Knowsley Safari Park Avis 33

After reading reviews we were sceptical. Heard great things, but not a brilliant read. Have to say, pleasently surprised. Place kept well, saw lots of animals, avoided the monkeys (saw the damage of other cars), had an overall great time.

Went there today all animals didn't look happy baboons asleep all lions under cover all animals so far away couldn't see them coffee shop closed most rides closed nothing to do so went home early paid 93 pounds for 4 people and a child never again need to get a refund concerned about animals may contact RSPCA

I saw nothing, most of the animals were in sheds, doing nothing, too far away to see them. The park were running all the rides, without anyone on them. All the children were asking to ride them, the answer was NO! The train was driving round and round, with just the driver. When asked could we ride, they said NO! Why are you testing all the rides when there are children in the park, this is so unfair, unnecessary and unacceptable.
ALL THE BIRDS LOOKED REALLY DEPRESSED ESPECIALLY THE EAGLE OWL.
There was nothing at all to do and no animals to be seen., It took ten minutes to drive the whole park as there was nothing to see.
Absolute waste of time and money, I feel well and truly robbed.
The staff in the cafe were unatentive and extremely unorganized, seeming to be serving staff members, while customers wait without direction.
Every aspect of the park was disappointing to say the least.
The best and only good part was the sealions, not enough to encourage anyone else to waste their hard earned cash.
Disappointed is an understatement. I think it's about time the park shutdown, closenit forever, it's old and tired.
Don't waste your money please.

Wow! What a disappointment. Been looking forward to going here for a while. But to be honest it’s a deer park with a few other animals thrown in. The rhinos were lovely to see, and the lions were fine, but that was about it. The foot safari wasn’t much better. Giraffes we didn’t see because somebody was having a ‘giraffe experience’ so you couldn’t go in! Very very disappointing we won’t be returning. The two stars are because it was clean and looked reasonably well maintained.

Very disappointed if you like different types of deer you will be happy because that’s about all they’ve got. Rhino about 8 of those a few lions which were in an enclosure with out proper gates were the young female guard was standing in the open. The was one cafe that only had pizza chips or hot dogs. So so disappointed drove a very long way to go round it. Yes tigers best bit! Would never recommend it.

We had a nice time but gotta say it's not great!

The actual safari aspect is pretty pants to be honest and we were thankful that we paid £72 using Wowcher and not the over £100 it would have been had we gone through the normal channels.

We even offered the kids the chance for us to drive around again before we left and they declined!

Nice little nature walk!

One ride cost £3 quid each for the kids & we sold them on that one go by reminding them they have Gulliver's world in 2 weeks time.

Wouldn't recommend as it took less than 40 mins to go around & then you basically walk around a little zoo area and if inclined as I was, do the nature walk!

£3 or £2 per ride or £14 for a wristband of unlimited rides. Again though, it's just over £20 to go to Gullivers World so if you're wanting the kids to have fun like that, then go there!

We are season ticket holders at Blackpool zoo and the only thing we can say is that he animals as Knowsley look a lot healthier!

I'd recommend West Midlands Safari over this park, where we had a fantastic day out!

If you're looking for a zoo experience then I'd suggest Dudley zoo which is a zoo on a hill which sees you climb through it until you reach the top. Once at the top you will find yourself within the ruins of Dudley Castle where there are grounds in the middle to have a nice picnic.

For this review the main part is the fact that half way round the "safari" part of our trips I had a 7 year old reading a book, a 9 year old humming to herself and an 11 year old environmentalist reading an article on her phone as we went through empty spaces.

When you're kids say no to having a second trip around the safari park to see if more animals are out and about and they say no! You know it's been a bit of a bust!

Awful experience,
Doesn’t worth the money at all!!!
And monkey stole my wiper and broke my windscreen , that cost me £500 and I stay 6 days without my car because I can’t drive with huge crack on the middle of my windscreen.
And when I asked what I should do now, the staff at monkeys said “it’s on your own risk”
Very disappointed from whole experience at safari park. Expensive, boring, nothing to see except monkeys which broke my windscreen and stole my wiper. Was very expensive day out. Never ever!!!

Dear customer care, l came from Rhyl in North Wales for my sons 39 th birthday today, he's has loved monkeys all his life. My son suffers from Cerebral Palsy, Autism, Epilepsy and severe Scoliosis, and he's double incontinent.
We came here today to try your park because we always go to Chester Zoo. We wanted to enjoy the drive through safari, we did enjoy the walking safari , however I found that the park is not very disabled friendly when it comes to the extra rides, he was only able to go on the train.
We were all set to drive through the safari park but unfortunately my son had opened his bowels, and he needed a full change of clothes. It took longer in your adapted toilets because you have a slim bed and no raised sides to keep him safe while changing him.
l am not allowed to help his carer due to the insurance policy.
Due to these unforeseen circumstances , we missed the last drive through safari, Bradley was so disappointed he was signing car, car all the way around the park because we had told him he was seeing the monkeys before going home.
l am registered disabled with Scoliosis and Fibromyalgia, l am on disability benefits, so l had saved up for this special treat. I am hoping that you can give Brad , Mam, and his support member a kind gesture of good will , a pass to visit the drive through Safari in the near future so Brad will link it to his Birthday memories .
l look, forward to hearing from you.
kind, regards,
sharon be Beverley-Hughes
This was sent to Knowsley Safari park July 19 th 2025 l still haven’t received a reply off them

