We visited Blair Drummond Safari Park on a dreary day on an otherwise sunny week in Scotland. The attached campsite made an excellent base for the week, and we borrowed a car to check out the safari section of the safari park. It wasn’t my favourite zoo for many reasons, but it made an enjoyable day out for the two Travels with Ted children and their cousin.
Vehicle Safari
Unless you choose otherwise, you will start your trip to Blair Drummond Safari Park with the drive-thru safari. This driving safari has all the classics, including lions, rhino and, of course, car-destroying macaques. The safari passes through four enclosures and doesn’t take as long as other zoo driving safaris. It is a gimmick that will get the kids excited but not worth making a special detour to this zoo to experience.
Playgrounds and Food Options
The kids would quite happily have spent most of the day on the enormous adventure playground. The two older ones (age 5 and 6) raced from bottom to top repeatedly. The smallest (age 4) preferred the pirate ship and fairy trail.
There are numerous food options around the play area and dinosaurs. Whether you want a coffee and cake or a pizza, there is something for you.
Animals at Blair Drummond
The Safari Park has a good range of different animals. All the high-end African giants are present. At the other end of the scale from rhinos and elephants is the petting farm with goats, pigs and rabbits. The sea lions, in particular, were a big hit with the children.
The bird show was also terrific, although a little stunted due to the poor weather. There were plenty of opportunities to get up close to the beautiful birds.
Blair Drummond’s Dinosaurs
The dinosaurs are one of the newest attractions at Blair Drummond, and the displays are some of the better ones I have seen. (We are experts – see this post on the Best Dinosaur Attractions in the UK.) The trail had all the classics, including a T-rex and oversized velociraptors. The children especially enjoyed the photo-ops at the end of the dinosaur walk.
Fairground
As soon as you exit your car from the drive-thru safari, you are hit with a cacophony of fairground rides. The rides cost extra, so we hurried the children past and towards the animals. If you want to ride a mini rollercoaster or go on the teacups, the option is there.
Other Rides and Attractions
Blair Drummond Safari Park features several other free attractions. Some help you get closer to the animals, while others are just for fun. The children couldn’t resist a boat ride, so we took out a pedalo, just in time for a heavy rain shower.
You will discover lots of little educational displays, many of which are interactive. Photo-ops are also sprinkled throughout the zoo.
Many of the extras were closed during our visit due to Covid restrictions, including the boat ride to see the chimpanzees. The cynic in me couldn’t help but note that the expensive to run free attractions were closed while the fairground rides were very much open.
Is Blair Drummond Safari Park Worth Visiting?
The big plus points for Blair Drummond were its impressive playgrounds and the dinosaur trail. It is worth a visit if you think you will spend a lot of time on these. The animals were also good, but nothing exceptional that I haven’t seen at other zoos. The drive-thru safari was also not as good as others I have experienced. The other attractions were disappointing, although this might have been different if more of them had been open.
