New Safari Lodges Are As Close As You Can Get To Living Among Exotic Animals

Updated September 6, 2021

Depending on where you live, you might find that within an hour's drive or two there's a safari park. If you've never been to one of these, they provide a chance to see animals up close that you'd otherwise need to travel all the way to Africa to catch a glimpse of.

But as fun as these parks can be, you might find that they're not all that worth it if they require you to take your own vehicle through the grounds. To put it mildly, the animals don't have a lot of respect for your vehicle and you might find it'll have a few missing pieces by the time you're done.

And while there are a few ways to work around that hassle, none of them seem as cozy as the plot of safari lodges that have recently opened up in the U.K.

At West Midland Safari Park in Bewdley, England, there are now eight luxury lodges that allow guests to stay overnight in the company of some majestic creatures.

Facebook | West Midland Safari Park

According to Birmingham Live, these were originally supposed to open during the summer of 2020 but the park announced that the day finally came on April 20.

The pandemic does have a way of complicating things, doesn't it?

There are eight lodges in all, which are split between cheetah and elephant lodges.

Facebook | West Midland Safari Park

According to a Facebook post by the park, the cheetah lodges accommodate up to six people and feature massive windows like the one you see here that provide a panoramic view of the cheetahs as they run and play.

As Birmingham Live reported, there are two of these lodges and they're single-story affairs with floor-to-ceiling windows running along one side of the building. In all likelihood, the cheetahs you'll see through them will be Azrael and Bappe here.

The six elephant lodges are a little different in that they have two stories with thatched roofs and large balconies equipped with outdoor seating.

Facebook | West Midland Safari Park

As the park's post mentioned, these sleep up to five guests and include open concept living spaces that include a lounge, a kitchenette, and a dining area.

And it's clear from this photo that the idea the park had to get the best possible view of the elephants was to put large pools like this one in front of the lodges.

In addition to these views of your exotic animal of choice, it seems that breakfast and dinner are both included at these lodges.

Facebook | West Midland Safari Park

According to Birmingham Live, the price of staying at the lodge should also include admission to the Safari Park's other attractions.

And considering that this price ranges from the equivalent of $248-$449 per adult and $210-$172 — depending on the time of year — that looks like the least they could do.

The lodges also come with amenities we tend to expect from hotels nowadays such as free wifi, TVs, a coffee machine, and a minibar. They also feature local produce as snacks.

Unfortunately, it seems that you'll still have to wait if you're raring to head over there.

Facebook | West Midland Safari Park

As the park mentioned on Facebook, the lodges are booked solid for the rest of 2021. So if you book a trip now, you'll likely find that it will actually take place in 2022 at the earliest.

Nonetheless, you can do so here.

h/t: Birmingham Live, Facebook | West Midland Safari Park

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