Safari parks and wildlife parks offer the kids a great up-close experience with some our planet’s most endangered and awe-inspiring animals, and they can also enjoy adventure rides all in one place. But you don’t have to pay full price to get there – take a look at these wildlife and safari park vouchers and discounted animal experiences to get the most of your family day out. Plus check out our guide to where to find cheap zoo tickets.
These prices are for the winter and some of the parks may have reduced hours or might even be closed for the winter.
Aspinall Foundation
West Midlands Safari Park
Knowsley Safari Park
Paradise Wildlife Park
South Lakes Wild Animal Park
Marwell Wildlife
Woburn Safari Park
Blair Drummond Safari Park
Family getaways
Other animal experience offers
Souvenirs
Voluntary donations in ticket prices
Aspinall Foundation
The Aspinall Foundation operates the Port Lympne Wild Animal Experience and Howletts Wild Animal Park, both in Kent. While somewhat less known than some other safari parks, there are some great deals on days out with the family!
Winter ticket prices for both parks
Adult: online price- £15.96 on the day price- £19.95
Child (3-15): online price- £14.36 on the day price- £17.95
Children under 3 years are free
Port Lympne and Howletts offers:
- Aspinall Foundation 20% online discount: It pays to book online with the Aspinall Foundation, as you can save 20% on the gate price on single visit tickets. That's a saving of £3.59 per child, and £3.99 per adult. These discounts apply to both Howletts and Port Lympne parks.
- Redeem your Tesco Clubcard vouchers: If you have a Tesco Clubcard, you can exchange your vouchers for tokens towards your entry to both Port Lympne and Howletts. Every £5 in Clubcard vouchers will get you £20 worth of tokens.
West Midlands Safari Park
Possibly the best known safari park in the UK, West Midlands Safari Park offers a great experience day out with the whole family. Rides are charged separately from admission tickets and cost £6 for three ride tickets or £11.50 for an adult wristband giving unlimited ride access.
Winter ticket prices
Adult: £11.99
Child: £9.99
Children under 3 years are free
Rides and special events are extra
West Midlands Safari Park offers:
- Short break package deal: The Plough and Harrow Hotel in Birmingham is offering a special short break package deal for families visiting West Midlands Safari Park. For £129, you’ll get accommodation, breakfast and park entry tickets for 2 adults and 2 kids. However, during the Winter dates of 2 January to 28 February 2013, you pay only £115.
- West Midlands Safari Park free return tickets: West Midlands Safari Park is offering all ticket purchasers free return tickets for the winter season, valid until 3rd February and before 2:00 pm, except for bank holidays and private event days. So if you can’t see everything on your first visit, simply bring the kids back for a second day for free!
- Tesco Clubcard vouchers: You can exchange Tesco Clubcard vouchers for safari park vouchers. Just £4.50 in Clubcard vouchers gets you one token for the park – a saving of £10.49 on a standard adult ticket.
Want to fill hungry tummies after a day out with the family? Before you head to the nearest McDonald’s, you might want to consider James' Bistro in Leicester, where kids eat free! Find out how to access this discount and other family restaurant discounts for a full year!
Knowsley Safari Park
Knowsley Safari Parks was the first safari park built close to a major city, being just 13km from Liverpool. Rides are charged separately from admission tickets, costing £2 each or £10 for an unlimited access wristband.
Winter ticket prices
Adult: £10
Child: £10
Children under 3 years are free
Rides and special events are extra
Knowsley Safari Park offers:
Short break package deal: The Holiday Inn Express Knowsley hotel package offers a family of two adults and two kids one night’s accommodation, hot breakfast and Knowsley Safari Park vouchers for the special rate of £89.95.
Paradise Wildlife Park
Jump online and you’ll quickly see that Paradise Wildlife Park is a much sought-after attraction. And there are plenty of great offers available to help you get the most out of your visit.
Winter ticket prices
Adult: £13
Child: £8
Children under 2 years are free
Paradise Wildlife Park offers:
- Buyagift discount big cats experience: An experience of a very different kind could be yours for one third less than the usual price. Get up close to the big cats over breakfast with a special offer from Buyagift saving £30 on the standard price, which promises to be an experience the kids – and you – will never forget.
- Virgin Experience Days 2 for 1 offer: Virgin Experience Days is offering 2 for 1 vouchers on an Animal Taster Tour at Paradise Wildlife Park. The £49.50 special offer includes a one-day entry, a one hour tour of the zoo with the chance for kids big and small to get up close and personal with a range of small creatures, as well as an experience gift pack.
- Paradise Wildlife Park group discounts: The park’s offer of £1 discount when booking online won’t save you a great deal of money, however if you can get a group of 20 or more together for your visit, you could save close to 50% per person. So why not get a few families together and make a day out of it where everyone wins!
- Tesco Clubcard vouchers: For standard entry tickets, you can use your Tesco Clubcard vouchers to get Days Out tokens. £5 in vouchers will get you £20 worth of tokens to use towards entry to the park.
South Lakes Wild Animal Park
South Lakes Wild Animal Park has plenty of things to see and do, including feeding the penguins and giraffes and riding the mini train around the park.
FREE entry for everyone between 5th November and 8th February.
South Lakes Wild Animal Park offers:
- Discount family vouchers: After 8 February, when the park starts to charge for admission tickets you can make use of 96.4 Rock FMs' limited number of family safari park vouchers, at a 50% discount – meaning your family of four could visit South Lakes Wild Animal Park for just £19.50.
