Day 3 Longleat Safari Park

On day 3 of holiday we took the boys to Longleat Safari Park. This was still a 2 hour trek from Minehead but my was it worth it. Longleat is absolutely stunning. We all had a fantastic day out and took hundreds of pictures. So today's blog update is a bit of a picture feast, but rest assured this is only a snippet of the total pictures!

So upon arrival we stretched our legs then prepared the car for the safari by moving some seats so that the boys can move around the car and more importantly, removed the aerial. So on we headed into the safari park on our own little Jurassic Park style adventure.

The first animals we came across was a large heard of zebras and giraffes.

Then it was into the monkey section which pretty much became the highlight of the holiday. Within seconds of driving in we had monkeys jumping on the car and Joshua and Brandon found it very amusing. They tried to grab the wipers but failed dismally. But then one crafty little bugger bit the black washer jet, ripping it from the bonnet and then sat there chewing through the wire and water pipe. Brandon was livid and kept on saying "naughty monkey bit our red car" over and over. If he could have got his hands on that monkey we would have seen a "Night At The Museum" style monkey bitch slapping session!

Once we realised that the car was actually getting damaged we started banging on the window screen in order to scare the monkey. However he simply strolled around the waistline of the car and promptly attacked the rear wiper.

After finally ridding the car of destructive monkeys we moved on through the safari.

These deers were extremely tame and came right up to your car windows allowing you to hand feed them.

As we were only creeping through the safari park in first gear, both boys took turns sitting on my lap and steering the car along the route. Everyone knows just how much Brandon loves his cars so to drive our red car was a real treat for a 2 year old!

Only one elephant in the safari park, but we managed to get up real close.

We then moved into the big cats, starting with the tigers. What stunning animals and where else can you get so close to such beautiful animals.

Looks like the road ahead is blocked. Lets let Mummy get out and clear the way this time!!!

The lions were equally impressive.

This shot looks like a scene out of a Will Smith movie. Where can you go and see a big male lion standing on the middle of the road.

Joshua was taking his turn at driving.

After the big cats Joshie drove is through the wolf enclosure. Again stunning animals and kind of reminds you of New Moon as you drive through.

Once we finished in the actual safari we headed over to the Longleat house where they have even more attractions including a kids water park. This was absolutely hilarious and the boys got completely soaked. Poor Brandon's timing was completely off and rather than avoiding the water jets he was blatantly running straight through them.

There are more animals to see around the grounds of Longleat. Check out this rock lizard bridge. Can you spot Joshua and Brandon hiding underneath his chin.

Its great that you can interact with so many animals at longleat. Here we got the opportunity to hand feed some nectar juice to some lovely little parrots.

And if you thought the boys were being brave getting close to the parrots then check out the next two pictures. Brandon fearlessly diving in and stroking a 4ft long corn snake.

What with the water park, play area and train rides there is so much for children to do at Longleat. They even have a Postman Pat World inside the grounds.

Joshua and Brandon with Postman Pat and his cat.

This is the large play castle with numerous slides and climbing frames attached. No surprises that even Brandon made it to the top and came down the biggest slide.

Finally we got around to taking the boat ride around the Longleat Lake where you are treated to the seals, the hippos and the star attraction - the 50 year old gorilla. The seals were very playful along side the boat.

Here is the 50 year old gorilla sitting outside his house on the lakes island.

The hippos were tucked away under the water, but given how dangerous these beasts are, then maybe that is the best place for them.

That's until dentist Joshua gets to inspect the hippos teeth.