Knuthenborg Safaripark

What Knuthenborg Safaripark does

Knuthenborg Safaripark, legally operating as Hippotigris ApS, is a privately held safari park and zoological attraction located in Maribo on the Danish island of Lolland. Founded as an estate in 1870 and opened as a safari park in 1969, the property spans more than 400 hectares and houses over 500 wild animals across naturalistic enclosures, including tigers, lions, elephants, giraffes, wolves, bison, and, as of 2026, six Asiatic black bears rescued from South Korean bile farms in a first-of-its-kind European relocation. The core product portfolio comprises four integrated attractions: the drive-through safari park; the Evolution Museum, a paleontology venue featuring world-class fossils developed with the University of Utah; the Dinosaurskoven outdoor dinosaur forest; and Limpopoland/Abeskoven amusement and play zones. These are supplemented by on-site overnight accommodations (seven themed camps), corporate conference and event venues, group visit packages, structured school programs launching in 2026/27, and on-site dining and retail.

The business operates as a direct-to-consumer attraction selling day tickets (from 259 DKK), season and family passes, camp stays, and gift cards through its owned e-commerce platform, with a parallel B2B sales channel for corporate conferences and institutional groups. Revenue is generated from eight streams spanning ticketing, subscriptions, accommodation, F&B, group packages, conferences, gift cards, and educational programs. The park is seasonal, operating April through October, and is supported by partnerships with Dyrenes Beskyttelse, EAZA, the University of Utah, Bears in Mind, the Korean Animal Welfare Association, and Realdania. The company is EAZA-accredited, annually licensed by Fødevarestyrelsen, and has committed to energy self-sufficiency by 2029. It has 51-100 employees, attracted 313,000 visitors in 2024, and was named Denmark's Best Amusement Park at the 2025 Danish Travel Awards.

No proprietary technology platform underpins the business; operations rely on standard e-commerce infrastructure (Quickpay payment processing) and conventional digital marketing tools (Google DoubleClick, Facebook Pixel). The core competitive position rests on physical scale, regulatory zoo licensing, the paleontological fossil collection, the international breeding and conservation network, and brand recognition in the Danish leisure market rather than on any technology moat.

Name

Knuthenborg Safaripark

Legal name

Hippotigris ApS

Website

https://knuthenborg.dk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1870

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Knuthenborg Safaripark is a privately held Danish safari park on Lolland operating 400+ hectares with 500+ animals, a paleontology museum, amusement zones, and themed overnight camps. It serves families, schools, corporate groups, and institutional visitors through direct ticketing, season passes, conferences, and educational programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wildlife Safari Park & Zoo

NAICS

Zoos and Botanical Gardens (71213), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190)

akta.pro primary industry

Safari Parks & Drive-Through Wildlife Parks (THAAAFAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wildlife Safaris & Game Drives (THAJAIAB), Safari Camps & Tented Lodges (THAGAOAF), Safari & Wilderness Luxury Resorts (THAGACAD)

Keywords

• Safari park attractions
• Wildlife conservation zoo
• Paleontology museum exhibits
• Amusement park experiences
• Educational nature programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Maribo

HQ country

Denmark

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Day tickets and flex tickets: Single-entry tickets granting access to the entire safari park including Limpopoland during regular opening hours. Flex tickets are season-specific. Non-refundable.
2. Season passes: Annual passes valid from April through October, providing unlimited park access with various discounts on food, souvenirs, and events. Includes 10% camp discount.
3. Family passes: Limited-period online-only passes valid for one season, allowing up to 4 additional persons in same vehicle. Non-refundable.
4. Camp accommodations: Overnight stays in safari tents and cabins throughout the park, including park entry on arrival and departure days. Variable pricing by season and day. 10% camp discount for season pass holders.
5. Conference and group packages: Full-day or multi-day conference packages with venue hire, meals, accommodation in safari camps, and optional guided tours. Prices from 745 DKK per person (day meetings) and from 1,995 DKK per person (overnight conferences).
6. Food and beverage: Multiple dining outlets including Restaurant Flintehuset, Spisehus Mombasa, Abecafét, and Pangea shop. Campers can pre-order food packages. Group catering available.
7. Gift cards: Digital gift cards valid for 3 years for park entry, season/family passes, camp stays, and on-site dining and retail.
8. Educational programs: School programs at 2,500 DKK per class focusing on biodiversity, conservation, and species reintroduction. Includes full-day curriculum with 7 modules.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Knuthenborg Safaripark operates Northern Europe's largest safari park on a 400+ hectare estate in Maribo, Denmark, housing 500+ wild animals in naturalistic enclosures. Its offering combines a drive-through safari park, the Evolutionsmuseet paleontology museum with real dinosaur skeletons, the Dinosaurskoven dinosaur forest, Limpopoland amusement area with Denmark's tallest water slide, overnight safari camping, dining outlets, gift cards, and dedicated school and corporate programming.

