Safari in the Netherlands, is that even possible? Well, the answer is yes! In the South of the Netherlands, in Tilburg, Safari Park Beekse Bergen opened its doors back in 1968 and for over 50 years it attracts visitors who are after a safari experience close to home.
In 2018 it opened the Safari Resort, adding a new and unique dimension to the Safari Park. It makes it possible to stay overnight, right in the heart of the savannah. You are surrounded by wild animals and amazing nature.
Traveltomtom was invited to experience this Safari Resort and experience these safari vibes in the Netherlands. Traveltomtom team member and travel writer Ashley traveled to Tilburg with four nieces and nephews to fully experience the Beekse Bergen.
About Safari Resort Beekse Bergen
Looking for a unique safari experience, but Africa is still a step too far? Safari Resort Beekse Bergen in the Netherlands got you covered. You will spend the night in the heart of the savannah, literally surrounded by wild animals. You fall asleep and wake up among the animals and with the most beautiful views over the savannah.
The resort is very easily accessible as it is located close to the A58 highway and right next to the N269 provincial road. The resort is signposted very well as soon as you get off the highway, so you can’t miss it!
Checking in was really easy as all lodges have a combination lock at the front door. You get the code to this lock one day before your arrival, so you can go straight to your lodge without having to stop at the guest service. No keys or cards to open your lodge, so no keys or cards can be lost! Really clever.
On arrival the gates to the park open automatically based on license plate. However, Beekse Bergen is a car-free park, which means you can park your car near your lodge for loading and unloading, but you’re asked to park your car at one of the bigger car parks located throughout the park.
Beekse Bergen is a large resort with 239 lodges that differ in type, size, facilities and theme. The lodges are located around the Masai Mara and Serengeti savannahs, Simbara West and Simbara East, where the lions can be found and Bahari Beach, home of the seals.
No matter which lodge or accommodation you have, you are always surrounded by wildlife with loads of animals on your doorstep.
Visiting Safari Park Beekse Bergen definitely is among the best things to do in The Netherlands. Check out Traveltomtom’s hand-picked list of the best places to visit in The Netherlands with some unique travel experiences.
Savannah Lodge 410
We were given Savannah Lodge 410, located at the Masai Mara Savannah. We arrived quite late at night, so we had to wait to the next morning to see what our views would be like and what animals we would see.
Checking in to our lodge was like checking in to a five star hotel room, but then lodge style. We had a huge lodge with absolutely everything we needed. It has three bedrooms for a total of 6 people. One of the bedrooms has an ensuite bathroom with (rain) shower and sink.
Then there’s also a large bathroom with double sink, toilet, bathtub, (rain) shower and sauna. Yes, the lodge just has a sauna, how cool is that!
There is also a separate second toilet. Then there is the living room and kitchen area, with a television and large and comfy sofa and chairs and a large dining table with 6 chairs.
The kitchen has all equipment needed, fridge, oven, microwave and dishwasher.
And by far the best thing, windows over the full width of the living room and kitchen, with savannah views!
Nothing can beat a breakfast with your family overlooking the savannah and seeing zebras, giraffes and rhinos walking around.
Karibu Town
Karibu Town is the lively and vibrant heart of the Safari Resort. Here you will find here everything you need for a perfect stay. It’s never boring in Karibu Town! Let me list all the available facilities.
Ranger Basecamp
Ranger Basecamp is located within Karibu Town. Throughout the day they offer a range of activities and entertainment. Our niece really enjoyed the mini disco and puppet theatre. They will keep the kids busy all day! The kids can even earn a real Ranger Badge at the end of their stay. You can find the full entertainment program on the Beekse Bergen App.
Restaurant Moto
An open kitchen and a fire place in the middle of the restaurant, no surprise because Moto means ‘fire’ in Swahili. Restaurant Moto is a very atmospheric restaurant with a large terrace also overlooking the Serengeti Savannah. It’s the perfect place for a nice and delicious dinner after a day full of activities and adventures. They’re open from 12.00 – 8.00 pm for lunch and dinner.
On Friday, Saturday and Sunday they also do pizza delivery to your lodge. You can just give them a ring, place your order and request your delivery time. Your pizza’s will be delivered right to your doorstep, hot and ready to eat! You can also order pizza or make a reservation for Restaurant Moto through the Beekse Bergen App.
Maji Springs
Kids and adults, everyone will have a great time at Maji Springs. A heated indoor swimming pool, an adventurous water playground with various play elements, fun for the whole family.
Unfortunately Maji Springs was closed during our stay at the Safari Resort, so we haven’t been able to experience this pool. The pool was closed because they are constructing a new toddler pool and family slide. During the renovation you can use the Etsi Pool swimming pool located at the Lake Resort.
Guest Service & Market
Just in case you have any questions or have forgotten something, feel free to make a stop at the Guest Service & Market, also located in Karibu Town. The Guest Service Centre is open all day to answer all of your questions. The market is your place for souvenirs, groceries and fresh sandwiches.
