A fun day out for all the family and animal lovers everywhere (West Midland Safari and Leisure Park)

Member Name: custard1975

Product:	West Midland Safari and Leisure Park
Date:	23/04/09 (172 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: lots to do and see, only place to see white lions in uk,

Disadvantages: safari can get very busy especially in the summer

The West Midlands Safari Park is situated in Bewdley near Kidderminster and is accessible from the M5 among other routes.

It is divided into 2 sections, the drive through safari and the walkthrough area including the 'theme park'. In order to access either area you pass through the drive through ticket booths. It currently costs £11.50 for adults and £10.50 per child or you can buy a family ticket for £40.00. You can pay this either by cash, card or tesco clubcard vouchers. The entry price entitles you to drive through the safari as many times as you want and to access all other areas. However if you wish to go on any of the rides these are charges seperately. At the ticket booth you can also purchase guide books and animal feed. The ticket also gives you a free, yes free, return visit at some other time during that season. I think that this makes it excellent value, although obviously you need to live within driving distance to take advantage of it!

Once through the gates you can either choose to park up in the large car park or make your way by car into the reserves.

The drive through safari is approx 5 miles long and will take anything up to a couple of hours to get round. There are NO monkeys so you do not need to worry about your car being taken apart!! The first section has grazing animals deer, rhino, buffalo, zebras and giraffes. Gradually you move through into different sections encountering animals from around the world. There are lions, including the only UK pride of the beautiful white lions. The last time I visited there were several gorgeous cubs. There are also wolves, tigers (orange and white), african wild dogs which are a personal favourite, in wet weather they seem very active and come upto the car, and my absolute favourite the cheetahs. There are also wallabys and elephants. If you don't want to go through the dangerous animal exhibits there are bypass lanes into the other areas. The safari can get very busy at times and so it is best to avoid lunchtime.

The rest of the park is made up of animal and other attractions as well as a variety of shops and food outlets. One of the most original animal exhibits is the free flying bat cave. Not for the faint hearted or those with a delicate sense of small the bat cave has a number of small and large varieties. It is quite dark and may be frightening for some people so be aware. Other animal attractions include sealions, leopards, hippos, goats, aquarium and reptile house. At the far end of the park is the amusement area. There are a number of rides for all ages and dispositions including log flume, a couple of coasters, including a childrens version, carousel, river raft and bungee type ride. All of these need to be paid for either using tickets which can be purchased from a machine. Each ride takes either 1 or 2 tickets. Alternatively you can purchase a wristband for around £10 which is much better value if you want to go on more than a couple of things.

The safari park is open from Feb to Nov and certain dates in December for christmas special. It is well worth a visit with its variety of animal species and other attractions, there is plenty to do for a full day of family fun!!

Summary: A wide mixture of animals from leopards to elephants, tigers to bats