A Slow Drive Through a Safari Full of Close Encounters

A camel with a long reach and an eye on a feed bucket can turn an ordinary car ride into a very entertaining few minutes. At this drive-through safari, animals come close to the vehicle, and feeding them is not a side attraction—it is woven right into the route.

The pace is slow, the scenery rises and dips through the grounds, and the next animal may be a zebra, an ostrich, a deer or a curious camel making a determined inspection of the window. It is a good outing for children, certainly, but adults and grandparents tend to have just as much to look at.

Visitors make the safari route in their own vehicles, moving carefully along as animals gather near the car. The drive can be a roughly 30-minute pass when taken straight through, though it can stretch toward an hour and a half when animal traffic, feeding stops and a leisurely pace enter the picture.

The property is spacious enough that the route does not feel like a parking-lot loop. It curves through the grounds, with rises and descents that keep the view changing as the car moves from one animal area to the next.

A single circuit can be plenty for someone stopping in for a short animal outing. But the drive-through can also be repeated, a useful option after realizing that the giraffes were on the other side of the car, or that a group of animals stayed just out of view the first time around.

Feed cups and buckets make the close-up portion more lively. They are especially useful around the giraffes, which can be fed at close range with purchased lettuce or animal feed. A giraffe encounter has a way of slowing down the whole car: hands reach out, necks stretch forward, and everybody suddenly has a camera ready.

Camels provide a different sort of excitement. They may approach very closely and show a keen interest in the container as well as its contents, so a feed bucket is worth holding securely. Their enthusiasm is funny, though it can get messy when several portions of feed are circulating among children in the car.

Large animals at the vehicle can be a lot for a young child at first. Some children warm up after a few minutes of watching from a comfortable seat, while others may prefer to observe before joining the feeding.

The animal lineup gives the drive more variety than a single-species attraction. Giraffes and camels get much of the attention, but zebras are prominent along the route as well, with buffalo, deer and antelope adding to the open-range safari look.

There are monkeys, birds, otters and ostriches in the collection, too. The effect is less like looking into one large enclosure and more like moving through a series of different animal neighborhoods, each with its own reason to slow down.

Because the animals do not all appear on command, the route retains a little of the pleasant unpredictability that makes a second pass appealing. One group may come near the car while another remains farther out, giving the drive a different rhythm from visit to visit.

The safari does not have to end when the drive does. Near the main entrance, walk-through animal areas give visitors a chance to get out, stroll and continue looking at the collection on foot.

A reptile house adds an indoor stop to a day spent mostly outside. It is a useful change of pace after the long-windowed views from the car, especially for anyone in the group who likes scales and terrariums as much as hoofed animals.

Picnic tables near the visitor area make it easy to slow the day down with lunch, and a playground gives younger children a place to burn off some energy between animal stops. With those pieces added in, the safari can occupy several hours without much effort.

For a different take on the grounds, a guided bus tour provides commentary about the animals, the park and its owners. The presentation includes humor along with bits of history, making it a more narrated alternative to the self-guided drive.

Lemur Island is a separate guided encounter for visitors who want to get closer to those bright-eyed primates. It shifts the day from watching animals through a windshield to a more focused, face-to-face experience.

A capybara-and-sloth encounter is another add-on option. These specialized encounters are separately priced, and offerings can change, so they are best treated as a bonus to confirm when planning the visit rather than the only reason for the trip.

The drive-your-own-car format works well for a group with different energy levels. A grandparent can enjoy the animal viewing from a seat, a child can stay close to a parent during the bigger-animal moments, and the whole group can decide on the spot whether to feed, take another loop or head to the walk-through areas.

The park is family-owned, and there is a visible interest in the animals behind the operation. Over time, the collection and grounds have grown, giving repeat visitors fresh animals and activities to seek out on later trips.

It also suits adults who simply want an animal-centered afternoon without turning the day into a long hike or a tightly timed attraction. The car provides a home base, while the walking areas and encounters offer as much extra activity as the group wants.

A continuous drive-through makes a manageable short outing. Add feed buckets, a second pass, the reptile house, walk-through areas, a bus tour or a guided encounter, and the visit expands naturally into a fuller day.

Some visitors also pair the safari with an overnight cabin stay and lazy-river access, though those lodging and recreation options are worth confirming in advance. The simplest version, though, remains a slow drive, a secure grip on the feed bucket and a car full of people waiting to see which animal comes alongside next.