Review Knowlsey Safari Park
Knowsley Safari Park, Liverpool offers a fun animal experience in the Northwest. Discover everything it offers, what we thought and our top tips.
Boasting a 550-acre Safari Drive with over 700 wild animals, a foot safari, shows and talks, Knowsley Safari Park and makes day out for families
To mark the start of the May Half Term we had the chance to visit when Family On The Go were invited along to their popular Seaside Carnival event.
Having visited previously with my now 14 and 11-year-old children and having an amazing time, I jumped at the chance. We were accompanied by my mum and mother-in-law, both safari newbies and both very excited.
If your planning a trip to Knowsley Safari Park over the half term or summer here is what we thought, and share our top tips to help you have an amazing day.
Arrival
When booking online you need to choose a time slot for arrival. Went for the opening time of 10.00 am and we were glad that we did.
Once in you have the choice of parking and heading to the foot safari and attractions or going straight on the car Safari.
We headed straight into the car Safari and being one of the first to enter we were able to take the drive at our own pace.
Spotting Animals on The Safari?
One of the best things about Knowsley Safari Park is that you can drive around the Safari as many times as you like.
On entry, we were given a map detailing what animals we might see where along with animal stickers to add when we spotted them.
During our first drive around we managed to spot lots of the animals on our list, but most were off in the distance or lying down – it was morning after all.
Having said that towards the end of the drive, one of the camels was happily slowing down the cars as he trotted on the side of the road heading straight for the new cars entering.
On our afternoon safari, it was a different story. We headed back in around 2.00 pm and all the residents were on great form.
We managed to see pretty much every animal on the map, most of which were grazing by the side of the road or taking a stroll not too far away. Highlights included the White Rhinos, the huge Bison, and the very cute fallow deer.
In total including the lions and baboons the drive took us around an hour in total.
The Lions
The favourite animals of the day had to be the lions.
The lion enclosure is marked with large signs telling you to keep your windows shut and reminding you not to get out of the car.
On our first drive around we spotted five of them taking a nap together by our second trip they were very awake.
As we approached the lion there was a queue of cars admiring them as they sat up basking in the sun.
By the time it was our turn, we were disappointed to see that they had started to move. We weren’t downhearted for long as one of the lions walked across our path and settled on the road right beside our car. To say we were all excited would be an understatement.
The Baboon Enclosure
The last time we visited Knowsley we had an older car and were happy to drive through the Baboon Enclosure. It was lots of fun to see them climb over the car, and the kids were over the moon when one sat on our bonnet for most of the ride.
Best of all we left with all car parts intact and no damage. Although, other cars were not so lucky.
However, with a newer car for this visit, we decided to take the car-friendly route. This takes you by the side of the enclosure so that you can see all the monkeys interact with other cars.
I won’t lie, at first, the kids weren’t happy with this decision especially on our morning Safari the Baboons seemed very well-behaved.
On the afternoon drive, their cheeky side was in full sight. We saw wipers being bent, babies swinging off wing mirrors and a couple trying their best to remove a number plate.
The kids were happy to watch for quite some time and said that was nearly as much fun as being in there ourselves.
If you do want to drive through and not risk your car, you can book on to the Baboon Bus. This had been our initial plan, however, we left it too late and slots sold out.
The Foot Safari
After our first Car Safari we parked up and and headed to stretch our legs on the Foot Safari.
Here we are all excited to spot the Meerkats, the Bush Dogs (who we could have watched all day) and the giraffes.
One of the newest parts of Knowsley Safari is the Amur Tiger Trail and it was a big hit with the grandparents and children alike.
The trail features lots of tiger facts and information, photo ops and viewing spots so that you can keep an eye out for the parks Amur Tiger, Miron.
As we walked around the trail we thought we might not be lucky enough to see the star attraction. However just before we came to the end we spotted him having a snooze in the grass – we were all over the moon.
