Our Safaris
Travelling any of our routes in the 7-seat Land Rover Defender is the ideal way to explore the Isle of Purbeck. Our safaris are intentionally all gentle-paced as we want to give you every chance to see and experience the area's wildlife, but we do cover some off-road byways and tracks that can be very uneven in places. We encourage you to bring a camera and also binoculars if you have them, although we do have loan pairs available if needed. We take parties of 2-6 people and each safari is dedicated to your party as we do not mix groups. The vehicle is cleaned inside and out between trips.
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We operate all year round, although in Winter we may make route changes to the advertised routes depending on prevailing weather conditions and the state of the tracks and trails, as our intention is to keep any impact to an absolute minimum.
Just call us on 07858 956181 to check availability and book one of the safaris below. We can also offer a bespoke safari, where you can book the vehicle for a half-day or full-day and we can put an itinerary together for you. Just call us to chat about your requirements. You might also like to buy one of our SAFARI GIFT VOUCHERS, which make ideal Wedding, Anniversary or Birthday presents for that special person.
NOTE: Rather than leaving from Wareham, we do offer a pickup for all our safaris, for any guests staying at Burnbake Forest Lodges and Campsite for the small additional fee of £10 on the total safari price. We can also pick up from any location in Purbeck if that is more convenient.
Looking East to Knowle Hill and Poole Harbour
Purbeck Hills Safari (3hr)
PRICE £60 per person
Starting in the historic Saxon-walled town of Wareham we head across the water meadows onto the Arne peninsula to explore the beautiful lowland heaths of Middlebere and Hartland Moor. Taking the moorland road we head towards Corfe Castle and take the Studland Road before climbing high onto the chalk ridge East of the castle which gives panoramic views across Poole Harbour towards the Isle of Wight and Westwards past the castle, along the ridge towards Kimmeridge and Lulworth.
We descend into the valley before climbing again and heading past the old Purbeck stone quarries near Worth Matravers, through Kingston and out to the ridge line at Heaven's Gate taking the old byway towards Kimmeridge.
Then it's up again, back onto the opposing chalk ridge of Knowle Hill, west of Corfe before heading out past the deserted village of Tyneham (firing range access permitting) which was evacuated during WWII and never re-occupied. Then we head back across the artillery firing ranges at Lulworth and return through wooded lanes to Wareham.
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Tea, coffee and home-made cake is provided on this safari
Cleavel Point
Hill, Heath and Harbour Safari (3.5hr)
PRICE £70 per person
This stunning route blends the heights of the Purbeck Hills including panoramic views right across the Isle of Purbeck, with privileged access via Burnbake, to some of the most secluded areas along the Southern shores of Poole Harbour.
This gives us the opportunity to explore some wonderful shoreline habitat, which is unique in Western Europe and the chance of spotting some of the amazing birdlife which inhabits Poole Harbour. We may encounter one of our rarest wading birds, the Spoonbill, incredible White-Tailed Sea Eagles or perhaps the Osprey, both of which hunt and fish in the harbour.
The southern shores of Poole Harbour are also home to Britain's largest onshore oil field, Wytch Farm. En route, we'll see the oil gathering station and get up close to the beam engines, which pump the oil to the surface from reservoirs beneath the harbour. Most of the oil infrastructure is hidden in the forest and not accessible to the general public.
Leaving the shoreline and Wytch Farm behind, we head back to Wareham across the beautiful lowland heaths of Middlebere and Hartland Moor.
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Tea, coffee and home-made cake is provided on this safari
Evening view from Heaven's Gate Westwards towards Portland Bill
Arne and Kimmeridge (2hr)
PRICE £40 per person
This is a shorter version of our Purbeck Hills Safari and ideal for those wanting a shorter morning or afternoon safari, while still allowing time for other activities. We start from Wareham, the gateway to the Isle of Purbeck and head across the water meadows onto the Arne peninsula to explore the beautiful lowland heaths. Taking the moorland road we head towards Corfe Castle, passing through the village and take the winding road to the village of Kingston, heading past the secluded coastal estate of Encombe and out to the ridge line at Heaven's Gate and cross-country via the old ridge byway towards Kimmeridge.
