Beekse Bergen: A Family Safari Holiday in the Netherlands
Overview
Beekse Bergen is a fantastic family holiday for animal lovers in the Netherlands. The whole resort has a premium feel, and there is so much to do on site. It’s home to both the Safaripark, with over 100 animals and safaris by car, foot and boat; and Speelland, an adventure park with a lake, slides, safari themed soft play and plenty of activities.
If you stay at the resort, some accommodation overlooks the animals – this was such a magical experience and the main reason we booked Beekse Bergen!
We combined our stay at Beekse Bergen with a week at TerSpegelt Eurocamp and a day at Efteling, and this was a brilliant itinerary for a family trip to the Netherlands on a drive-from-Bristol holiday! We visited in May 2026 with a 6-turning-7 and 4 year old.
Safaripark at Beekse Bergen
The Safaripark at Beekse Bergen is home to over 100 species of animals, including the big five, and you’ll see an incredible variety of animals. We especially loved seeing the hippos, crocodiles, rhinos and tigers. The Safaripark is spacious, beautifully landscaped and much of it feels like a nature reserve rather than a traditional zoo. You can explore it in three ways: by car, on foot and by boat.
Our favourite ways to explore were the car safari and the walking routes. Driving through the park is a real highlight – and there is an audio tour in English which you can download via the app. I would recommend doing the car safari on your arrival and then exploring on foot for the rest of the day as there is so much to see!
The boat safari can be accessed whilst you are on foot. This is a lovely option if you fancy a break, but the commentary is in Dutch and we found we were passing areas we’d already seen by car, so it would be something we’d recommend mainly if you have extra time or want a break from walking.
There are plenty of play areas and places to eat dotted around, which were great for our kids, and perfect for taking breaks with a coffee!
If you book directly to stay on site, you will have unlimited access throughout your stay so you can visit more than once, or do different types of safaris on different days.
Speelland at Beekse Bergen
Speelland is an absolute dream for kids, especially on a sunny day. Inside, there’s a huge safari-themed soft play that’s modern, clean and big enough to keep children entertained for hours. This is one of the most aesthetic soft plays we’ve visited, and the spacious seating area with a cafe was great to relax with a book whilst our kids played!
Outside, there’s a beautiful lakeside setting with sandy play areas and plenty of space to run around. My kids especially loved the obstacle courses across the water leading to a little island! There are also trampolines, a bouncy pillow, pedal cars, bouncy castles, a car ride and loads of other play equipment to explore.
It’s the kind of place where you can easily spend a full day, so I would do this on a separate day to the Safaripark! We visited a few times during our stay.
Beekse Bergen Resort
Where to stay: Safari Resort or Lake Resort?
Beekse Bergen has two main accommodation areas – the Safari Resort and the Lake Resort. Both offer something special for families. Here’s how they compare:
Safari Resort
The Safari Resort is the more animal-focused side of Beekse Bergen, with a variety of lodges, glamping options and the Safari Hotel. Some of the accommodation sits right beside the animal areas, giving you the magical experience of giraffes, zebras or rhinos wandering past your accommodation! However not all accommodation at this resort have animal views, so check the map when booking.
The Safari Resort has swimming, entertainment, and indoor and outdoor playgrounds. Entertainment during our stay included craft activities, face painting or singing/dancing sessions and this was offered at both resorts. Entertainment was during the day or early evening, and not on late. Overall, the whole Safari Resort has an exceptionally high‑quality, premium feel.
Safari Hotel (where we stayed)
We stayed at the Safari Hotel which is one of the accommodation options at the Safari Resort. We stayed for 4 nights and our accommodation was beautiful, with a fantastic view of the animals. Being able to sit in bed or on the terrace with giraffes and zebras walking past was unforgettable! Different animals wandered over at different times of the day. You can choose ground or first floor rooms – we picked ground floor so the kids could play outside more easily.
Breakfast was included with our stay at Amma Restaurant, which was an exceptional buffet. We also had a (gifted) dinner here one evening, which was again amazing. The quality and variety of food was such a treat, as we usually stay at self-catering accommodation! This restaurant overlooks the animals and the whole place is beautifully designed. My children also really enjoyed seeing the robot cleaner!
Lake Resort
The Lake Resort, by comparison, is a bit more affordable, but still a wonderful choice. The accommodation overlooks lakes or is situated in more of a woodland area. There are some very cool animal print bungalows that kids will love!
The main village hub is as beautifully designed as the Safari Resort, and has a restaurant, swimming, indoor play and a lovely lakeside beach area. It’s a gorgeous setting and has a really relaxed feel! Having a drink on the beach whilst the kids played in the sand was really lovely.
There is also Eurocamp accommodation at the Lake Resort. If you book through Eurocamp, you’ll need to pay separately for access to the Safaripark and Speelland, but it’s still a popular affordable option and tends to sell out quickly once released.
Which side should you choose?
- Choose the Safari Resort if you want the experience of seeing animals from your accommodation (not all accommodation overlooks the animals – check the map before booking)
- Choose the Lake Resort if you prefer a lakeside setting, or want a more affordable option (Eurocamp is a great budget-friendly option!)
The benefit of staying on site is that you can visit both sides of the resort, so you won’t miss out on anything. Even if you stay at the Lake Resort, you can still visit Amma Restaurant to enjoy views of the animals, and of course spend plenty of time in the Safaripark! The whole resort is beautiful and you can’t go wrong with either side. The two resorts are a moderate distance apart, so we chose to drive between them.
What else to do when you visit the Netherlands
We combined a visit to Beekse Bergen with a week at TerSpegelt Eurocamp. These two destinations together made for an amazing holiday – we loved them both! Read our review of TerSpegelt here.
We also visited Efteling (a quirky fairytale theme park) for the day, which was so much fun. If you love theme parks, you could easily stay overnight and visit for longer!
Best time to visit
May half term is an excellent time to visit Beekse Bergen. When we visited in May 2026, Dutch children were still in school, which meant the Safaripark, Speelland and the resorts were noticeably quieter than peak season. Prices are also lower than summer, and the weather is usually warm enough to enjoy everything comfortably. Do note that the Netherlands has a short public holiday around Ascension Day, which often falls close to UK May half term. This can make one long weekend busier, but it doesn’t affect the whole week.
Easter is another good option to visit. Dutch schools do not have a two‑week Easter holiday – only the long Easter weekend. This means the UK Easter break is generally going to be quieter. The weather may be more changeable compared to May half term.
How long to stay?
We stayed for four nights and we felt that was enough time for us to enjoy the Safaripark, Speelland and the resort. That said, we could have easily stayed for a full week as there is plenty to do. We actually didn’t get around to using the pools, but we had in mind we would be doing plenty of swimming at our next destination – TerSpegelt!
Other holiday reviews
I write a review for each holiday we go on, so if you’re in the planning stages, there are lots of great family trips to browse and compare:
