Natureland Seal Sanctuary
Natureland Seal Sanctuary
Natureland Seal Sanctuary
4.5
About
Awarded "Best Skegness Attraction in 2015" and "Best Business 2015" by the Skegness Partnership in November 2015, Natureland is well known for rescuing and rehabilitating orphaned and injured seal pups that are stranded on Lincolnshire beaches. Our visitors can see the seals and lots of other wonderful animals including penguins, meerkats, alpacas, tropical birds/butterflies, pets corner, aquarium, tropical house, koi carp pool, animal brass rubbing, gift shop and refreshments available.
Duration: 2-3 hours
Meets animal welfare guidelines
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- Becky W7 contributionsGood valueGood value for money. Polite staff. The place was looking a bit tired, example - weeds inside the seal main pool. The cacti house looked like it was totally neglected. Loved the seal talks. Didn't like the selling of pens etc around the rearing pool. You could see people like us looking away. Some signage was missing in the reptile house. The birds & butterfly house were lovely. We sat for ages watching them. We spent 3 enjoyable hours there.Thank you so much for your review, we will completely take your comments on board, thank you for letting us know! There is absolutely no pressure to buy anything from our Save Our Seals box however we do it just in case anyone would like a little souvenir and 100% of the profits go straight towards our seal hospital! We hope that you come and visit us again!Written October 23, 2023This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited October 2023Traveled as a coupleWritten October 8, 2023
- AmyJessicaWalkerKingston-upon-Hull, United Kingdom471 contributionsA definite must do if visiting the area.This place will always hold a special place in my heart. Our first stop on my baby boys first trip to Skegness and what a day it was. The whole experience was wonderful from start to finish, it’s not a huge place but there’s still so much to see and take in. The staff were incredible, friendly and informative and the seal talks were great. A definite must do if visiting the area.Thanks so much for such a lovely review! We really do appreciate it so much, we are so glad that you enjoyed your visit and we hope to welcome you and your little boy back soon! :)Written March 14, 2024This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited August 2023Traveled with familyWritten January 13, 2024
- Olivia Buddle16 contributionsDIVE INTO FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY!Gorgeous array of seals and other animals. Got to the sanctuary just in time to catch two seals being released into the ocean. The cafe prices were quite low but we didn t eat there, we ate a the trawlers catch. Overall would go again.Thanks so much for your review! We are so glad that your enjoyed your day and were lucky enough to catch a release, they are one of the best parts! We hope to see you again sometime! :)Written May 28, 2024This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited April 2024Traveled with familyWritten April 5, 2024
- jacqui43Spalding, United Kingdom717 contributionsAs great as everIt is years since our last visit and it is still as great as ever. It cost ÂŁ11 each which is a brilliant price for two hours of entertainment. The feed time for the seals was a must, the keeper was so knowledgeable and really interesting. We loved the whole atmosphere as it felt relaxed with customers even allowed to bring their pets. What a brilliant facility as all of the seals are rescued by the team and if well enough released back into the sea.Thanks so much for your review! We are so glad that your enjoyed your visit, our feeding times are so much fun for everyone, we hope to see you again sometime! :)Written May 28, 2024This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited April 2024Traveled with familyWritten April 7, 2024
- TheGreyhoundTraderStoke-on-Trent, United Kingdom64 contributionsFantastic way to spend an hour or two at a very reasonable £11 each for adults.Fantastic way to spend an hour or two at a very reasonable £11 each for adults. Small but very well presented including not just seals but also penguins, meerkats, alpacas, tropical birds, aquarium, koi carp pool, plus goats, and chickens. Animal food can be bought to feed the specific animals also reasonably priced as is the gift shop. We were here without children but I would highly recommend it for those with children.Thanks so much for your review! We are so glad to hear that you enjoyed your visit! We hope to see you again :)Written May 28, 2024This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited April 2024Traveled as a coupleWritten April 12, 2024
- MissCStoke-on-Trent, United Kingdom58 contributionsSuper rainy day activityA surprisingly entertaining afternoon out. For ÂŁ11 each we got to see the baby seals being fed with a commentary, pet the farm animals - including the alpacas, see the tropical house and aquarium. A well priced souvenir shop too! Overall a splendid time had for a reasonable budget.Thanks so much for your review! So glad to hear that you found our prices reasonable and had a fab visit overall :)Written May 28, 2024This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited April 2024Traveled as a coupleWritten April 12, 2024
- Jenny WBirmingham, United Kingdom20 contributionsexcellent attractionA lovely place to visit for a couple of hours. We enjoyed watching the seal feeding and the lady doing the talk was very informative. my son loved feeding the goats. The giftshop was reasonably priced as was the cafe. They do such good work rescuing and rehabilitating the seals and I would highly recommend a visit.Thanks so much for a great review! We are so glad that you had such a great visit and that your son had a great time! We hope to see you all again :)Written May 28, 2024This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited April 2024Traveled with familyWritten May 7, 2024
