Longleat Safari and Adventure Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Longleat Safari Park |
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Longleat Safari Park's lion reserve, with a warning sign
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| Type | Safari park |
| Location | Wiltshire |
| Nearest city | Warminster |
| OS grid | ST818434 |
| Area | 9,000 acres (36.42 km2) |
| Created | 1966 |
| Visitors | 904,714 (in 2018) |
| Camp sites | Yes |
Longleat Safari and Adventure Park is a super fun place in Wiltshire, England. It opened in 1966 and was the very first drive-through safari park outside of Africa! You can see amazing animals and explore a beautiful historic house here.
Discovering Longleat's Past
Longleat Safari Park is located on the huge grounds of Longleat House. This amazing stately home is open for everyone to visit. It was once the home of the 7th Marquess of Bath. The idea for Longleat Safari Park came from a clever person named Jimmy Chipperfield. He was also involved with Chipperfield's Circus.
Exploring Longleat's Attractions
Longleat House and Gardens
The historic Longleat House first opened its doors to the public in 1949. It's still a very popular place for visitors today. You can take a guided tour of the house or simply walk around and explore on your own. Don't forget to check out the lovely gardens and grab a snack at one of the cafés! If you only want to see the house and gardens, you can buy a special ticket just for that.
The Amazing Safari Park
East African Reserve Animals
The East African Reserve is a huge area, about 60 acres (24 hectares) big! Here, you can see many cool animals. Look out for Rothschild giraffes, Grant's zebras, and ostriches. You might also spot Black wildebeest, Brazilian Tapirs, African spurred tortoises, ring-tailed lemurs, and even pygmy goats.
Jungle Cruise Adventure
The Jungle Cruise is a short boat trip around Half Mile Lake. Before 2011, it was called the Safari Boat. On this journey, you'll float past an island. This island used to be home to Nico, a very old western lowland gorilla. He was the oldest gorilla in Europe! Sadly, Nico passed away in 2018. Now, the island is home to playful Black-and-white colobus monkeys.
Monkey Temple Fun
The Monkey Temple opened in 2012. The main part of this area is a big, themed ruin with long rope walkways. These walkways go over the paths, letting you safely get close to different kinds of marmosets and tamarins. It's a great way to see these small monkeys up close! In another part of this area, you can find a family of red pandas. The parent pandas, Ajendra and Rufina, have had three cubs since 2015.
Giant Otters and Crocodiles
This exciting area opened in 2019, right next to the Monkey Temple. Here, you can see giant otters swimming and playing. You can also observe crocodiles in their special habitat. Before this, the area was home to Humboldt penguins. They were moved to a new home after some health issues in 2016 and 2018.
Animal Adventure Zone
The Animal Adventure area opened in 2009. It has many different animals that used to be in Pets' Corner. You can find all sorts of creatures here. This includes many interesting mammals, birds, reptiles, and even insects! It's a great place to learn about animals from all over the world.
Riding the Longleat Railway
The Longleat Railway started in 1965 and got bigger in 1976. It's a ridable miniature railway with a 15-inch gauge. This makes it one of the busiest miniature railways in the country! The track is about 1 and a quarter miles (2 kilometers) long. It winds through beautiful woodland and goes along the edge of Half Mile Lake. The railway has changed its path a few times over the years, but the route along the lake has always stayed the same.
Longleat took over running the railway in 1976. Many different engines, both steam and diesel, have run on the railway. As of 2018, the railway has three diesel locomotives. It also has 15 carriages, which were all built at Longleat between 1976 and 2013. These carriages are painted in a classic red and cream color, like old British Railways trains. From 2011 to 2017, the railway was called the Jungle Express. During that time, the station and carriages had extra jungle-themed decorations.
Current Locomotives Running
| Number | Name | Wheel arrangement | Builders | Year built | Livery | Notes |
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| 5 | Ceawlin | 0-8-2DH | Severn Lamb | 1975 | GWR Green |
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| 7 | Flynn | 0-6-0DM | Alan Keef | 2007 | Crimson |
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| 8 | John Thynn | Bo-Bo | Alan Keef | 2018 | Crimson |
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Former Locomotives That Ran Here
| Number | Name | Wheel arrangement | Builders | Year built | Livery | Notes |
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| 1 | Lenka | 4+4wDH | Severn Lamb | 1973 | Maroon |
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| 3 | Dougal | 0-6-2T | Severn Lamb | 1970 | Crimson |
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| 4 | Lenka | 4+4wDH | Longleat Railway | 1984 | BR Crimson & Cream |
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| 6 | John Hayton | 0-6-2T | Exmoor Steam Railway | 2004 | Crimson |
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Longleat in the Media
Longleat Safari Park has been featured in several TV shows and documentaries:
- The Lions of Longleat - This was a BBC One documentary from 1967. It showed the newly opened safari park and had commentary from Lord Bath and Jimmy Chipperfield.
- Lion Country - A 55-part documentary series that aired on BBC One in 1998.
- Animal Park - This popular series started on the BBC in 2000. It's presented by Kate Humble & Ben Fogle, Paul Heiney, and Jean Johansson. There were also two spin-off shows: Animal Park: Wild in Africa in 2005 and Animal Park: Wild on the West Coast in 2007.