I have made several safaris in South Africa and this experience matches it on a hot sunny day. The only difference is the animals look happy and very healthy.
A brilliant day was had by all and is one of the best experiences I have had in the UK

Lol terrible waste of money
Waste of time
Hardly any animals
Just acres of woodland and thousands of deer

Recommended- WEST MIDLANDS SAFARI PARK

My whole family really enjoyed a fabulous day in Knowsley safari Park, we will especially never forget the Bird display by Kane .He was so passionate and knowledgeable ,the birds looked happy and he obviously loved them.We all came away hoping we can do more for conservation, he told us so much in such a short time not only about birds but all animals all over the world , we will definitely recommend going .

Really really disappointed. Took our 5 year old grandson. Paid £60 in total saw loads of deer and rhinos. He was beyond excited to see lions. There was ONE lion and ONE lioness. No elephants, nor giraffes. Such a rip off. As for the food...beyond overpriced. Our grandson said don't bring me here again please. Let's go to Chester zoo.!!

Disappointing Experience – Not Recommended

I recently visited this safari and unfortunately, it was a huge disappointment. There were very few animals, making it quite boring, especially for kids. Many enclosures seemed empty, and the whole place felt neglected.

To make matters worse, a lot of the facilities weren’t working. You couldn’t even get basic food or ice cream, which made the visit even more frustrating. Overall, it felt like a waste of time and money. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone looking for an enjoyable day out.

STAY AWAY , IT'S A JOKE,loads of deers, hardly anything to see.
We were ROBBED I've nearly ran out of a year membership and because it keeps getting days closed, and times but we have wasted all our money, the grandkids have missed loads of days, every time I've wrote they IGNORED ME, they are arrogant and rude when you call and ask. Management don't care, don't buy memberships of you want value it's cheaper going to Blackpool zoo , and many more animals there, avoid honestly they dont give value,

After reading the reviews we wondered if we had made a bad choice booking tickets, please dont let it put you off as we had a great time yesterday, On our arrival we were greeted by lovely staff members who were very helpful and knowledgeable. The park itself was clean and tidy, the animals are well cared for. If you dont want damage to your car then dont drive through the baboons, we were one of the lucky ones. The only issue we faced were other vehicles lane hogging, atleast allow other drivers to pass there plenty of room.

The layout is incredibly well-designed, making it easy to navigate and ensuring that every exhibit feels immersive. The first stop was the African savanna exhibit, where we were greeted by a stunning array of animals, from majestic lions lounging under the sun to playful giraffes gracefully nibbling on leaves. The staff were friendly and knowledgeable, eager to share fascinating facts about each species.

What truly stood out was the zoo's commitment to conservation. We learned about their various initiatives to protect endangered species, which made the experience feel meaningful. The enclosures were spacious and designed to mimic natural habitats, allowing the animals to express their behaviors. We spent hours exploring, and every turn brought something new to marvel at. The interactive displays were a hit with the kids, and the scheduled animal encounters were the highlight of our day.

Not sure what people are moaning about on here. Knowsley is awesome, obviously they can’t control the animals so you’ll have a different experience each time.

We pay the monthly subscription and feel it’s great value for money. The rides are a bit dated, but still fun. There’s really so much to do there! We’ve been several times and still not seen everything.

Visited October 2024, 2 adults and 3 children. Half term special offer. Children free with full paying adults. Saw lions, camel, buffalo’s, rhinos plus many more animals on the drive safari. Did the walking safari, as well as travelled on the small train around the walking safari trail. We loved the water hogs, capybaras, tapirs and vacunas. We were also lucky to see the Andean Bears. We enjoyed the sea lion and birds of prey show. We brought a picnic so that not eat at the food outlets. All staff helpful and friendly. The only criticism was that some of the animals did not looked a little dishevelled. All in all a lovely day out.

Been here a few times but recently it’s been a sad experience, charged peak prices for an off peak experience, drive safari was ok as usual, seems to be a lot of deer, the walk round animals were very poor, you expect to see some empty pens but this time they were all empty, all the food stalls were closed and we were told we couldn’t order food in the cafe, this was at 13.30, charged us peak prices for this, we won’t be back.

If you've been to a safari park in France you will know how good it can be and for this place just give it a chance. We went on a wet day with disabled daughter and used our French experiences. Just take your time on the safari and hover regularly. Given the chance, animals may even cross the road in front of you. We didn't use binoculars and saw pretty well everything but don't be afraid to use binoculars or zoom on your phone. camera. We found staff made an effort to guide people for which we were grateful. This must have been one of our wettest days out but was still great fun.
You may also see our feedback on the sea lion show which was amazing. It was nice to have this at no extra cost too..