- South Lakes Wild Animal Park group discounts: Bringing your herd to South Lakes Wild Animal Park can get you substantial discounts on the entry price. The park offers a range of group discounts for pre-booked groups, and you can pre-book meals or meal vouchers for a 10% discount on menu prices.
- Tesco Clubcard vouchers: Exchange your Tesco Clubcard vouchers for Days Out tokens to South Lakes Wild Animal Park. Just £5 in Clubcard vouchers will get you £20 in tokens.
Marwell Wildlife
Marwell Wildlife is an animal welfare park dedicated to the preservation of wildlife, and is home to many highly endangered species. The charity-operated park is celebrating 40 years in 2012.
Off-peak ticket prices from 5th November to 30th March
Adult: £14
Child: £11
Children under 3 years are free
Family of four: £46
Marwell Wildlife offers:
- Marwell Wildlife online discount: Save 5% on your entry tickets when you book online through the Marwell Wildlife website.
- Marwell Hotel Zoofari package deals: The boutique Marwell Hotel has a range of special Zoofari offers for families, which start from £150 for bed and breakfast for 2 adults and 2 children under 12 as well as entry to Marwell Wildlife.
Woburn Safari Park
This Bedfordshire-based safari park offers a great day out. It is home to more than 800 wild animals, as well as the popular Great Woburn Railway and the Swanboats. While you’re there, you can also pay a visit to the beautiful Woburn Abbey.
Winter ticket prices
Adult: £15.99 / £25 all inclusive
Child: £11.99 / £27.50 all inclusive
Woburn Safari Park offers:
- Woburn Safari Park online discounts: Book your tickets in advance online and you’ll get a 5% discount on the standard gate price. If you don’t want to cart your own food and drinks around all day, the all inclusive ticket could be just the thing for your family. Each all inclusive ticket comes with park entry, lunch, drinks, an ice cream and a guide book. These tickets also attract the 5% discount for booking online.
- Tesco Clubcard vouchers: You can exchange £6 worth of your Clubcard vouchers for one Woburn Safari Park voucher – which includes access to all the attractions.
Blair Drummond Safari Park
One of the UK’s best known safari parks, Blair Drummond offers plenty to see and do for the whole family.
Standard ticket prices: Park is closed over Winter and opens in March 2013
Adult: £12.95
Child: £9.90
Blair Drummond Safari Park offers:
- Premier Inn Stirling: Why not make it a weekend escape and enjoy a night at the Premier Inn Stirling, only eight miles out from the park. The hotel has rooms from just £29 per night. Plus you can take advantage of Premier Inn’s offer for families, where kids under 16 stay free.
- Blair Drummond Safari Park group discounts: Take a 'coach group' of 15 or more people on your adventure and you can take advantage of discounted tickets of £9.50 for adults and £6.95 for kids – a saving of nearly 30%.
Family getaways
If you’re planning on visiting a zoo as part of a family weekend away, there are some great deals available that will ensure you get the most out of your trip to the zoo without breaking the bank.
- Lastminute.com Top Secret Hotels: Lastminute.com offers up to 45% off hotel rooms through its Top Secret Hotels deals. These special discounts allow you to secure a quality hotel at close to half price, although you won’t know which hotel you’re booked into until your room has been secured.
- Premier Inn family short breaks: Alternatively, Premier Inn has a Family Short Breaks special offer, where kids under 16 stay and eat breakfast for free. Room rates vary according to location.
Other animal experience offers
You can find a number of special package deals online that offer generous savings.
- RSPB Reserves: The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) operates
over 200 conservation parks right across the UK, meaning you’re almost guaranteed to find one close to you. Better still, they generally don’t charge admission – instead, they rely on donations from the public as well as purchases from their on-site shops, where you can buy bird food and feeders, other wildlife products, outdoor clothing and books, stationary and gifts. So why not enjoy a cheap day out and show your support for some of the UK’s most endangered species. - Eden Project online discounts: For a different kind of wildlife experience, why not get your kids’ green thumb growing at Eden Project, taking in a diverse array of plant life and learning all about our natural environment. Buy your tickets online for a 10% discount. Or, to save even more money, book your tickets in advance for a specific date and save 15%!
- Red Letter Days: For a more personalised animal encounter, Red Letter Days has a range of special offers on animal experiences that the kids will love. Starting from £49, the deals range from trekking with your own lama to horse riding adventures and even a four-hour junior zookeeper experience, where your kids can get some hands-on experience looking after some of the rarest and most fascinating animals from across the globe.
- 365 tickets: If you fancy checking out the sights of beautiful Cornwall, then a visit to the National Seal Sanctuary is sure to bring a smile to everyone’s face. 365 tickets is currently offering a 10% discount on all tickets to the sanctuary, meaning you’ll have leftover cash to treat the family to fish and chips on the beach.
Souvenirs
- Wildanimalstickers.com: A cheaper souvenir of their visit may be to order your kids some wildlife stickers. Wildanimalstickers.com has a range of wild and farm animal stickers available in a range of sizes, to decorate their books or even the walls of their bedroom.
Voluntary donations in ticket prices
It is worth remembering that many wildlife parks in the UK operate as charities, relying on not just ticket prices but also donations and tax breaks to fund their conservation works. And in many cases, the advertised ticket price includes a voluntary donation of around 10% per ticket – so you can save money simply by opting out of this charge.
Make sure you check out these other great ideas for family days out with the kids and gain access all the latest special offers and discounts days out in London with the kids, free family events at National Parks, cheap zoo tickets and loads of great vouchers.
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