Safari Parks in Denmark: Knuthenborg, Givskud or Ree Park?

Pick by where you are staying and whether you have a car. In Denmark, Knuthenborg on Lolland calls itself Northern Europe's largest safari park, and you drive its 400 hectares in your own car; Givskud Zoo, 20 km from Billund, pairs a drive-through safari with 6 km of walking paths. At Ree Park near Ebeltoft you walk, and the savannah comes by guided Land Rover.

Which safari park to choose

The three parks differ most in how you see the animals. Knuthenborg is a long drive with stops to walk, Givskud is half drive and half walk, and Ree Park is a walk with optional rides.

Knuthenborg: the biggest drive

Knuthenborg calls itself Northern Europe's largest safari park, with 500 wild animals in large natural habitats. The safari park alone covers 400 hectares of a 660-hectare estate, and the roads inside add up to 23 km. You drive your own car between the areas and park to walk in Limpopoland, Dinosaurskoven, the Museum of Evolution, Abeskoven and Tigerskoven.

On the savannah, among giraffes and rhinoceroses, you must not get out of the car under any circumstances. The elephants are the headline: Knuthenborg says it has Europe's largest and most advanced elephant facility, and its females are the last of Denmark's circus elephants, now retired. In Tigerskoven you leave the car and walk to see Siberian tigers and a pride of 8 lions, with four of the five males visible at a large panoramic window. On the Ulvestien trail you walk right through the Arctic wolves' enclosure.

This year brings new residents. Six Asiatic black bears rescued from bile farms in South Korea are moving in, and Knuthenborg is the first place in Europe to take former bile bears in this rescue. They are being introduced to their outdoor habitat from 3 July, and you may spot them from a new viewing point at Bjørneskoven.

Much of the park suits bicycles or walking, but enclosures with potentially dangerous animals admit only cars and buses, and Knuthenborg neither rents out cars nor drives visitors around.

Featured location Knuthenborg Park and Safari Lolland, Denmark WAZA-WP Over 500 animals of more than 40 species roam loose in zones matching their home ranges. About 300,000 people visited in 2023, making it one of Denmark's busiest attractions and the largest safari park in northern Europe. It is owned and directed by the present count, Christoffer Knuth.

Givskud Zoo: drive, then walk

Givskud opened in 1969 as the Lion Park, with lions as its only animals, and you still drive in among them today. One ticket covers three experiences, including a walking safari on 6 km of paths past spectacled bears, camels, wolves and gorillas. There is also a dinosaur park with more than 50 life-size dinosaurs.

The car safari runs through areas with animals from South America, North America and Africa, among them alpacas, American bison, antelopes, zebras and giraffes. Then comes the lions' territory:

Once you have closed your car windows and the sun-roof, you will be permitted to drive through a lock with double gates leading into the lions' territory.

You may repeat the tour as often as you like, and bringing your car in costs nothing extra.

2026 has been a big year here. In July Givskud announced lion cubs for the first time in four years, and in the drive-through enclosure you can now see a male, three females and their first litter of four cubs. On 29 July the gorilla Minnie gave birth; Givskud says it is the only zoo in Denmark with gorillas. It also has what it calls Europe's largest penguin facility, where you watch Humboldt penguins underwater. Its big new addition for 2026 is Safari Camp, due to open on 1 May, with luxury accommodation looking onto the savannah where giraffes, zebras and eland antelopes roam. Givskud recommends at least 5-6 hours to make the most of a visit.

Featured location Givskud Zoo Givskud, Denmark WAZAWAZA-WP The park was founded by Jacob Hansen. Richard Østerballe held the post of director from 2002 until May 2024. Animals on show include løver, dværgflodhest, girafferne and berberaberne.

Ree Park: on foot, with a Land Rover

Ree Park is a safari park in Ebeltoft on Djursland, on the Jutland peninsula, and it is the one you walk. You can see every animal on foot, from around 80 species from Africa, Asia, Europe, South America and North America. For the savannah, pay extra for the Land Rover Safari: a guide drives you in an open Land Rover close to rhinos, giraffes and ostriches, talking about the animals on the way. The Amerika Expressen train takes you out to bison, bears and wolves.

Nine cheetahs were born here in 2007, which made Ree Park one of Northern Europe's largest cheetah centres. New arrivals include dholes, Swinhoe's squirrels and pygmy marmosets, and a new 2,000-square-metre themed playground, Den lille dal, was created with Jakob Martin Strid.

Seeing every animal means walking a few kilometres. If you are short of time, the predator route passes all the carnivores in about 800 metres. The park overlooks Stubbe Sø, and Ebeltoft itself counts as part of Mols Bjerge National Park, so you can add a walk in the national park to the same trip.