Then we cross the valley and climb onto the opposing chalk ridge of Knowle Hill, west of Corfe.
If the artillery ranges are open we follow the ridge road past the old deserted village of Tyneham which was evacuated during WWII. Then it's back across the artillery firing ranges at Lulworth returning through wooded lanes to Wareham.
Cider from the Purbeck Cider Company
Hill, Heath & Orchard Safari (2.5hr)
(Wed to Sat)
PRICE £50 per person
This is a safari with a bit of a twist, starting as usual in Wareham we head straight up onto the stunning chalk ridge west of Corfe Castle. On a clear day we'll have views from the top, all the way from Portland to the Isle of Wight. We head towards Corfe Castle before climbing back up to take in some fantastic bird's eye views of the castle and village. We then descend to drop in at the Dorset Cider Farm at Lower Bushey where we've partnered with our friends Joe and Kate at The Purbeck Cider Company.
Here, you're free to wander through the orchards, enjoy free tasters and take advantage of a 10% discount on any purchases in the Press House Tap and shop.
You can check out this great Purbeck enterprise at
Dorset Cider Farm – The Purbeck Cider Company
Then we head back to Wareham across the beautiful lowland heaths of Middlebere and Hartland Moor, returning across the causeway.
The Agglestone and Godligngston Heath
NEW ROUTE FOR 2024!
The Agglestone and South Harbour (3hr) Mar-Sept
PRICE £60 per person
New for 2024!
We have opened this fantastic new route which includes seasonal access between March and September, to the fabulous heathlands at Godlingston in Eastern Purbeck. Lying above Studland Bay, with far-reaching, panoramic views across Poole Harbour towards Bournemouth and South to Old Harry Rocks and beyond to the Needles on the Isle of Wight, Godlingston Heath provides a unique opportunity to view the massive relic sandstone boulder called 'The Agglestone' as well explore the rare peat mires and sandy heaths of this beautiful part of Purbeck.
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Travelling from the heathlands at Hartland, along the southern shores of Poole Harbour and then onto Godlingston, you'll see, up close how this amazing landscape is being managed by the National Trust, to facilitate species, habitat and peatland recovery.
The Land Rover is a great way to travel through this wild landscape!
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Summer breeding territory of the Nightjar
Nightjar Forest Walk (2hr) June-August (evenings)
PRICE £20 per person
We offer this unique guided, evening walk during the summer months. This is a really special opportunity to see one of the UK's rarely seen and elusive birds. The Nightjar over-winters in Africa before returning to the lowland heaths and forests of southern England to breed. They come out at dusk to hunt for moths and insects and to find a mate and have the most incredible 'churring' call, which is quite unearthly. We'll pick you up from Wareham in the Land Rover, for a walk just before sunset and can almost guarantee a good sighting of these amazing birds, which will very often circle and swoop right overhead.
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Along the way we may also get a late evening glimpse of Dartford Warblers and Woodlarks on the gorse heath.
The walk is easy-paced, over good forest and heathland paths with longer stops, but sturdy footwear is recommended as the ground can be uneven.
Gift Vouchers!!
Our gift vouchers make a great Wedding, Anniversary or Birthday gift or for any special occasion. Give that special person something unique to help make it an occasion to remember.
You can choose vouchers to cover any of our routes and cost the same as the relevant safaris detailed above.
2hr safari - £40
2.5hr safari - £50
3hr safari- £60
3.5hr safari - £70
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Just call us and we can email your online voucher.
Exploring Purbeck
The Isle of Purbeck is a place of rare lowland heaths, high chalk ridges with panoramic views, a world heritage 'Jurassic' coastline of soaring cliffs, sandy and shingle beaches and beautiful rolling farmland. We fell in love with this landscape when we first moved here and it was an amazing place to bring up our three daughters. Over the years, we've had lazy days on the sandy beaches of Studland, gone kayaking in Kimmeridge Bay and climbed the stunning sea cliffs near Worth Matravers and on safari, we hope you'll enjoy this unique way of exploring and learning about this beautiful landscape and its wildlife.