which safari park is best? West midlands or woburn

eleanor_the_granny

Hi there, my family is looking to go to a safari park next week, does anyone have any experiences with west midlands safari park or woburn or both? which is best in your opinion?!

Hope someone can make a decision for us!

E x

Torkijo

Hi
Out of those two i would definately go for West Mids, its a lot better layout. Have you looked at Whipsnade though, its great as you can drive, park then walk, then get back in the car and drive round to the other side, or you can walk the lot. It also has good shelters and some great picnic places - the view across the downs is great by the Penguins.

bw1972

woburn is a good day out though, little grub loves it.
Some kids free entry vouchers online to make it cheaper

Dasnookster

Haven't been to West Midlands ones, so don't know on that front, but have been to Woburn and a good day was had by all. You can drive round the safari bit as many times as you like. Then there is an area where you can park up and there is a restaurant and gift shop, plus animals that you can walk around, such as a Lemur enclosure which you walk through, a squirrel monkey enclosure you walk through, then there are wallabies, penguins, sealions etc. and an outdoor theatre bit where they have bird flying displays and various other bits and pieces throughout the day.

We drove round the safari bit when we first got there, then went round the on-foot bits and had something to eat, then drove round the safari circuit again - we saw different things each time, defo worth the second drive round.

Deals_2

and a 3 year old. thanks

Dasnookster wrote: »

Haven't been to West Midlands ones, so don't know on that front, but have been to Woburn and a good day was had by all. You can drive round the safari bit as many times as you like. Then there is an area where you can park up and there is a restaurant and gift shop, plus animals that you can walk around, such as a Lemur enclosure which you walk through, a squirrel monkey enclosure you walk through, then there are wallabies, penguins, sealions etc. and an outdoor theatre bit where they have bird flying displays and various other bits and pieces throughout the day.

We drove round the safari bit when we first got there, then went round the on-foot bits and had something to eat, then drove round the safari circuit again - we saw different things each time, defo worth the second drive round.

vikingaero

I've been to Woburn a few times and it is very good. I think you can use Tesco Days Out vouchers for entry. The Safari Drive is good. The monkeys are less active than the Longleat monkeys and your car stays intact. At the leisure area in Woburn there are loads of play areas, tree walks, kangaroo enclosures, a soft play ark etc. The food in the restaurant was good for a self-service cafe. Plenty of picnic benches too and a little train.

We were disappointed by Whipsnade. It was very expensive to drive the car into the park - a family of 4 ticket is £45.50 plus £13 for car entry. If you park your car in their external car park it's another £3.50. We decided to pay extra and go in with the car and we were glad we did. As we were off peak the bus that goes around was infrequent, looked dirty and the windows weren't clear! Also without a car you cannot go on the safari drive which is the best bit of Whipsnade. The views amazing at the penguins and by the cafe but overall the Woburn Safari drive has a better Capability Brown type landscape.

I wasn't happy at the ZSL thing being thrust into your face at every opportunity as though that made it superior to every other safari park. What did disappoint me was that the balance between giving back to the paying public was poor. The displays and general areas were very tired. Maybe they do pump all their money into conservation but there is a balance that seems to be too skewed.

But even with the negs you still need to visit Whipsnade for the experience, the animals and the scenery.

beefster

longleat....... hands down winner.

Dasnookster

Deals wrote: »

and a 3 year old. thanks

It seemed to be suitable for all ages, we were actually four adults, but there were people there of all ages.

bestpud

If you decide on West Mids then beware the rides area - it is very expensive!

It can easily more than double the cost of your day, before you even start on food or drinks etc.

eleanor_the_granny

we went to west midlands in the end. it was a good day out. and as you all pointed out the rides were very expensive. still we went for the animals more than anything and were thoroughly impressed. thanks for all your input guys! Will try woburn next time