Blair Drummond Safari Park – Lions, Chimps and Sea Lions
A few hours.
The route
Blair Drummond Safari Park, between Stirling and Doune, is home to more than 300 animals, from lions, rhinos and giraffes to the chimpanzees on their own island.
For most of the season the big reserves are a drive in your own car, and the rest is on foot, with sea lions, lemurs, a bird of prey display and an adventure playground along the way. It's a full, busy day out for families.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
The nearest of ours is Cromlix, 6 miles away.
Book Blair Drummond Safari & Adventure Park
Book tickets on Blair Drummond's website before you go, as all entry is booked online and can't be refunded or changed: the park is open every day until 31 October, 10am to 5.30pm, then on Fridays to Sundays in November, through its Christmas event from 27 November to 23 December and again from 27 to 31 December, 10am to 3.30pm, and shut from 1 January until it reopens in the spring.
The day
Blair Drummond
A full day: the drive-through reserves first while they are open, then on foot round the giraffes, the chimps and the sea lions, timed round the day's talks and displays.
About five hoursAbout 2 miles on foot
Blair Drummond Safari & Adventure Park
An attraction
Blair Drummond Safari Park is off the A84 between Stirling and Doune, signed from junction 10 of the M9, with free parking. Every ticket is booked online before you go and can't be refunded or changed. At the time of writing it's £23.50 for adults, £20.25 for seniors and students and £16.50 for children aged 3 to 15, with under-3s free; in November and from 27 to 31 December it's £16 and £11. It's open every day until 31 October, 10am to 5.30pm (last entry 4.30pm). In November it opens on Fridays to Sundays only, 10am to 3.30pm. Its Christmas event runs from 27 November to 23 December, and it opens again from 27 to 31 December, at the same hours, then shuts until the new season in the spring. The drive-through reserves, with the lions, rhinos, camels and macaques, take about 30 minutes in your own car (no soft-tops in the lion and macaque reserves). They are closed in November and December, when most of the animals can still be seen on foot. On foot, raised platforms put you eye to eye with the giraffes, lions and tigers, and the chimps live on their own island. The sea lions train at 1pm and 3pm, and the lemurs, wallabies and maras roam free in Lemur Land. The bird of prey display flies at 12pm, 2pm and 4pm in the long season; on the shorter winter days, check the day's times on arrival. Children have the adventure playground, the dinosaur forest, the pets' farm, and go-karts and pedal boats at no extra cost. Food is from the restaurant and kiosks, and there are covered picnic areas. Dogs can't come into the park, but there are kennels by the ticket office: bring bedding, a bowl and a £1 coin for the lock. You can go out to walk the dog during the day.
If it rains
The sea lion demonstrations are indoors and there are covered picnic areas and a restaurant; most of the park is outdoors, so bring waterproofs.
Where to stay
Photographs by Andrew Douglas and stephen fruzynski via Google