Lion Country Safari brings a taste of Africa to Palm Beach County, and makes for a fun afternoon outing with the family. Located on 600 acres of land in Loxahatchee, Lion Country Safari is home to over 1,000 animals.
The drive-through safari portion of the park is divided into different areas with different themes and groupings of animals. Las Pampas is a grasslands area where you’ll find Aldabra tortoises, Brazilian tapirs, brown pelicans, alpacas, and Greater Rheas (a large South American bird that stands about four feet tall and weighs about 50 pounds). Ruaha National Park is an African-themed area that features kudu, impalas, and ostriches. The Kalahari Bushveldt features more ostriches and aquatic antelopes called Nile Lechwe. In Gir Forest, you’ll find: Asiatic water buffalo, Nilgai (the largest of the Asian antelopes), blackbucks, scimitar-horned oryxs and lowland nyalas. The African lions from which the park takes its name are found in the Gorongosa Reserve. The Serengeti Plains features east African wildlife, including: elands, ostriches, wildebeests, common waterbucks (shaggy brown antelopes), Ankole-Watusi cattle, and impalas. The Hwange National Park is one of the most exciting areas, featuring: southern white rhinoceros, zebras, hartebeests, chimpanzees, white-handed gibbons, giraffes, wildebeests, and kudu.
The most fun part of the experience for us was the ostrich that came up to our car and started aggressively pecking the window and just wouldn’t stop. We couldn’t stop laughing. The bird was so serious, but looked so silly.
After you complete the drive-through portion of the park, there is a walk-through portion of the park as well. For us, the most fun part was the various feedings. We participated in a giraffe feeding, a budgie feeding, and a lory bird feeding. There is also a petting zoo and a variety of animal habitats, featuring animals like spider monkeys, macaws, and flamingos. If you have children, there are lots of rides and attractions, including: a carousel, miniature golf, paddle boats, and gem and fossil panning. There are water attractions that include: a water playground, a waterslide, and a splash park.
My husband and I had lived in South Africa for a while, where the drive-through lion parks are much less regulated, so we were a little disappointed that we didn’t get closer to the lions, but it still made for a really fun afternoon, and the ostrich is a great memory we still talk about over a year later.