On our recent trip to Leeds, we looked up on places to visit and decided to stop off at Tropical World Leeds for a fun filled and educational day out as a family. This is home to lots of exciting and exotic animals such as fishes, reptiles, meerkats, monkeys, crocodiles and butterflies amongst others.
Tropical World is part of the Roundhay Park estate which is made up of 700 acres of stunning parkland, lakes, woodland, beautiful gardens and play areas.
So a great way to spend the day in the outdoors and nature. So keep on reading to find out what we did there on our day out.
Butterfly House
As soon as we paid for our tickets, we walked into the Butterfly House. The warmth of the area hit us immediately and it reminded us to our visit to the Butterfly Farm in Stratford-Upon-Avon.
Although there was plenty of feeding areas for the butterflies, there were fewer butterflies fluttering around when we visited but we still managed to spot a few butterflies flying around.
There were lots of signboards with the photo and name of the butterflies located in each area for easy identification and also information about the butterfly’s life cycle from when it is a caterpillar to when it turns into a butterfly.
The lush green plants in the backdrop of the beautiful swampy mangrove was refreshing. There were a couple of pools in the area housing Koi Carp, Terrapins and Morelet’s Crocodile and lots of birds flying and on the ground.
Aquarium
Next, we visited the fish Aquarium, where we saw a variety of fish of all shapes and colour, from all over the world.
My favourite was the Red-bellied Piranha as growing up I remember watching the movie Piranha and was fascinated by the flesh eating fish. It was fabulous to see all the fishes, my only comment would be that I wish the aquarium glass was cleaner so we could see the fishes clearer.
Waterfall House
Next, we made our way around the Waterfall House, under the canopy of the forest, where we spotted some birds flying and fish swimming in the pond. We also spotted the critically endangered Elongated Tortoises as well as the Snake Necked Turtle.
Creature Corner
The Creature Corner was the least favourite bit of the whole place for me. Looking at various creepy crawlies like insects as well as reptiles such as lizards, Emerald Tree Monitor and snakes is not my favourite.
My husband and kids on the other hand were fascinated by them. I quickly walked passed them and only stopped to see the Cotton Top Tamarins which is a species of monkey before heading to the next section.
Rainforest Canopy
Next, we headed to the Rainforest Canopy area where the Sulcata Tortoises are housed as well as other inhabitants who are native to the tropical rainforests of South America. These include the male Argentine Black and White Tegu lizards, the Emperor Tamarin monkey and Pygmy Marmosets which are the world’s smallest monkey.
Desert House
We next venture into the Desert House, where we see plants and animals which love the heat. These include the super cute meerkats. We spent a while admiring these small mongoose , who love making burrows and underground runs to keep them out of the heat.
Creature Cavern
Finally, we entered the last section which was the Creature Cavern, this area had red lighting and housed various creatures such as Lesser Madagascar Tenrecs, Beaded Lizard, Scorpion and Tarantula.
We soon end our tour and stop off at the Gift Shop before we left. Tropical World also has a lovely café called Tropical World Café overlooking the beautiful Canal Gardens. So you can easily spend half a day at the place admiring the flowers and going for a walk, after your meal, if the weather is nice.
Where is Tropical World
We parked along the road close to Tropical World and walked up, there are Disabled parking available on Princes Avenue just outside the entrance to Tropical World. There is also paid parking is also available close by.
Princes Ave
Roundhay
Leeds
LS8 2ER
0113 535 2132
What Are their Opening Times?
Open daily (Mon to Sun) 10am to 6pm
How much is their entry fee
Adults £9
Children 3 to 15 £4.50
Under 3s Free
LeedsCard £7.20
LeedsCard Extra £5.40
Max Card One carer goes free with a full paying child
Carer One carer goes free (with relevant ID)
FAQ
- The place has a one-way route, so follow the arrows and take note that each section is separated by hanging ropes
- Avoid touching enclosures and tanks, and please use the hand wash and available at the sanitation stations
- Remember to wash your hands when you leave the place before heading to the café
- Dogs (including assistance dogs) are not welcomed into Tropical World due to the free flight birds, animal welfare and the risks this poses.
About Tropical World
Greenhouses in Leeds filled with UK’s largest tropical plant and animal collections outside of Kew Gardens.
You may also want to read this:
Family Outing Review: Gentleshaw Wildlife Centre & Bird of Prey Hospital
Fun Kids Day out to Knowsley Safari Park, Prescot
Review: Reaseheath College’s Lambing and Zoo Weekends 2025
Photo Copyright: Tropical World
20 comments
Oh my gosh, what a beautiful, gorgeous day you had! I can’t wait to visit this place and experience this with my son!
Thank you, yes we did and thank you
It’s truly a tropical world wow…Everything is so beautiful especially the butterfly house, very very impressive.
Thank you, yes definitely worth a visit as a whole family if you have elder parents and younger ones
Tropical World looks absolutely amazing. I love all the plants and animals. It’s so pretty.
It sure is and great way to spend half a day there is you are already in Leeds
The Waterfall House sounds really interesting! I’d love to see birds flying overhead! What a fun place to visit, I love all the photos!
Thank you, yes it was lovely there, warm and the green leafy plants reminded me of Asia
This looks wonderful and so much fun. How long would it take to see everything in the different sections?
We easily did the indoor animal section in an hour and half, the outside garden can take up to the same time, depending if you have a picnic there. They also have a cafe on site and ice-cream on sale
Wow! What a fun place to visit with kids. My nephews will definitely enjoy it!
I am sure he would indeed Marie, a fab place to go to
Omg! I love flowers, plants, and animals. This place is like a heaven for me.
Absolutely, all in one place as well
Tropical World sounds like a truly wonderful place to visit with my family. Thanks a lot for the recommendation!
It was a great day out for us as a family Hari
Oh wow, it sounds like your day out was really good fun. They seem to have a lot of different creatures to see. My son would love to go see the monkeys, fish and lizards the most.
A good variety I would say, as both my kids and us adults enjoyed the visit
You got some really stunning pictures of the animals! I love a butterfly house – they are always so magical.
That you Jupiter, we got a few good ones, but the glass was not very clean so could not get more