- Tina WLondon, United Kingdom12 contributionsCute way to spend a morningThis is a small sanctuary but fantastic and wonderful that there are kind people to help the animals etc that need a good home and rehabilitation. You can feed the goats and lamas. See the seals being fed and there are many other animals. There is a gift shop and cafe. We throughly enjoyed a couple of hours there.Thanks so much for your review! So happy to hear that you enjoyed your visit and appreciate our rescue work! :)Written July 4, 2024This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited June 2024Traveled with familyWritten June 22, 2024
- Julie PConnah's Quay, United Kingdom24 contributionsGreat little placeHaving been here 5 years ago we were a little unsure about going back as we had our dog with us....not a problem! The only place she couldn't go was inside the gift shop, the tropical house and restaurant. This is still a great place to visit and would highly recommend it for a couple of hours and worth travelling down the Skegness strip for.Thanks so much for your review, so glad that you had a great time and brought your doggy this time!Written July 4, 2024This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited June 2024Traveled with friendsWritten June 22, 2024
- essexbornandbredChelmsford, United Kingdom136 contributionsAdorable seals , popped back for the feeding timeA little rescue centre , we stayed for an hour , which was plenty of time to look round everything a couple of times . The really friendly receptionist told us we were welcome to pop back for feeding time which we did . Happy to pay the entrance fee to go towards the seal rehabilitation.Thank you so much for your review! We are so glad that you enjoyed your visit and we hope to see you again :)Written August 1, 2024This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited July 2024Traveled as a coupleWritten July 10, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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4.5
2,612 reviews
Excellent
1,710
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P J
2 contributions
Aug 2021
took our granddaughter to natureland today and was very disapointed . ÂŁ25 for two seniors and a 6 year old, they advertise a petting zoo with chickens, rabbits etc but all we got was a couple of goats, there were 4 penguins, a hand full of seals, 4 alpackers and a couple of meerkats and thats your lot. The aquarium had a few empty tanks. Our granddaughter was very disapointed.
Written August 16, 2021
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 there, I am not sure whether you saw an advert for another animal attraction as we do not advertise as a petting zoo. You can feed our goat, sheep and alpacas! We have 5 resident seals and quite a few babies in our hospital so I am concerned that you did not see all that we have to offer at Natureland, a couple of our tanks in the aquarium are under maintenance, we do have to let them stand for a few weeks before we are able to pop some fish in, we are very sorry that your granddaughter was disappointed. May I suggest Hardy's animal farm if you would like a farm park with animal petting?
Written August 23, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
robert f
12 contributions
Feb 2022 • Couples
We looked at different reviews of the different seal sanctuary in the area and we weren't disappointed that we came to Natureland, the entry fee is very reasonable and the cafe prices are decent as well.
The care that the staff had for the seals and the other animals was really touching, the seals were really well looked after, there was a large pool for the resident seals, a smaller pool for the babies and then a seal nursery for the ones that are rescued.
We were lucky enough to be around for feeding and the lady who did it was really informative and got across just how much the sanctuary care on a personal level for the animals, while also getting across just how thankful they were for everyone attending.
Can't rate this place highly enough and don't listen to all the other stupid reviews about the animals looking unhappy etc etc, we spent a good 3 hours here and could've spent more.
The care that the staff had for the seals and the other animals was really touching, the seals were really well looked after, there was a large pool for the resident seals, a smaller pool for the babies and then a seal nursery for the ones that are rescued.
We were lucky enough to be around for feeding and the lady who did it was really informative and got across just how much the sanctuary care on a personal level for the animals, while also getting across just how thankful they were for everyone attending.
Can't rate this place highly enough and don't listen to all the other stupid reviews about the animals looking unhappy etc etc, we spent a good 3 hours here and could've spent more.
Written February 26, 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.
Antony B
London, UK375 contributions
Aug 2020
Despite a queue outside just after opening time, we entered fairly quickly, with the staff doing their best to get people through. Inside, the seals were delightful - we particularly liked the baby seal pool, with the little seals either whizzing around, or just dozing on the side. The jackass penguins were also very amusing, and the children also enjoyed the meerkats and tortoises. Together with the reptile house, aquarium, and butterfly house, there was lots to see and it made for an excellent morning out.
Written August 30, 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.
Sez B
Norwich, UK279 contributions
Apr 2021 • Couples
Nice visit but very small and didn’t take long to get round. Some parts still closed due to restrictions and also bird flu - the entrance fee did reflect that.
Our little dog attracted the attention of the seals they all came over to see her. She also really liked the meerkats.
