Blair Drummond Safari & Adventure Park

Booked online got a 10% discount
Easy to book and once we got there easy to check in
That’s where it all went down hill
The place was overly busy … I know it has to make money however they had passed saturation levels on what their business could cope with
There was a line up for everything and not just a small line… 90 min wait to get on the boat to chimp island (I know your not guaranteed to see them however after 90 min you want more than the boat ride)
Toilets queued
Face paint … Queued
Every single place to buy food and drink … Long queues
After one such long queue where I wanted to buy a drink … I went to pay by card and was told I couldn’t use it as they required a minimum of £5 spend??? Eh what decade are we in here… Having no cash on me … And not wishing to leave a 20 min wait wasted … I had to purchase things I didn’t want or require just so I could get my drink
Sea-​lion … Old outdated 40 year old building … Crammed in like sardines which was novel since that’s what they fed the sea lions, poorly organised free for all to get out the exits, would it kill you to just empty the place a section at a time and allow the elderly and frail some time to get out without a stampede of 150 eager kids and parents pushing from behind, really felt sorry for a few folk trying to get out
30 min wait to get in, further 20 min inside for a 15 min show with one sea-​lion
Tiger walkway … Overcrowding … Couldn’t get up
Lemur island or whatever it’s called … Handful of lemurs and a lot of walking around empty looking enclosures
Which frankly was 70% of the park… Tonnes of space with nothing to see
This was so obvious that the kids would rather hang around a swing park as the rest was «just empty places» as i heard some others saying
The place needs to review how many people it can actually handle and cater for them on that day and do it well
If you want more customers then increase your outlets, team, animals visible, amenities and walkways
Even your parking isn’t adequate with a tonne of cars being forced to park on verges along the side of the road… This is visual proof you are letting in too many people
I won’t be returning personally but I feel for any future customers
Visited August 2015

A summer trip to Blair Drummond Safari Park on a Saturday afternoon during our drive up North turned out to be a rather short excursion.
My boyfriend and I love nature and animals, so the opportunity to support their conservation and observe their very existence was one we didn’t want to pass over. We booked our tickets online — saving a couple of pounds on admission costs and hopefully speeding up our entry to the park. We arrived just after lunchtime and pulled into the single-​file queue — the sun was blazing down on the cars making the wait most uncomfortable. It took a good ten minutes before another colleague arrived to open the second payment lane — after which a further five minutes passed before we finally pulled up to the window to collect our tickets and park guide.
Entering the park, we could see it was absolutely ‘heaving’ with guests. Cars lined the grass on either side, and he overspill car parks were overflowing too. Finding a space was going to be like mission impossible given that cars were taking up multiple spaces out of guests’ sheer inconsideration for other visitors. I suppose it doesn’t help that some of the parking spaces turned marshy after a torrential downpour — cue frustrated drivers stuck in the mud. It was a busy day, so we can forgive the lack of parking spaces…
The park has the following facilities:
— Restaurants/​Cafés
— Toilet Facilities
— Gift Shops
— Petting Zoo
Scott and I ate lunch in the car — careful to avoid the abundance of flies in the area. I think I’d struggle to picnic or eat outdoors in this park, as the flies are relentless. The toilet facilities beside the boating pond were acceptable, though none of the sinks had hot water whatsoever and some taps didn’t even function at all — not a great element when we consider health and hygiene in an animal environment!
To begin we took a trip around the safari drive-​through, seeing some of the following creatures: camels, lions, cattle, zebras and deer. Unfortunately the rhinos were not available for viewing in the drive-​through and the monkey enclosure was not yet complete, which left us a little disappointed but not disheartened.
The two camels were most gregarious during our first trip through the enclosure… Within minutes of our car arriving in their vicinity they were on the move, stopping on either side of the vehicle. They were huge! I can’t fully describe the experience, It was terrifying and exciting at the same time!
We then took a walk along to the giraffe and ostrich viewing tower. The giraffes at this park are beautiful — one in particular walked from one side of the enclosure to the area in which we were standing where it proceeded to ‘pose’ for photographs before being joined by the rest of its buddies. These animals are so majestic — if a little photogenic! We even had the chance to see an ostrich chick… At least I think it was a baby ostrich, otherwise it was an oversized seagull — your guess is as good as mine.
Next stop was the rhino habitat; no sign of them in there either. How do you hide this giant of an animal that weighs more than a tonne? I jest of course; Animal welfare is — without a doubt — of greater importance than our wish to observe their activities.
We moved on to the elephant enclosure — my favourite animals! This particular pair remained at the rear of their outdoor area, their sheer size visible over the trees and structures created within the enclosure.
We decided to visit the gift shop at this end of the park to pick up a couple of souvenirs for our younger family. Upon entering we were met with the poorest example of customer service I have ever had to endure — I’d be forgiven for thinking I had done the colleague an injustice by wishing to purchase some goods during their shift. Thankfully his colleague had the courtesy and manners to thank me before we left the store! I think it’s basic customer service to acknowledge and appreciate each customer as they enter and leave the store — make conversation with them and ensure they feel valued. We decided to leave after this incident.
In terms of toilet facilities
Thankfully, one of the park’s senior team was on hand to take on board some feedback about our day; This very helpful colleague apologised profusely about our experience and invited my boyfriend and I back to Blair Drummond Safari Park so that we can complete our little adventure.
Disregarding the poor customer service, the park has a lot to offer for individuals, couples, families and groups alike. Scott and I had a great time during our visit and particularly enjoyed the drive through reserves!
I look forward to experiencing all that this park has to offer — particularly he new exhibits — and will update this review in due course!

