kidderminster safari park tickets

West Midland Safari Park guide - prices, rides, tickets, map and how to get discounts

All you need to know about the safari park from prices to rides.

11:24, 30 MAR 2017
Updated 15:57, 30 MAR 2017

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West Midland Safari Park is one of the major attractions in the West Midlands.

Here you can take a self-guided tour through a host of animal enclosures in your own car, and follow an all-weather discovery trail on foot to see more than 140 different animals.

These include cheetahs, lions, elephants, giraffes, rhinos and big cats.

As well as your safari experience the site includes a number of additional areas you can visit from the £2.5 million Land of the Dinosaurs animatronic exhibit to the Adventure Theme Park.

But what’s included in your admission ticket and what’s not? Here’s our ultimate guide to help you plan and make the most of a day here.

It includes how to get discounted tickets, daily show times, a map of the park, all about its FREE return visit vouchers, as well as what’s good and bad and how much a day here will realistically set you back.

You can get up close to park animals as they roam through the enclosures in the drive through safari area

Where is West Midland Safari Park?

West Midland Safari Park is an award-winning attraction that is located at Spring Grove in Bewdley, Worcestershire , DY12 1LF.

How long does it take to get to the park?

It will take around an hour to get to West Midland Safari Park from Birmingham.

How do I get there?

From Birmingham : Take the main Hagley Road to the Quinton Expressway A456 through Hagley and Blakedown following Safari Park signs through Kidderminster to Bewdley.

From Wolverhampton: Take the A449 to Kidderminster. Take the A456 to Bewdley. From the North: Take the M6 South, leave on exit 8 and join the M5 . Take the M5 to exit 3 and follow the A456 through Kidderminster to Bewdley.

From the South: Take the M5 North, leave on exit 6 and follow the A449 to Kidderminster. Take the A456 to Bewdley.

GPS co-ordinates: N 52 deg 22 min.760 W 2 deg 17 min.336

What are the opening and closing times for Spring 2017?

The park opens at 10am and it closes at 5.30pm.

The rides in the theme park close at 5pm along with the African village.

What time is the last entry to the park?

The latest time that you can gain entry to the park and the safari drive through is at 3pm.

A baby rhino and a giraffe get to know each other as visitors watch from their car at West Midlands Safari Park

What are the times of the daily animal shows?

12.30pm: Penguin feed, hippo feed and discover dinosaurs talk

1pm: Discover reptiles, friendly animal encounter and lemur talk

1.30pm: Sea lion show

2pm: Discover reptiles talk and African village encounter

2.30pm: Penguin feed, lemur talk, discover dinosaurs talk and hippo feed

3pm: Friendly animal encounter, meerkat feed and discover reptiles talk

3.30pm: Sea lion show

How much are tickets?

The standard admission prices for Summer 2017 are £23 for adults and £18 for children aged 3 to 15. Concessions are £21 and under threes go FREE. So for a family of two adults and two children (aged 3 to 15) it will set you back £82 to visit.

Can I get discounted tickets?

Yes discounted tickets are available when booking in advance online here.

If you book online you can actually save up to 35 per cent off the ticket price.

Can I get a discounted return ticket?

Another big plus of this park is that once you pay for your admission here you actually you get a FREE return voucher. The voucher entitles the vehicle and all paying occupants to a return visit to the park for no extra charge.

Terms and conditions apply to this return voucher which are detailed here.

Do I have to pay extra for any of the attractions?

Yes. Not everything is included in the standard admission ticket as you’ll need to pay extra for rides in the Adventure Theme Park. But that is the only part of the park’s that’s an extra charge.

To go on the rides you will need to buy a wristband.

The wristbands cover unlimited access to all of the rides. It is £14 for an adult, £12 for a concession and £11 for a child wristband. Individual ride tickets can also be purchased for £6 for 4 tickets.

Meerkats are amongst the animals who make West Midland Safari Park their home

Are there height restrictions for the theme park rides?

Yes. All the theme park rides have a minimum and or maximum height restriction and these vary per ride.

You can check what these are at the wristband office before you purchase your wristband or ride ticket.

But to give you an idea in general the smallest rides require a minimum of 0.8 metres height in standard footwear.

In some cases children may also require an adult to accompany them on a ride in which case adults will also need a wristband or ticket to ride.

If you would like to know more before you visit you can telephone the park on 01299 402114.

What if I don’t have a car can I still experience the drive through safari?

Yes. Guided tours of the ‘Drive-Through Safari’ by safari bus can be booked at the park’s main reception which is ideal if you are arriving to the park on foot.

How long does it take to go around the safari park?

A lot depends on how long you stay in certain areas depending on what animals interest your families most.

But in general it takes about an hour and a half to two hours get around the safari on a normal day. There are also shortcuts available for you take too along the route so you can speed up the drive-through if needed.

Do I need to queue to get around the safari park at peak times?

If the park is busy yes, The safari can easily take more than two hours at peak time because of jams and you don’t want your kids needing the loo in the middle of the lion enclosure, so try to visit the toilet before you start!

If you have air con to stop your windows from misting up, it’s actually just as much fun to do the safari in the rain as it is in fine weather.

Can I get food in the park?

Yes once you are out of the drive through safari area there are a few places where you can get food, including jacket potatoes.

Are there any picnic areas?

Yes. There is a large undercover eating area next to the coach park, which is often used by schools.

There are also picnic areas dotted across the park including in the Adventure Theme Park, African Village and car park, so you can take your own packed lunch if you prefer than buying food inside the park.

