Longleat Safari Park in Wiltshire has a well deserved reputation as the UK’s leading safari and families will discover that along with this incredible experience, there’s so much more on offer here that you’ll want to return again and again. Here are our Longleat Safari Park top tips. And read to the bottom for our review of Longleat Safari Park too. We have Longleat tickets as well all our top tips for Longleat.
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Longleat Safari Park top tips
Here are 25 top tips for visiting Longleat Safari Park to help you make the most of your trip:
Planning your visit
- Book tickets in advance – Longleat can get busy, especially during weekends and school holidays. Booking online may also save you money.
- Arrive early – Gates open at 10 AM, and arriving early gives you the best chance to see animals when they are most active.
- Check feeding times – Some animals have set feeding times, which can enhance your experience.
- Plan for a full day – There’s a lot to see, from the safari drive to attractions like the maze, the boat trip, and animal enclosures.
Safari drive-through tips
- Take your own car if possible – The best way to experience the safari is in your own vehicle, but there is also a safari bus if you prefer.
- Beware of the monkey drive-through – The monkeys are fun but known for pulling off car parts like wipers and trims. If you want to avoid this, take the bypass route.
- Drive slowly & be patient – Some animals, like lions, often block the road, but waiting can lead to great up-close encounters.
- Keep windows closed – Especially near big cats and wolves for safety reasons.
- Bring binoculars – Useful for spotting animals further away, particularly in the large open enclosures.
- Watch out for deer & camels – They might stick their heads into your car if you lower the window.
Other animal encounters
- Visit the jungle cruise – A great way to see sea lions and hippos, plus you might spot Nico’s old gorilla island.
- Bring £1 coins for sea lion feeding – If you want to throw food to the sea lions during the boat trip you can buy it onboard.
- Check the bat cave hours – This walk-through experience is unique but sometimes closed for maintenance.
- Visit the koalas & crocodiles – Longleat is one of the few UK zoos with koalas.
Family-friendly tips
- Use the playgrounds – There are play areas for children to burn off energy between activities.
- Take the miniature railway – A fun ride for kids and adults with scenic views.
- Bring a picnic – There are picnic areas, or you can eat at one of Longleat’s cafes.
Navigating the park
- Download the Longleat app – It includes a map and schedule for shows and feeding times.
- Wear comfortable shoes – You’ll be walking a lot, especially in the house, gardens, and adventure park areas.
- Check for seasonal events – Longleat hosts special events like the Festival of Light in winter and Easter Trails in spring.
Photography & wildlife watching
- Bring a good camera – A zoom lens helps capture wildlife from a distance.
- Use a dash cam (if you have one) – It can capture unexpected animal encounters while driving through the safari.
Weather & practical tips
- Prepare for any weather – British weather is unpredictable, so bring raincoats or sun hats depending on the season.
- Watch out for peak traffic – Leaving the park at closing time can mean long queues, so plan accordingly.
- Respect the animals & rules – Follow Longleat’s guidelines to ensure a safe and enjoyable visit for everyone.
Our review of a day out at Longleat Safari Park
We drove into Longleat Safari Park with a slight sense of wariness, not knowing quite what to expect. This drive-through safari takes two to three hours to complete, set in the most wonderful countryside.
Our sense of anticipation quickly turned to wonder as we drove in through the gates and into the most incredible open landscapes filled with animals from around the world.Â
The Longleat app
We downloaded the award-winning Longleat App which acts as your tour guide as you drive from one zone to the next and it is absolutely brilliant. The app locates you exactly where you are on your drive through the safari and a guide instantly tells you about the animals you are seeing, fascinating facts and points to look out for.
We were so impressed with the app, and it really enhanced our enjoyment of the Longleat safari drive-through. I would thoroughly recommend having the app installed for your trip to Longleat.
