On the weekend, we went to Woburn Safari Park near Milton Keynes.
It sounds like a jaunt, but only took about 45 minutes from Rugby, and was a really easy journey down the motorway. We actually chose it because it was slap bang in the middle of where we live, and some friends in Hertfordshire, so that worked well.
You do need to book online, and they are only releasing tickets in blocks of 2 weeks. Therefore, if you had a specific date in mind, you’ll need to remember to keep checking.
Tickets aren’t cheap though. It cost £23.99 for adults, £28.99 for kids, and free for under 3’s. That said, it did feel like we got quite a lot for the money.
Safari adventure
Once you’re through the gates, the first thing you’ll experience is the road safari. This is the bit that you think of when you picture a safari park.
Driving through the different enclosures, you can get up close and personal with lions, tigers, monkeys, rhinos, giraffes, bears, and other wild animals.
At a few points, the animals came right up to the car. Two monkeys even jumped onto the roof of another car and all I could think of was Peter Kay’s Car Share, but it ended drama-free as a ranger waved them off!
Foot Safari
After you’ve parked up, you can continue the adventure on two feet through the Foot Safari. This lets you discover smaller mammals and birds.
There’s a programme of keeper talks and demonstrations throughout the day, including red pandas, birds of prey, meerkats and penguins.
Unfortunately, a few walk-through areas are still closed, including the Dissscovery Zone, Farmyard Friends and Land of Lemurs. You can still see them from outside of the enclosure however.
What else is here?
As part of the entry fee, you can also hire one of the pedalos to have a spin around the lake (with a minimum height restriction of 1m).
There is a little train running too, although due to social distancing and reduced numbers, the queues were just too big for us to get on.
And for active kids, there is a great play park with climbing frames, wooden animals, and percussion instruments.
The toilets, shops, cafes and takeaway kiosks are available with social distancing in place. There are also loads of places to picnic if you prefer to bring your own food and drinks.
All in all, a fun day was had by all four kids!
At a glance
- Foot and car safari, demonstrations and talks
- Leisure activities included in the price
- Takeaways and shops open
- Toilets available
- Picnic tables available
- Book online on the website
Woburn Safari Park, Woburn Park, Bedfordshire, MK43 0TU.