There is a big council run car park next door (chargeable) and some free on road parking opposite.
Our little dog attracted the attention of the seals they all came over to see her. She also really liked the meerkats.
There is a big council run car park next door (chargeable) and some free on road parking opposite.
Written May 21, 2021
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 so much for your review, we are so glad to hear that you and your dog enjoyed your visit! Our floral palace is now open due to some fab mats that disinfect our visitors shoes when they walk in!
Thank you so much for visiting!
Written June 11, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Gill J
Mansfield, UK102 contributions
Jul 2021 • Family
Love this place. We had visited before many years ago so some parts were familiar.
I personally think this is great value for money especially as it is a sanctuary, the rescue, rehabilitation that goes into the seals then the release is amazing and I imagine costly!!
It certainly entertained us for a few hours, 2 adults, plus a 17 and a 19 year old.
I personally think this is great value for money especially as it is a sanctuary, the rescue, rehabilitation that goes into the seals then the release is amazing and I imagine costly!!
It certainly entertained us for a few hours, 2 adults, plus a 17 and a 19 year old.
Written July 18, 2021
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, thank you so much for your fab review. We are glad that you had such a great time visiting us, we really do appreciate your support so much, we do hope that you will come and see us again some time :)
Written August 23, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Jasmine O
51 contributions
Aug 2022
No booking required. This was expensive for what it was. £32 for a family of 4. Quite small. Took us around 45 mins to complete. We watched the seals getting fed. Then the baby seals. Mid talk though they stopped the feeding and came around with some bits of rubbish that you could buy off them. E.g a fabric bracelet that said seal sanctuary on it cost £1. The lady said there’s no pressure to buy but obviously there’s pressure to buy and another piece of tat that the kids will want there and then but chuck it away. Really did not like this. They had some penguins, meerkats, a small aquarium which we nearly missed as its not very well laid out. There are 2 gift shops too. I seen a sign for a café, but we didn’t go in. they have a seal hospital which you can view from the glass where the sick seals get fed their medicine. They also have a small pool for sick seals, and it tells you on the wall how each seal was injured and how they ended up in the seal sanctuary. They have a sweet shop and them rides that your kids can go on for £1 outside the supermarket. The best part of it was walking through a butterfly garden. The butterflies were big and beautiful. None I’ve seen in the wild but I do live in a city. Would not go again due to the small size of it, cost and the greed of asking for extra money.
Written August 22, 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.
Hi,
We are actually very competitively priced compared to similar local attractions. Like our speeches say, we do not receive any outside funding to help us continue with our vital seal rescue work, like the keepers say in the speech there really is no pressure to buy anything, we really do not mind either way, we just like to give our visitors the opportunity to support us further, we are very grateful for all of our visitors as their entry fees also allow us to continue this vital work, this is simply if you would like to. This is a vital way of fundraising for our Seal Hospital as all of these contributions go back into vital seal rescue. I do think that referring to this as 'greed' is really quite harsh, our customers have the choice whether they would like to buy additional gifts such as a pencil, wrist band or note book, like I said you can absolutely say no we are just grateful that you visited to be able to fund our vital seal rescue work.
Written September 26, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Gg
20 contributions
Apr 2022
The small but very nice sanctuary is ideal for a little trip out . The staff were loverly and the animals seem well looked after. We had fun feeding the alpacas, but their didn’t seem to be any butterflies or exotic birds only budgies. The price is very reasonable but the gift shop was very overpriced and my grandson could hardly find anything for five pounds.
Also th cafe was terrible DO NOT eat fresh food here ,the so-called Lincolnshire sausage was not what it claimed to but but some tasteless cheap one and the chips were stone cold ( even though they were under a hot light) and in part so hard my grandson said they were has hard has apples the burger was uneaten cheap burgers with no taste and the cake. Far to sickly sweet. Better to stick to the pre packed food . The table were not cleaned properly and were sticky. A good place for the animals but do bring a picnic.
Also th cafe was terrible DO NOT eat fresh food here ,the so-called Lincolnshire sausage was not what it claimed to but but some tasteless cheap one and the chips were stone cold ( even though they were under a hot light) and in part so hard my grandson said they were has hard has apples the burger was uneaten cheap burgers with no taste and the cake. Far to sickly sweet. Better to stick to the pre packed food . The table were not cleaned properly and were sticky. A good place for the animals but do bring a picnic.
Written April 5, 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.
Hi there,
We are so glad that you enjoyed your visit. We are sorry to hear that you did not enjoy your food in the cafe, they do usually keep the chips warm and replace them regularly to keep them nice and warm, we buy our cakes from our fab local provider in Lincoln. These cakes are really amazing and they look and taste so fab, everyone has their own opinions, we do agree they are very rich but this is purely opinion based. We do believe our food is super great and a lot of people have commented how great it is, so a picnic is not necessary but we do apologise for your less than great experience.