Great day out, took my kids one thing i would recommend is take your own food with you the café is mega expensive but you expect that like the zoo really good wandering about and the kids loved the play park and massive shoot to slide down

where the animals are

Oh my goodness, Blairdrummond rocks! It’s an amazing day out for families and even if you’re older, it’s still good fun. I used to come here all the time with my parents when I was young, I used to always get my face painted as a lion, the giant shoot was also a highlight where you had to slide down on an old brown mat to avoid skid burns. My brother used to always go on the sliding fox, but I was always too scared, I prefer to keep both of my feet firmly on the ground.
The animals are great, but I always feel sorry for them as they always look sad in their enclosures.
This place has it all, petting farm, amusement rides, a pirate ship play ground and places to set up a picnic. If you’re looking for a fun day out this summer then Blairdrummon is definitely worth a visit!

I love Blair Drummond Safari Park! It fills me with childish glee every time I go! It is less than an hour away from Glasgow and is definitely worth the short drive as the kids will love it and it’s another activity to stick on the school «summer holidays fun time» list!
They have genuinely fantastic animals, not just rubbish goats and stuff, but lions and tigers and bears (oh my!). Last winter one of the mummy rhinos gave birth to a baby rhino and it is too cute for words in a sort of ugly way. You know like baby birds are cute but disgusting looking? Well the baby rhino is cute in that kina way too. She is definitely worth visiting!
There is a Birds of Prey Centre with demonstrations throughout the day which is good fun and you find out some really interesting facts. The sea lion show is great too. Kids will also love the other amusements Blair Drummond has to offer such as dodgems, pedal boats, a flying fox, a wooden castle and a petting zoo to name but a few.
The park opens this year at the end of March and it is the 40^th anniversary so I recommend checking out the website to see if there are going to be any special events on at some point during this year.

Excellent value for money and we managed to get a free child ticket. Very clean, easy to navigate with excellent facilities. We drove round the actual safari park three times before we left to see the animals at different times. We even watched them round up the lions for bed which was excellent.
Would totally recommend a visit

I always loved coming here as a child
It was always different every time i visted it
there are loads of things to do apart from just the animals

Blair Drummond Saffari Park is situated near Stirling.
The park has a lot of animals to see including Rhinos, lions, emus, giraffes, tigers and the only elephants in Scotland and more. The drive through reserves sean quite spacious and the animals look healthy and well cared for. There is also separate enclosures for tigers and elephants as well as an island specificly for chimps.
The day I last visited it was raining quite heavily but this did not ruin the day. After visiting the reserves we took in the sealion show, this takes place 4 times daily and the animals seem to quite enjoy it. After that my eldest daughter wanted her face painted and chose to be a lion like the ones she had seen. We then moved on to see the elephants who are housed in a large enclosure, we were lucky enough that one desided to come to say hello. Then it was onto the boat ride where you are taken on a trip arround chimp island, unfortunatly we only caught a glimps of one, probably sheltiring from the rain. By the time we got off the boat the rain had stopped and we were off to the giant wooden castle to play for a bit. Then off to the pet farm to meet and feed the animals including ponies, llama, pigs and sheep. Off now to see the bears, you obseve these magnificant animals from a raised platform and had the added advantage of binoculars to see them more closely. It was then time to go back to the bus and take another trip through the reserves.
More than one day is needed to take in everything on offer here, we missed lots such as: Peadle boats, feeding the giraffes and the birds of prey displays.
Great day out for all the family

I remember going to and enjoying Blair Drummond as a child and so I was delighted when the opportunity arose to take my own kids there recently, to be honest not much seems to have changed except the enclosures (which are very big) seemed smaller now that I’m bigger. Within the enclosures are a good range of animals which can mostly be seen eating, sleeping or hiding.
I was terribly disappointed to see penguins at the safari park though in what appeared to be a completely sub-​standard enclosure, they really looked miserable to me which really took the shine off the day for me that and the idiot I saw stealing stuff from the gift shop which he then gave to his kids outside, what is the world coming to :-(
The highlight of the day though is the giant astraglide which I went on with the kids over and over no really, it’s gr-​r-​r-​r-​eat!
A good day out

Our family loves visiting Blair Drummond.
The whole day can be filled quite easily.
As well as the animals (which are stunning) there is an excellent play park which is enormous and well laid out.
There are also lots of opportunities to walk around and look at animals such as meercats at relatively close range.
There is also a huge slide and a massive over-​water flying fox which kids and adults can try out if they have the nerve! There’s also a really lovely commentated boat ride to be taken, circling Monkey Island. These are all included in the admission price.
There are the usual small food outlets, a bar and several snack kiosks to keep you going. There’s also a lovely picnic area and a barbeque area too!
Very, very impressed — one of our all time favourite days out!

