Beekse Bergen – African Safari In Europe

There’s a piece of Africa in Europe, where you can not only watch the African wild animals close by, but also live next to them and literally greet them from the porch of your bungalow with European comforts.

With all that and frequent playgrounds, cafes and a swimming pool, both for adults and children, it’s a paradise for everyone, especially for the kids and animals – lovers.

Read on to know what I’m talking about.

This place is called Beekse Bergen and it’s a complex of a 4 parts: a Safari Park and Resort, Camping and Playland. It’s situated in the South of the Netherlands, near Tilburg.

The main attraction of Beekse Bergen is obviously the Safari Park.

What to do at the Safari Park?

The territory is quite big and during our stay there were 2 main activities, even 3: a Drive Safari, Walk Safari and… playgrounds – various, numerous, frequent and making the journey for the little kids double enjoyable.

Drive Safari

During the Drive Safari you can see most of the animals close by behind the CLOSED window of your car. Why capslock here? Well, not everybody understands the frequent signs to keep the windows closed and there was an accident when a family was attacked by Cheetahs.

Don’t leave you car and you’ll have a great experience, your car can even get licked by a giraffe or pecked by an ostrich, as it happened to us. It was fun.

Walking Safari

That’s for even more fun, fresh air and deeper experience.

And exercise, of course. Your trail will be winding between the large enclosures with elephants, giraffes, gazelles, big and dangerous cats and many more and interrupted by playgrounds and a few eateries.

Outside of pandemic times you can also hop on a bus or boat and enjoy the guided tour.

Safari Resort

In the Safari resort you can stay overnight and watch wild animals from your porch, listen to the lions and seals roaring at night and waking up to the birds singing.

How much time to plan at Beekse Bergen?

You can either go for one day and enjoy the Safari or Playland, or – for the full experience – spend there a couple of nights and enjoy the Safari to the fullest:

Waking up to the birds singing, letting the kids play outside, while the breakfast is cooking, watching wild animals in their natural setting during the day, bumping into numerous playgrounds on the way during the walking safari and staying there for a while, and in the evening – sipping tea (or whatever you’ve got) listening to the lions’ roar or sea lions’ barking and falling asleep to the frogs singing (or rain drumming on the roof).

We went there as 2 families with 3 little kids (3, 2 and 1 year olds) and our pace and mobility was limited. 

So we decided to spend 3 nights there which was perfect for us: thus we had time to explore the Safari resort and park without hurrying and stress (remember about the playgrounds, right?).

Staying for longer should also be fine, especially with the kids, especially if you choose the right type of accommodation.

There are several types of accommodation at Beekse bergen:

Lodges overlooking the animals‘ enclosures so that you can greet them every morning and the rest of the day. It’s not the best option for toddlers as they would need to be constantly watched. But should be a great experience otherwise.

Tent houses – houses with all conveniences and tent walls.

Tree houses (not as cool as the one we visited in Costa Rica but should be fun too).

Kids lodges – colourfully painted bungalows, encircling a spacious, enclosed playground, where you can leave your kids and relax without worrying about their safety.

What accommodation is best at Beekse Bergen Safari Resort if you’re starting there with kids?

You’ve probably guessed it.

For us it became the Kids Lodge, a 3 bedroom bungalow with 2 bathrooms, the safest and most fun option. 

The lodge has it all: comfortable beds, stylish furniture, essentials, cleaning equipment, TV and music and even a cot, a high chair, a baby bathtub and a buggy for the kids. The shower was a hit.

If (though rather WHEN) we go to Beekse Bergen again, next time we’ll be booking a Kids Lodge too.

And how about you? Would you like to have an accommodation with a playground in front or with a view to the animals?

If you have any questions after reading this post, we’ll be happy to answer them in the comments.