Rainbows and Cloudbursts: The Short-cut to Safari

My 2 little ones are obsessed with animals. They want to read stories about animals every night, their dreams are of animals eating them up (or me, when they are mad at me), we have mandatory visits to a nearby farm almost every weekend and even the phrases they use are abundant with animal references!

So,

when you make them angry, you are a 'messy donkey' or you get threatened with being thrown into the Big Bad wolf's mouth,

when you prove your IQ level is way below theirs, you are a 'silly goose on the loose',

when they manage to get themselves wedged in a place from where they can't move, they get 'stuck like a pig',

when they think they have done something clever that they know I won't approve of, they are 'cheeky monkeys',

when they annoy me with all their drama during mealtimes, they explain that they are eating like 'Billy goat Gruff' and when they eat their vegetables, they expect to becomes as 'strong as Colonel Haathi' (V1's current ambition is to carry an elephant around when he grows up!)

We have done enough rounds of the London zoo and the aquarium (though in my opinion, Underwater World in Singapore is nicer and more well spread out) so over a weekend, we decided to do something a bit different.

The last time I had been to a Safari Park was the Taman Safari in Bogor, Indonesia. It was a drive- through (plans to do a Safari in Africa will have to wait till my boys are atleast toilet trained!) and I loved it so much, I'd drag every one who came to visit us for a trip to the Taman Safari!

So when I heard of Woburn Safari Park , it seemed like a great way to spend a weekend with the kids! And it was just that and more!!

First, it's a very short drive from London - about an hr and half from where we live, even shorter if you reside in North or Central London.

Second, other than the drive through safari, it also has a walk through safari where you can walk amongst squirrel monkeys, wallabies and peacocks, get to feed penguins and pet goats and snakes.

(Note : Never before did I realise that for a 2-3 yr old, our adult concept of food chain doesn't hold true and that petting a horse or a goat is way more exciting than seeing a rhino or a elephant or a tiger 10 feet away!)

The Safari Park also offers a host of other things to do like a train ride that takes you around the zebras and camels and donkeys (V1, who loves donkeys, had been asking me for a picture of one and finally I managed to click one here!), a Swan boat ride in the lake, outdoor and indoor play areas for children, with separate ones for toddlers and even a Burma bridge kind of adventure trail, complete with harnesses, for adrenalin junkies and thrill seeking teens and tweens.

And if you want a bit of art, architecture and culture to balance out the excited yelling & screaming from the hours spent watching the animals, then there is the beautiful 400yrs old Woburn Abbey next door! The Abbey also has an extensive Deer Park so you don't have to rack your brains as to how to keep your little ones from getting into mischief while you are trying to soak in some culture and history!

All in all, I'd call it an absolutely great place to visit, with something for everyone!

And yes, before we end, must mention a few tips to keep in mind -

1. To call the food at the Park restaurants, a disaster, would be an understatement! But then so is the food at most typical British establishments. I mean, let's face it, the British have never been known for their culinary skills so why berate them when all they are doing is living up to stereotype?

I'd suggest carrying some food along and having a picnic in the grounds if the weather is on your side (there is plenty of place to do so). It will be more enjoyable and pleasant than trying to find a table in the already heavily crowded restaurant and then standing for atleast half an hr in a queue and then having to use all your strength in battling it out with a plate of sausages that give a whole new definition to toughness or trying to soak up the oil from a plate of fish and chips that make oil spills look like child's play!!!

2. Secondly, try not to plan your trip around a long weekend or school holiday time as the Safari is very crowded during those periods and the pace at which your car drives through the Safari is extremely slow. You can do as many circuits of the Safari as you please, once you have bought your ticket, but on a crowded day, it takes more than twice the regular time to complete a circuit, which is a waste of time you could have spent doing more fun things!

3. Finally, if you plan to visit both the Abbey and the Safari Park and wish to stay overnight, there are plenty of beautiful B&Bs in the nearby villages which offer a far more reasonable rate than the Inn on the Woburn website. We stayed at the Yew Tree Farm in Milton Keynes which was just a few miles from the Woburn Safari and Abbey. It was an absolutely charming place , run by 2 very warm and hospitable owners, with beautiful and comfortable rooms and a super full English breakfast (now that is one amazing thing about the British - their full English breakfast - with bacon, toast, eggs, sausages, beans, tomatoes and mushrooms. Heaven!) Here is the link to my review of the B&B on Trip Advisor, if you are interested!

Now, will end the post with some pictures I clicked at the Safari Park. I started clicking these with the objective of finding a couple of pictures I could blow up and have framed for my boys for their b'dy and now I have ended up with an album! For more pictures, please visit this album on the Rainbows and Cloudbursts FB page.