This is real value for money. The park is a great day out (I attended with my 2 year old) thers is so much to do, an impressive collection of animals: tigers, lions, giraffes, elephants and even meer cats. Much of this you can walk. There is a big childrens paly area with the highest, longest slide I have ever seen. A sand area with a pirate boat. As if that is not enough, there are a selection of rides (tokens required at an addtional cost) including bumper cars, a dragon roller coaster, tea cups and an inflatable. There is also a café serving a selection of hot and cold food and it’s cheap! Highly recommend family fun.

Absolutley amazing value for money, Many animals to see, Personally the birds of prey section of the park is my favourite, Bird shows are hosted daily. There is an option to drive around the park in your car or to walk around and experience the animals. The only let down is the quality of food on offer in the café. Although the food is priced fairly low the quality of the food on offer isnt too great

This is a good day out, but the entrance fee is far from the last money you will shell out! The rides in the central area, handily between the petting zoo and the adventure playground, will be irresistable, so expect to spend £5−10 per child there as well. There are three large adventure playground structures, each for different age groups, which will keep the kids happy for a good length of time.
The range of animals is very good and you can get quite close to them with well places walkways and bridges. The seal show is worth seeing (included in the entry fee) and do leave enough time to park near the exit (before driving through the lions and tigers enclosure) to look at the giraffes, elephants etc. It can be too easy to leave this part of the park until the end and then be running short of time.

The safari park is well worth the money you pay to get in. It’s a short drive from Stirling city center. The enclosures that you can drive through are excellent and well worth taking your time, you can get very close to the animals and it’s quite amazing to see. There’s a good walkway bridge walk you can take to see the giraffes and other animals from up above. There’s also a sea lion show (which is included in the price) thats really good. There’s a large adventure playground next to the café and picnic tables suitable for most ages, with a sandpit as well. You can take a trip on the boat to chimp island and there are peddle boats as well.
There are a few gift shops which are quite expensive along with optional face painting and bouncy castles/​small fairground rides.
The animals seem well cared for and there is a large amount of helpful staff each day.

Now this is trully amazing as a family day out. The water boat ride is not to be missed. Here you are taken to monkey island. The kids love this as they get to watch them being fed.
My personal favourite was the giraffe enclosure as you got to stand on a platform that was level with giraffes, getting up close and personal.
The funniest thing about our visit was in the car as we drove out. We were nearly charged with the rhinos and this scared my youngest son… at this point he screamed he didnt want to see the stupid lions. and wanted home now. We had to drive out faster than we should have missing the lions to keep him quiet.

Drive the car through the Lion enclosure. The kids will love it! Also drive through enclosure with gazelles! Take the boat out to Monkey island and get rocks chucked at you! But don’t worry there is a cage on the boat to protect you. Also has regular bird flying displays. A good educational and fun day out for all ages.

You will find this fantastic park just outside of Stirling and not too far from the beautiful loch lomond so you can imagine the area is lovely.
There is lots to see and do here from a wonderful sea lion show on a few times a day, to lions up close and personal by stopping traffic as they wander in front of you on a specific route you drive slowly in your own car! There are plenty outlets for tea, coffee, burgers etc but there is also a large grassy area where you can bring your own BBQ and grill your own lunch!
A petting zoo, elephants and even a grizzly bear will keep you and your family entertained all day. It may seem a little expensive for entry tickets, but overall a really good day out.

This is an excellent day out for all ages. If you download the free child coupon from their site then it makes it better value for money. You also don’t have to be a driver to visit here, they have an excellent minibus service for people who don’t drive. There is a local bus service that stops on the main road 5 minutes walk from the park. The minibus allows you to get closer to the animals as the minibus goes off the road where the cars go. When we went we got closer to the lions than we would have if we had been in a car. The driver tells you about the animals that are in each enclosure and each time we have been the driver has been pretty knowledgeable and very helpful.
The food prices are pretty expensive but they have BBQ areas where you can cook your own food which is a fantastic idea. Also it is a great idea to take your own picnic and drinks as this is usually what most money will be spent on.
The play area for the kids is great and the last time we were there in the sand area there was a treasure hunt — not organised — but there was things in the sand that the kids could find and keep. My son found a keyring watch which he was excited about finding.
This gets my vote as a great family day out to be enjoyed by all members of the family.

My son constantly wants to visit this place and it is no wonder because for kids this place is great, I am not sure how many adults will share the kids enthusiasm however.
There are all sorts of animals on view as you would expect and the drive through the lions enclosure is excellent, especially for a photographer like myself but it is all the fair ground rides and play park stuff that confuses me.
Kids and adults alike should be coming to these places to see the animals I would have thought but once the kids get into th park area there is generally no getting them back out.
The other problem with this palce is that it is set almost entirely on grass so if it is or has been raining then be prepared to get muddy!
A great selection of animals but a place geared more at getting your kids to spend all your money rather than be about what a safari park should be about.