Category: Animals
Published on: March 12th, 2024
Make the most of your adventure!
The Knowsley Safari experience is like no other in the North West. The Safari Drive is the longest in the UK and it’s an opportunity to get up close with lions, rhinos, and wildebeest - as family days out go, it’s one of the most wonderfully wild ways to spend time together.
Making the most of your day can be helped with a bit of planning – booking a ride on the baboon bus for drivers who don’t want to take their own cars through the baboon enclosure for example should be done before you arrive. It doesn’t just guarantee you have a place on the bus, you’ll also be able to plan your day around these scheduled activities.
Planning a family day out at Knowsley Safari
The park opens at 10am and a typical visit can take between 4 and 6 hours so the earlier you arrive, the more of Knowsley Safari you’ll be able to explore. Visitors who have travelled from further afield may have been in their car for a while when they arrive so heading for the restaurant and toilets when they arrive is always a good idea, to freshen up and get comfortable before enjoying the Safari Drive.
A lion looking at girl through window.
Safari Drive
Refreshed and with the car re-loaded, the Safari Drive is usually the first thing that families do at the park. The 5-mile route will take you through 11 separate zones, containing some of the most endangered animal species in the world.
The Safari Drive starts in the Eastern Asian zone where our Bactrian camels roam, before you drive into the Southern Asian zone and then on to the African Savannah and our majestic white rhino. You’ll pass through the African Woodlands zone before coming back around to enter the monkey jungle where our baboons reside. For those drivers who do not wish to risk their wiper blades, aerials and other assorted vehicle trim, there is the car-friendly route too. The Eurasia zone is home to European bison, fallow deer and keep your eyes peeled to spot the moose. From there, you will head back to Africa and experience our pride of lions. This will bring you back to Eastern Asia as the Safari Drive comes to an end. Depending on the time that you spend viewing the animals you can expect the drive to take around an hour in total.
Go around again or move on to something else – that is entirely up to you.
A rhino next to a car.
Time to eat
After your trip along Safari Drive, you can take an opportunity to grab a bite to eat at the park’s restaurant. The menu has something for nearly everyone, with a range of meat-free options alongside firm family favourites. Hot and cold drinks are available and plenty of toilets so you can refresh before exploring the rest of the park.
Food from the restaurant.
Foot Safari
The end of the Safari Drive does not mend the end of your time in the park. There is still the foot safari to explore and enjoy. On foot you will be able to see our meerkats, capybara, bush dogs and the beautiful Amur tigers.
One of the highlights of the foot safari is the giraffes. The world’s tallest animals are in the very centre of foot safari and it is easy to lose time watching them. There are not many experiences that rival the tiger trail though.
Don’t forget to stop and watch our Californian sea-lion display and our Birds of Prey display too before moving on. It is a wonderful experience for children of all ages.
Little boy spots a tiger.
Amusements and gift shop
When you have walked the Foot Safari, you will return to the park centre and the amusement park. You can buy tokens from the kiosk for the rides, or a wristband for all of the rides. There are lots of rides for children to enjoy, some more daredevil than others, but all great fun.
If you don’t fancy those or you have ridden them all many times, then why not take a look in our gift shop. There are pocket-money-friendly souvenirs and bigger gifts for special occasions.
With so much to do at Knowsley Safari, it surely is one of the best family days out in the North West and we hope you have a wonderful visit.
Children on a ride.
