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Travel journal #6: Africa Alive

  • Published
  • By Karen Abeyasekere
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
Surrounded by animals that made us feel a little like we were in a scene from "The Lion King," an enjoyable day out was had by all when we went to Africa Alive, near Lowestoft, recently. 

It takes about 90 minutes to get there from Mildenhall, and we arrived at 10 a.m., right at opening time. We also went on an American holiday, which meant even though it was still during the British school holiday, it was much less busy than going on a weekend. 

Armed with a map and souvenir guide, my friend Cathy and I were led off by our two very excited children, to look at the lions from the high vantage point of Lookout Lodge. 

Next, it was off to see the rhinos (very smelly), zebras (where we had to peep through the glass of their indoor enclosure to see the week-old baby with his mother). 

Along the way, we saw giraffes, buffalo, Ankole cattle, nyalas and some red-ruffed lemurs (on their little island on what we christened 'Shrek's swamp'). We also saw some ring-tailed lemurs (think of the movie, 'Madagascar', and the song, 'I Like to Move It'), who caused great hilarity and screams when they shot across our path when a saw started up (a new hut was being built for them) and suddenly scared them. 

Along the route, there are also dispensers where you can buy a small amount of corn or pellets to feed some of the nearby animals, for 20 pence. One of these places is the farmyard corner, where goats and kids roam freely (in an enclosed area) and children and adults alike can pet them and feed them animal pellets - just watch out, the older goats tend to try and climb up to the food dispenser and try to guzzle it down themselves when you're putting your money in, or head-butt you with their horns - as my friend found out when she was bashed on the leg by a greedy goat! 

If you get to the animals in time, you can watch them being fed - we got to see the giraffes, lions and cheetahs being fed, and a keeper gave a talk about each of them, before feeding them a "snack." Be sure you're there in time though, as each of the areas gets pretty packed before feeding time. 

We also saw some gorgeous cheetah cubs, just 3 months old, though they moved pretty quickly, and hid a lot of the time, so you couldn't see them much when they were playing.
The children's play area, where they can burn off some energy before moving onto see the next animals, includes a crazy golf course, slide and climbing area. Right next to that is where you can catch the little train, which runs every 30 minutes from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and is free. It goes around the park and lasts for 30 minutes. 

There's also a birds-of-prey display with an owl, hawk and vulture - just watch out for your head as the birds often swoop down pretty close to you. 

There were also monkeys, chimpanzees, aardvarks and porcupines (though the aardvarks weren't being sociable and stayed in their beds sleeping, so we didn't really get to see them.) 

All in all, this was a great day out, and our children thoroughly enjoyed themselves. One thing I would suggest, is take your own picnic. The food in the restaurants was pretty expensive and not particularly great, especially for the price. 

However, Africa Alive itself provided a great day's entertainment, even though the weather couldn't make up its mind - one minute it was rainy, the next it was sunny, and so it continued most of the day. 

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Editor's note: No federal endorsement is intended or implied.