So, we didn’t really make it on holiday last summer, but we still had a great time, not least thanks to the Olympics. And while you might think we should be envious of our friends who went to France, Italy, Yorkshire or even on safari, we weren't. That was because we not only saw Usain Bolt at London 2012 (it was the heats, but so what?) but had a safari of our own.
The pictures in this post were taken by me from our car at Woburn Safari Park. It was one of the highlights of our summer, seeing wild animals so close up.
Woburn was perfect for an unusual day out. It is not cheap (though there are often special offers around) at £20 an adult and £15 for children, but it is a real treat.
It’s also suitable for the whole family as you don’t have to walk around much if you don’t want to (you can drive round the park). However, the kids can easily let off energy in the huge indoor soft play area if you need them to. There are also lots of eating places, as well as other opportunities to get up close to animals such as marmosets, penguins and goats.
Our day started with seeing rhinos through our car windows. This was especially exciting when two rhinos decided to cross the road in front of us. We also saw antelopes and elephants. But they were small fry (not physically) compared to the carnivores area. This was terrific, especially watching a wolf skulk around near us, and a bear eat his lunch apparently oblivious to his vehicular audience.
We were transfixed by two tigers, which were incredibly beautiful, but the lions were the best, partly because they came so close. The one pictured above was stalking out her territory, while others were lazing in the sun. It was wonderful to see (although we kept our windows firmly shut).
We also loved the monkey area, although we were disappointed that no monkeys decided to jump onto our car (black cars seemed to be less popular in general). We were surprised to find that bongos (a word of mild abuse in our house) actually exist (although there aren’t many of them left in the wild) and enjoyed seeing them and the zebras and giraffes too.
We went on a swan shaped pedalo, visited the 3D theatre to see a behind the scenes film about the park and watched a short sea lion show. It really was a lovely day and all of us felt we’d experienced something special. Who needs to go abroad for their safari?
More on Woburn here.
Labels: days out in England, Woburn safari park
