…

Where is Pairi Daiza?

Pairi Daiza is located in Brugelette, between the Belgian cities of Mons and Ath.

If travelling by car, once you reach the village of Gages, please ignore your Sat-Nav and follow the signage instead. Parking is available on site at a cost of €11 per day. If you book an overnight experience, parking is included.

Pairi Daiza is accessible by train. The nearest station is  Cambron-Casteau, from which a sign posted footpath leads to the zoo.

If travelling from the UK, Pairi Daiza is about a two hour drive from Calais.

Exploring Pairi Daiza, Belgium

Arriving at Pairi Daiza is where the magic begins. The main entrance with a huge animal themed sculpture, floral arrangements and roaming peacocks is an absolute delight.

Here you’ll also find shops, toilets and guest services for anything you need as you begin your visit.

The park is divided into different zones- ‘worlds’- each inspired by different parts of the world. The architecture, planting and landscaping has all been designed to create an immersive visitor experience.

As a quick overview, the worlds look like this:

• The Kingdom of Ganesha: inspired by Indonesian adventures and the countries of SE Asia.
• The Middle Kingdom : All the Chinese and Oriental vibes. Think temples, gardens, wellness.
• Land of the Cold : Arctic inspired, ice and tundra. Home to creatures of the cold.
• Cambron Abbey: Home to the birds, from the tiniest humming birds to a huge Griffon Vulture.
• Cambron-by-the-Sea: Nautically themed. An aquarium in an old Chateau and a huge tank of playful seas.
• The Land of Origins: African inspired, home to the big cats, gorillas and rhinos.
• The Southern Cape: Antipodean adventures with wildlife and flora from Tasmania, New Zealand, Australia and New Guinea.
• The Last Frontier: The Alaskan and Canadian wilderness. Wolves, bears and landscaping inspired by age old beliefs.

Never mind Round the World in 80 Days, this is a global adventure in 8 worlds in the Belgian countryside.

Pairi Daiza: The Highlights

Pairi Daiza is vast, both is scale and in the number of things to see; over 7000 animals on a 65-hectare site. Even in two days, I know we didn’t cover everything. But we did see a lot and loved every minute. Best bits included…

Exploring The Middle Kingdom

Pretty gardens, colourful temples and a pool of koi karp. All lovely, but the real stars of the show here? No question. The bears. Giant panda, red panda and black bears.

The Middle Kingdom also introduced me to the magnificent Golden Takin. I found a lot of love for goats earlier in the year and the Takin hails from the goat family. Just a bit bigger and with that charmingly characterful face.

I officially love them.

Vintage Adventure in The Land of the Cold

Home to the polar bears, Siberian tigers, walrus and reindeer. This world is one of vintage adventures, with features including an old sea plane flown in from Canada and a collection of vintage trains.

If you aren’t walking round imagining you’re a pioneer or plucky explorer of some sort, you aren’t throwing yourself into the spirit of things.

We were definitely starring in our own ‘Choose-your-own-adventure’ style story exploring this one. Does anyone else remember those books? let me know in the comments.

Meeting the White Tigers

Finding them was top of my teenage daughters list. Her face as she saw them made my day. The brown striped, blue eyed beauties might be the result of a genetic hiccup, but they are truly magnificent.

Coffee with Company in The Oasis

The Oasis, a giant tropical greenhouse. Full of pretty plants, water features and home to a variety of monkeys and birds. With a self service cafe, also the perfect place to stop for lunch or coffee.

Wolf Watching

If you’ve been round here for a while you’ll know I love wolves ( also bears, deer, boar and any other mountain or forest creature. But especially wolves) So, it was an absolute joy to see the Grey Wolves being fed and watch them interacting as a pack.

Free Roaming Friends

Not all of the animals at Pairi Daiza are securely contained. In the Last Frontier, a herd of fallow deer roam freely. Not exactly tame, but definitely curious. And adorable.

I made a special little friend. No i-deer what her name was so I’ve named her Babycham. I like to think if when we return, we’ll know each other.

Elsewhere in the park, peacocks both blue and white wander freely.

We had a white peacock meet us at the entrance. A charming welcome, the perfect start to our short break at Pairi Daiza.

Pairi Daiza: Day Trip or Short Break?

You can visit Pairi Daiza as a day visitor, with tickets costing €35-40 per person. Children 3 and under visit for free.

However, Pairi Daiza also offers an immersive overnight stay package which offers great value for money and allows you to get up close to some of the animals. Accommodation ranges from cosy hotel rooms to indulgent lodge stays, with direct viewing to the animals.

You can view the accommodation here and read about our immersive stay in a luxury lodge here.

Have I inspired you to visit Pairi Daiza, officially the best zoo in Europe?

Helen x