Berkenhof Tropical Zoo

"Best attraction of Zeeland 2023" awarded by members of the Dutch Motorist Association (ANWB). That's very promising, so we jumped into our car and found out what's so fun about Berkenhof:

• The Kids Jungle. A real fun, indoor nature playground. Our daughter really, really did not want to leave. The area is wide, there is water, there is sand, plenty to explore, other kids to play with and for parents there are food, drinks and benches.
• Explore tropical animals. You'll find plenty of cows, horses and sheep in Zeeland. But blue frogs? Or monkeys? Or crocodiles (technically a cayman)? How about (fake) dinosaurs? Don't expect a full zoo, but a nice selection of exotic animals.
• A nice exhibit of fossils and bones. Admittedly, mom and dad enjoyed these more than the kids, but there are some splendid fossils on display
• The Splash Garden. During our visit it was a little too cold to run around outside and play with water, but we can imagine 200% how great it must be on a hot summer day

Next to those highlights we encountered friendly staff, we enjoyed the (special) coffee and pastries and there are options to extend your visit with minigolf and Treasure Hunt. The latter is really fun and not something you encounter often.

As you'll probably noticed, we are quite enthousiastic about Berkenhof, but objectively there are some things to note:

The animal part is not very extensive. If you take your time you'll spend probably an hour or so. If you're in a rush you'll go through it in 20 minutes.

We enjoyed the fossil exhibition and the dinosaur area. But if that's not your cup of tea, Berkenhof could also disappoint. Roughly speaking it's divided into 1/3 tropical animals, 1/3 dinosaurs and fossils, 1/3 play area both indoor and outdoor.

Humidity is quite high. Quite logical for a tropical zoo. But we wanted to mention it, in case you dislike that.

If those points do not matter to you, then we have great news: we guarantee that you and your family will have a splendid day at Berkenhof. Enjoy!