Knowsley Safari — Attraction in Knowsley

🐅 A Memorable Day at Knowsley Safari Park – Perfect for Family Fun (4 Stars) 🌟🌟🌟🌟

I recently visited Knowsley Safari Park with my seven-year-old while my partner had a work meeting. It was the perfect opportunity for a bit of one-on-one time, and the park did not disappoint.

🚗 The Drive-Through Safari The first thing that struck me was how well organised the drive-through safari was. We entered the park in our Ford Galaxy, and I did have a moment of concern about potential damage to the car (I’d heard the stories about monkeys causing havoc!), but I needn’t have worried. We purposely skipped the monkey enclosure, which I’d read can sometimes be a bit unpredictable, and stuck to the lions, giraffes, and rhinos sections.

I’ve got to admit, it was a little nerve-wracking at first, but the roads were wide, and the animals were clearly well cared for and not overly aggressive. The lions were particularly impressive – we had a clear view of them lounging in the sun, and they looked so majestic up close. The experience felt like something straight out of a nature documentary.

🦁 Animal Enclosures and Walk-Through Areas After the drive-through safari, we parked and headed over to the walk-through areas. These are fantastic because they give you the chance to get up close to animals in a way that’s both interactive and educational. My little one loved the African Village, where we saw meerkats and zebras in large, naturalistic enclosures. We also visited the sealions and otters exhibit, which featured daily feeding sessions – it was both entertaining and educational as we learned about their diets and conservation.

The elephant house was another highlight. Knowsley is home to a lovely herd of elephants, and we were lucky enough to witness a keeper session. It was fascinating to watch the keepers interact with the elephants, and we learned so much about their daily routines and the park’s conservation efforts.

🦒 New Attractions and Interactive Experiences Knowsley Safari is also continually upgrading its attractions, and I was really impressed with the new "Wild Walk" area, which opened earlier this year. The area is designed to give families a more hands-on experience with educational displays and opportunities to learn about the animals’ habitats and diets. It felt very family-friendly and informative. My little one loved the interactive quizzes and games dotted around the exhibit.

After spending a few hours in the walk-through sections, we stopped at one of the park’s cafes for a quick break. The food and drink options were decent — standard café fare, but the ice creams were a big hit.

🦓 A Day Well Spent By the time we made our way to the end of the park, we’d definitely seen everything we wanted to. My little one was absolutely knackered by the end of the day (and so was I!), but it was totally worth it. Knowsley Safari Park is so well suited for a full day of fun, especially for younger children who are excited to see animals up close.

One thing I really appreciated was the safety measures—even though it was busy, the staff were really proactive about ensuring everyone followed the rules (like not feeding the animals or getting out of the car during the drive-through safari). It gave me peace of mind, and the whole experience felt safe for both of us.

🦓 Overall Verdict Knowsley Safari Park was a fantastic day out. It’s a great spot for animal lovers, and I was really impressed with how well-maintained everything was. The drive-through safari was thrilling, but I’d highly recommend skipping the monkeys if you’re worried about your car—there’s plenty to see and enjoy without needing to go through that part of the park.

The walk-through enclosures are educational, the animals are beautifully cared for, and the staff were friendly and informative. Whether you’re local or coming from further afield, it’s well worth the visit.

Four stars — a memorable, fun, and...

Knowsley Safari Park – An amazing place for a wild adventure

What is Knowsley Safari Park?

Knowsley Safari Park is an animal park that is located in Prescot, Liverpool. It is a great animal park that has a 5 mile Safari Drive, a Foot Safari, displays and more.

Safari Drive

The 5 mile Safari drive was incredible. During the drive you pass through beautiful views and landscapes as you go through each zone of animals.

It begins with the Deer and you end with the Camels. All the animals were great but some were far away and some were very close to your vehicle.

The highlights of the drive were the Rhinos, Moose and the Lion Enclosure. It was brilliant to see these creatures up close and that is what makes this safari park different from the other zoos that we have in the North West.

There is a Monkey Zone if you love the thrill of Monkeys swinging on your car and damaging it. As a result there is also the car friendly route where the Monkeys cannot get to you but you can still get a view of them far away.

Foot Safari

The Foot Safari is where you can walk through the park and see additional animals to the ones that are featured in the Safari Drive. There are also rides for all the family to enjoy.

It was superb to see the Meerkats moving onto some rocks. It was up close and surreal. In addition, the Giraffes were impressive. They were far at first but then later in the day they were closer and so we got a great view which was exquisite to see.

