Knuthenborg Safaripark

A few kilometres north of Maribo, near Bandholm on Lolland, lies Knuthenborg Safari Park — Northern Europe's largest safari park and one of Denmark's most visited tourist attractions. The park grounds that guests drive through were laid out in the 1860s as the estate's grand garden with rare plants from around the world, surrounded by a characteristic granite wall, and even then visitors could pay to enter. In the 1950s a deer park with sika deer was added, and in 1969 Count Adam Knuth transformed the site into a full safari park — with the then completely new idea that guests could drive through nature in their own car and discover the animals up close. Today the park houses more than 1,000 free-roaming animals across around 70 species, including Siberian tigers, giraffes, rhinoceroses and elephants, divided by the continents they come from. Visitors can drive, cycle or walk among the old trees, historic buildings and animals, and many of the species are endangered and participate in international breeding programmes. In 2018 the Dinosaur Forest opened, and an evolution museum tells the story of life's development. With a nature playground, accommodation with views of the animals and visitor numbers reaching 410,000 in the record year 2020, Knuthenborg is an ideal full-day destination for families.