South Lakes Safari Zoo

Dalton-in-Furness, Cumbria, LA15 8JR

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Opening Times

The Park is open every day (except Christmas Day):

April-November: 10am - 5:00pm.

December-March: 10am - 4:30pm.

Last admission 45 min before closing.

Admission Prices

Adults

£15.00

Children (3-15 years)

£9.00

Under 3's

Free

Seniors

£11.00

Season tickets and group rates also available; see zoo's website for details.

Description

South Lakes Safari Zoo (formerly South Lakes Wild Animal Park) is the Lake District's official top visitor attraction and has won many awards. It is set in a stunning setting in the south of the Lake District, and was created and developed by David Gill in 1993/4. David Gill was an animal nutritionist with a desire to see animal education and conservation brought into the public awareness. David Gill built the Park with his own hands and still to this day designs and builds all the facilities around the park with the help and assistance of his staff.

The Park offers an open environment for the animals with many animals from different continents uniquely being housed together. It also features a series of innovative elevated walkways, giving unusual views of the animals, and walk-through aviaries and enclosures.

From Africa, the Park features African Lions, Cheetahs, White Rhinos, Pygmy Hippos, Giraffes, Mandrills, Hamadryas Baboons, Cape Crested Porcupines, Meerkats, and Black-footed Penguins. From Madagsacar, the Park has eight different species of Lemur, all allowed to roam freely around the Park, and with a supervised feeding session at 2:00pm (Easter to end Sept.). Visitors should not, however, attempt to touch or feed them; they are likely to bite!

From Asia (including Indonesia), the Park has Amur and Sumatran Tigers, White-handed Gibbons, Siamang (another type of Gibbon), Sulawesi Macaques, Babirusa (an unusual and very rare pig-like hippo), Short-clawed Otters and Rodrigues Fruit Bats (housed in a walk-through aviary). The Park is home to the Sumatran Tiger Trust.

From Australia, the Park now has the largest and most varied collection of Kangaroos in Europe, with both Red and Western Grey Kangaroos, five species of Wallaby, and Bettong (the smallest and rarest type of Kangaroo). These are all housed in a large natural enclosure that visitors can walk through. The Park also has Emus, Possums, Kookaburras, Ibis, and Black Swans

From South America, the Park's collection features Spider Monkeys, Lowland (or Brazilian) Tapirs, Spectacled Bears, Ring-tailed Coati, Marmosets, Tamarins, Andean Condors, King Vultures, Macaws, and Patagonian Conures. The Condors, Vultures, and other birds of prey are housed in a large walk-through aviary.

Official Website

www.southlakessafarizoo.com

(Opens in separate window)

Facilities

Car Park

Free

Eating

Maki Restaurant serves a variety of meals and snacks, indoor and outdoor picnic areas

For Kids

Baby changing facilities, playground

Special Needs

Disabled toilets, the Park is accessible to wheelchair users.

Restrictions

No dogs (including guide dogs) or other pets allowed on the zoo site.

Under 16's must be accompanied by an adult.

No smoking allowed around the park except for a designated outdoor smoking area.

Attractions

Animal Collections

Mammals, Birds, Reptiles

Note: The animal pictures on this page are merely representative of this type of attraction; they do not mean that the animals can be found at this specific attraction.

Star Animals

A wide variety of Kangaroos and Wallabies (Europe's largest collection), free-roaming Lemurs (8 species), Lions, Cheetahs, Amur and Sumatran Tigers, Giraffes, Spectacled Bears, Baboons, Gibbons, White Rhinos, and many, many more.

Special Attractions

Animal feeding and conservation talks throughout the day a particular highlight being the tigers that climb and take their food from the top of a pole. High level wooden walkways for visitors to gain amazing views of the animals from unimaginable angles.

Other Attractions

Miniature railway; trains run every day from Easter to end of October with the steam train running on selected days, keeper for the day, animal adoptions, friends of the park.

How To Get There:

By Car

South Lakes Safari Zoo is situated at the southern tip of the Lake District near Dalton-in-Furness on the A590 trunk road. Brown tourist Signs are regularly placed all the way from M6 junction 36.

Note: if following the directions below and the signs direct you differently, follow the signs, not our directions!

From M6 north or south:

Leave the M6 at junction 36, then turn west onto the A590 towards Barrow-in-Furness. Continue on the A590 past or through Levens, Lindale, Newby Bridge, and Ulverston. Less than 1 mile after passing through Lindal in Furness (not Lindale), turn left at the roundabout and continue into Dalton-in-Furness. Near the centre of Dalton, turn right onto Broughton Road. Continue on this road out of Dalton, and the entrance to the Park will then be on your right.

From Windermere:

Take the A5074 Lake Road south out of Windermere. In Bowness On Windermere, turn left onto A592 and continue south along Lake Windermere through Storrs and on to Newby Bridge. Shortly before reaching Newby Bridge, turn right onto A590 into Newby Bridge, and continue towards Barrow-in-Furness and the Park, as described above (from M6).

From Whitehaven:

Follow the A595 south along the coast and on past / through Broughton in Furness, Kirkby-in-Furness, and Askam-in-Furness to the junction with the A590 near Dalton-in-Furness. Continue across the roundabout and into the centre of Dalton and towards Ulverston. Continue on Market Street past Station Road to the right, then fork left onto Broughton Road. Continue on this road out of Dalton, and the entrance to the Park will then be on your right.

By Public Transport

By train:

Either use First Northwestern Trains on Manchester Furness Line to Dalton-in-Furness Station. The park is approximately 1 mile from the station (up-hill so not recommended for people with walking difficulties).

Or use the Cumbrian Coastal Line and alight at Askam Station, then use local taxi (see below).

By bus:

By Stagecoach Bus service to Tudor square. The park is a short walk (up-hill so not recommended for people with walking difficulties).

In addition, Stagecoach run special services to the park, including X9 from Chorley, Preston, Bowness and Windermere, on selected days during school summer holidays.

By Taxi:

From railway stations or Tudor Square, try Capital Cabs on 01229 466758.

Data on this page last updated: Apr 13 2014

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