Monkey nuts dangling in the window and poo on your car.....great fun!!! (Knowsley Safari Park)

Member Name: jd001

Product:	Knowsley Safari Park
Date:	01/06/09 (193 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fun for all the family, amazing to see the animals so close up

Disadvantages: Could do with some more rides for older children

Living just five minutes from Knowsley Safari Park it is somewhere we tend to visit at least once a year, usually when there is a two for one offer in the local paper so I thought it would be a good place to do a review on and share our experiences with anyone that's thinking of visiting.

PARK INFORMATION AND FACTS
The 550 acre park is situated Earl of Derby's estate which has a long history of housing animals and in the 19th Century the Earl of Derby kept one of the largest private menageries in the world keeping over 90 species of mammal and 300 species of birds. Nowadays the park has a 5 mile long safari drive and is the only one of its king in the north west and only 1 of 5 in the UK and is home to over 500 mammals including Baboons, lions, tigers, emus, rhinos and wildebeest. In 2007 the park introduced a pack of 12 rare African hunting dogs and a pair of red river hogs.

At the end of the safari drive there are amusement rides these include, a bouncy castle, carousel, swing chairs and a small and large pirate ship. The rides are not included in the admission price and to go on them you must purchase either ride tickets (priced at £1.50 each or £1 each if purchasing more than 50) or a wristband (priced at £9). Other facilities in this area include a restaurant , gift shop and arcade. This area also includes a sea lion show and a bug house which are included in the park entry fee (show times advertised around the park|). Entry to the Mizzy Lake farm is also included in the entry fee and here you can see cattle, mules, llama, goats, rabbits guinea pigs, and donkeys. Situated next to the amusement area this a walk around area where you can see elephants, giraffe's and meercats at a very close proximity and also a woodland walk in the neighbouring Fishbrook wood.

OUR VERDICT
There are toilets situated just inside the entrance to the park which is good as once you begin the safari drive there is nowhere to stop till you reach the end so I always make sure all the children go before we enter. Gaining admission to the park is extremely efficient you don't even have to leave your car, there is row of booths which you drive up to to pay your entry fee and also get a health and safety leaflets with your do's and don'ts for around the park, these are all mainly common sense and self explanatory (i.e. don't feed the animals, stay inside your vehicle if you break down and sound you horn to attract a rangers attention etc). We never go on extremely busy days like bank holidays but we have been on a summer weekend and admission has still been really quick as there are about 6 admission booths both operating from both sides so we have never been waiting more than 5 minutes to gain entry.

The safari drive is a great experience for all the family there are so many animals along the way free to come as close to the cars as they please and unless its really busy you can stop the car and spend as much time as you like watching them, some of the animals are in enclosures that you drive into to stop certain animals mixing with others.

The first enclosure is the lions and tigers but before this you see at least 3 or 4 different species of animals including deer and hunting dogs. Once crossing over the safety grills we saw the tigers straight away, although these are caged so it is really just like seeing them in a zoo, the lions however are a totally different experience apart from a few in cages for various reasons (i.e. illness or pregnancy) they are free to roam about as they please. We were all thrilled and maybe a little nervous when the biggest male lion approached and stood right next to our car for a least 5 minutes, it was exciting to see him so close up and to even be able to look him in the eye. There were a few cubs playing and its amazing to see them interact with each other like this and the kids especially were fascinated by watching them, the rest of the lions were basking in the sun and didn't really move much but still great to experience them so close up.

After exiting the first enclosure we saw a mixture of different animals including buffalo, wildebeest and Bongo's the funniest being the emus and ostriches who made us all jump the first time they pecked the window, they approach the cars and stare in with their huge eyes and then if you put your hand to the glass or they see something that they think is food they snap at the glass so quickly its hard not to jump, my youngest actually found these pretty scary and would cover her eyes whenever they came near.

The baboons and monkeys have to be the best part of the drive although in the time we have being going we have lost half a number plate, a wing mirror and several windscreen wiper blades to them. You do have a choice here and can choose to drive around the monkey friendly route which goes around the edge of the enclosure and I believe you still have a good view although we have never taken this route. As soon as you approach the moneys they start jumping from car to car, climbing onto the boot or bonnet then onto the roof. Its great to see them playing and to see the mothers with a tiny baby clinging to their chest and also quite amusing to see a big hairy baboon's genital dangling in front of your windscreen, although not as funny when they wee or poo on the car and you have to clean it off. The signs tell you in this part you must keep your windows closed, although I also recommend you keep your doors locked as we once saw one open the back door of a transit van and the rangers had to come and get it out.

Along the rest of the drive we saw many other animals really close up some even lying in the road so you do need to drive carefully, the rhinos in particular a a spectacular site all walking together alongside the car. The signs do say in really busy times you have to keep moving but when we have been we have been able to stop and look at things for as long as we wanted however as the lions in particular seem to stick together in one group you do sometimes have to queue till cars in front have moved on before you can get close enough to have a good look.

At the amusement area of the park we find the wristbands good value at £9 if you are staying for a few hours so we try to get there early to do the drive and take a picnic to eat at one of the tables close to the amusement area so the kids can go on the rides as many times as they want , there are plenty of rides for smaller children but only 2 or 3 that interest my 10 or 12 year old although if we are there for a while they will go on these 4 or 5 times each so still get moneys worth out of a wrist band. The sea lion show is good although fairly standard with them jumping through hoops and catching balls, you can go into as many shows as you want. To get into the show there is a lot of steps although there is ground floor access for wheelchair users and there is a shelter outside for leaving pushchairs. I have never eaten at the restaurant as we always take our own food and drinks but from looking at the menu it is basically like any café style food; chips, burgers, chicken nuggets, pasta, sandwiches etc at, in my opinion unreasonably, high prices, you can also buy snacks like ice cream and donuts.

You can easily spend a full day out here, we have always run out of time before we have done the woodland walk so cannot include that as part of my review as the children have been preoccupied with the other stuff, like the children's farm, whichr is lovely and you can even pet some of the animals like the goats and the donkeys and I like the fact that there are outside hand washing facilities here so you don't need to rush straight to the toilets while trying to stop a toddler from putting their hands near their mouth .

All in all a fantastic family day out that is in my opinion great value for money although I noticed it is £7 just to enter the amusement area as a pedestrian and as then you would still have to purchase wristbands for the rides in my opinion you would not be getting much for you money.


PRICES AND OPENING TIMES
Adults - £12
Children (age 3-15)/OAP/Student with NUS card - £9 (Under 3's enter free)
Family ticket (2 adults&2 children) - £37
Pedestrians (does not include safari drive) -£7
Disabled - £9 (One to one carer enters free, additional carers £9)

Concession rates available for 10 or more in one vehicle and for schools)

Season tickets - Adults - £27 Children - £21 (valid 12 months from date of purchase)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Knowsley safari park operates an animal adoption scheme with prices ranging from £25 for a Bronze package to £60 for a gold (as well as more expensive cooperate packages), the full list of what the packages entail can be found on the website but one particular thing I thought was good was that adoptee's can enter the park free on Saturdays during September and their guests can get in for a reduced fee.
Dogs aren't allowed along the safari drive but are welcome in the pedestrian areas and kennels and locks are provided for a £5 refundable deposit.

Summary: Great day out and not too expensive