Koala Creek at Longleat Safari Park, Wiltshire

The last time I went to Longleat Safari Park, a monkey made off with a strip of rubber from the top of my car. So this time, heading back with my daughter to see the new Koala Creek at Longleat, I was prepared for what lay ahead.

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But with a long gap between my first visit and our trip at Easter, I discovered the Longleat koalas weren’t the only new addition – and was reminded of just how much there is to pack in to a visit to Longleat with kids. More than we had chance to in one day, for sure.

Armed with a CD narrated by Kate Humble to accompany us around the safari park drive – loved the feeling of our own personal commentary in our own car – the only question was what to do first? Explore the animals on foot around the Main Square, including Longleat’s Koala Creek, take the boat trip out to see sea lions or drive into the grounds to spy the big cats and those cheeky monkeys? The safari won out.

On a Saturday in the school holidays, I was wary of what kind of queues we might face – we arrived as early as the journey would let us, after staying overnight at Brooks Guesthouse in Bath, exploring part of the Great West Way.

Check out my top things to do in Bath with kids if you’re visiting the city

After a pitstop to see the lemurs, scampering around their walk-through enclosure, as giraffes and zebras strolled in the distance, I decided we’d made the right choice.

The initial string of cars spread out, with only the occasional wait at the gates between animal areas, and we could drive along at our own pace.

And in two flutters of a flamingo’s wing, there we were. The Monkey drive-through.

Jauntily casual as they car surfed or sprang enthusiastically from wing mirror to bonnet to boot, I’m not sure who was having more fun: Minnie and I watching, or the furry inhabitants.

And then… it was our turn. A thud of small furry paws, and a face gazing in through the windscreen. And this time they rather helpfully cleared out all the dead leaves which had collected around the top of the bonnet as a snack.

I think we had six monkeys in total clambering over my car as we cruised through the enclosure (word evidently got around)! And only a minor nibble on the aerial and windscreen wipers – they both still work. 

Even cuter was the chance to watch the babies, some with adult monkeys practising those all important ‘how to balance on a roof’ skills as well as tiny ones playing in the grass – one showing off a distinctly impressive backflip routine for the sheer fun of it.

Frankly the next animals had a high bar to live up to – but after some ultra fuzzy camels and a glimpse or two of some rhinos, we were into big cat territory: Tiger Territory, Lion Country and Cheetah Kingdom to be precise, followed up by wolf wood (and a sneaky peek of a shy hyena).

And unlike some animal experiences where all you see is ears poking up through the long grass, we were in luck – lionesses stretched out in the spring sunshine and a lion lounging nearby, tigers burning bright against the green grass and cheetahs yawning and stretching.

One of the highlights of the six and a half-mile drive had to be seeing the wolves though.

Spotting these shy animals isn’t always easy but here they were on display, strolling across the road in front of us, or trotting over to the rest of the pack while crows hopped through the grass as if the big bad wolf was simply a fairytale.

Leaving the car and heading over to the smaller animals around Jungle Kingdom and Animal Adventure, the giant otters were equally relaxed, snoozing together in a sunny spot. 

But our first stop was Koala Creek, home to four southern koalas brought to the UK from Australia as part of a conservation project – the only koalas in England. First, there are interactive boards with information about the koalas – as well as the hairy nosed wombats who share the enclosure.

Who knew that they sleep for 20 hours a day? Is it wrong to be jealous of a koala…?

They certainly looked very relaxed – we spotted three of the group all dozing happily in their trees, two clinging to the trunks in that classic koala pose, one which appeared to have surrendered utterly to its nap, simply flumped forward and dozed off. All seriously cute and the unconcerned centre of attention.

They’ve got eucalyptus trees to nibble on, scenting the whole area, plus a section to explore outdoors: despite the sunshine, there was a proper April breeze, so I couldn’t blame them for curling up inside and waiting for summer to arrive.

One of the hairy nosed wombats had other ideas and was contentedly basking as visitors filed through the one-way walk through and out, my six-year-old practising her own koala impression as we left.

