Hello lovelies!
This is the final instalment from our time away in Somerset at the end of August. Sorry its taken so long for me to write up this post!
So as you've probably seen from the title, this post is all about Longleat. There are actually no words for how special this place is to me, but I'll try & explain as we go along!
Let's start with the drive-through safari. James & I arrived at Longleat at 10am when the park opened & trust me when I say, there is so much to do, you need the whole day to really appreciate everything it has to offer.
The first part of the safari is through the African village, which you are able to get out of your car & walk around with the animals. There is a lemur & wallabies walk-through & you can get up close & personal with the giraffes. For £2 per person, you can feed them! For people who know me, this was the most exciting thing ever! I've always loved giraffes, they've been my favourite animals since I was little, so being able to feed them was such a special experience.
Weirdest thing ever is when you have to stop the car to let a camel cross the road..
Ok, so another highlight of the safari, was feeding the deer. I love deer. Like, really love deer. I do get to see them a lot as I live in the countryside but they fascinate me. They are just such beautiful animals & the fact we were allowed to feed them (only realised this as we got closer) made me squeal a lot. I might have deafened James a bit..
So as you've probably seen from the title, this post is all about Longleat. There are actually no words for how special this place is to me, but I'll try & explain as we go along!
Let's start with the drive-through safari. James & I arrived at Longleat at 10am when the park opened & trust me when I say, there is so much to do, you need the whole day to really appreciate everything it has to offer.
The first part of the safari is through the African village, which you are able to get out of your car & walk around with the animals. There is a lemur & wallabies walk-through & you can get up close & personal with the giraffes. For £2 per person, you can feed them! For people who know me, this was the most exciting thing ever! I've always loved giraffes, they've been my favourite animals since I was little, so being able to feed them was such a special experience.
After seeing the giraffes & zebras, you jump back into your car & start the drive-through safari. From this point on you must stay in your car & each section you go through informs you whether you can have your windows closed or not.
Here's a few snaps of the animals we drove through;
Ok, so another highlight of the safari, was feeding the deer. I love deer. Like, really love deer. I do get to see them a lot as I live in the countryside but they fascinate me. They are just such beautiful animals & the fact we were allowed to feed them (only realised this as we got closer) made me squeal a lot. I might have deafened James a bit..
After the deer we headed past the monkeys (James insisted we skip this enclosure & I have to say, it was probably for the best. We did see some cars missing number plates & windscreen wipers a bit further round the track..)
We then headed into the big cats area (windows up!) & managed to spy some lions, wolves & tigers!
There are two packs of lions, one pack was really near the road as we drove through so I got some gorgeous pictures of them all sunbathing.
& finally I couldn't not mention Anne the elephant. When we drove through her enclosure, she was in her house to keep cool as it was a very hot day, but her story is simply heart-wrenching. Please click on the link to read all about her as she's had a tough life & Longleat have helped her in so many ways.
Ok, so that's the safari done! Next stop, walking around the zoo & taking a trip to Gorilla Island. As soon as you come out of the wolves, you are directed to the parking, which takes you right next to Longleat House. Our tickets covered everything that the park had to offer, so we had access to the house as well as the rest of the zoo. We decided to explore the rest of the animals before entering the house & grounds.
We visited Penguin Island, Monkey Temple & another of my favourite places, Ray Bay. Ray Bay is special because you get to stroke the rays in their little pool. What I love about it, is they adore being around people. They happily come to the surface & swim near the edge for people to take photos & play with them.
We also went on the Jungle Cruise, which takes you around Gorilla Island & alongside the hippos & sea lions. I never realised how excited sea lions get when they see fish..
& finally we explored the house. Unfortunately you can't take photos inside so I wasn't able to take any snaps but I'd highly recommend going in. James & I aren't massive history buffs but we could appreciate how amazing the house's history was.
Another main feature of Longleat is the maze, it's one of the biggest in the world! Perfect if you want to have a sit down & let the children lose for a couple of hours, haha!
Oh & I can't not mention the gardens & little cafes dotted around the park. They are simply stunning. I dread to think how many hours daily go into making them look the way they do.
Like I said at the beginning of this post, I can't stress how amazing this park really is. It's an unforgettable experience & I'd highly recommend visiting!
Have you ever been to Longleat?
Remember you can check out my posts on where we stayed & exploring Bath the following day too if you like : )
