Going wild at Woburn Safari Park
Woburn Safari Park
“AWESOME” was the considered verdict of our eldest son Jack at the very moment a curious giraffe decided to go off piste and walk elegantly down the road right past our car, writes Richard Edmondson.
His three-year-old brother was looking a lot more anxious at this giant beast taking an interest in his mum and dad’s car while the said mum and dad, it’s fair to say, were gawping open-mouthed in amazement.
We were, of course, visiting Woburn Safari Park, just down the M1 past MK and enjoying a fabulous day of animal magic of which this giraffe’s antics were just one highlight of many.
Regular visitors - it was our first visit as a family - talk about the monkeys which inhabit the centre of the park although on the day we went they were relatively well-behaved. While we were unable to put our car aerial down and had plenty of roof bars which might have proved enticing to a patas or two, they chose instead to climb aboard the car in front and behind to the displeasure of the two resident monkeys inside our vehicle.
But they had more than enough to be getting on with on the road safari. Highlights included a very close encounter with a lion which came right up to the side of our car before walking sniffily past, a friendly lady ostrich which looked like it might peck off our windscreen wipers and a rhino who eyeballed us in a somewhat sinister fashion after we took his picture.
There’s tigers too, some wonderful black bears, Iberian wolves (one of my favourites), Bactrian camels and the critically endangered Somali ass to name just a few. You can drive round at your own pace, the only request being that you don’t get out of your vehicle and don’t attempt to feed the animals either; with bread or yourself for that matter.
Once you’ve completed a circuit, you can go round again (we did later on in the day) and see all the animals all over again. It’s a wonderful experience for the children in particular because these magnificent beasts really can be just a few feet away.
We parked up at the main Foot Safari area where there’s loads to do. First off, we grabbed a bite to eat at the Two by Two restaurant where there was a really good range of hot and cold food and snacks. People can also eat their picnics there on one of the many benches sited around the complex. Next to it is a really excellent indoor play area which has some great slides supervised by staff.
Animals-wise, there’s sealions (feeding times are recommended) penguins, Red River hogs, lynx, lemurs and much more. There’s also a walk-through aviary where you can feed the lorikeets who literally sit on your shoulder and an Australian Walkabout where you can get up close with wallabies and rhea.
We rounded off our visit with a trip on the Great Woburn Railway which goes every hour between noon and 3pm before heading off for that last look at the animals.
Woburn is excellent value and a really fun day out for all the family. Young children’s interest can often be gauged by how much they talk about it afterwards. Our two still are. We’d thoroughly recommend it.
Woburn Safari Park is very well signposted, a five-minute drive from junction 13 of the M1.
For full details of opening times, special offers and facilities on site, please call 01525 290407. Alternatively, you can visit the excellent website which details everything you’ll need to know at www.woburn.co.uk/safari
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Thursday 24 May 2012
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