Product overview

Knuthenborg Safaripark is a unified zoo, safari park, and amusement destination (the legal entity is Hippotigris ApS). Its core portfolio is organized around four pillars: (1) the Safari Park and animal enclosures — Northern Europe's largest safari park with ~500 wild animals; (2) Evolutionsmuseet, a world-class paleontology museum with real dinosaur skeletons and research partnerships with the University of Utah; (3) Dinosaurskoven, an immersive outdoor dinosaur forest with near-lifelike animatronic exhibits; and (4) Limpopoland and Abeskoven, amusement and play zones. These core attractions are supported by ancillary services including Knuthenborg Camp (overnight safari accommodation), Knuthenborg Business (conference and corporate event venues), Gruppeture (group visit packages), Undervisning (school educational programs), and dining/retail outlets. The park also offers a tiered ticketing system (day tickets, season passes, family passes, institution passes) and gift cards as consumer products. A notable 2026 launch is the Bear Forest habitat housing six former bile bears rescued from South Korea — the first such relocation to Europe.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Safari Park / Dyreområderne

Quantifiable outcome

• 313,000 visitors in 2024 with 150,000 museum visitors
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Dyrenes Beskyttelse (Danish Animal Protection)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership focused on animal welfare and rescue animal placement. Knuthenborg accepts retired circus animals and rescue animals in collaboration with Dyrenes Beskyttelse. Also facilitated contact with Korean Animal Welfare Association for bile bear rescue mission.
• EAZA (European Association of Zoos and Aquaria)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational breeding collaboration for endangered species protection. Park exchanges animals with other European zoos to improve genetic diversity and support species survival. Aim to eventually reintroduce species to natural habitats.
• University of UtahcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPaleontological research partnership. Professor Mark Loewen from Department of Geology and Geophysics is permanently affiliated with Knuthenborg's Evolution Museum. International researchers contribute to study of world-famous fossils.
• Bears in Mind (Netherlands)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDutch NGO specializing in bear welfare. Co-coordinator of the bile bear rescue initiative alongside Dyrenes Beskyttelse. Provided expertise for design and operation of bear rescue facility.
• Korean Animal Welfare Association (KAWA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInitiated contact in 2024 that led to bile bear rescue mission. Korean partner managed bear extraction from bile farms and coordination with South Korean authorities and veterinarians for relocation.
• Chungbuk National UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessor Dong-Hyuk Jeong from Chungbuk National University participated in bile bear rescue mission, providing academic and veterinary expertise for the international relocation.
• CargoluxminorOthersInternational cargo airline that transported the six bile bears from South Korea to Denmark as part of the rescue mission logistics.
• Miljøstyrelsen (Danish Environmental Protection Agency)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on wild boar release in Merretskov forest (~200 hectares). Wild boar improve biotope and support ecosystem by increasing insect populations for bats.
• RealdaniaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-developed 100-year biodiversity plan for the park. Partnership ensures long-term preservation of the estate's natural values and development trajectory.
• Fødevarestyrelsen (Danish Veterinary and Food Administration)minorOthersAnnual licensing and approval authority for the zoo operation. Located in Glostrup, Copenhagen.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Copenhagen Zoo: Major Danish zoological institution with EAZA membership, conservation programs, and educational offerings. Comparable in regulatory, breeding program, and school-program dimensions, though urban-located rather than drive-through.
• Serengeti Park Hodenhagen: Germany's largest safari/drive-through wildlife park with on-site lodging and amusement attractions. Closest international structural comparable: drive-through safari + resort-style accommodations + rides.
• Djurs Sommerland: Denmark's largest amusement park with seasonal pass model and family focus. Comparable on Danish family leisure market, season pass structure, and Denmark's Best Amusement Park award category.
• Kolmården Zoo: Sweden's largest zoo combining wildlife enclosures, amusement rides, and overnight accommodations (Safari Hotel). Direct comparable on integrated safari + amusement + lodging model.
• Skandinavisk Dyrepark: Danish wildlife park in Jutland featuring Nordic and exotic animals with family attractions and overnight stays. Direct competitor for Danish family leisure days and seasonal pass holders.
• Ree Park Safari: Danish drive-through safari park (formerly Givskud Zoo) located in Jutland. Most direct comparable in terms of safari park format, EAZA membership, and Danish family day-trip market.

Broad incumbents

• Tivoli Gardens: Historic Copenhagen amusement park and Denmark's most-visited attraction. Competes for inbound tourism and family leisure budgets in Denmark; broader entertainment brand but weaker wildlife/conservation positioning.
• Legoland Billund: Denmark's flagship theme park and major competitor for family day-trip spend in Denmark. Broader brand and scale, but competes for the same Danish family segment and seasonal visitors.

Regional players

• Nordens Ark: Swedish conservation-focused wildlife park with EAZA participation and breeding programs. Comparable on conservation mission and Nordic family demographic, though smaller scale and not drive-through.

Emerging players

• Parque de la Naturaleza de Cabárceno: Spanish semi-free-roam wildlife park on a large natural estate with drive-through areas and educational programs. Comparable in scale (~750 hectares) and drive-through safari park format.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCwWfJYpwH16I1YKC_rqy_NQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/Knuthenborgdk
• Instagraminstagram.com/knuthenborg/?hl=da
• Xx.com/knuthenborg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/knuthenborgsafaripark

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Knuthenborg Safaripark