An Isle of Wight Rainy Day: Animal Days Out That Still Work in the Rain

Isle of Wight gets more sunshine than most of the UK, but that still leaves plenty of days when the beach plan falls through. Butterfly World, Isle of Wight is worth building the day around: its Tropical Flight Zone lets you watch butterflies and moths flying freely. Amazon World Zoo Park is worth seeing too, but its website was unreachable while researching this guide, so we can't tell you which of its enclosures are under cover.

Which venue to choose

Butterfly World has been doing this since 1 May 1983, when it opened as part of the Medina Garden Centre — the first butterfly farm to open in a UK garden centre, and the fifth in the world.

Featured location Butterfly World, Isle of Wight Ryde, United Kingdom It opened on 1 May 1983 inside the Medina Garden Centre, the first butterfly farm at a British garden centre and the fifth anywhere. A covered sub-tropical garden holds butterflies flying loose.

Amazon World is a different kind of visit: a zoo built around South American rainforest species rather than a single flight house. In 2024 it became a registered charity and now also operates under the name Amazon Rainforest Conservation Centre. Whether that shift brought new covered exhibits along with it isn't something we could confirm, since the zoo's own site returned a server error every time we tried to read it. If the forecast is bad, ring ahead or check its social channels before you commit the day to it.

What not to miss

At Butterfly World, the Tropical Flight Zone is the reason to come: butterflies and moths flying freely around you. The Italian Garden, the Japanese Garden (with two large koi ponds), and the Discovery Zone round out the visit.

Amazon World's animals are the draw regardless of weather: giant anteaters, ocelots, armadillos, sloths, capybaras and tapirs, plus wallabies, pacas, kinkajous, poison dart frogs, parrots, meerkats, Koi carp, Guira cuckoos and Bali mynas. The zoo began as a private bird collection before growing into the public zoo park it is today, and it's a member of both BIAZA and EAZA.

Enjoy seeing some of the worlds most beautiful butterflies and moths flying freely.

Tickets and saving money

As of September 2026, Butterfly World's standard tickets are £14.99 for adults, £12.99 for children aged 2-15, and £13.99 for seniors 65 and over. A family ticket for two adults and two children costs £46, and for two adults and three children £52. Disabled adults and children pay £11.99, as do Isle of Wight residents with proof of address; a carer's ticket is £6 and an extra child £5.99.

We could not confirm any prices for Amazon World Zoo Park, so budget for the ticket once you're there or check with the zoo directly.

Getting there

Butterfly World is at Staplers Road, Wootton Bridge, Isle of Wight, PO33 4RW. Without a car, the number 9 Staplers bus runs from either Newport or Ryde bus station and stops at the entrance. By car, it's a short drive from the Red Funnel East Cowes and Wightlink Fishbourne ferry terminals — useful to know if you're planning the day around a specific crossing.

Amazon World Zoo Park is in Newchurch, on the outskirts of Sandown, postcode PO36 0LX. We could not confirm bus routes or parking charges for it, so check its own listing before you travel.

With kids and accessibility

Butterfly World describes itself as wheelchair friendly and has a large free car park. Dogs aren't allowed inside the butterfly house or the café, because of the heat and the free-flying insects, but they're welcome in the outdoor seating area, the garden centre and the gift shop — worth knowing if your rainy day out includes the dog.

We have no confirmed accessibility or family-facility details for Amazon World Zoo Park beyond it being a working zoo park; call ahead if step-free access or pushchair routes matter for your visit.