Woburn Safari Park Review
Woburn Safari Park
Bedfordshire
Reviewed by Amanda Hayes
Woburn Safari Park is situated just off the M1 and is signposted with a traditional brown sign off the motorway roundabout. After following a short drive through the Woburn Estate we found a pit stop where you can use the toilets or grab a drink before you enter the safari park, as once in the first road safari section you understandably can’t get out of the car.
Entrance to the park is quick and easy and with several ticket booths open there were no queues. We were given a map of the park and we set off on the road safari, following the signs as we went. It’s fantastic for adults and children alike as the animals get so close, in the first area we had emu’s walk in front of the car and rhinos walking right past. The tigers, lions and monkeys come next and there is a way to bypass this section if you have a soft top of convertible as it is too dangerous to enter. The large cats are accessed through sets of double electric gates where you have to wait for one to close before the other opens, although this is for safety reasons it just added to the anticipation of the visit. The tigers were just beautiful, walking right past the car, just an amazing sight especially for my two year old son. The lions were acting like typical cats and lazing in the sun and play fighting for attention. The pens not just for these two animals but for all the others are very large indeed, absolutely nothing like the little pens you get in the zoo, they took several minutes to drive through without stopping to look.
Then we came onto the monkeys, these were so much fun, but beware your car will get climbed on and used for a ride, some were also a little rough and we did see someone have their rear wiper pulled off. Well worth it though watching them play especially the ones with tiny babies on their backs. We spent about an hour and a half driving through the road safari section which also included black bears, wolves, giraffes and elephants.
From there you can go on to the foot safari section or straight to the exit, we headed to the foot safari where there is plenty of parking both on hard standing and on grass and also plenty of picnic space. The animals start with meercats and move on to sea lions, penguins, lemurs and porcupines to name but a few. As the road safari all are in large pens the majority where you can walk through and touch the animals. For the younger children there is a farm style section with goats, chickens and donkeys, great for the little ones to stroke without feeling intimidated. Aside from animals there is lots to see and do here including a train ride around the top section of the park, adventure playgrounds and indoor soft play for all ages. There is also a boating late with pedal boat swans and a large outdoor slide but they both have a height limit on and my little boy wasn’t tall enough to try either.
There are two main restaurants onsite, one in the large soft play barn which is more fast food style with burgers etc… and a larger one near the entrance serving everything from sandwiches to steak and ale pies. There is definitely a food choice for any palette, together with a selection of hot and cold drinks. Both have indoor and outdoor seating areas suitable for the great British weather.
You can easily spend a whole day here with lots to keep children, especially, interested. Some areas were looking a little dated but you could also see that a lot of investment was being put into the park with new areas being built and what looked like very newly updated toilets in some areas.
A great day out a lot of it suitable in any weather and definitely an attraction you could visit again and again.
Rating: 4.5/5
Tickets cost: £22.99 Adult / £14.99 Child (book online for discount).
For more information, events and special offers or to book tickets visit www.woburnsafari.co.uk.
Woburn Safari Park, Woburn Park, Bedfordshire, MK17 9QN | 01525 290407