Safari drive through
The Safari drive through takes you into a host of different territories including Lion Country, Cheetah Kingdom and the Big Game Park complete with white rhinos as well as camels, oryx and ostriches. You’ll see the most incredible safari sights as you drive slowly past the animals.
It very much feels like you’re visiting their large and spacious natural habitats rather than them being ‘on show’ which is great to see.
Monkey drive-through
We adored every part of the Safari at Longleat, including spotting the wolf pack on the move, giraffes gently eating leaves as we passed by and of course, the immersive ‘monkey mayhem’ zone where you come up close with a troop of inquisitive macaques.
It wasn’t long before we had monkeys climbing up onto our car roof and windscreen, and little faces peered through the windows much to the squeals of delight from my children. These cheeky macaques are well known for making off with anything loose on the outside of your vehicle or nibbling at your car aerial, so you can bypass this area if you want, but we thoroughly enjoyed this memorably up-close experience.Â
If you’re keen to take time out of the car on the safari, one stop not to miss is the African Village where you can park up, take a stroll along the Lemur Walk-Through, spot giraffes, zebras and black wildebeest. There’s also giraffe feeding here for a small additional charge which is a wonderful experience.
We were so impressed with the Drive Through at Longleat Safari Park and it’s easy to see why it has become one of the most popular in the UK.
Other activities at Longleat Safari Park
The fun at Longleat Safari Park doesn’t stop there. The sheer amount of activities on offer at Longleat is astonishing, so we would recommend making sure you have a full day to explore everything there is to enjoy.
Next to the Historic Longleat house is a wealth of brilliant family friendly activities all based around the main square.Â
Jungle cruise
We started with the delightful Jungle Cruise which takes you on a half-hour boat trip past two resident hippos, along to a lakeside gorilla colony which is far enough away from the boat to be easily seen but not disturbed by their human visitors.
Then we were treated to a few minutes of fun from a group of Californian sea lions who were leaping and dashing through the water eager to catch a few fish thrown by the boat staff. This is a really lovely trip which makes it easy once again to see some wonderful animals without getting too close and disturbing their activities.Â
Playgrounds
There are plenty of places to grab food and refreshments back at the main square where you’ll find something for all tastes. If your kids are keen to burn off some energy the Adventure Castle is well worth a visit with zip wires, a medieval castle keep as well as climbing frames, trampolines and slides.
There’s a splash pad and soft play for little ones so it’s easy to spend a good hour here. We also loved the hedge maze which my kids thought was fantastic fun.
The maze twists and turns and you can spend lots of time here trying different routes in order the reach the centre and then onto the exit.
Longleat Safari Park railway
If you’re looking to explore a little further and want to skip the walking for a while, the Longleat Railway is a great way to journey around the grounds and spot more animals. This miniature railway takes you on a one-and-a-quarter mile journey through scenic woodlands and along the side of the tranquil half-mile lake, home to the hippos and seal ions.
For younger visitors there’s a new play area called the Little Explorer’s Garden as well as a gentle ‘Rockin Rhino’ fun fair style ride. There are plenty of chances to get up close with animals too in Monkey Temple where you can hand feed bright and colourful lorikeets, meet new arrivals on Koala Creek and spot otters and crocodiles in Jungle Kingdom.
Each of these areas are great family friendly attractions where you can spend plenty of time exploring and learning more about the natural world.
Grounds to explore
The house itself has incredible grounds which are so pleasant to explore. There are wonders around every corner from the ornate formal gardens, the cool orangery and the spacious corner dedicated to a pet cemetery in memory of the many animals who lived with the family in the house.
The house is a glorious masterpiece of Elizabethan architecture and you can visit it by booking a tour. We hadn’t left ourselves enough time to fit in the house tour, so we’re looking forward to coming back and enjoying more of the house and safari park.
Longleat Safari Park’s reputation as one of the best attractions in the UK for families is well deserved and comes thoroughly recommended. You can find out more about Longleat, its attractions and Safari drive through at the official website here.
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