Places to Visit

Belfast

We hope that this website has encouraged you to get out and enjoy Northern Ireland’s biodiversity.

If you would like to see more plants, animals and beautiful natural landscapes, you can visit some of many parks, nature reserves and outdoor spaces in Northern Ireland.

To find out more about where you can go to get out and enjoy local biodiversity, click on the links below.

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	Want to get magnificent views across the city and beyond? Get in touch with nature? Get fit? The Belfast Hills have six main sites which are open to the public:	Belfast Hills Partnership
	Belfast Zoo is situated on a breath-taking 55 acre site with panoramic views over Belfast Lough. This modern zoo acts as a safe haven for more than 160 species of rare and endangered animals, housed in award-winning enclosures.	Belfast Zoo - Belfast Zoo
	Helping Belfast become a healthy and attractive city is one of our biggest jobs.	Belfast City Council Parks
	The Causeway Coast and Glens houses an abundance of attractions.	Causeway Coast and Glens Heritage Trust Top attractions
	Join in with the fun and educational Events Programme 2007 at Colin Glen Forest Park. Old favourites including Bat Nights are still here with new exiting events now on offer also.	Colin Glen Trust - What to do
	Our aim is to grow local provenance trees grown in the nursery from seeds collected by volunteers from the remaining native woodlands in Northern Ireland.	Conservation Volunteers Northern Ireland - Tree Nursery
	EHS maintain many historic monuments and country parks and countryside centres throughout Northern Ireland. Many of these are open to the public all year round. Knowledgeable and friendly staff are located at most of the sites.	Environment and Heritage Service - Places to Visit
	Exploris, the Northern Ireland Aquarium, strives to provide an enjoyable and educational experience through changing marine exhibits, a rolling programme of exhibitions and activities for 'kids of all ages'.	Exploris - Exploris - Background
	There are further 34 reserves that have been designated by the Forest Service as Forest Nature Reserves. they consist of habitats that are more common, but they are nonetheless a valuable resource for conservation and education.	Forest Service - Nature Reserves
	The Regional park is a mosaic of countryside, urban parks, heritage sites, nature reserves and riverside trails. The backbone of the Regional Park is the River Lagan and towpath - offering miles of level walking in tranquil, attractive surroundings.	Lagan Valley Regional Park
	The Riverwatch visitor centre houses fantastic multi-media installations and first class displays and five fabulous aquarium tanks	River Watch Visitor Centre, Lough’s Agency Loughs Agency
	Lough Neagh is the largest freshwater lake in the British Isles and is very shallow for its size. The Lower Bann River leaves Lough Beg at Toome, widens at Lough Neagh and the Estuary before it enters the Atlantic to the north between Portstewart and Castlerock	Lough Neagh & Lower Bann Wetlands LNLB Homepage
	Oxford Island is one of Northern Ireland’s most spectacular National Nature Reserves and a wonderful place to view many aspects of our wildlife at close hand, no matter what the season!	Lough Neagh Discovery Centre Oxford Island
	The Mournes were first designated as an AONB in 1966. In 1986, however, the AONB designation was extended to include the Mourne Mountains, Slieve Croob, their farmed foothills and coast.	Mourne Heritage Trust - Habitats in The Mournes
	National Trust plays a vital role in ensuring that many of our most important scenic landscapes and natural habitats are protected.	National Trust - National Trust | Northern Ireland | Key sites
	Newtownabbey is the tourist gateway to Belfast City and the beautiful Glens of Antrim. Situated on the shore of Belfast Lough reaching North from the City of Belfast and stretching up towards the Glens of Antrim.	Parks In Newtownabbey
	Stroll through uncrowded forests and woodlands full of wildlife, unusual trees and exotic shrubs, where you may spot a herd of docile deer, a lake, or a country fair.	Northern Ireland Tourist Board -Discover Northern Ireland | Nature
	Peat, or turf as it is often called in Ireland, is a type of soil that contains a high proportion of dead organic matter, mainly plants, that has accumulated over thousands of years.	Peatlands Park Peatland
	The RSPB is the UK charity working to secure a healthy environment for birds and other wildlife, helping to create a better world for us all. We rely upon memberships and donations to fund our work.	Royal Society for The Protection of Birds - Reserves
	The Woodland Trust is the UK's leading conservation charity dedicated to the protection of our native woodland heritage.	The Woodland Trust – The Woodland Trust - our woods
	The Ulster Wildlife Trust manages 26 nature reserves around Northern Ireland, in addition to the many wildlife areas that the Trust has helped landowners to set up for the benefit of wildlife.	Ulster Wildlife Trust - Reserves
	Castle Espie Wetland Centre is set on the shores of the stunning Strangford Lough in Northern Ireland where almost the entire population of Light-bellied Brent Geese reside during the winter months.	Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust - Castle Espie - Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT)

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