When was the last time you were so close to a lion that you
could have reached out and touched it? And it wasn’t even in a cage? I was, when we went
to visit Knowsley Safari this summer.
I had never visited a Safari before, so was quite
excited and honestly, a little bit nervous about coming face to face with all
the animals.
The first thing we did on arriving at Knowsley Safari is
have a picnic! You can’t go visiting wild animals on an empty stomach, you see.
Sandwiches downed, we set about exploring all that the place has to offer.
Our first stop was the sea lions. We were just in time for the
live display and were delighted to watch the three resident sea lions perform
some rather clever tricks. It must take an extraordinary amount of skill to be
able to get them to perform so well. I would definitely urge you to catch this
show when you are next at Knowsley.
Next, it was time to hop on the Baboon Bus that would take
us through the park. It is called the Baboon Bus for a reason, and I was soon to
find out why. I had heard stories about the monkeys in safari parks being
extremely boisterous, but experiencing it first-hand was something else. The
monkeys were everywhere, on top of the bus, on the top of cars brave enough to
drive through the enclosure. They were pulling and chewing on anything they
could get their hands on, from windscreen wipers to antennae. And they were
marking territory, which means poop and pee down the sides of the vehicles!
Knowsley Safari offers the option of driving through the
monkey enclosure and risking the chassis of your car. Alternatively, you can
opt to drive along the car friendly monkey route where you can observe all the
shenanigans of these cheeky primates without the possibility of damage to your
car. Or just get the Baboon Bus.
Having been through the safari park on the bus, we decided
to drive around in our car. Via the car-friendly route, of course! A couple of
safety tips to remember when driving through is to lock all your car doors and
windows. And never to get out of your car, especially in the lion enclosure.
It was late afternoon by the time we took our car through.
Perfect timing, as the rush had died down by then. Fewer cars on the road meant
the animals were moving about a lot more and venturing close. At one point, we
were just a couple of feet away from a lioness. If I had reached out, I could
have stroked her back! It was a singularly exhilarating feeling.
We spotted huge herds of deer, rhinos and zebras on the
safari in addition to camels and wild cattle with ginormous horns. We even
found time to go on a walkabout to see the giraffes and the elephants.
I just wish there was more time for us to explore all that
Knowsley Safari has to offer. We couldn’t find time to see the birds of
prey display and the bug house or walk the wild trail. Time to plan another
visit, don’t you think?
Disclosure: We were guests of Knowsley Safari for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own.
That safari trip looks like fun! Thanks for the review and tips. I will surely check it our with the kids over the weekend. :)
ReplyDeleteThat looks amazing!!! And those animals look really healthy which makes me happy!
ReplyDeleteI've never been to a safari tho, it must be an awesome experience! :D
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I've not been on a drive through safari since I was a child. You get so close though. I think I'd definitely opt for the car friendly route!
ReplyDeleteWow, I can't get over how close you were to the animals! The baby baboon is so adorable! Love the sealion show - they really are so clever! x
ReplyDeleteWe love Knowsley Safari Park. Its only 10 minutes drive away from us so we do visit a lot.
ReplyDeleteOh how fantastic! I love Knowsley safari park,, I grew up near there and we always used to use go when I was a kid...the monkeys used to destroy my dads car lol! xx
ReplyDeleteI love safari parks. we live just a few miles away from West Midlands Safari Park but last time we went our windscreen wipes managed to get bent by a rather mischevious monkey!
ReplyDeleteAwww lovely clicks... we don't have any safari parks here, so Kenya visit is one of our wishlist. But this looks great, the baboons are way too cute :)
ReplyDeleteOh we love safari parks, we have been to Longleat and West Midlands but never here. It looks great - love your photos, lovely post. Kaz x
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