Flamingo Land Resort sits on 375 acres near Kirby Misperton in North Yorkshire, blending a theme park, zoo, and holiday resort into a single day out. It began in 1959 when cinema entrepreneur Edwin Pentland Hick sold his cinema chain and used the proceeds to buy a bankrupt country club, opening it as The Yorkshire Zoological Gardens on just nine acres before the site grew into one of the UK’s largest combined park and zoo attractions.
The Gibb family has owned and operated Flamingo Land since 1978, expanding it to more than 50 rides and attractions alongside a zoo housing over 120 animal species. The park’s coaster lineup ranges from the family-friendly Velocity to Sik, a 10-inversion Intamin coaster that opened in 2022 and became one of the most inversion-heavy rides in the country.
Stats at a Glance
- Location: Kirby Misperton, North Yorkshire, England
- Operator: The Gibb Family
- Opened: 1959
- Size: 375 acres (152 hectares)
- Annual visitors: Around 900,000
- Signature attraction: Sik (10-inversion Intamin coaster)
- Roller coasters: 8
The Ride Experience
Sik headlines the coaster lineup, an Intamin Multi Inversion Coaster that opened in July 2022. Riders are hauled up a cable lift hill before dropping into 10 inversions, a 33-metre height, and a top speed of about 85 km/h across 875 metres of track, featuring a cobra roll and quad heartline roll among its elements. Other coasters include Kumali, a Vekoma suspended looping coaster themed around a giant python, Mumbo Jumbo, an S&S El Loco with a steep first drop, and Velocity, a Vekoma motorbike-style launch coaster.
Zoo and Resort History
Flamingo Land built its early reputation on zoological firsts, becoming home to the UK’s first captive bottlenose dolphins in 1963 and, in 1968, the first UK venue to house a killer whale. Those animal exhibits helped establish the site as one of Europe’s earliest combined zoo-and-amusement-park destinations during the 1970s, a model the resort still follows today with its mix of animal enclosures, rides, and an on-site holiday village.
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Flamingo Land FAQs
Where is Flamingo Land located?
Flamingo Land is in Kirby Misperton, near Malton in North Yorkshire, England, on the edge of the North York Moors.
What is Flamingo Land’s tallest or most intense roller coaster?
Sik, an Intamin Multi Inversion Coaster that opened in 2022, is the park’s most intense ride, climbing a cable lift hill before delivering 10 inversions and reaching about 85 km/h.
Is Flamingo Land a zoo or a theme park?
Both. Flamingo Land Resort combines a zoo with over 120 animal species and a theme park with more than 50 rides and attractions, alongside an on-site holiday resort.
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Photo: Flamingo land / CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.