Monkey Haven Primate Rescue Centre
Monkey Haven Primate Rescue Centre
Monkey Haven Primate Rescue Centre
4.8
About
Welcome to Monkey Haven - The Island's gold award-winning Primate Rescue Centre that makes animals and people happy. We are a registered charity that cares for many incredible monkeys, gibbons meerkats, birds of prey, reptiles and other exotic creatures in need of care and attention. Our mission is to provide a forever home for rescued animals and a wonderful experience for our visitors. You’ll learn all about the animals we care for, their personalities, and how they came to be at the Haven at our daily award-winning keeper talks. Many were rescued from tragic situations, found tied up in airports, or badly neglected by their previous owners. There are animal feeds throughout the day and don't forget to download our fun free App to plan your visit! There's free Wifi, play areas, stamper trails, tea room, gift shop, full disabled access, and complimentary return within 7 days. All proceeds from your visit will help support the animals you'll meet. So swing by and visit us soon :)
Duration: 2-3 hours
Meets animal welfare guidelines
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.8
2,664 reviews
Excellent
2,194
Very good
371
Average
76
Poor
22
Terrible
2
Marc G
37 contributions
Aug 2024 • Family
Amazing place where all the staff and animal carers clearly care and love the animals.
Yes it's not the largest zoo but if you listen to the all the talks and go to the feeding times its so worthwhile. We were there for around 3 hours or so but for a family of 4 it was around £54. Note it was a bit cheaper online than on the gate so worth a look.
Its great seeing all the various smaller animals and the owls and monkeys interacting with the keepers. We genuinely thought it was great value for money.
Also the food and drinks were reasonable and tasty at the cafe on site.
Everyone who worked there was so lovely and friendly and engaged with our questions about the animals. We learnt so much!
Would highly recommend to those who love animals but particularly monkeys and owls. We will be coming back again next year.
Yes it's not the largest zoo but if you listen to the all the talks and go to the feeding times its so worthwhile. We were there for around 3 hours or so but for a family of 4 it was around £54. Note it was a bit cheaper online than on the gate so worth a look.
Its great seeing all the various smaller animals and the owls and monkeys interacting with the keepers. We genuinely thought it was great value for money.
Also the food and drinks were reasonable and tasty at the cafe on site.
Everyone who worked there was so lovely and friendly and engaged with our questions about the animals. We learnt so much!
Would highly recommend to those who love animals but particularly monkeys and owls. We will be coming back again next year.
Written 4 September 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Shaun Q
2 contributions
Aug 2024 • Family
Excellent family outing. We were there for 4.5 hours having enjoyed four talks and a picnic. You have got to stay to see the monkeys singing, the golden gibbons were screaming out together towards another enclosure. Whilst pulling faces like they were on a roller coaster 🤯🤣 Highly recommend this place and to get the app too.
Written 5 August 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
EnglishTraveller101
Dorset30 contributions
Jun 2024 • Couples
This is a really great place to visit. Whether you're going as a family, a solo visit, a group of friends, I think it would work for all.
The keepers were pleasant, friendly, knowledgeable and brought their subject to life. We really enjoyed the reptile talk (plus milk snake !) and the monkey brunch.
The cafe is a pleasant place indoors but also has lots of outdoor seating, with both shade and also full sun. Food was prompt and well priced. My cappucino even came with a chocolate sprinkle of a monkey on it!
While we visited, a school trip arrived. We were really impressed that one of the keepers took charge of the school trip and took them round on a route which meant they didn't coincide with the timed talks and demonstrations from the keepers - this meant the school children got a customised experience, and all the other visitors such as myself didn't have to be part of a group with 40 school kids.
Seeing the various monkeys, apes, owls and so on and reading their stories made me feel incredibly pleased that these animals have been given a safe place to heal and to be rescued and cared for, at Monkey Haven. A very worthwhile charity and very good value tickets.
To add to all this, we decided to travel by bus which was incredibly easy - it's about a 10 min journey from Newport bus station and the bus stops right outside Monkey Haven.
The keepers were pleasant, friendly, knowledgeable and brought their subject to life. We really enjoyed the reptile talk (plus milk snake !) and the monkey brunch.
