Knowsley Safari Park Review : Days Out With Kids

As a family of five it can get pretty expensive for a family day out for us all. We were therefore delighted to see Knowsley Safari Park has a great Winter offer on at the moment – just £20 a car (up to seven people). The offer is running up until 15th February 2019, and as it would ordinarily cost us £72.50 for two adults and three kids, the saving is massive. This is our Knowsley Safari Park Review.

Knowsley Safari Park Review : Location and Access.

Knowsley Safari Park is located in Merseyside and easy to get to in the car as it’s just off the M57 motorway. During the school holidays, there is also an option if you don’t drive : using the Safari Xpress bus from Liverpool city centre. It runs directly to the park, and goes around the safari drive, including the monkeys.

Knowsley Safari Park Review : Whats included?

Your admission tickets to Knowsley Safari Park include the UK’s longest Safari Drive including the baboons and the lions. You can go around the five mile drive as many times as you like. If you don’t want to risk any damage occurring your car, you can opt to take the car friendly route through the baboons or alternatively book a ticket on the Baboon bus.

Admission also includes a Foot Safari which is more like a traditional zoo where you can walk around to view animals such as giraffes, meerkats and wolves. The foot safari is now also home to the Tiger Trail housing Amur tigers. They used to be located within the drive safari but have moved since our last visit.

Within the Foot Safari there are also displays on throughout the day. There is a sea lion display and a birds of prey display that run daily which are definitely worth catching.

There are rides and amusements also within the foot safari, priced at £2 a ticket or £10 for a wristband. There’s also a small play area that the children can use free of charge. There’s a rowing lake, a nature trail and even a cafe if you fancy a bite to eat.

Knowsley Safari Park Review : Our Experience

We have visited Knowsley Safari Park lots of times in the past and have never been disappointed. There’s so much more to do than just the drive through safari.

The safari drive took us about an hour, with us taking our time to take in all the animals. The kids had a great time spotting them using their guides and stickers, and particularly loved how close some of the animals got to us.

We always drive through the baboon enclosure. There is always the chance of damage to your car but since my mum-mobile has seen better days anyway, we always take the risk. It’s always a highlight of the trip seeing what the naughty baboons get up to. This visit we were (un)lucky enough to be treated to a live monkey sex show right on our car bonnet! Absolutely mortifying with the kids all sat in the back saying “mum, what are they doing?!” A nice bit of visual education we weren’t planning on!

I also love the drive through the lion enclosure. It’s hit and miss how close you can get to them. We saw two of the lions from a distance as we drove through, and then caught this beauty just on the way out.

We loved the sea lion display. It was fun and entertaining but also informative. The sea lions were full of personality and the kids thoroughly enjoyed it. The birds of prey display was equally impressive. It was great to have the opportunity to see the birds up close and to learn about their habits and behaviours.

We decided not to pay the extra for the rides. Our youngest was more interested in the animals, and our older two are probably getting a bit old for some of the rides now. They were quite happy with the slides and climbing frame in the play area! We still managed to spend over five hours there so certainly got our money’s worth.

All in all we had a fantastic day out. For the price of £20 a car you definitely can’t go wrong. When it comes to days out with kids this time of year, you can’t beat it. You have the comfort and warmth of your car during the safari drive but still the opportunity to get out and stretch your legs during the Foot Safari.

For more information and up to date prices see the Knowsley Safari Park website.