Woburn Safari Park
Woburn Safari Park in Bedfordshire opened in 1970 as one of the first drive-through safari parks in Britain and remains one of the most popular and extensive wildlife parks in the country, set within the grounds of the Woburn Estate and combining a traditional drive-through safari experience with a substantial walk-through and interactive section. The combination of significant acreage, a high density of charismatic large mammals and a strong conservation programme has maintained its position as one of the premier wildlife experiences available outside of a major zoological garden. The drive-through safari reserve covers several hundred acres divided into different zones, each representing a broadly different wildlife habitat region. Visitors drive their own vehicles slowly through enclosures housing lions, tigers, giraffes, elephants, white rhinoceroses, bison, bears and a large variety of African and Asian ungulates that graze the pastures on either side of the road at close range. The African lion section and the White Rhino enclosure are consistent highlights, and the experience of having a giraffe crane its neck to investigate the roof of your car through the open window is one that visitors remember for years. The foot safari section provides close encounters with a further range of species including penguins, meerkats, sea lions, lemurs and smaller primates. Keeper talks and feeding demonstrations take place throughout the day at various enclosures and provide educational context for the animals on display. Woburn Safari Park contributes to international conservation through membership of the European Endangered Species Programme and participates in coordinated breeding programmes for several threatened species. The Père David's deer herd at the adjacent Woburn Abbey estate, a species that owes its survival in significant part to the Woburn collection, is one of the most historically significant conservation achievements associated with the broader estate. The park is best visited on a weekday outside school holidays to avoid the heaviest crowds, and a full visit including both the drive-through and foot safari comfortably occupies a whole day.