A disappointment was the Tigers as we walked all round the park to find that they are covered in mesh and they were also hidden behind a tree.

You were given a map to help you navigate around the Foot Safari however the map did not match the real grounds as most areas did not have proper signage to tell you where certain animals were. As a result better signs are needed for that reason.

Sea Lion Show

The Sea Lion show was entertaining and engaging. There were 3 Sea Lions in a big tank of water and we got to see them in action.

The woman presenting the show was really good. She was clearly explaining everything from what they do and eat. What was impressive was the tricks that they can do and one of them was that they can bounce a ball.

Amusement Rides

If you want that extra thrill added to your day out at Knowsley Safari then the best way to do that is by doing the Safari Train and some rides.

There are a good variety of rides including a rollercoaster, high swings, carousel, pirate ship, dodgems, tea cups and more.

The Train was fun and enjoyable. The ride was lovely and the views were amazing with a few animals on the way.

The Rollercoaster was thrilling and fuelled your adrenaline. It gave moments of feeling like a kid all over again but that is what it is all about. Also the High Swings were full of joy and excitement. It starts slow and then you are quickly pulled high into the air.

If you want to do the rides then you will need to pay for tokens. Each ride has a number of tokens in order to go on them. Each token is £1 but most rides require 3 tokens. Alternatively you can do unlimited by paying £12 and getting a wristband.

Entry and Pricing

Entry to Knowsley Safari Park is by booking a timed entry ticket online and paying for it. The ticket cost covers the Safari Drive, Foot Safari, displays and exhibitions. If you want to do the Baboon Bus then you will need to pay £6.50 for each person.

The ticket prices are as follows:

Gate Price Online Ticket

Adults £25.00 £22.50

Children £22.50 £19.50 (3 – 15 years)

Children Free Free under 3

Concessions £22.50 £19.50 60+

If you have a disability then you only pay for one adult ticket and an essential companion comes along free of charge.

Facilities

There is a Ice Cream Shop and a restaurant that serves a good selection of hot and cold food plus drinks. It is reasonably priced.

Toilets...

It was a very enjoyable day for me and the family, as we visited Knowsley Safari Park for my nephew’s birthday on Sunday. We only live 15 to 25 minutes away from here and some of the family, including myself, haven’t visited here before. Despite the weather being terrible, it didn’t limit what we could do or the activities we enjoyed. The first thing we did was venture for the Baboon Bus; the driver, Eddie, was very knowledgeable on the safari and animals who live in their habitats and even added a bit of humour to the facts he shared! The journey lasted around an hour and despite it being on a minibus (we thought would have been a regular bus) you can still see a lot of the safari park and animals from your seat, and we took some wonderful pictures and videos of the experience. Sadly, no animals landed on the vehicle and we couldn’t see many of them, but it was probably due to the bad weather. However, we still had a great time and all enjoyed it. Next, we went to the Sealion show, which was okay, but found the music very noisy, and I’d recommend that to be turned down slightly in the future. The show, only lasting 20 minutes, was fun, enjoyable and the sealions (Louie and Arthur I think they were called) showed us a lot of tricks with the trainer and we all found that quite amusing to watch. After that, we decided to have lunch in the outdoor café; we had meals like hot dogs, burgers, chips and chicken nuggets. I decided on their chicken nuggets and chips, but was disappointed with the meal; as I thought the chips were overdone and the nuggets tasted horrible. Regardless of my personal experience of the food, most of the family enjoyed theirs and we all had an ice cream afterwards, which albeit expensive, was tasty and had flavours like bubblegum and cookies and cream. We then went around and enjoyed talks about the Andean bears, meerkats and giraffes, and enjoyed spotting some of them during the facts. We didn’t think these were going ahead, as it was heavily raining outside at the time, but still had found them fascinating and enjoyed learning new facts. We also had a woodland walk in the forests, which I liked doing and thought it was very peaceful especially during the rain. Finally, before the end of the day, we had some fun on the rides, you have to pay extra for this before attending; still, some of the family went on the pirate ship (I’m afraid of heights) and had a lot of fun on it; it was also funny hearing some of the family scream on the Star Dancer! | We also had fun on the carousel, the jeep and the teacups. Before leaving, we had a peek in the gift shop; and bought teddy bears, fridge magnets, ballpoint pens and figures. I thought the price of the pens and fridge magnets were expensive of £3.50 each but bought them as a memento of our time here. Summarizing the day, it was good, despite the weather, and we had a lot of fun, but thought the prices of most of the items in the shop and the tickets were expensive. That said, I would come...