Safaripark Beekse Bergen — Zoo in Hilvarenbeek

Safaripark Beekse Bergen and its collection

Safaripark Beekse Bergen, opened in 1968, is a safari park in Hilvarenbeek.

The park sits between Tilburg and Hilvarenbeek, with zebras and giraffes on wide savannah areas. Four safari formats are on offer, on foot, by car, by bus and by boat, and visitors may drive their own vehicle through with no barrier between them and the animals.

History

The Lion Park opened in 1968, letting people watch lions from inside their cars, a novelty in the country that proved popular. Two further enclosures, for leopards and baboons, followed in 1970, and seven more animal types, among them zebras, giraffes and an elephant, joined over the next four years. In the 1990s the park pitched a round-the-world day out, adding sections for American, Asian, European and Australian fauna.

Animals and collection

Threatened species in the collection take in Siberian tiger, leopard, African wild dog, red panda, both rhino species, African elephant, Grévy's zebra, Rothschild giraffe, Przewalski horse, red ruffed and ring-tailed lemurs, white-cheeked gibbon, African penguin, Chilean flamingo and Mesopotamian and Vietnamese sika deer. Wide areas of savannah carry the zebras and giraffes.

Conservation and approach

Membership of EAZA brings cooperation in EEP and European Studbook breeding programmes.

What the venue says

Auto Safari
There are multiple dining options scattered across the grounds, including the _Wanyama Pancake Restaurant_ (overlooking the animal enclosures), _Mugunda restaurant_ at Africa Village, _Kongorestaurant_ , and various quick-service kiosks on Safariplein and Kongoplein offering coffee, snacks, fries, and ice cream.
Dedicated parking is available on-site at the park grounds.
The park is certified accessible for visitors with mobility impairments, offering paved hiking trails, wheelchair-accessible restrooms, and wide paths.
Wheelchairs can be borrowed at guest services (based on availability), and mobility scooters can be rented in advance via their partner.
Specially adapted vehicles are also available for the Game Drive upon advance reservation, and official guide dogs are welcome (with minor exceptions like the Birds of Prey safari).