Amusement Parks: West Midlands Safari Park

West Midlands Safari Park is an amusement park situated along the A546 in Bewdley, Worcestershire.

Originally opened in 1973, the amusement park is a 4 mile safari covering 150 acres and features over 600 animals from Europe, North America, Africa, Asia and Australasia. In addition to rhino, giraffes, lions, tigers, camels and zebras, there are many species at the amusement park which are endangered. These include Asian buffalo, the African wild dog, Amur leopard and Rodrigues flying fruit bats to name just a few.

The amusement park can boast of having the largest prides of both white lions and white tigers in the UK as well as one of Europe’s largest herds of common hippopotamus.

At the start of the amusement park’s 2008 season, it introduced a new exhibit – Cheetah Plains – and there are now 8 cheetahs roaming the park.

Although you can drive around the amusement park in your own vehicle, there is also a guided mini-bus tour you can take if preferred. As well as the enjoyment of seeing all the different species in the amusement park, you can also buy special diet animal food and feed some of the animals too.

As well as the safari element, there are also a number of shows and attractions to keep you entertained at the amusement park throughout your visit including the Reptile Encounter, Sealion Show and the Hippo Feeding which occurs twice a day.

There are also over 30 rides and attractions to enjoy at the amusement park, the highlights of which include the Venom Tower Drop, the Black Fly and the Twister Coaster as well as the Pirate Ship and Zambezi Water Splash. Younger children who visit the amusement park will enjoy ‘Cub’s Kingdom’ which features rides aimed at kiddies where one of the popular attractions is the Interactive Fire Rescue Rangers where children can learn what it takes to become a fire fighter.

The amusement park is open from the middle of February until early November.