Lions, giraffes, dinosaurs and Santa! Our review of Santa Safari and ice-skating at West Midland Safari Park

This is the third year we have headed for a festive trip to West Midland Safari Park's Santa Safari and that in itself speaks for itself.

It takes for a really special Christmas experience to make a family wish to return the following year – and it's quite simply because this one has it all.

This year has something extra special too - there's Santa's grotto, the animal drive-thru and all the other usual parts of the Kidderminster attraction, but this time there's ice-skating too.

Visitors can chose whether to drive the four-mile safari first or to park up and head to the magical winter grotto or the Safari Skating area.

Santa is based in the middle of a festive dreamland. It’s decked out from wall to ceiling with snow, elves and all the singing, dancing creatures of the North Pole.

But to start with an elf leads the excited crowds into Santa’s sleigh for an animated ride where two moving reindeer jump into action and the walls change as it heads into the North Pole.

There’s time for a chat and a photo with Santa before heading into the humongous elf workshop to choose a present.

There’s also an area to write and post any outstanding letters to Santa and a chance to grab your complimentary drink and mince pie (or cookie) at Mrs Claus's Kitchen.

The whole attraction has been decked out for the festive season – there's snow and Christmas music everywhere.

Then there’s the penguins, the reptile house, creepy crawly area, Land of the Living Dinosaurs, the walk through Lorikeet Landing, the Lemur Woods in the African Village, the hippos in their pool and the bat cave.

We also managed to catch the Sea Lion show for the first time which made the children's eyes light up.

This festive extravaganza is a day of jam-packed, Christmas fun for everyone – even the adults.

The children loved hoping on Santa's sleigh which was obviously pulled by Zebra.

From November 24 and running daily until Christmas Eve, guests will have the chance to see Santa during the day, or on selected dates, visit Santa in his grotto during the evening.

The ice skating element is a really good idea. The little ones loved it and there's push along aids for younger children. There's a separate area with shop, refreshments, boot hire and you get a 45 minute session.

The rink is eco-friendly so doesn’t require any water or energy, meaning there's not a soggy bottom in sight.

We also enjoyed the virtual reality sleigh ride - a magical 4D adventure to the North Pole.

Guests can choose to purchase a skating only ticket or add Safari Skating on to their Santa Safari or winter visit. For full prices, which can be broken down into separate parts, visit the attraction's website below.

The most special part of a Christmas trip to the Safari Park is that even without the festive elements, the little ones simply love seeing the animals on 'safari'.So when you add all things Santa and magic to the mix it becomes a really exciting day out for the whole family.

Book tickets or for more information visit wmsp.co.uk/tickets