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Last Friday, the wife and I took on an adventure at Worburn Safari Park. We live within ten miles of the West Midland Safari Park (WMSP) so decided to spread our wings a little and visit Woburn, one that I used to visit often in my younger years.
The whole park hasn’t changed over the years and years. The road safari is well laid out and the enclosures are nice a large allowing the animals plenty of room to graze. They have rhinos, giraffe, zebra, adorable black bears, tigers, lions and of course, monkeys who will love to jump all over your car and tear bits from it.
In comparison to WMSP, the road sarafi is far superior. You might not get animals trying to get their head in your car, but that’s a good thing. They still cross your path and will often stop in the road, halting traffic, like one lioness decided to do.
The foot safari at Woburn is long overdue a revamp. They have a bird display with some beautiful Macaws who when enclosed looked really sad. There is an “Australian Walkabout” with kangaroos and both a squirrel monkey enclosure and a lemur enclosure that allows you get up close and personal unlike at WMSP, but the whole thing feels dated.
For an extra fee you can watch the Sealion show which includes a 3D movie. What a waste of time and money this was. The demonstration was OK, showing off the animals ability to perform tricks but having recently been spoilt by the glamour of SeaWorld Orlando, this show lacked any real entertainment.
Then there was the 3D movie. This tried to explain the dangers of pollution man is inflicting on the sea, told by a clownfish called Demo. C’mon…seriously?
It seemed to make the kids cheer with delight but there was nothing spectacular about the 3D effects nor the lessons being taught. This was not worth the extra money.
We had paid for the all-inclusive package, meaning we got the sealion show in the price of admission and this also included the guide book, a bottle of water and lunch. Lunch options didn’t look too appealing and the vegetarian options less so. Jacket Potato with cheese and beans was the only real option but it had to be “enjoyed” within the cafeteria that was absolutely filthy. Ducks were clearing up mess dropped by children quicker than staff.
Overall, it was enjoyable but still felt like it was stuck in the 90s. Spend a bit of money on a lick of paint and some fresh ideas and it could be much more fun.
Here are some snaps from our day. There are lots. I got snap-happy with the burst function again.