Tropical World
Tropical World
4.5
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
About
- Temporarily closed Open seasonally, Tropical World at Alcorn’s, Letterkenny, has best be described by patrons as both “Donegal’s hidden gem” and the “one must see attraction to visit in Donegal”. Tropical World is a fully licensed zoo with an astonishing array of animals, from a dazzling display of butterflies to the world’s smallest monkeys alike. The incredible butterfly house is still the star attraction, with hundreds of amazing tropical butterflies in free-flight around you as you immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the rainforest. Leave Letterkenny’s own slice of the Amazon and you’re greeted by the sounds from the tree topped canopies, with beautiful birds of all shapes and sizes from around the globe calling you on. Only after you reach the reptile house can you begin to meet the lemurs and miniature primates that call Tropical World home, along with owls,prairie dogs, our family of Meerkats.
Duration: 2-3 hours
Meets animal welfare guidelines
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listing
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.

Top ways to experience nearby attractions

See what travellers are saying
  • Arlene D
    17 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    What a lovely place!
    We took our 2 year old recently for a day out whilst visiting on holiday. The staff were so friendly and welcoming, really lovely and helpful. Lots to see, our little one loved the butterflies and Milo the cockatoo who was chatting away to us saying hello/goodbye/what's the craic? The softplay/sand section is also great and full of fun equipment. A great day out followed by a trip to the cafe. Would love to visit again!
    Visited September 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 28 September 2023
  • Mojo
    2 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A Rainy Day Pleasure!
    Finding ourselves in Donegal on a wet couple of days, we found Tropical World in an online search for something different to do locally. We weren't sure what to expect, and didn't have any children in tow, but we 'mature adults' had a really enjoyable time there and were so glad we went! It was much bigger than we anticipated - there was so much to see, and the individual animal/bird enclosures were thoughtfully planned out and space maximised. An enormous amount of love and effort has clearly been put into this place, and in providing a huge load of information signage about all the creatures and the wider natural world - a great education for children and us adults. The whole area has something to see round every corner......we'd thoroughly recommend a visit here for anyone of any age who enjoys spending time amongst wildlife!
    Visited April 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 1 May 2024
  • R D
    2 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Don't miss this place
    This was so much more than I expected. It was such a pleasant experience, start to finish. The garden centre at the beginning has a really good stock, then on into the animal park itself via a walkway of many interesting and amazing facts. And on to the animal displays themselves. There is a playground, there are covered picnic areas, and we spent a good morning here at Alcorns. There is also a lovely tea room beside this place, highly recommended. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit.
    Visited August 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 14 August 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

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

We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles372 reviews
Excellent
283
Very good
72
Average
10
Poor
5
Terrible
2

Stephen
Buttevant, Ireland2 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2020 • Friends
Absolutely amazing place to visit! You could spend countless hours here! If you are an animal enthusiast then you will love the huge variety of animals that are on display! There are outstanding aviaries throughout the zoo so if you are a bird fanatic then you will truly enjoy this zoo.
Staff are extremely helpful and you even get the chance to hold some of the animals which was an amazing experience. The one way system is great and the zoo is much larger than expected! It is a must see if you are in the area.
Written 7 September 2020
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.

Sarah B
9 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2022 • Family
We visited today as we are staying nearby not knowing what to expect. What a wonderful find. You walk through a lovely garden centre before you get to Tropical world. Cost was €30 for 2 adults and 2 children. There is lots to see with an array of tropical birds, insects, monkeys, tortoises etc. The butterfly walk through area was beautiful and allows you to get close to the butterfly. Lots of interesting facts as you walk through the trail, lovely indoor and outdoor areas and picnic areas. According to their website 80% is covered which is great with the unpredictable weather. There is an onsite cafe however we had a picnic with us made from our hotel. There is a small play area for younger kids which is covered and looked to have lots of nice play areas.The guy with the dinosaur is great fun and a credit to tropical world. Recommended for a great family day out.
Written 15 August 2022
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.

Maj Strooker
1 contribution
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2022 • Family
I’m a bit surprised at all the positive reviews for this place. I’ve visited many animal parks in various countries and this was one of the least appealing and animal friendly ones I’ve seen in some time.

A large number of the insect pens had fake plants and no real plants in them, which for a permanent housing I thought was a bit sad. I saw one pen that had loose wiring on the floor. I’m not a biologist but the living spaces for the other animal types (barring the butterflies) seemed restrictive, esp. the poor Japanese squirrel. Some animals did not seem to have an area to retreat from the audience (e.g. two parrots who basically had a grassy piece of ground plus some elevated wooden structure to sit on). Some animals could be touched through the fencing if they sat against it, for example some monkeys - not sure if this is good for the monkeys or the visitors.

