Woburn Safari Park

What Woburn Safari Park does

Woburn Safari Park is a privately-held drive-through wildlife park located in Bedfordshire, United Kingdom, operated by Woburn Enterprises Ltd as part of The Bedford Estates portfolio. Founded in 1970, the park spans over 360 acres of parkland and is home to more than 75 species of exotic and endangered animals, including critically endangered Nubian giraffe, Amur tigers, Southern white rhinos, African lions, and Asian elephants. The core product combines a self-drive Road Safari allowing unlimited vehicle circuits through animal reserves, a walk-through Foot Safari with keeper talks, and supplementary leisure attractions including a miniature railway, high ropes course, and play areas.

The business operates a direct-to-consumer model generating revenue across seven streams: day tickets and admission, premium VIP wildlife encounters (priced at £149 for the first person plus £75-79 per additional person), animal adoption subscriptions at £54.99, annual passes, Safari Lodge venue hire for corporate and private events, an e-commerce gift shop, and educational holiday workshops. The park serves five distinct customer segments: families with children (primary), schools and educational groups, corporate clients, private event celebrants, and conservation-minded animal supporters.

Operationally, the park participates in EAZA European Endangered Species Programme (EEP) breeding programmes with over 100 years of conservation heritage on the Woburn estate, and has launched multiple new attractions in 2025 including the UK's first SEND-inclusive zoo classroom, the Giraffe Meadow habitat, and the Little Ranger Rovers children's driving experience. Distribution is primarily direct via online booking and gate sales, supplemented by phone/email bookings for VIP experiences and a dedicated events team for corporate venue hire.

Name

Woburn Safari Park

Legal name

Woburn Enterprises Ltd

Website

https://woburnsafari.co.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wildlife Park and Safari Attractions

NAICS

Zoos and Botanical Gardens (71213), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Safari Parks & Drive-Through Wildlife Parks (THAAAFAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wildlife Safaris & Game Drives (THAJAIAB), Safari & Overland Wildlife Adventures (4x4/Jeep) (THAJABAD), Safari & Game Drives (Land-Based) (THAAAEAC), Safari Lodges (Big Five/Game Reserves) (THAGAIAA)

Keywords

• Drive-through safari
• Wildlife park experiences
• Endangered species breeding
• VIP animal encounters
• Educational zoo visits

Headquarters

HQ city

Woburn

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Day Tickets and Admission: Core revenue from sale of timed-entry safari day tickets for Road Safari, Foot Safari, and leisure activities. Tickets available online or at gate.
2. VIP Wildlife Experiences: Premium up-close animal encounters with giraffes, rhinos, lions, and tigers conducted via VIP Land Rovers or inside animal houses. Priced at £149 for first person plus £75-79 per additional person.
3. Animal Adoptions: Adoption packages for lions, tigers, giraffes, and elephants priced at £54.99. Includes personalised certificate, admission ticket, selection of goodies, and 5-inch cuddly toy. Valid for 12 months.
4. Annual Passes: Unlimited entry passes for 12 months with additional benefits, providing recurring revenue from returning visitors.
5. Venue Hire and Event Services: Safari Lodge venue hire for Christmas events, weddings, conferences, corporate events, parties, proms, family fun days, and bespoke events. Includes in-house caterers and dedicated events team.
6. Gift Shop and Retail: Gift shop selling animal adoptions, gift tickets, animal enrichment gifts, holiday workshop vouchers, and VIP experience gifts.
7. Holiday Workshops: Educational workshop programmes for children during holidays and weekends, providing hands-on animal themed activities and behind-the-scenes experiences.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Woburn Safari Park operates a drive-through wildlife park offering a self-drive Road Safari and walk-through Foot Safari featuring 75+ species of exotic and endangered animals across 360+ acres. The park sells timed-entry day tickets, premium VIP off-road Land Rover encounters, annual passes, animal adoption packages, Safari Lodge venue hire for corporate and private events, and structured educational programs including the UK's first SEND-inclusive zoo classroom.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Road Safari Drive-Through Experience
• Foot Safari Walk-Through Experience
• VIP Wildlife Encounter Experiences
• Animal Adoption Packages
• Annual Pass Membership
• Safari Lodge Venue Hire
• Educational Visits and School Trip Programmes
• Holiday and Weekend Educational Workshops
• SENse the Safari SEND Inclusive Classroom
• Little Ranger Rovers Leisure Attraction
• Giraffe Meadow Habitat
• Woburn Safari Park Gift Shop