The Foot Safari also features a fun trim trail and challenges such as seeing which animal you can jump as far as , and how fast you can run.
The Fun Fair Rides and Playground
Along with all the animals, Knowsley Safari an array of fun fair rides including the Pirate Ship, Bumper Cars, Swinging Chairs and more.
You need to purchase tokens to ride these attractions and they cost either £2.00 or £3.00 each. Alternatively, you can purchase an unlimited wristband for £12.00.
My daughter loved checking out all the rides and certainly made the most of her wristband, going on all the rides multiple times.
There is also a playground with slides and a sandpit all free to use.
Sealion Show and Animal Talks
On our last visit, we all really enjoyed the Sealion show. The show lasts around half an hour at set times throughout the day.
The show is lots of fun as the sea lions show off their skills and you learn all about them.
At the start of the day, we intended to head to the show again, along with checking out the Birds of Prey Display. However, we were having so much fun on the safaris and attractions and kept missing the start times. Although the kids were disappointed we vowed to make sure we catch them next time.
There are also daily animal feeding and talks for some of the Foot Safari animals with times posted near the entrance.
Food and Drinks at Knowsley Safari
The Safari Park features a restaurant, coffee shop and outdoor food cabin and ice cream hut.
Here you find anything from Wraps and Sandwiches costing from £4.95, jacket potatoes from £5.50 along with fries and pizza. both hot and cold food.
They also offer kid’s meals and kid’s lunch boxes (£6.50), barista-style hot drinks and lots of sweet treats.
We had brought our own picnic but with a growing teen in tow we did purchase a pizza and chips for the kids which they loved.
You will also find hand-rolled ice creams in various flavours (from £3.20) which we tried and were delicious along with branded lollies.
The Gift Shop
After an amazing day out we couldn’t resist popping into the gift shop.
Here we found everything from Animal postcards and pencils from £1.00, T-shirts from £17.00, soft toys ranging from £4.99 to £55.00 and everything in between.
After the kids made sure they had looked at everything at least twice, my son chose a tiger print to match a rhino version he bought on our last visit. Whilst my daughter opted for a pencil.
What We Thought About Knowsley Safari Park?
We all had a great time at Knowsley Safari Park.
Everyone loved seeing the all the animals and it was a real treat to get so close to the lions. It nice to also be able to have a walk around and my daughter was so excited at being able to go on all the fun fair rides.
There are not days out which are fun for all the family, but Knowsley Safari ticks this box. The grandparents enjoy themselves as much as the kids and they already talking about our next visit.
Top Tips for Visiting Knowsley Safari Park
Book Online
Like most major attractions Knowsley offer online booking in advance. We can’t recommend you do this enough.
Not only will it guarantee the date for your visit, it also offers a discount compared to the gate price and will save some time at entry.
Watch out for >>> Knowsley Safari Offers and Discounts
Get There Early
For both of our visits, we arrived at the opening time at 10.00 am and were glad we did.
Knowsley is definitely a full day out and after the drive, we had plenty of time to park up and enjoy all the other attractions along with heading around the Safari drive again later on.
Consider The Toilet First
Although you can drive straight into the car safari after entry, you may want to consider parking and heading to the toilets before you do so.
The safari can take up to 45 minutes or more and it will mean you can take your time rather than having to rush bag.
Don’t Miss The Shows
As mentioned above there are some great shows and talks throughout the day. The times are dotted arpound the attraction area and we recommend taking a photo and setting an alarm so you don’t miss them.
Go Around The Car Safari Twice
Entry includes unlimited rides around the car safari and we would recommend going around at least twice – in the morning and afternoon. That way you might get to see the animals getting up to different things.
Book the Baboon Bus In Advance
If you want all the fun of the baboons but don’t want to risk your car, consider booking the baboon bus. Places are limited and get booked up quickly so it is best to book it when you book your tickets.
More Information and latest discounts >>> Knowsley Safari Park Offer