Pamoja Lounge & Bowling
Pamoja Lounge and the bowling alley are located between Restaurant Moto and the Guest Service & Market. Be sure to make a reservation if you want to have some bowling fun. Without a reservation you risk missing out on all the fun.
Breakfast Delivery
The lodges at the resort all have a fully equipped kitchen, so you can take everything for dinner and breakfast with you and cook it there. But, if you want you can go all luxury with the breakfast delivery service. Before you even wake up, your breakfast has been delivered to your lodge, just take it inside from your terrace.
Just take it in, put it on the table and enjoy your breakfast, pure luxury for sure. We used the breakfast service and it was simply outstanding! We had the breakfast family box and it came with so much! Croissants, currant buns, oven baked white and brown buns, butter, fresh fruits, jam, chocolate paste, cheese, 3 different cold cuts, gingerbread, apple juice, fresh orange juice, so much and so delicious!
You can order this breakfast service through the Guest Service & Market or through the Beekse Bergen App.
Outdoor Terrace
Just outside of Karibu Town there is a lovely outdoor terrace with Serengeti views. I can imagine this is the place to be in Summer, with a cold drink and views for hours. There is a fireplace and swing benches, where they roast marshmallows in the winter. In winter you can also find a skating rink there where you can ice skate for free. Just request your size skates and have a good time on the ice, while enjoying the views of giraffes and rhinos.
Add-on packages
The breakfast delivery is one of the many add on packages you can order and use while staying at the Safari Resort, but there is more. What about a bicycle package, a cart package, or maybe you have something to celebrate and want a safari cake or sparkling wine to be delivered. It’s all possible, just check the website or the app.
Beekse Bergen App
I have already mentioned it before in this blog a few times, but the Beekse Bergen has their own app and it is very useful! I mainly used it for entertainment times, to see when the mini disco was about to start. But also to check the lion’s feeding times to make sure we wouldn’t miss out as you can see this only 3 times per week.
The app has all maps of the Safari Park, Safari Resort and also the Lake Resort and Speelland, so there is really no reason to get lost. It has all timings listed per park, feeding times, entertainment times but opening times of pools and restaurants as well. It offers important and helpful information for you throughout your stay, manuals for equipment in your lodge, information on the resort and accommodation and where to go for medical help.
Attractions Pass
When you stay in a lodge or safari tent at the Safari Resort or the Lake Resort you receive a complimentary Attractions Pass. The Attractions Pass gives you plenty of benefits during your stay.
What about 25% discount at Safari Park Beekse Bergen, Speelland, Dierenrijk, Zooparc Overloon, Aviodrome Aviation Theme Park, AquaZoo Leeuwarden and Klimrijk Brabant for a whole year after your stay!?
With the attractions pass you get free and unlimited access to the Safari Park and all the parks mentioned above during your entire stay. We could have visited the park if we wanted to, but there was so much to do in the resort that we didn’t visit the park. We will definitely use the attractions pass on some of the other parks this year!
We also visited the park back in 2020 and had equally amazing experiences at the Beekse Bergen.
This time it was just magical to experience the wildlife from our doorstep. When you can see the wild animals from your living room, it’s the best thing there is!
Lake Resort
Next to the Safari Resort there is also the Lake Resort where you can enjoy the ultimate outdoor life, literally located next to Lake Victoria.
New Safari Hotel at Beekse Bergen
They are actually currently building the Safari Hotel at the Beekse Bergen, we could see a glimpse of what is coming and that looked very promising! The hotel will open its doors in March 2023.
Safari Park Beekse Bergen review
It all started with Safari Park Beekse Bergen where you can take a safari through nature and come face-to-face with wild animals on an educational and unique trip through the world of Beekse Bergen. They are open all year round, including public holidays.
What makes the Beekse Bergen different from other zoo’s in the Netherlands? Well, it isn’t the standard zoo, it’s all about safari experiences here.
You can go on a boat safari, car safari, bus safari and a walking safari. You can also do game drives here. The experience with the animals on the car safari or game drive is really next level.
We did the car safari and the game drive with the kids back in 2020 and were both times surrounded by giraffes, when that happened, the kids were screaming of enthusiasm and had the time of their life.
We had visited the Safari Park before in 2020 and noticed those amazing lodges when we did the car safari. Little did we know that there was such a cool and amazing park there. Three years later we got an invite to come and experience it on behalf of Traveltomtom.
The resort really offers something special. Visiting the Beekse Bergen is cool, but once the park closes you have to leave and go home. If you are staying at the resort you are surrounded by wild animals all day. No matter where you walk at the resort, you always see the animals.
The lodges are large and equipped with all comforts and luxury. Spoil yourself with a week or weekend among the wild animals at the Safari Resort. If it were up to us and our nephews and nieces we would have never checked out from the Safari Resort!
A massive thank you is in order here for Safari Resort Beekse Bergen for inviting us to and organizing our visit down to the last detail.
This blog was written by travel writer andTraveltomtom team member Ashley. She was invited to visit and explore Safari Resort Beekse Bergen on behalf of Traveltomtom, and wrote this blog about her experiences. This is her Instagram Page.
Enjoy your trip to the Beekse Bergen!