Overall feel was aged, with netted cages and statues interspersed through the park that sometimes seemed out of place, e.g. the penguins in the butterfly garden and dragons (!). Some were broken.

There are many parks that are more animal friendly than this one in my opinion and a better place to take kids to learn about nature.

Sorry, Tropical World!
Written 24 August 2022
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.

Chris S
Galway, Ireland6 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2022 • Couples
Had a lovely break in donegal last week. Got a chance to visit the wonderful tropical world in letterkenny. We had expected to spend about an hour there but ended up having to reluctantly drag ourselves away after almost 4 hours. We were surprised at how extensive the site was. There was something exciting to find at every turn. We spent quite a while in the butterfly room and got loads of great photos. Facilities there are very good and it is wheel chair accessible. The staff are both friendly and knowledgeable should you have any questions regarding the wildlife there.I highly recommend a visit to Tropical World if you are in letterkenny. I promise you won't be disappointed. We hope to return again soon.
Written 12 April 2022
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.

Mojo
2 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2024 • Couples
Finding ourselves in Donegal on a wet couple of days, we found Tropical World in an online search for something different to do locally. We weren't sure what to expect, and didn't have any children in tow, but we 'mature adults' had a really enjoyable time there and were so glad we went! It was much bigger than we anticipated - there was so much to see, and the individual animal/bird enclosures were thoughtfully planned out and space maximised. An enormous amount of love and effort has clearly been put into this place, and in providing a huge load of information signage about all the creatures and the wider natural world - a great education for children and us adults. The whole area has something to see round every corner......we'd thoroughly recommend a visit here for anyone of any age who enjoys spending time amongst wildlife!
Written 1 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.

Pat M
2 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
July 2023 • Family
Very good for kids up to 12, Playground, occasional model dinosaurs and very friendly staff. Okay, it's not London zoo, but has a decent variety of animals. Looks like they've invested in breeding programmes recently too. It isn't world class but it is a good solid venue with kids especially on a wet day
Written 22 July 2023
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.

John
Derry, UK143 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2022
I have no idea when this gem of a place began, but it really is a gem. It houses, not only a garden centre, but a wonderful walk around (and even walk through) mini zoo of monkey species, butterflies, reptiles, insects, etc. The staff on hand are helpful and very knowledgeable to answer questions from adults and children alike. Plan to spend around 2 hours here. There is a café on site and a children's play area. Plenty of toilets and plenty of parking. There is, of course, the essential shop!
I noted that there is an opening season, so check out the dates.
A bit hilly if you are not inclined(!) to that, but pram/buggy friendly. We bought hot drinks in the café but brought our own picnic as there were picnic tables available - no one objected, so I presume it acceptable(?), which is why I ticked yes to picnics in this review. Perhaps the manager could write a clarification on this?
Written 22 August 2022
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.

Dawn O
Tinahely, Ireland7 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2020 • Friends
We went today to do something out of the rain. We were blown away and were super impressed by the size of the place and range of colourful birds. The animals were very well cared for by the enthusiastic and very friendly keepers who were more than happy to tell us more about the creatures in their care. Very reasonable entry fee for the few hours spent there. The little coffee shop at the end was also lovely with a great selection of home baked cakes. All round brilliant day out. Will be back! Thanks.
Written 27 August 2020
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.

Val R
Sligo, Ireland5 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2024 • Solo
After seeing the photos on social media, I was really disappointed with this place. The animals are kept in spaces that are too small for them and they all look really miserable. The glass on most of the 'exhibits' was dirty.
It might be OK for people with young children, if you don't mind them seeing animals like that.
For others, save your money and head to Wild Ireland instead.
Written 7 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.

Tracy M
Drogheda, Ireland39 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2020 • Family
Went here are it was very rainy and lots of places are closed due to covid. We arrived to find out it was booked out even though it doesn’t say anywhere on site to prebook, you have to call to book. But even though they were very busy they let us in, we only had to wait 20mins. This is a fantastic place for children, way better than I expected, lots of animals,bugs,butterflies were great. Hard to social distance with small children but everyone tried. I would definitely recommend.
Written 8 August 2020
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.

Showing results 1-10 of 359
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing

Tropical World - All You MUST Know Before You Go (2024)

All Letterkenny HotelsLetterkenny Hotel DealsLast Minute Hotels in Letterkenny
All things to do in LetterkennyZoos & Aquariums in Letterkenny
Boat Tours & Water Sports in LetterkennyDay Trips in Letterkenny
RestaurantsFlightsHoliday RentalsTravel StoriesCruisesRental Cars