The cafe is a pleasant place indoors but also has lots of outdoor seating, with both shade and also full sun. Food was prompt and well priced. My cappucino even came with a chocolate sprinkle of a monkey on it!
While we visited, a school trip arrived. We were really impressed that one of the keepers took charge of the school trip and took them round on a route which meant they didn't coincide with the timed talks and demonstrations from the keepers - this meant the school children got a customised experience, and all the other visitors such as myself didn't have to be part of a group with 40 school kids.
Seeing the various monkeys, apes, owls and so on and reading their stories made me feel incredibly pleased that these animals have been given a safe place to heal and to be rescued and cared for, at Monkey Haven. A very worthwhile charity and very good value tickets.
To add to all this, we decided to travel by bus which was incredibly easy - it's about a 10 min journey from Newport bus station and the bus stops right outside Monkey Haven.
Written 28 June 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Carl
Colchester, UK89 contributions
Sept 2024 • Couples
Of course we are not big fans of animals in captivity BUT where animals cannot be released back into wild or for conservation of the species these rescue centres need support. The place is clean and tidy with lots of monkeys and a few owls in good sized enclosures. The keepers gave really informative talks (we attended 2 during our visit) and it’s clear that the animals are well cared for. We adopted a Lar monkey called Wheat for £25 a year which is a small way to keep this place going. We were staying on a self catering holiday on the island and we noted they accept food donations, we had a lot of fruit and veg left over so we popped this in to them on the way back to the car ferry port at Fishbourne.
Written 14 October 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Nemone R
2 contributions
Aug 2024 • Family
Absolutely love this beautiful place. The enclosures are so well thought out giving all the animals lots of interesting space to live their best lives. The grounds are lovely and they have fantastic children’s play area. Nice outdoor seating and well stocked cafe. All the staff are friendly and so knowledgeable about the animals. Every time I visit I really enjoy myself and love seeing the fantastic birds and monkeys. Such a special place, annual membership is only £45 per adult and helps towards the running costs and vets bills, such a worthy cause .
Written 24 August 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mark W
Oxford58 contributions
Apr 2024 • Family
We had a fun morning at Monkey Haven. Some great monkeys with some lovely stories.
It's just slightly small to get a full five stars - the park itself probably took us about 1.5 hours
I do feel like some of the Isle of Wight attractions could do a deal where you can buy a pass for say 3 attractions at a discounted rate, as it gets expensive going to many of the places. Maybe this exists already and I didn't see it? But maybe here and Wildheart Cat sanctuary could do a deal? Otherwise, I don't think I'll return to either on my next visit to the island as they are slightly expensive for a family considering you will only spend 1-2 hours here.
But overall pleased to have gone to Monkey haven, it was a fun experience.
It's just slightly small to get a full five stars - the park itself probably took us about 1.5 hours
I do feel like some of the Isle of Wight attractions could do a deal where you can buy a pass for say 3 attractions at a discounted rate, as it gets expensive going to many of the places. Maybe this exists already and I didn't see it? But maybe here and Wildheart Cat sanctuary could do a deal? Otherwise, I don't think I'll return to either on my next visit to the island as they are slightly expensive for a family considering you will only spend 1-2 hours here.
But overall pleased to have gone to Monkey haven, it was a fun experience.
Written 12 April 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you - we are so glad you had a fun morning at our sanctuary and enjoyed learning about the primates and animals in our care. The Haven is a registered charity and we really appreciate you visiting and supporting our cause as it enables us to rescue and re-home more animals in need of care and attention.
There are many talks running throughout the day and we hope you managed to catch a few of them as we love to chat to our visitors about the great work we carry out and the many wonderful residents we care for. We also offer visitors a free seven day return should they wish to visit again on a different day.
We take on board your comments and fully appreciate it can be costly visiting places whilst on holiday and we would like to say a huge thank you for choosing to visit our sanctuary. It's great to know you had a fun experience at the haven and we hope you had a lovely holiday on the Isle Of Wight :)
Written 25 April 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Zootzy
8 contributions
Aug 2024 • Family
Fabulous place for visitors young and old! Excellent exhibits, well signed and easily accessible with lots of friendly and helpful staff. The animals shown were clearly well cared for and mostly rescue animals, given another shot at a happy life. Cafe was super (the children declared it the best milkshake in town!). But by far the highlight was the brilliantly entertaining and informative talks and demonstrations by the wonderfully enthusiastic and knowledgeable LilyMae - I’d challenge you to find a question about the animals she was showing that she didn’t know the answer to!
