Seven best safari parks in the UK to explore
You don’t have to travel halfway across the world to get up close to rare exotic animals. Plan a special day out with your loved ones where you could feed giant giraffes, walk with lemurs and hear a lion roar. We’ve rounded up the best safari parks in the UK, that are guaranteed to deliver a day to remember.
What is a safari park?
A safari park offers animal lovers the opportunity to see wildlife roam freely in spacious areas within expansive grounds. Usually visitors can either drive through the enclosures or explore on foot – often with opportunities to watch animals being fed and hear talks from rangers.
Why visit one in the UK?
By visiting safaris in the UK, you’ll have the opportunity to see a wide range of animals which you can only otherwise see on the other side of the world while also supporting the protection, rehabilitation and conservation of wildlife.
Safari parks in the UK
1. Longleat Safari Park
2. Blair Drummond Safari Park
3. West Midlands Safari Park
4. Knowsley Safari Park
5. Howletts Wild Animal Park
6. Woburn Safari Park
7. Port Lympne Safari Park
1. Longleat Safari Park
Location: WiltshireI
Best for: It’s jungle cruise and maze
Surrounding a grand Elizabethan stately home is a 9,000-acre estate where you can get up close and personal to prowling lions, bouncing monkeys and wolves in the drive-through safari. Jump on the boat safari, where California sea lions will say hello before you cruise past the Gorilla Colony. Don’t miss the deer feeding opportunities and huge hedge maze while you’re at Longleat Safari Park in Wiltshire. Find holiday cottages in Wiltshire >
2. Blair Drummond Safari Park
Location: Stirling
Best for: It’s outdoor play area and colony of penguins
Want to see over 350 rare and exotic animals? Blair Drummond Safari Park in Stirling has raised platforms so you can enjoy a special greeting from the world’s tallest mammals at the park – the giraffes. If cute and cuddly is your thing, watch the wobbly waddling Humbodt penguins who go crazy for a fresh bucket of fish. Or you could even see what it's like to be a keeper for the day if you fancy splashing out on an extra special animal experience. Find holiday cottages in Stirling >
3. West Midlands Safari Park
Location: Worcestershire
Best for: The adventure park and endangered animals
A safari park with a whole other element of wild. You’ll be howling like a wolf on the rides at The Adventure Theme Park in West Midlands Safari Park in Worcestershire. You can also learn all about the animals at the daily shows. Head to the African Plains to spot giraffes or Wild Asia to see buffalo. Don’t forget to finish your day with an immersive experience on the virtual reality jungle boat ride, which is bound to get bumpy so hold onto your hats! Find holiday cottages in Worcestershire >
4. Knowsley Safari Park
Location: Merseyside
Best for: The UK’s longest safari drive
All aboard the baboon bus! Kitted out with ropes and ladders, the cheeky monkeys will swing around next to the windows during your safari drive. Spot the lions, rhinos and zebras on a five-mile route over 550 acres where you can enjoy a one to two hour ride. Follow the foot safari in Knowsley Safari Park in Merseyside to meet Tapir, Wildebeest and Capybara – the largest rodent in the world, resembling a giant guinea pig. Find holiday cottages in Merseyside >5. Howletts Wild Animal Park Kent Learning about conservation
5. Howletts Wild Animal Park
Location: Kent
Best for: Learning about conservation
Specialising in rare and endangered animals, Howletts Wild Animal Park is home to African Elephants, Western Lowland Gorillas, Eastern Black Rhinos, Snow Leopards and 31 other primates, wild cats and more. The conservation projects here in this park in Kent work to release as many animals back into their natural habitat as possible. Find holiday cottages in Kent > 6. Woburn Safari Park BedfordshireWhite rhinos and it’s playpark
6. Woburn Safari Park
Location: Bedfordshire
Best for: White rhinos and it’s playpark
Start your day out at Woburn Safari Park in Bedfordshire with a drive through parkland reserves where the 80 rare and endangered resident species of Woburn Safari Park roam and rest. The 60 to 90 minute circuit takes you through northern plains, Savannah grasslands, a kingdom of carnivores, giraffe junction to the African Forest. Meet Southern White Rhinos, African Lions and camels. Continue your journey on foot through more enclosures and finish at the mammoth play ark – with slides and obstacles. Find holiday cottages in Bedfordshire >7. Port Lympne Safari Park Kent An overnight stay
7. Port Lympne Safari Park
Location: Kent
Best for: An overnight stay
Port Lympne Safari Park is set in over 600 acres in the Kent countryside, with over 900 animals and also offers accommodation if you’re travelling far to visit. Discover the wooded walkways that will lead you to big cats, monkeys and gorillas. Step back in time in the land of the dinosaurs, and listen to talks by the rangers about behaviours and conservation of the animals. Find holiday cottages in Kent >
