Animal/
Parks, Zoos and Aquariums
Branféré animal & botanical park- Malansac
This stunning park was founded in the eighteenth century and now holds
host to a great mix of wildlife from kangaroos and zebras to flamingos
and parrots. The beauty of it is you can touch and even feed most of
the animals (e.g. the kangaroos) Take a picnic and make a whole day
of it. Don’t forget to visit the chateau
in the grounds or to go on the brilliant ariel walkway.
La Bourbansais - Pleugueneuc
La Bourbansais is a zoo at Pleugueneuc set in the beautiful grounds of a huge chateau.
It`s really nicely laid out with lovely paths winding through the various animal enclosures. Mostly the animals are kept in by small moats rather than fences so you feel much closer to the animals. It's well worth a day trip. You can see
lions, tigers, panthers, giraffes, wolves, crocodiles and all the rest In
addition check out one or more of the free shows (the Hounds or the
Bird of Prey demonstration). You can also visit the chateau itself.
Don`t forget to take the children to the bouncy castles (there are
about eight of them and they are all free) and be careful not to
get lost in the maze.
There's also a restaurant for lunch , drinks and ice creams in the middle of the zoo.
This safari park is just south of Nantes and is a great day out. You arrive in your car and drive round the park yourself crossing sixteen huge parks which take you across five continents of wildlife. See lions, tigers, giraffes, elephants, monkeys, buffalo, Rhinos and dozens of other beasts; all are roaming free and come right up to the car. Remember to keep the windows closed ! If you prefer you can take a tour in a four by four.
You are also allowed to get out and pet some of the animals (not the tigers).
There`s a good restaurant for lunch as well.
After the drive through the park then go round the miniature zoo and then cross the monkey rope bridges where you cross high above the animals in the tree tops along special rope walkways.
The Circus
There lots of traveling circuses in Brittany in the summer, you`ll
see them advertised on lamppost signs and you`ll also spot
the big tops in the towns and villages. These are all great fun but
we recommend the `static` circus at Treffendel. The circus Metropole
is permanently sited in a large parkland of several hectares. You can
go in and walk around, see some of the animals, play on the bouncy
castles and then go into the big top for the main event at 3pm.
There`s clowns, trapeze artists, jugglers, lions, tigers, horses and
loads more. The show goes on for nearly two hours and is money well spent.
The Bee Sanctuary and the City of
the Stick Insect- La Faouet
Near the town of Le Faouet you can visit the bee and stick insect farms. Take
a guided tour (in English) and find out everything you didn't think you needed
to know about the little beasts. See what they do and why. Why not buy some genuine
untainted honey. None of this stuff reaches the shelves of Tesco's !!
The Bird Reserve of the Golfe du Morbihan- Vannes
The `national park` that is the Golfe du Morbihan is also a giant bird sanctuary
(no, not a sanctuary for giant birds). The bay is about 15 miles square and is
teeming with birdlife. You can walk along the reserves specially allocated paths,
use any of the `hides` to study the birds or take a guided tour.
The Butterfly Gardens- Vannes
This is next to the aquarium Vannes and sort of self explanatory so I'll leave
it at that. Here`s a photo of a friends son who seemed pretty captivated by the
place.
The Bird Park- Rennes
Just south of Rennes this collection of over a 1000 exotic birds ranges from
parrots to ostriches. Not the place to go if you happen to be allergic
to our feathered friends.
Parc Aqua-Nature Le Sterou
This is a large (150 acres) park which contains a lot of `game` type animals.
They wander freely through the grounds and you can get a really close up
view of them as nature intended. There's also an aquarium to see, so take
a picnic and make a day of it.
This friendly farm at St Servan is perfect for small children. They can get right up to the animals, go into their pens and even pet them.
The exceptional collection of sea life at Vannes aquarium is one of the foremost in France and very nicely done. From sharks to piranhas its all there. The aquarium is the home to the famous crocodile found in the sewers of Paris ? There is also a smaller aquarium in Redon with a different variety of fishy things.
