Val is always on the lookout for things to do with the kids and with a special on Groupon for Planete Sauvage we had tickets! Now I suspect like most Zoo / Animal Parks … Planete Sauvage isn’t cheap. At €26.50 for an adult and €21 for children (older than 3 years) it is however a pretty amazing experience ( your car gets in for free 😛 ). It’s around 30 minutes from Nantes by car. I’d previously written about the Zoo de la Boissiere du Dore

You can also cut down a bit on what you’ll spend by bringing your own lunch / goûter / drinks with you (You’re going to spend the day here .. it shuts at 19:00 with the last entry to the safari from 17:00) Popcorn is available to purchase as well to feed some of the animals (at around €3) and we did that the last time we visited. This time however we made some up for Charlotte and Victor at home so that way they each had a bag. Just remember don’t salt it 😀  If you’re making a day out for yourself then restaurants are available at the start and halfway through the 10km safari trip. For example chicken nuggets and chips will set you back just short of €8 it’s not haute cuisine but it’ll hit the spot.

Should you want to you can also opt to take a guided tour (though only available in French I’m guessing). Again this will set you back €10 for an adult and €7 for a kid. You go on a big truck with seats and a cage on the back.

I really wanted the Jurassic Park music to play!

Top Tip! Remember to ask your kids if they need to pee before and half way through. There’s no getting out of the vehicle once you’re on the safari part of the trip and depending on the other cars you may be stuck for a bit (especially in high season)

If you’ve got popcorn for the animals you’ll be sure they’ll come up to your window.

Hello Good Sir have you heard about popcorn?

Be careful with your fingers if you are feeding the animals and especially for the kids.

Of course there’s always the question of is it cruel to the animals to have them caged up? Having visited various zoos I can say at least they have a lot more space here and aren’t just behind glass cages.

I counted 6 giraffes .. well we asked the kids to count them

While you can have your windows open to feed certain animals please remember that’s most definitely not the case for all them.

A Wolf’s Jaws are three times stronger than a dogs

Getting up close to the Cheetahs was definitely a highlight.

We didn’t get to see much of the Tigers as they were pretty far away from the trail

This time however we did get to see the Lion and Lionesses …

The Lion King woke up feeling a bit frisky but she wasn’t having any of it …

It’s amazing to see the speed they can take off at.

The waterfall the bears have is definitely cool though they weren’t at it.

I ended up getting to touch one of the Zebra … apparently you shouldn’t as they can snap. We’ll know for again. Up close their patterns are truly amazing.

At the half way point we opted to have a picnic with egg /mayonnaise sandwiches (A throw back to my youth and visiting Dublin zoo). They might not look so pretty but they definitely hit the spot.

Back on the trail again and it was Bambi central!

Have you ever fed Bambi?

We even got to see two of the deer clashing

Having arrived slightly late I guess we rushed the second half of the safari trip. We wanted to see the dolphins as they put on a spectacle twice a day at 14:00 and 15:30 though you’ll want to confirm that for yourself.

The kangaroos and wallabys weren’t up to that much this visit. They’d previously been quite lively so I suspect every visit will be different.

Again the kids got to see the animals eating and how they interact with things.

Making our way back to the parking area we headed for the dolphins area.

It’s truly amazing to see the dolphins up close. They are putting on a show it can’t be denied however there’s also a message about the environment and plastic waste which can’t be that bad a thing.

Get there early if you want to be down the front but also be prepared to get splashed.

Afterwards you can go down below and hopefully see them swimming so gracefully.

Afterwards there are two further routes you can walk and you’ll be able to get up close to the lemurs. It’s really amazing to see all the animals I’ll leave you with a few more shots.

Whazzup!!!

There’s also a monkey area you can go to with wooden bridges that move as you cross them, so lots of fun for the kids but if you’re afraid of heights maybe best to avoid them. It’s up about 10 meters I guess though I’m not sure. Thankfully they’ve done it up since the last time we visited 3 years ago. After that it was on to a zipline for the kids which they had so much fun at.

All too soon it was time to head home back to Nantes. As I said I know the animals are in captivity it’s beautiful and sad to see them at the same time. If you’ve got kids they’ll love it. If you don’t have kids and you like the zoo? You’ll love it.

Link: Planete Sauvage