Written 5 August 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Anna L
6 contributions
May 2024 • Friends
A fantastic small rescue centre for primates, birds of prey and reptiles. The keepers also give the talks and are extremely engaging and knowledgeable. The animals are clearly extremely well loved and cared for. The cafe is delightful and food delicious and reasonably priced. Vegan options are available but I think these should be more of a focus in a rescue centre. Do visit and maybe make a donation if you’re in the area.
Written 12 May 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you ever so much for your lovely review, our animal care team are delighted to hear that you enjoyed their daily talks and greatly appreciate your kind words about the dedicated care they provide for our rescued residents. We're also joyous to hear that you had a pleasant experience in our Tearoom and value your feedback. As a registered charity, thank you again for your support, we hope to see you again soon!
Written 24 May 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Ells H
7 contributions
Aug 2024 • Couples
Came here for the first time as had heard good things and it did not disappoint! I especially loved the routine keeper talks which provided a lot of interesting information about all the species. Nice gift shop with a few little bits. There was lots of interactive things for children including stamp collecting and opportunities to have pictures with some animals like the owls.
Couldn’t recommend enough
Couldn’t recommend enough
Written 15 August 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Zoe Louise R
Surrey, UK182 contributions
Aug 2024 • Family
Monkey Haven are doing excellent work and provide their animals with a safe environment. The enclosures are all well thought-out and there is lots of information provided about the animals. The rescue centre also have lots of informative and helpful signs up about how to behave around different enclosure depending on the animals needs. Unfortunately, not everyone seems to adhere to this, particularly those with young children who of course don't understand. Maybe the signs need to be a little bigger or more obvious for the less mindful guests. The cafe was lovely and the gift shop also had lots to offer. The staff are incredibly knowledgable and the talks were brilliant, we approached staff on several occasions for more information about the animals. I would highly recommend visiting, but if you are taking young children please educate them on not scaring the animals / adhering to the signage so not to cause distress. A lovely day out and a very worthy cause.
Written 22 August 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi
Are you dog friendly in cafe please.
Written 17 September 2022
Monkey Haven - Primate Rescue Centre
Isle of Wight, United Kingdom
Hello,
As much as we love animals, unfortunately we cannot allow dogs into the sanctuary as they stress our rescued animals.
However, we do allow well behaved dogs to sit in our outside tea room area. Visitors can then take it in turns to accompany the dog whilst other members of the family walk around the sanctuary.
Sorry for any inconvenience caused and we hope you understand.
Best wishes
MH Team
Written 25 April 2024
Monkey Haven - Primate Rescue Centre
Isle of Wight, United Kingdom
Hi Emma,
Thanks for your enquiry.
We say to allow 2-3 hours for a visit, but there are keeper talks and feeds through out the day so you are welcome to stay as long as you like.
Hope to see you soon!
Thanks from the MH team
Written 25 May 2021
How long would you say you'd need to spend here (travelling with 4yr old). Thanks
Written 30 June 2019
We are of the older generation so no children we spent about an hour maybe hour and a half it’s not a big place they have a reptile house owls also meerkats as well as monkeys there is a small picnic area and a garden centre outside the entrance with a little maybe a couple of hours.
Written 30 June 2019
Is Monkey Haven a good place to visit on a rainy day with a 3 year old? Is any of it under cover?
Written 11 August 2018
My 3yr old, 8yr old & 12yr old loved it. Was a beautiful day though ( which always helps ). Just take two umbrellas, problem solved. Has a nice play area also.
Written 17 August 2018
Yes. The area is outdoors and is relatively flat. Ramps are used instead of steps so all the monkeys will be easily seen.
Written 8 April 2018
Sorty just seen your question. I think you can.
Written 9 July 2018
Do buses run from cowes or Yarmouth to you?
Written 19 August 2017
You'd need to get a bus to Newport, then change. The number 9 from Newport to Ryde stops not far from the centre, runs every 10 minutes or so Mondays-Saturdays,
Written 19 August 2017
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