My family and I have visited this drive through safari several times. We like the ostriches that come up to your car and stare at you through the windows, they are creepy but funny. We also like the petting zoo where you can feed various animals. The highlight last time was a monkey enclosure that you could enter with a member of the staff and interact with the monkeys.
We live in NC. We visited the Safari several years ago and were anxious to come back. The cost is well worth what you see in return. The drive through Safari section is 4 miles. You are in your car on a gravel or dirt road during this trip. We let the kids sit in the back to view through the back window and everyone spreads out. Admission is per person, not per car, so make sure everyone has a good window, not stuck in the middle. This can take you as long or a little as you would like. There are some areas where a car behind you can pull around if you want to stay longer. However on a weekday during school we never had this issue as there were only two others at the park for the 3+ hours we were there. The drive through for us took about 2 hours. We really loved to stop and look closely at all the camels that approached our car. Lots of picture opportunities! We also loved all the different varieties of deer. We spent about 10 minutes observing the zebra that were within 5-25 feet of our car. There are over 80 types of animals at the Safari to view! While we were walking, the peacocks are lose and are grazing. Because of the cold weather, a lot of the primates have been moved into the barns. We were welcomed to go inside and view the porcupines, the gorillas, the different types of monkeys and chimps. In the second barn we were excited to see the two giraffes that came from our home state of NC. There was a platform with stairs that we could go up to get closer and pet them! Also lots of turtles, marmosets, capuchin monkeys, tortoises. In the giraffe barn enclosure is a baby lion. He is 4 months old. His companion is an Australian Shepard and they play and wrestle. Because our group was older (teens) we were allowed with supervision into the enclosure with the baby lion. This was an experience we will remember forever! The lion wrestled with our feet, played tug of war with a blanket, we were able to scratch his belly, and feel his different hair structures all over his body. We were able to go in with the kangaroos. They did not want to be touched but we did walk freely with them and observe how they walked using their tail and how strong it is. There is also wallabies, but those are observed, you cannot go inside with them. Lastly was the petting area where there are very small goats, pigs, and a llama and you can purchase bread for $1 a loaf to feed them. Beware they will swarm you :) It isn't harmful, it was just shocking as they all come running. And the goats will jump up on you. We loved feeding them. They were very gentle with their lips taking the bread, none bit! All together we spend about 3.3 hours here. I think we stayed to maximum enjoyment and without my obsession with taking so many pictures we would have stayed 3 hours. There are comfortable bathrooms and tons of picnic areas right next to the animals! We rate this as a must see when we are in this area!
It's out there in the middle of nowhere but SO worth it! You'll love the up close experience and beauty of this place. The petting zoo is awesome too :-). Don't miss it!
Take a picnic lunch and eat by the petting part of the safari. Kids love the petting zoo they offer and their animals and facility are well kept up. Reasonable prices and just such a unique thing to do either as a couple, family, friends, etc
My kids loved this place. The baby pigs were just the cutest! Be aware that the goats are relentless to get the food. 1 actually ate the bag the food was in. Snatched it right out of our hands
This place is awesome!! My whole family (ages 2-29) had a ton of fun!! The drive thru is fantastic!! We saw tons if animals, a lot of them I had never seen before. They walk right up to your window!! We even went through twice to make sure we didnt miss anything.The petting area is great as well. The kids loved getting to feed and pet all the animals. It was everything I expected and more! We will be returning for sure!!
This was the best of a 7 day road trip for my family, kids ages 19, 16, 10. This is a must see! The drive through zoo have animals walking right up to or next to your car. People ignore the do not feed part - which was annoying - then your kids want to ignore the rules too. They are not enforced. The lady behind us had her children literally hanging out the windows and once a buffalo's head was completely inside the drivers window. Kind of scary! Keep your windows up and don't' feed them - they are on special diets. Also, it makes all the animals go to that one car, which limits the experience. LUCKILY you can drive through as many times as you want - the second time was better as people were observing the rules. The drive is scenic and beautiful. Very steep hills - make sure your car can handle gravel and steep hills. Lots of stopping. We saw Zebra's, Bison, White Buffalo, baby boars, goats, deer, Emu, Steers…many more things. At the petting zoo we fed LEMUR's. <3 !!!!!!! I have wanted to touch a Lemur my entire life. They would hop on your arm or back and eat out of your hand. AMAZING. You can also feed giraffes, birds, chickens, goats, etc. We will be back. Gift store needs help - they only sell toys and t-shirts. No postcards, stickers, magnets…they need logo stuff. They also need to enforce the rules on the drive-thru.
My husband and I went, not really knowing what to expect. It was so much better than we expected. The safari goes on for well over an hour and the animals are amazing. The area it covers is unbelievable. The petting zoo is awesome. I love that you can feed the animals and I especially enjoyed the kangaroos. They are so soft. Remember though. In the petting zoo you will get dirty. It was worth it. Remember though the caged animals are caged for a reason. They will nip at you if you put your finger in the cage. I would recommend it to anyone. Adults as well as children will enjoy themselves. The price is very reasonable!
This was our first visit and we were very impressed! It was the perfect trip for Grandma and grandkids. The animals were vast and we cared for. I was amazed at the variety and number. I was expecting much less. The grounds were very clean with helpful staff. We will be returning I'm sure.
Decided to take a trip to the Wild Wilderness drive through Safari. There are two parts. The "drive through" part takes you past roaming free animals (except for tigers/lions/bears). The actual drive is pretty and at spots kind of a bit rough road, so be prepared for that. Viewing the roaming free animals was awesome. Part of the drive was "closed" - sign said due to some type of problem with the utility company. There was a note to contact them if so inclined. There are pretty hills and ponds and alot of animals to see. They caution you to keep your windows up at all times and stay in the car. You will see lions, zebras, buffalo, black bears, saw one hippo, ostrich....too many others to name. Check out their website. After the drive through they have a walk through, a petting zoo. Some animals there roam free as well. We came upon a friendly kangaroo that allowed us to pet him. So soft! Never thought we would be petting a kangaroo in Arkansas! Peacocks roamed freely, saw bunnies, pigs, goats, monkeys, all sorts of birds, camels, giraffes. Got to feed the giraffes. So much fun. They do have a small snack bar. Would recommend bringing your own lunch and eating at one of the picnic tables. It is a very pleasant area. They also sell a few stuffed animals at the snack bar. It could be bigger and better. We brought sandwiches with us and pulled off the main drive through eating while we looked at some zebras! :) Plan to spend at least 2 or 3 hours here to do it justice. You could spend more time, but that would be a minimum to see everything. The petting zoo was fun and a big hit with the kids as always. They did have camel and pony rides for $3.00. The ponies just went around in a circle. Not sure what the camel ride entailed - didn't see anyone on it. All in all, this is a really fun place to spend the afternoon. Would definitely go back again sometime and would recommend it. Not very expensive at all, either. Check their website for prices. The park is located about 10 miles north of Siloam Springs, Arkansas pretty much in the middle of nowhere.