A Day at Knowsley Safari

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.

Knowsley Safari have a little steam train to take you around. Sadly, it wasn’t working the day we visited. But they did have row-boats to hire if you want to explore the wetlands. And they have an amusement park and a huge sand-pit in the play area to keep little ones entertained while you grab a cup of coffee.

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.