You'll find two Sumatran tigers in the park's Sumatran Tiger Reserve

Can I get an annual pass if I plan to visit more than once to save money?

Yes. You can get unlimited admission* to West Midland Safari Park for 12 months, during standard opening hours, with its standard annual pass.

The prices for this are £55 for adults and £45 for children aged 3 to 15 years. Concessions are £50.

So for a family of two adults and two children (aged 3 to 15) a standard annual pass for all four will cost you a total of £200 - so you’d be saving money from your third visit.

*Please be aware that terms and conditions apply for the unlimited admission.

Read the T&Cs and found more out about this pass here.

Can I upgrade my pass to include adventure theme park rides?

Yes you can. The park also offers an annual pass plus. As well as unlimited admission* it includes unlimited access to its theme park rides in the summer season.

The prices for this are £85 for adults, £65 for children aged 3 to 15 years and concessions are £75.

Where do I get tickets?

You can book tickets online here where you can get discounted tickets.

Or you can buy in person on arrival from the ticket booth.

A nine-month old elephant calf at West Midland Safari Park

Can I use Tesco vouchers at the park?

Yes you can. Tesco Vouchers are valid against standard admission during daytime opening hours.

Small print: Tesco Vouchers are not valid for the Spooky Spectacular (evening only admission), Firework Festival or Santa Safari. Please also be aware that some rides and games are not included and are charged extra in all cases.

What about parking?

One of the positives is that parking is FREE for all visitors whether they are travelling to the park by car, minibus or coach.

What’s included in the cost of the admission ticket?

Pretty much everything apart from rides in the theme park and of course any refreshments purchased inside the park.

What’s included is the drive-through safari, land of the living dinosaurs, sea lion show, reptile world, penguin cove, African village, hippo lakes, seaquarium, creepy crawlies, twilight cave, meerkat mayhem, lemur woods, daily feeds, talks and animal encounters

The admission tickets also includes a return voucher which entitle the vehicle and all paying occupants to a return visit to the park.

Is there a map available of the park?

Yes. Here is the park’s easy to follow guide to all the features of the park to give you an idea of where everything is.

Here's a map which gives you an overview of the park and what can be found where

What can you see in the drive through safari?

The four-mile self-drive safari is split into African and Asian areas. And please be aware, so you can prepare your children for what to expect when they’re in the safari area, that almost all of the animals are free-roaming and can literally walk straight past your car.

Here’s an idea of what animals you can see in which areas:

African Plains: includes giraffe, including baby Rothschild’s giraffes, huge-horned Ankole cattle, cape buffalo, zebra and baby white rhino.

Wild Asia and Asian Lowlands: here you’ll find endangered deer and antelope, bactrian camels, the world’s rarest deer, the Philippine spotted deer, the Indian rhino and gentle banteng.

Carnivores section: you can see cheetahs here, Sumatran tigers and rare painted dogs.

Wild Woods : this area includes dhole and lions.

Elephant Valley: This area is home find the park’s three African elephants, Five, Latabe and baby Sutton.

What is the Land of the Dinosaurs?

The Land of Dinosaurs is currently the UK’s largest animatronic Dinosaur attraction. It tells the story of how the dinosaurs lived millions of years ago and it takes in the Jurassic, Triassic, and Cretaceous periods.

It is a walking trail that features over 40 life size, moving, breathing dinosaurs, including a T-rex, Triceratops, Spinosaurus and Quetzalcoatlus.

You can find out more about the dinosaur attraction here.

Are you brave enough to venture into the Land of the Dinosaurs?

What time is the Adventure Theme Park open?

The adventure theme park is open daily from 11am during the summer season.

What rides are there in the Adventure Theme Park?

This area includes traditional fun fair ride like dodgems, water rides and rollercoasters as well as the park’s newest ride Kong. There are also various games stands and an amusement machine arcade.

Theme parks

What’s the new Safari Academy?

The Safari Academy, launches in April 2017, and is designed specifically for visiting schools.

The modern, state-of-the-art building features five classroom and provided interactive education and hands-on discovery sessions for groups of all ages.

It will also run accredited animal care courses, holiday clubs, career days and open days and clubs for teachers.

You can find out more here.

The ticket price includes a return voucher but what are the T&Cs?

Yes when you purchase your tickets you will be given a return voucher.

This entitles the vehicle and paying occupants to a return visit to West Midland Safari & Leisure Park.

Summer return vouchers are valid on any open day, except bank holidays, until November 3, 2017. They are not valid for Firework Festivals and upgrade fees apply to see Santa.

Children's party packages and VIP packages give visitors the chance to feed some of the park's inhabitants

Are there any special VIP packages?

Yes there are. The park’s VIP experience days allow you get you up close and personal to the animals and there’s a wide selection available.

They range from safari bus guided tours and VIP tour experiences, to ultimate big cat experience, rhino keeper for the day, junior keeper for the day for children aged 12 to 15 (this was a new packaged that started in 2016), sea lion and penguin keeper and lion house tour and lion cage feed.

There’s also a host of feed the animal packages, including feed the giraffes, tigers, cheetahs, and lemurs.

And here’s the small print...

* Opening and closing times and show times - The park management has asked to point out that opening, closing and show times may differ for events, at different times of year. So it advises visitors to double check their website here for the latest updates.

*VIP experience packages - These can either be booked for a specific date or on an open-dated basis valid for the season. The park states that while it will always try to accommodate changes in date, this will be subject to availability and cannot always be guaranteed. It also adds that once an experience has been purchased refunds will not be considered.