Accessibility

Highland Wildlife Park seeks to provide equal opportunities for all visitors and we are working hard to ensure that our visitor facilities are accessible to everyone.

Our location in the Scottish Highlands means that our site is steep and rugged and while this creates ideal habitats for our animals, as well as great scenery, we understand it can make moving around the park a challenge in places.

Most of the steps can be bypassed via alternatives paths but due to the nature of our park these are steep in places.

We continue to work hard to ensure the park is as accessible as possible for visitors who have mobility issues and other disabilities.

Free admission for carers

Visitors who require special assistance are offered free admission for one accompanying carer when they pay the full adult/concession/child price. 

Please bring relevant proof of entitlement such as an Access Card with ‘+1’ symbol, a ‘plus one’ travel card or letter from Personal Independence Payment, as this will be asked for on arrival.

Blue Badge parking

A limited number of Blue Badge parking spaces are available in our car park.

If you have a larger vehicle, we may ask for it to be parked elsewhere after leaving passengers near the Visitor Centre.

Moving around the park from the car park

The majority of our park is accessible to visitors who may have impaired mobility, however there are certain areas that can only be accessed via steeper and, in places, rough paths.

In particular, the loop from the Visitor Centre via the Arctic foxes, snow leopards and polar bears in both directions is steep with rough pathways.

The male polar bears can be viewed most days from the drive-through reserve.

Mobility aid hire

A limited number of manual wheelchairs are available for free hire from the shop at the Visitor Centre. These are available on a first-come, first-served basis and are disinfected after each use.

A mobility scooter is also available to hire until the end of October. It is available on a a first-come, first-served basis and a refundable £25 deposit is required.

Assistance dogs

Only registered assistance dogs that are accompanying their respective partner are permitted to enter the park. If you wish to bring an assistance dog into the park please inform a member of our admissions team when you arrive. Be aware that access may be restricted to certain areas. 

Please note assistance dogs in training are not permitted to enter.

In addition to the above admission, assistance dogs are subject to the following regulations of BIAZA (British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquaria).

• All assistance dogs must be up-to-date with all inoculations
• Dogs must be kept on a lead at all times and under strict control
• Dogs must not be allowed to defecate anywhere in the park grounds and any incidents should be cleared away by their owners
• If the behaviour of our animals or your dog is affected, please move away from the area to ensure both their safety and those of our other visitors

Emotional support animals

As a leading conservation charity, the health and welfare of an Emotional Support Animal (ESA) and our own animals is always paramount. As such, we do not generally recommend the zoo as an appropriate environment for ESAs. With the exception of trained and accredited assistance dogs, for which we have an established process and provision, we strongly advise that guests should never simply arrive at the zoo with any animal, expecting entry. If you feel that you must visit with an ESA, you should contact us at least one week before visiting, so that we can identify whether adjustments can be made, or determine whether an animal’s health and welfare would be compromised by the visit.

Toilet facilities

Accessible toilets are located near the Visitor Centre and adjacent to the Blue Badge parking area.

During holidays there may be additional temporary accessible toilets located in various areas of the park.

Visitor Centre

• Wildthings gift shop – there is level access to the shop at the main entrance
• Antlers Café – access via the pathway (no steps) around the left side of the Visitor Centre

Please note that there is no access from the gift shop to Antlers Café within the Visitor Centre.

Please do not hesitate to contact us on 01540 651 976 or email wildlife@rzss.org.uk prior to your visit if you have any additional questions or require further information.