Sleeping at the zoo in France: where, how and at what price?

If it is often said that you have to count sheep to fall asleep, how about actually counting the animals around you during a night in a zoo or a wildlife park? For some years now, these structures have been competing with each other to offer unusual stays, where you can no longer just observe the fauna during the day. From now on, you can sleep in the heart of the African savannah or in the middle of the ice floe... all without leaving France!

Sleeping in a zoo anywhere in France

No matter where you live or where you plan to go for a weekend or a holiday, there are zoos and animal parks all over France. Near Paris, in the Yvelines, Thoiry Zoo, for example, offers the chance to sleep in dens high in the forest, surrounded by wolves and arctic bears. Still in the Paris region, the Parrot World park offers visitors the chance to sleep as close as possible to its parrots, in lodges inspired by the houses on stilts found on the banks of the Amazon.

Near the Spanish border, south of Pau, the Parc Animalier des Pyrénées has set up several accommodations ("refuge", "den", "trapper's hut" but also "exceptional barn") to spend a night close to the bears and wolves. In the Pyrenees-Orientales, EcoZonia has also planned five "unusual accommodations", on the theme of wild Russia: ideal for getting up close and personal with the park's predators.

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A night close to the animals

In the Sarthe region, the La Flèche zoo promises an "immersive experience" thanks to its 20 accommodations, "as close as possible to endangered fauna": lemurs, cheetahs, Sumatran tigers... choose which animal you want to wake up in front of! In the Allier, it is in the heart of an African reserve that the Le Pal park offers to sleep: away from the park, visitors can choose between lodges on stilts on the savannah side or on the large African lakes side.

To get some height, head for the Ardèche and the perched cabins of the Peaugres Safari, for a night in a perched cabin, above the territory of the Arctic bears and wolves. In Normandy, the Cerza Safari Lodge offers accommodation in lodges or "zoobservatories", but also in tents, as close to nature as possible.

How much does a night at the zoo cost?

To sleep at the zoo, in comfortable accommodation, you need to spend at least 100 euros a night, and generally between 150 and 200 euros per adult. However, the more expensive the accommodation, the higher the price, with some nights costing 300 or even 450 euros per person!

In most cases, the price of a night at the zoo includes two days' entry to the zoo or wildlife park where you are staying, and breakfast on site, sometimes dinner in the park. Some places also include additional animal-related entertainment.

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