A giraffe greeting a visitor at Lion Country Safari.
Lion Country Safari has offered visitors and residents of Palm Beach County a look into exotic wildlife since 1967, and this summer it was recognized as the fifth best safari park in the United States in USA Today’s 10 Best Readers’ Choice contest.
Travel and zoo experts, along with 10 Best editors, came up with a list of 20 safari parks, which was narrowed down by popular vote.
Lion Country Safari is believed to have been the first cageless zoo in the United States when it opened, introducing an innovative take on zoology and tourism. For the first time, families could experience an African safari without traveling across the Atlantic Ocean.
Today, the park spans 600 acres and features a 4-mile drive-through safari, an adventure park, and food and shopping. The safari exhibits seven main habitats that are home to over 1,000 animals; an audio guide accessed with a QR code tells about the animals. Expect to see alpacas, ostriches, impalas, bongos, lions, water buffalo, wildebeest, giraffes, kudus, rhinoceroses, chimpanzees, the largest zebra population in the country and more.
The adventure park offers three rides for children: a flying elephant ride, a carousel and the Rio Grande train. On a hot day you can cool down in the safari splash sprayground, a splash pad with 23 water features, or ride the safari water slides.
You can feed giraffes, get to know the goats and other animals in the petting zoo, feed the lorikeet birds, go gemstone mining, play mini-golf, take a ride on the Safari Queen pontoon boat in Lake Shannalee or ride a paddle boat.
Lion Country Safari also works to protect and enhance wildlife. Lion Country Safari partners with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums to save animals from extinction. It supports 35 Species Survival Plan programs, which are conservation and breeding programs for species at risk. It is a partner facility for several Saving Animals From Extinction programs, including for chimpanzees, giraffes, North American songbirds, monarchs and lions.
Lion Country Safari has implemented green practices, including installing energy savers such as timed thermostats, motion-sensored lights, LED lights and controlled-release paper dispensers.
Lion Country Safari is at 2003 Lion Country Safari Road in Loxahatchee. Visit www.lioncountrysafari.com/plan-your-visit to read all park rules.
