We went to explore the Longleat Safari Park and experience their Festival of Lights. Although we did happen to choose one of the rainy days for our visit though.
We decided to do the Safari before anything else, as the programme advised that this could take up to 3 hours and we wanted to make sure had the full experience. The safari can be done in Longleats own vehicles for an additional fee but we did it in our own car – the little ones had never been to a safari park before and the concept of driving around in our own car, so close to the animals, seemed really fun!
The safari route features a huge selection of animals including deer, rhinos, tigers, cheetahs, wolves, zebras, and even lions! In certain areas, such as the deer park, you can buy a pot of food for £1 to feed the animals with from your car. They’re really not shy at all and walk right up to the car windows, much to the delight of the children.
We then stopped at the African Village where you can get out of the car and up close to the animals. Noah is fascinated by giraffes and we were able to get up close to view these magnificent animals. He stood for ages just staring at them and watching them eat. There are spectacular views of the East African reserve where you can see Zebras, Wildebeest and Ostriches.
You are also able to experience the Lemur walk through where you can spot the Ring Tailed Lemurs and Somali Sheep. The tortoises had the best idea of keeping warm and dry under their heat lamps.
The park offers an Animal Discovery which you have various zones such as Jungle Kingdom, Monkey Temple, Giant Otters and Crocodiles, Koala Creek, Animal Adventure, Jungle Cruise and Family Farmyard.
There is also an Adventure Zone which comprises of a Hedge Maze, little Explorers Garden, Rockin Rhino, Adventure Castle and a Carousel. Due to the weather we didn’t get to experience any of these but will return in the summer to try these all out.
Festival of Lights – Roald Dahl 2022. There are more than 800 individual light displays spanning 30 acres of the grounds. Each lantern scene brings key moments from the iconic books to life, from The BFG, to Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, The Witches, to Matilda, The Twits and Fantastic Mr Fox. The craftsmanship demonstrated in each lantern is breath-taking however. Each installation looks hand-drawn and feels like a giant pop-up book.
We were also lucky enough to see the Enchanted Christmas Tree Show. This was a tree about 20 metres tall which sung your favourite Christmas carols whilst having 3D mapped projections on the tree too.
There are also other added extras which you do can on your visit but we ran out of time so weren’t able to experience them. There is the Longleat House guided tour which takes approximately 1 hour. Safari Bus service, so if you didn’t fancy taking your own car through the safari you can sit back and relax whilst being chauffeured around. There is also the opportunity for Animal Experiences but these are age dependent too.
There are numerous food and drink places which serves a variety of hot and cold refreshments, and there are also various other souvenir shops as well for you to explore. The Chameleon Tree Restaurant and Coffee House, Pizza Piazza, The Cellar Cafe, The Picnic Basket, and also fast food kiosks in the Main Square.
Free parking on site for all visitors.
