Work begins on new safari park lodges
Work has started at West Midland Safari Park on the second phase of their luxury accommodation offering – including overnight stays with giraffes and white rhinos.
Planning permission was granted last week, meaning the Bewdley attraction can now press ahead with building eight two-storey lodges, which will be integrated into the white rhino and giraffe habitats.
The white rhino lodges will sleep four people and will be the only experience of its kind in the UK. The ground floor will provide an open-plan living space with a balcony with views of the rhinos.
Two bedrooms and a bathroom will be located on the first floor, along with a balcony providing panoramic views of the rhinos and safari.
In the giraffe lodges, guests will be able to come eye-to-eye with the parks tower of eight giraffes from the balcony of the first floor – where there is a living room, kitchenette and dining room. A bathroom and two bedrooms will be downstairs – sleeping up to four people.
The new lodges will also enable the park to update and improve the habitats of the animals, giving them 24-hour access to both their indoor and outdoor environments.
Chris Kelly, managing director, said: "We are thrilled that planning has been granted for the next stage of our development. This will see new habitats, housing and facilities being built for our giraffes and white rhinos, enabling our brilliant team of wildlife keepers to continue the high standard of care they provide for our animals.
"Alongside the new animal facilities, we will be installing eight new lodges, four of which will offer spectacular views of the white rhinos, with the other half bringing you face-to-face with our beautiful giraffes, from the second-storey balconies.
"We are hoping that we have the same guest reaction for the new lodges as we had for our elephant and cheetah lodges and our Red Panda Cottages, which has been outstanding. We look forward to releasing more information on booking and an opening date, later in the year."
White rhino and Rothschild's giraffe are classified as "near threatened" by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), with both species facing threats in the wild such as poaching and habitat loss.
As well as the new accommodation and habitats for the animals, the Safari Park will also be installing pathways so that day guests can go to see the giraffes and African elephants on foot – a first for the park in its 44-year history. These will be accessible from the current walk-through areas.
The new lodges will be integrated into the four-mile safari and will sit alongside the elephant and cheetah lodges which opened earlier this year. More recently, the park opened two Red Panda Cottages, which still have some dates available for 2022.
Safari Lodges short breaks include breakfast and dinner, views of the animals, admission to the park for two days and theme park wristbands, during the summer season.
Bosses hope that bookings for the new lodges will be available by the end of the year.