Featured location Ree Park – Ebeltoft Safari Ebeltoft, Denmark The park proper runs to about 70 hectares, and with adjoining land in its ownership the holdings reach roughly 125 hectares. Frans Kilde Hansen started it in 1991 as Ebeltoft Dyrepark. Lars Thye took it over in 1993 and renamed it Ebeltoft Zoo, then intended as a nature park with grounds, play areas and animals to pet.

So which one?

Choose Knuthenborg for what it calls Northern Europe's largest safari park and a trip from Copenhagen: route E47 leads from Copenhagen to Lolland. Choose Givskud if you are based around Billund or Legoland and want both a drive and a long walk. Choose Ree Park if you are on Djursland or in Aarhus, or have no car.

Tickets and saving money

These prices were checked in September 2026.

• Knuthenborg: day tickets from DKK 159, the lowest price when you book online at least 7 days ahead; tickets are also sold at the entrance. Children aged 0-2 go free, and the Museum of Evolution is included.
• Givskud Zoo: DKK 260 for ages 12 and over and DKK 160 for children aged 3-11, with under-3s free. Your car comes in free, and the guided safari bus costs DKK 50 per person aged 3 and over.
• Ree Park: DKK 230 for adults and DKK 145 for children aged 3-11. The Land Rover Safari costs DKK 60 per person, and a combined safari and train ticket costs DKK 90 in low season or DKK 110 in the school summer holidays.

If you might come back, compare the passes. Knuthenborg's 2026 season pass costs DKK 499, the same for children and adults. Givskud's annual pass costs DKK 475 for ages 12 and over and DKK 275 for children aged 3-11, and includes four free visits to other zoos. Ree Park's REEKORT, valid for 365 days, costs DKK 550 for adults and DKK 350 for children.

An annual pass from a DAZA member zoo or aquarium earns a discount at Knuthenborg, but only at the gate. Ree Park takes 15% off with a student card, and on 26-27 September 2026 its annual card holders bring a friend free.

At Ree Park, book the Land Rover before you go: the day's tours can all be booked up if you wait until the entrance, and ride tickets are tied to the date and time you choose.

Best time to visit

Knuthenborg is open every day from 28 March to 18 October 2026, from 10:00 to 17:00. On its After Dark evenings, 2-3, 9-17, 23-24 and 30-31 October, the lights come on at 18:00 and can be seen until 21:00; 9-17 October is the school autumn break, so expect company.

Givskud's calendar lists 10:00-17:00 for Saturday 12 September and 10:00-16:00 for Monday 14 September, and the zoo says the park has the most space on Mondays and Sundays.

Ree Park was open from 10:00 to 16:00 on 12 September. Outside the school summer holidays it is busiest at weekends, and its food outlets are busiest between 12:00 and 13:30, so eat early or late.

Denmark's summers are mild, with a mean July temperature of 16.5 °C, and autumn is its wettest season, so pack rain gear for the walking parts.

Getting there

Check your car before you set off: vehicles with fabric roofs may not drive into Givskud's lion area, although they are welcome in the rest of the park.

• Knuthenborg: on Lolland, 5 km north of Maribo, near Bandholm. Maribo has a railway station on Lollandsbanen, the Nykøbing Falster to Nakskov line run by Lokaltog.
• Givskud Zoo: 20 km from Billund, which has an airport. From Billund, take main road 30 towards Horsens, then motorway 18 to exit 7. Without a car, the zoo suggests the train to Vejle, then bus 211, which stops in front of the zoo on weekdays only.
• Ree Park: most visitors drive and use its large free car park. In the school summer holidays, bus route 351 from Grenaa to Ebeltoft passes the park, and on Sundays from 5 July to 9 August its own Geparden bus runs direct from Aarhus in about 50 minutes.

With kids and accessibility

Each park has something aimed squarely at children. Knuthenborg says the nature playground in Limpopoland is the largest in Denmark, and Congo Splash, which it calls Europe's steepest water slide, takes children from 120 cm with an adult. At Ree Park, children drive an electric Land Rover in the Offroad Patrol and earn their own Junior Ranger card, and they can pet the Nubian goats, mini pigs and donkeys. At Givskud, you can feed giraffes from a new platform on the savannah at 11:45, for DKK 119 per person on top of admission; there are only 15 places a day.

Ree Park also welcomes a picnic, with tables and benches in the park, but not dogs.

In a wheelchair, the car does much of the work. At Knuthenborg you can see rhinos, giraffes and bison from the car. Givskud's gravelled paths suit wheelchairs, with some small inclines, but its safari bus has no wheelchair lift, so the zoo recommends driving the safari route in your own vehicle. Ree Park is very hilly, although you can reach everywhere in a wheelchair, and it rents manual wheelchairs for DKK 50 a day.