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 360 acres of parkland with over 75 species of exotic and endangered animals
• +2 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• West Midlands Safari ParkminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2024Granville the Southern white rhino arrived at Woburn Safari Park in August 2024 from West Midlands Safari Park as part of a breeding programme to welcome rhino calves in the future.
• Ownehand Zoo (Netherlands)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2009Casper the male Nubian giraffe was born at Ownehand Zoo in the Netherlands on 9th December 2003 and moved to Woburn in June 2009 as part of the European Endangered Species Programme for this critically endangered subspecies.
• West Bengal Elephant Conservation (India)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1997Raja the Asian elephant, along with Damini and Chandrika, arrived at Woburn in 1997 from West Bengal in India. They were part of a family group of seven calves, demonstrating international collaboration in elephant conservation.
• Longleat Safari ParkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGinger Biscuit, a rare Amur tiger, joined Woburn Safari Park from Longleat in 2025 as part of an international conservation programme. She was raised alongside her sisters at Longleat.
• EAZA (European Association of Zoos and Aquaria)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWoburn Safari Park is an EAZA-accredited zoo participating in the European Endangered Species Programme (EEP) and European Studbook (ESB) for captive management of endangered species, including breeding recommendations and animal transfers between zoos.
• Bongo Surveillance ProgrammeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWoburn Safari Park supports the Bongo Surveillance Programme, a charity dedicated to protecting the future of the critically endangered Eastern mountain bongo.
• The Bedford EstatescoreOthersWoburn Safari Park forms part of Woburn Enterprises Ltd and is owned and operated as part of The Bedford Estates portfolio of properties including Woburn Abbey, the 50-years Woburn Safari Park brand, and various leisure and hospitality operations.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Edinburgh Zoo: Edinburgh Zoo is Scotland's principal wildlife attraction, operated by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, with EAZA breeding programmes including for Amur tigers. Comparable to Woburn on conservation and family leisure but operates in a different geography.
• Dublin Zoo: Dublin Zoo is a major EAZA-accredited zoo in Ireland with strong conservation and education programming. Comparable to Woburn on animal exhibits, education focus, and family visitor base, but operates in a different geographic market.
• Marwell Zoo: Marwell Zoo in Hampshire is a UK zoo with EAZA-accredited conservation programmes and a focus on endangered species. It serves a similar family and school-visit audience but is a smaller-scale regional alternative to Woburn.

Broad incumbents

• Whipsnade Zoo: Whipsnade Zoo is the UK's largest zoo by area, operated by the Zoological Society of London, and is a broad wildlife attraction incumbent. While not drive-through, it competes for UK family visitors and operates comparable EAZA conservation breeding programmes.
• Chester Zoo: Chester Zoo is the UK's largest and most-visited zoo, operating as a charity with extensive conservation and EAZA breeding programmes. It is a broader incumbent in the UK wildlife attraction category but is walk-through only, not a direct drive-through safari competitor.

Direct peers

• Flamingo Land: Flamingo Land in North Yorkshire combines a zoo with a theme park and holiday resort, targeting the same UK family leisure market as Woburn. It overlaps on animal exhibits, leisure attractions, and venue hire for events.
• Longleat Safari Park: Longleat is the UK's most established drive-through safari park, operating from the Longleat estate in Wiltshire. It is the most direct competitor to Woburn, offering a similar self-drive big game experience and exchanging breeding animals with Woburn (Ginger Biscuit the Amur tiger moved from Longleat to Woburn in 2025).
• Knowsley Safari Park: Knowsley Safari Park in Merseyside operates a drive-through safari plus foot safari and is part of the same UK safari park peer group. It competes directly with Woburn for family day-trip visitors and annual pass buyers in the UK market.
• West Midlands Safari Park: West Midlands Safari Park is a drive-through safari park in Worcestershire with a similar four-mile road safari, foot safari, and theme park elements. It is a direct competitor and breeding-programme partner (Granville the rhino moved from West Midlands to Woburn in 2024).
• Yorkshire Wildlife Park: Yorkshire Wildlife Park is a large UK walk-through wildlife park focused on conservation of endangered species with animal reserves and walk-through areas. Comparable to Woburn's Foot Safari experience and competes for the same UK family-leisure audience.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@WoburnSafariPark
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/woburn-safari-park

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Woburn Safari Park