Written August 2, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Iskra
22 contributions
Aug 2021 • Family
Small selection of animals.
Horrendous staff and food in the cafe.
50 minutes between arriving and receiving food with several people who ordered after us having eaten and left before we even got ours.
Old overweight woman on the till exceptionally obnoxious.
Most food average at best, lettuce was rotten, certainly not worth ÂŁ30 for 1 child meal, 4 hot sandwiches and a portion of chips.
Bring your own food and avoid the filthy cafe.
Horrendous staff and food in the cafe.
50 minutes between arriving and receiving food with several people who ordered after us having eaten and left before we even got ours.
Old overweight woman on the till exceptionally obnoxious.
Most food average at best, lettuce was rotten, certainly not worth ÂŁ30 for 1 child meal, 4 hot sandwiches and a portion of chips.
Bring your own food and avoid the filthy cafe.
Written August 27, 2021
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.
We have quite a wide variety of animals, so concerned that you did not see all that we had to offer here at Natureland? A lot of people tell us that we have lots to see in a relatively small site.
Our staff in the cafe make the orders on a first come first served basis, no orders skip the queue so everyone who ordered before you would have got theirs first but this is quite a strict rule in our cafe, I'm sorry if this was not the case but it doesn't sound like something they would do. We are sorry that you were waiting a while for your food, we are still understaffed in our cafe compared to previous 6 week holidays, they are all doing the best they can under the circumstances. I'm sorry if you thought our lettuce was rotten, we usually go through the bags so quickly that they never reach their best before dates! Also, our cafe is not filthy in any way, our cafe staff have worked very very hard this year, we have had the busiest summer that we have had in a very long time, most of our cafe staff are new this year and we are so proud of them for working so hard. Sorry to hear that you had a less than perfect experience, most of the time our visitors love our food and find it very well priced compared to other places.
Written August 29, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Liv-rose-m
Bradford, UK22 contributions
Jul 2020 • Family
A great place.. my children loved it. Was quite pricey however I think it’s worth it for the upkeep of the animals and for the seals. The seals seemed well looked after in the seal hospital. We saw it all within an hour. The restaurant wasn’t open due to COVID and the kiosk didn’t really have any healthy options... just sandwiches crisps etc. Would definitely visit again and recommend.
Written July 25, 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.
Gillian C
30 contributions
Apr 2022
We thought the price (ÂŁ8.50 for seniors) was reasonable and we spent a couple of hours here watching the seals being fed and listening to the very informative commentary. It was a bit early in the season (April) for the butterflies but we did see a couple fluttering about. The finches should have been flying free but were penned in a cage due to bird flu. The penguins too were kept inside. We enjoyed seeing the alpacas and visiting the aquarium and the reptile house. The gift shop was too expensive. We went to the cafe where we were charged about ÂŁ1.90 and told to help ourselves to paper cups, tea bags and make our own tea.
Written April 17, 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.
Hi is the butterfly house open all year for visitors? Feb 2023?
Written January 11, 2023
No, it’s only open from April to September according to the website.
Written January 12, 2023
How long roughly does it take to get round and see the sanctuary?
Written September 3, 2019
It's not a big place but we tend to make the most of it and stay a couple of hours. Sometimes we go out and return - show receipt and re enter. If you do either it's ok value overall.
Written September 4, 2019
Hi there! Our entry prices are:
Adults - ÂŁ9.75
Children 3 years-15 years - ÂŁ8.00
Children under 3 - Free
OAP's - ÂŁ8.50
Family ticket (2 Adults and 2 Children) - ÂŁ32.00
Hope this helps!
Written August 19, 2019
do you have any parking at the seal sanctuary as we had problems parking in skegness last time we visited. thank you
Written August 12, 2019
There’s a big car park very close, but non just outside
Written August 13, 2019
What time is seal feeding time ?
Written March 3, 2019
Hi there. Feeding time is 11.30am and 3pm at the moment. However in summer this will change.
Thanks,
Shannon- seal and penguin keeper.
Written March 3, 2019
Can you feed the animals, or gift as a feeding present
Written February 4, 2019
Yes you can feed some of them
Written February 4, 2019
Is it wheel chair accessible?
Written January 28, 2019
Hi there! We are 99% wheelchair accessible, with the only exception being the end of our reptile house, where there is a set of steps. Everywhere else is definitely wheelchair accessible!
Written January 29, 2019
Are you open Jan 2nd?
Thank you, Laura
Written December 30, 2018
kevbutnobacon
Hoek van Holland, The Netherlands
You bet !
Written December 31, 2018
Yes dogs allowed but not in the butterfly area
Written November 3, 2018
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