Océanopolis- Brest
Enjoy the thrill of an unforgettable day discovering the world's oceans. Located
at the western end of Brittany, in an exceptional maritime and scientific
environment, Océanopolis in Brest is the ocean discovery park.
This place will tell you everything you ever wanted
to know about the worlds oceans with three separate zones. You can watch
the seals, penguins and giant crabs in the polar zone. Then move onto
the sharks and seahorses in the tropical zone. After that take part in
the feeding of the sea lions in the temperate zone. The park has over
50 aquariums and is well worth the drive.
Oceanarium- Le Croisic
If you fancy even more sea life then you could always go to the Oceanarium du Croisic at Le Croisic near St Nazaire- 45 aquariums filled with life from three oceans. This is a great place. Really well laid out, modern and well presented. There`s an undersea glass tunnel you can walk through with sharks and manta rays swimming over your head and round your side (see below photo) There`s penguins (and feeding shows) and the shark tank is amazing. You can walk up above it then you come down to the huge glass wall on one side. The view is amazing and the sharks are actually pretty scary. There`s also a talk about the sharks and their environment every couple of hours.
They also have a `nursery` with young/ baby sealife and if you look carefully at the purple picture below, you can see on the left hand orange sac a stonefish still inside its `womb` where they gestate for six months. The little fish inside is actually moving and it`s an incredible sight.
There`s also a talk about the sharks and their environment every couple of hours. You can see two on the sandy bottom in the below photo plus a ray One of the really scary ones is swimming towards the shot just to the right of the boat. It has three sets of teeth apparently !!!!!
Farm of the World
Situated near Carrentoir about 10 minutes away this is a great place to visit.
The farm is set in a huge parkland and boasts 400 animals from across the world.
From the humble chicken to the slightly shirty camel. See all the animals,
go into the petting park and touch and feed some of them (not the camels).
Either walk around the grounds or take the tour on the `Disney` train. Enjoy
a picnic followed by a game of crazy golf.
Buy something at the reception and feed the animals as you go !
The Reptilluim
At Plouagat this unique centre holds all sorts of slimy, slithering creatures.
You can discover all sorts of amphibians and reptiles from frogs to pythons.
Alligator Bay
This reptile centre near St Malo has snakes, crocs, alligators chameleons, turtles
lizards and much more.
The Animal Farm
At Trinité Porhoet you can go to a real French farm and see all
the animals: pigs, goats cows etc.
The Tropical park
This park at St-Jacut-les-Pines recreates the tropics ! If you fancied a look
at the exotic regions of the world, then go take a look. There`s loads to see
and do here and it`s great for the kids. Walk through the gardens and come
across all sorts of things; the petting zone (wallabies, sheep, goats, pot
bellied pigs, even parrots); the music rooms where children can play all sorts of instruments;
the aquatic garden; the Mexican garden and the Thai garden. Don`t forget to
see one of the live shows and of course don`t miss the chicken that rides a bike !!!!
This unsurprisingly, is a farm devoted to none other animal than the wild boar. I've no idea why. If you have a hankering for a bit of boar then I suggest you look no further. They also sell the beasts– not whole I'm afraid but in bits; potted, tinned, sausaged and jointed. Alternatively, just go into a local restaurant and order it from the menu (look for sanglier). It's very nice.
Insectarium
Not for those who don’t like creepy crawlies. See the lot from
the tiniest fleas upwards and understand their place in the world. They
have a giant bee colony as well.
Pont Scorff Zoo
This a great Zoo. Its been very well done, beautifully laid out with the animals
given plenty of room and well cared for. You can see loads here from lions,
giraffes, elephants and hippos, to bears, wolves, crocodiles and leopards.
Spend the day, either take a picnic or eat in one of the on site restaurants,
which are cheap and good value. Don`t forget to buy popcorn as you go in so
you can feed the kangaroos and the Ostrich !
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