West Midlands Safari Park

📍West Midlands - Kidderminster (ish)

🎟 £25 per person (adults)

⏰ Easily spend half a day here

🚗 SatNav: DY12 1LF

🥳 Reopening April 12th - Provided governments Covid plans don't change

💻 www.wmsp.co.uk

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West Midlands Safari Park (WMSP)

I feel like this may be a long post so such skip to whatever title interests you the most😂.

WMSP is a great day out for all the family. There's something there for everyone, young and old. It makes a great day out with family, friends or your other half. The park is split into two. There’s the drive-through safari which is probably the main reason you want to visit in the first place and a walk around zoo part which I’ll just call the zoo. On the safari, you’ll see your wild animals such as lions and tigers. At the zoo, you’ll find hippos, penguins and some smaller creatures.

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Getting There

You will need a car in order to get to WMSP. It's situated in quite an obscure location just off the A456 so travelling by public transport is not ideal. The drive to WMSP is incredibly long. I've been there several times and on each occasion have ended up in some form of traffic. The journey from Birmingham City Centre should take roughly an hour but I bet you it’ll take longer😂.

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Tickets

On arrival, you're able to purchase tickets (if you haven't already done so online) from one of the toll-like booths you'll pass as you enter. One great thing about the park is that when you purchase a ticket they give you a free return ticket so you can come back again! Animal feed can also be purchased for £4, a must-have if you want the full safari experience.

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What animals are there?

There are absolutely loads. My personal favourites include tigers, elephants, zebras, giraffes, rhinos, penguins, hippos and meerkats.

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Safari Drive Through

Once you've purchased your tickets either online or in-person you simply drive through the gates to the enclosures. There is signage informing you of which animals can be found in what section of the park as well as which animals can be fed. You literally just follow the road and drive round at your own pace. You can stop to feed animals and take pictures. On busy days you might get stuck in a bit of traffic as there is often a delay opening the gates to the next animal enclosure. However, this is still enjoyable as there's plenty to look at.

You do not necessarily need to use your own car to enjoy the drive-through safari park, you can opt for the VIP Safari Tour where you will be driven by a tour guide in a safari vehicle or minibus. I have opted for this before and will say that the staff at the park are very knowledgeable. Another bonus is that whilst in the WMSP vehicles the staff are able to drive off-track and closer to the animals. The cons of this option, however, is that if you do not get a good seat on the minibus you will have a restricted view and most likely be unable to feed the animals so make sure you sit at the front and by the window.

If it's a hot day be sure to bring drinks in your car as I remember one summer (those random dirty heatwave British summers) being stuck in the lion enclosure (where you obviously can't open your windows) and dyinggggg because it was so hot.

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Feeding the animals

The first time I visited this place I found it so weird that you could casually feed a whole giraffe at some random place in the West Midlands. LOL like why do we even have lions and giraffes living in the UK anyway? Moving on, there are loads of different animals that will nicely eat the free provided by the park. Have had a few incidents where a deer has put their whole head inside the car and stolen the whole box. Keep your eyes open. Don't open your windows wider than you need to and shut them immediately after you've finished feeding an animal just in case. Obviously, make sure to read the signs when you enter a different enclosure as some of these wild animals will happily munch your hand for free.

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The Zoo

After you've finished the drive through Safari experience you can explore the walk around "zoo." This contains numerous creatures such as reptiles, sea lions, penguins, hippos, meerkats and lemurs. There is also an "Adventure Theme Park" here where you'll find rollercoasters and rides. There is also a "Land of the Living Dinosaurs" an area where you follow a path and see lots of life sized dinosaurs. I think this is more catered towards younger children as I found it slightly boring. The park also hosts a few shows littered throughout day where you can learn more about the animals. You can also find places to sit down and grab a bite to eat, *just think of amusement park pricing if you get my drift*

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VIP Experiences

If you're an animal lover there are opportunities to feed lions, cheetahs, tigers and lemurs up close and personal for an extra fee. (You can't feed them without staff as they'll probably eat you)

In 2022 the park will be opening lodges where you can spend the night overlooking cheetahs or elephants. Sounds amazing and I for one will be staying there when it opens 😂

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"Yay or Nay"

I've been loads of times and this is always my go to for a fun day out. I'd recommend arriving early as in good weather this place does get very busy. I can imagine when it reopens after Covid it will be extremely popular so get there early and buy tickets in advance,