Knowsley Safari Park
I first visited Knowsley Safari Park as a child and continued to do so throughout my teens and as a young adult. My little family are very much animal people so love to spend time with furry and feathered friends both big and small. My boy is currently 6 and is fascinated by pretty much any animal. With Knowsley Safari Park being so close by, I knew that a trip there would be perfect for him.
Location
If you live in the North West of England, you may have already been to Knowsley Safari Park. It’s located within easy reach of both Manchester and Liverpool. If you haven’t or you’re planning a visit to the area, it is somewhere that I would highly recommend. The Safari Park is very accessible and can be reached by car, train, bus and by foot! Knowsley Safari website has some great directions to get you there, simply click here. On arrival you’ll be given both a foot safari and drive safari map.
Tickets and Prices
Tickets are very reasonably priced for what is included and there are lots of options for families, groups and school trips. We visited in June 2019 when tickets were on offer at £10 per person. That price gave us access to the whole park throughout the day.
Facilities
On arrival at Knowlsey Safari Park, you can either head straight to the drive safari or you can park up and enjoy the foot safari, sea lion show and fun fair. For those with little ones who may have been in the car for a long period of time already, don’t worry, there are toilets and washroom facilities available at the entrance to the drive safari. I would recommend parking up to use these before you enter the drive safari as there is no option to stop and get out of the car once you enter.
The Drive Safari
The Drive Safari will generally take around an hour (if you stop to look at all the animals as we did). If you don’t drive or simply don’t want to, you can book a trip on the baboon bus. There are certain rules you need to follow whilst in there but if I’m honest, most are pretty much common sense, i.e. do not get out of your car whilst in the lion enclosure!
Be very mindful whilst driving that you are in a safari park where animals are roaming and going about there day to day business. You may need to stop quite a few times to allow them to cross the road (remember it’s their home).
There are a wide variety of animals to see on the drive safari and you can enter as many times as you like. Some may come very close to the car (keep windows shut and doors locked) whilst others may be relaxing in the field next to you.
There are park rangers (I’m not sure if that’s their official title) everywhere. You’ll see them driving round in jeeps and keeping an eye out for both the visitors and the animals safety. If you need anything or you experience any car problems, just signal them (luckily we drove through with no breakdowns). Now the one part of the park that I didn’t drive through (but had previously as a child and young adult), was the baboon enclosure. This is mainly because I really like my car! When I was much younger I had, what is often referred to as, a banger. It wasn’t a fancy car and if a baboon pulled my windscreen wiper off, I wasn’t overly fussed. However, this is now not the case so we took the car safe route past the baboons. This still allows you to watch their crazy antics but also keeps you safe from hefty car repair bills!
Foot Safari
In addition to being able to drive around a beautiful animal safari, Knowsley Safari Park also gives you times to explore the Foot Safari. You can see lots more animals including giraffes, meerkats and tigers, and can also schedule visits around feeding times, talks or displays.
Refreshments and Gifts
If you get hungry or thirsty, there are plenty of options available. A restaurant is located onsite, as well as a coffee house and outdoor grill. I’d recommend picking up at least a drink of water for the drive safari as remember, once in the car and on the safari, you won’t be able to get out till you exit.
There is also a beautiful gift shop located just next to the main car park. All the items are pretty reasonably priced and gifts vary from soft toys and clothing to magnets and stationary. We left the shop with a large red cuddly snake (names Mr. Snakey) and I treated myself to a lovely travel mug for my coffees at work.
Worth a Visit?
Absolutely! We’re very lucky in the sense that Knowsley Safari Park is only a 45 minute drive from where we live. It’s somewhere that we’ll probably continue to visit over the coming years, just as I did as a child. If you’re local, I’d definitely recommend taking a trip and if you’re visiting the area, why not see if you can plan in some safari time?
