Jungle Island
4.1(5,857)4.1 out of 5 stars, 5857 reviews Miami, FL
About Jungle Island
Jungle Island offers highly interactive, up-close animal encounters and vibrant seasonal nighttime light festivals set in a lush, natural outdoor environment, making it a memorable spot for hands-on animal lovers.
What parents should know
Summarized from real visitor reviews.
Best for: Families seeking close-up, supervised interactions with exotic animalsParents looking for an engaging outdoor activity for toddlers who love birdsVisitors wanting a scenic evening walk through colorful light displaysToddlers and young children: Perfect for the highly interactive bird feeding areasOlder kids and teens: Great for the specialized sloth and capybara encounters and walking the nighttime lantern trails
Why families love it
- Intimate, hands-on animal encounters with sloths and capybaras
- Highly interactive bird experiences that are excellent for young children
- Vibrant and striking outdoor lantern displays during the Luminosa event
- Exceptional VIP tour guides who provide educational facts and clear instructions on petting animals safely
- Supervised animal encounters (sloths, capybaras, and birds)
- VIP tours with dedicated guides and professional photographers
Insider tips
- Do not book nighttime events like Luminosa if your primary goal is to see active animals, as most are asleep
- Book the VIP tour or specific animal encounters in advance to secure intimate, hands-on access
- Arrive early for scheduled shows so you do not miss the quick performances
- Prepare to pay extra for parking and budget accordingly
Good to know before you go
- Visiting during local race events like the Tropical 5k unless you plan for entrance congestion
- Expecting a full zoo experience during nighttime lantern events
- Poor layout and lack of directional signage during evening events
- Very few animals are visible during nighttime events (only a few birds and a turtle were spotted)
- High cost of VIP packages and add-on experiences
- Crowds
- Can experience heavy traffic and crowds at the entrance during local community events like marathons and 5k races.
- Value
- While VIP tours and animal encounters are described as pricey, reviewers find them 'well worth it' due to the high level of intimacy and care. However, there is a steep $20 parking fee in the garage that adds to the overall cost.
- Food
- An outdoor bar is available serving cocktails during evening events, but no specific rules regarding outside kids' food or snacks were mentioned.
- Accessibility
- The venue features a parking garage, but nighttime events suffer from poor layout flow and a lack of clear directional signage, which may make navigation difficult.
- Safety
- Guides provide clear, sweet, and structured instructions on how to safely pet and interact with the animals.
What parents say
"My bestie and I loved walking around discovering the unique displays in this World of Enchantment. The colors are so vibrant and striking! We thoroughly enjoyed how we were outside in nature seeing these structures amongst the living trees; finding lizards warming themselves on the lanterns was a treat! We were a smidge late for the show which was quick, cute and Asian- which I’m assuming was the tie-in with the lanterns. Kudos to the great bar woman, serving up the cocktails! It’s hard to pick a favorite display. I will say I really loved the dragons."
a month ago
"I went for my 1 year anniversary and my experience was unforgettable. VIP was pricey but it was well worth it and we had an incredible time. Ryan was our VIP tour guide and he was awesome!! So knowledgeable, very sweet, great instructions on how to pet all the animals we got to see, lovely facts and stories, we really enjoyed having him as our tour guide he’s so good!!! The photographer that was with us was also very nice! We’ve never had such an intimate experience with animal encounters. They made our experience feel special and I’m really looking forward to coming back!! ❤️"
2 months ago
"I recently visited Jungle Island for the Luminosa event, and while it was enjoyable, it felt a bit underwhelming. The lantern displays were beautiful, but the event’s layout was unclear—I wasn’t sure if I missed part of it or if it was just smaller than expected. More signage or guidance would have really helped enhance the experience. Since it was nighttime, I didn’t see many animals aside from a few birds and a turtle. On the plus side, parking was easy in the garage, though it costs $20. Overall, it was a nice outing, but there’s room for improvement in organization and flow."
a month ago
Reviews sourced from public Google data.
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