Going to see some lions, tigers and bears - oh my! (West Midland Safari and Leisure Park)

Member Name: Absy_Baby

Product:	West Midland Safari and Leisure Park
Date:	07/04/09 (246 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great safari park, interaction, well priced.

Disadvantages: 2 hours away from my house

The best safari park/zoo I have been too in the UK.

The West Midlands Safari and Leisure Park is just outside Bewdley, West of Birmingham. I live in the Watford area of Hertfordshire, and you may think this is a long way to go to a safari park, especially with Woburn just down the road (but I don't rate it - will soon be writing a review as to why).

Anyways the West Midlands Safari and Leisure Park is easy enough to get to, it's up the M40, M42 then signposted on the A448, it takes door to door from my house between 1 hour and 50 minutes and 2 hours 20 minutes. It is worth the drive!!

It costs £11.50 per adult, this is very reasonable, I went to London Zoo in January and it cost over £15 just to get in.

The amenities within the park are: shops (gift shops), photo shacks, face painting, picnic area, and food outlets including: Congo Candy Sweet Shop, Port Livingstone Pizza, Lost City Fun Foods, Oasis Licensed Bar & Coffee Shop, Hot & Spicy, lots of Refreshment & Snack Houses throughout and an Explorers Café and Botswana Burger Co restaurant. There are toilets and amusements throughout the park grounds (but not on the actual safari park circuit).

The £11.50 includes parking and entrance to the Safari Park and Leisure Park which actually is: the drive-through safari, Sea Lion Show, Sea Lion Encounter, Seal Island Exhibit Pool, Twilight Cave, Creepy Crawlies, SeaQuarium, Reptile House, Reptile Encounter. You can walk around some of the zoo bits with the safari car based. The rides in the leisure park are at extra cost but the safari park is more than enough entertainment for a day.
The leisure park operate their own ticket system where you can buy individual tickets for each ride or a wristband for access to all rides as many times as you like:
Adult Wristband (16-64yrs) - £10.25
Child Wristband (3-15yrs) - £9.75
Family Wristband Offer (2 Adults & 2 Children) - £38.00
The whole park is open between February and November, it is a whole day out, and there are restaurants and snack shacks available, (we always take a packed lunch).
You can buy food for the animals on your way in, if I remember correctly it's about £1.50 a box.
The safari is home to:
White Lions
Tigers
Cheetah's
Wild Dogs
Elephants
Hippo's
Camels
Rhino's
Deer
And many more.

Watch out for the camels, you can drive around the open reserve with the windows open and feed the animals but the camels will try and put their heads in your car as far as they can. Not nice.

This safari park is a great day out and unlike Longleat Safari Park, you pay your entry and CAN go round as many times as you like. It is great, if one part is particularly busy drive on and stop next time round.

Opening times vary:
Opening is usually between 9.30am - 10.00am
Reserve closes between 3.00pm - 5.30pm (depending on school holidays etc)
Park closes between 4.00pm - 7.00pm (with bonfire night being different altogether)
Times can be checked on the website www.wmsp.co.uk (please check to avoid disappointment).

If you book your tickets online and in advance you save £1 per ticket, as well as getting a free entry return ticket, to be used within the end of the season.

Sorry to be unhelpful to those who don't drive, I myself do so I have never thought about how you would get around without a car, especially as there are many large animals, all I know is you can not walk around it, I wouldn't advise trying either.

Summary: Great day out for families, friends and couples.