The Longleat Railway had reopened in time for Easter, the little train running a loop past the Monkey temple, with its red pandas and marmosets, and along the lakeside, but we stuck to exploring on foot, spotting porcupines and meerkats, macaws and lorikeets before venturing into the bat cave where Eygptian fruit bats swooped over our heads in the semi-darkness.

Then down to take a Jungle Cruise (sit on the right hand side for the best views), with more red pandas entertaining us as we queued, and inquisitive sealions sleeking through the water towards the boat – not least because they know they’ll get fed, leaping expertly up to snatch fish in mid air

The hippos, on the other hand, were two greyish lumps fast asleep in the mud on the bank but we saw gorillas on the far bank, in their tree-filled colony.

No chest beating today, just a lumbering strut as one of the younger gorillas roamed through the grass.

Which left just enough time for a stroll in the gardens, although no chance to look inside the house or test our navigational skills in the maze, while the family farmyard also has to wait for another visit, along with the refurbished Adventure Castle, reopening after our visit.

Instead we fired up Kate Humble once more at my daughter’s request, as we drove through the Somerset and Wiltshire countryside.

There may have been no lions in the grass, no monkeys perched on the windscreen and no koalas dozing in the trees this time – but as we brushed up on our animal facts, it was the perfect way to remember some of our favourite moments of the day. And my bonnet has never been cleaner…

For more ideas of what to do on the Great West Way with kids, check out my tips, including the best things to do in Bath with kids

Need to know: Visiting Longleat Safari Park

Tickets to Longleat cost from £42.95 for adults and £32.95 for children aged 3-15, and must be prebooked. Children aged under three go free but currently need a ticket, with morning and afternoon entry slots for the safari.

Parking at Longleat is free. There are also normally two-day tickets, annual passes and other options.

Longleat opening times vary throughout the year, but the park opens at 10am and closes between 5pm and 7pm – check the full opening times for Longleat Safari Park here. Longleat house is open from 11am.

There are shows throughout the day as well as various animal experiences – some daily in the Animal Handling Hall, along with VIP experiences for an added fee. There’s a minimum age requirement for many of these – for example the red panda feeding is for children aged 8+ only.

There’s also a safari bus if you don’t want to drive through the safari park yourself, including live commentary (and no risk of the monkeys eating your windscreen wipers). Tickets cost an extra £9 and must be booked on the day. If you’re visiting during off-peak months, there are only usually two safari buses per day, and it’s first come, first served…

If you’re driving yourself through the safari park, Longleat suggests skipping the morning queues and visiting in the afternoon – check the boards for the last entry time, and make sure to allow at least 15 minutes to get from the car park to the Safari Drive-through entrance.

Most visitors spend 2-3 hours exploring here, depending too on how long you stop in the African village.

You can take a bypass route to avoid the monkeys if you’d like to see the other animals. No soft top cars or ones with vinyl sunroofs are allowed.

Some areas of Longleat aren’t accessible to buggies although there are pushchair parks to leave them (not always covered and at your own risk). You can’t hire pushchairs for your visit.

There is a Queue Assist scheme if you’re visiting Longleat with children with additional needs.

If you want to explore everything at Longleat, you do really need more than one day – there are various accommodation options and packages available. The Bath Arms is on the edge of the Longleat Estate as is Center Parcs Longleat, while the Best Western Angel Hotel in Chippenham where we stayed often has package offers and is around 45 minutes drive. For some family-friendly luxury, Woolley Grange, is around half an hour away. 

For more of the best safari parks in the UK, check out my top picks

PIN FOR LATER: KOALA CREEK AT LONGLEAT

Disclosure: My visit to Koala Creek at Longleat was courtesy of Longleat Safari Park. All opinions, including whether to risk my car aerial at the hands of the monkeys, are my own. This post contains affiliate links: any purchases you make are unaffected but I may receive a small commission.

Images copyright MummyTravels

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