Knowsley Safari Park. Very poor value for money. Having paid in excess of £40 for our party of mainly under fives and accompanying adults, I feel pretty disappointed. I would expect a day full of safari type activities, but we left after a few hours and three trips round the safari drive (deer, pea fowl, lethargic lions, more deer and antelopes, more deer, bison, more pea fowl, long horned cattle, baboons, monkeys more types of deer, emus, ostriches, rhinos, more deer, camels, more antelope type creatures, an apparently singular caged tiger, and three camera shy bongos.) No free roaming zebra, elephants, giraffes, for example. Lion enclosure most interesting - a car broke down in there today! Clearly overheated in the traffic jam...

Very few "key" animals in relatively short safari drive and far too many additional payment attractions (fairground type rides and arcade amusements) which had little to do with the nature of the venue. Felt that wheelchair access to other "on foot" attractions (giraffe enclosures and elephant enclosures) was difficult. Very poor signage on enclosures, in order to make the map and audio tour, which can be purchased on entry for an additional £5 essential. Overall, children were underwhelmed and we felt disappointed.

Really enjoyed the day out. The weather was great. Reasonably priced, nice layout for exploring on foot. You can also drive around the park if you want to have the pleasure of baboons sitting on your car. The Meerkats were brilliant and seemed relaxed. The sea lion show was really good and very funny The animals seem happy in the environment and the place was clean and tidy, with no litter. The drive around the park was great and really long. Not too many people about so it was a nice relaxed atmosphere. Would definitely recommend.

Definitely go through the baboon enclosure. You may get your car wrecked but the experience and risk are worth it. We had at least 3 baboons on our car, one of which pulled faces at us and licked the windscreen, which was gross but amusing. Then we had two of them mating on our bonnet, I kid you not, which was, err, an unusual experience. So the only real warning I'd give is to be prepared for questions from your children about natural animal activities!
We did see baboons pulling bits off other cars but we got away unscathed. You can bypass the baboons via the so-called safe route and still get to see their antics. Maybe next time we'll do this and watch other people's anxieties from a safe distance!
Definitely go to the Sealion show too.
This is a really top class venue and I'd recommend it to everyone

Myself, my girlfriend and son of three went on Safari today. We all had a fab time! We arrived early 09:50, which I suggest is the best time, as the safari was fairly quiet of other cars (and it's Easter bank holiday too). The view of the animals is great, and my son loved it.

I agree with the other comments about the Baboon drive at Knowsley Safari Park - this is a must, although I was a little apprehensive myself, as I didn't want my car damaged. You can go the safe route, but we went the whole hog, and I'm glad we did. I am not sure who enjoyed this the most; me, my girlfriend or my son. Although we only got small babies on our car, we did see full adults on others. The only damage to my car was a novelty Chicken Little, which was on the end of my aerial (this was chewed to bits). But hey, to see my son giggle and have the time of his life it was worth it. After the safari we had lunch (packed by ourselves), which I am glad we did, as the restaurant prices are stupid. Then we hit the fair! It's well worth buying the wrist band at £9, as the rides are £1.50 each. Again, my son loved this, and as his dad got to ride free!! We spent the whole day there and the weather was warm and sunny. I can imagine it being a little pointless going on a bad day.

I highly recommend you go. We will definitely be going back, as we all had the time of our lives. Kids will love it! Take plenty of pennies for the fair though. Have fun!

Knowsley Safari Park costs £10 per adult, £7 for children 3+ (under 3's free) , and a guide book and CD costs £5.

I had a very enjoyable day out with my husband and 3 year old son. One of the downsides was the fairground rides. You pay £1.50 per ride or buy an armband for £9.00. Any parent will be aware of the hypnotic lure of these dreadful things, so steal yourself for an expensive day or one of sulking, because you won't let them go on them (as we didn't). The restaurant facilities are disappointing, and it was basically expensive fast food. Luckily I read some of the reviews on the Review Centre web site and I took a hefty packed lunch!

The highlight of the day for my son was the sea lion show (only 15 minutes long though). Some of the refreshment kiosks were closed when we went (27th June!) and the souvenir shop was sadly lacking in 'Knowsley Safari Park' endorsed merchandise. Forgive me, but I have enough stuffed toys at home to open a shop of my own.

Overall, it was a very enjoyable day out for all the family.

Knowsley Safari Park is a great place to take your children or elderly relatives! It has everything for everyone. It's a great day out with value for money all the way. I give it the thumbs up and suggest you go.

We visited Knowsley Safari Park on a rainy Saturday in May and had a really enjoyable time. The entrance fee was £12 for adults, £7.00 for children and under 3's were free. You can buy a season ticket for £22 for adults and £16 for children, which gives you unlimited admittance for 12 months. If you buy this on the same day you visit, you get the entrance fee refunded. This seems like excellent value if you plan to visit more than twice.

The safari drive, according to the leaflet lasts an hour. We drove slowly, saw everything and it took us about 40 minutes. You can buy a safari guide and you get a free audio tape with it. It costs £5.00. We did not do this, but did not feel we missed out on anything.

You see lions strolling around on the road, zebras, ostriches which come really close and look in at you, buffalo, and lots and lots of impala and deer. It is great fun spotting the animals. They have a car friendly route where you can avoid the baboons, but we chose to drive through it. If you do this and risk the damage to your car it is great fun and very entertaining. Most of the time there are 2 or 3 baboons sitting on the car, peering in at you. They didn't do any damage to our car, apart from using it as a toilet, but we did see a lot of bent and broken windscreen wipers. You can do the safari drive as many times as you like, but the last entry is 4pm.

There are lots of other things to see and do. We enjoyed looking at creepy crawlies in the bug house, and the sea lion show was great. The trainer gave lots of information about the sea lions during the show where they did some fun tricks. It was educational as well as funny. There are about 3 to 5 shows each afternoon, and the show lasts for about 15 minutes.

They have a children's farm with animals where you can get close and touch. There is also a small amusement park with a great selection of rides for small children. Our son of 2.5 was able to go on most of them. There are a few more exciting rides for older children and teenagers, but this area is more for younger children. It costs £1.50 per ride, or you can buy a wristband for £9.00.

We took a picnic and ate it watching peacocks strut past, which was really nice. There is a restaurant but we didn't use it. It seems to sell mainly fast food. They have a well stocked gift shop with some nice souvenirs.

All in all we had a lovely time, and I would definitely recommend visiting here.

I visited Knowsley Safari Park In 2003, unfortunaly the weather was bobbins, but I didn't let that spoil the day! When you arrive, I think you pay £6? Per person. You get a tape to listen to while traveling around the different enclosures and a map. You get to see reindeer, lions, emus - loads and loads of animals. If you don't fancy taking the car through the baboon enclosure, you can take a route around it, but stll watch from the outside. There is also daily shows with sea lions and parrots. You can also see girrafes and ponies, but you can go into the stable and touch them. Great day out.