Safari Wilderness Ranch

Money well spent. A must-​do when near the Tampa area, especially with kids. (The other one is Captain Memo’s Pirate Cruise)
JJ is extremely knowledgeable. For about two hours it was like she could talk about the animals constantly. Never felt in a hurry.
Toured on a Friday morning. Upon check-​in, immediately greeted with ferrets. Spent at least 30 minutes checking out the penned/​domesticated animals first including some babies. So the animal experience starts right away.
7 guests in the whole truck so we could move/​slide to either sides to see the animals better.
My 8 year old fed the lemurs afterwards. Great experience for $ 20. After the «official tour» we were free to take our time and wander the grounds and see the animals in the front area some more. Never rushed. I think they had free time until the 1:00p tour starts anyway but still very accommodating of them.

JJ was AMAZING! Booked a morning tour and ended up being the only one, so I got a private tour. She is so incredibly knowledgable and her care for all of these animals is so clearly genuine. When animals weren’t in great view, JJ was intent on moving the bus or calling out to the animals so we could get in just the right position. I would recommend the tour to anyone, and definitely feed the lemurs! So fun!!!

Had a good time here last Thanksgiving but would have appreciated more of a message of conservation, rather than, «Look at all the cool animals this rich guy owns!»
The only mention I saw of environmental issues in the two-​hour tour was mention of how the scimitar-​horned antelopes at the beginning were extinct in the wild, and even then the guide didn’t mention why the animals were extinct (I assume from hunting for their horns.) I couldn’t help but wonder if a lot of these animals are raised only to be hunted later.
However, given that there doesn’t seem to be much else around this area in terms of anima-​based places (or rescues) open to the public, it’s worth checking out.
Feeding lemurs by hand was awesome; and it was fun to see the pigs, ostrich, water buffalo, and llama chasing us all over the place trying to get some food from the truck.

What a great place! We had a blast, including our 2 ½ year old. Beautiful animals and a great tour guide. Everyone really went out of their way to make sure we had a great time. Highly recommend!

Feeding the lemurs was an awesome experience. Fun friendly staff. The ostriches are terrifyingly fun. Would recommend to anyone of all ages. The bus ride could be a little bumpy for some though.

Want the experience of a Safari tour without leaving Florida? If so this is your spot, visited the Safari Wilderness Ranch today and had a good time. We purchased a groupon for a safari tour for 2 and it was definitely worth it. The tour is about 2 hours long with lots to see. Our tour guide was extremely friendly and was very knowledgeable about all the animals, it was great seeing how the animals responded to her; they immediately recognized her voice when she stopped along the route. Each stop was the perfect opportunity to feed and see the animals up close and since they were friendly they would come up to you for food and petting.
The only negative thing I can say is that the price for admission without any type of groupon/​coupon or deal is too much for what you are getting. The tour is great but not worth $ 70.00 per adult. Also if it’s raining, like it was when I was there, be prepared to get SOAKED. It would have been nice if they threw in a $ 1.00 poncho with the admission or have a better equipped vehicle for rainy days. With all this said, overall it was a good time and a different experience which I would do again and recommend to others

We took the 1 hour tour with a Groupon voucher. The people are exceptionally nice and friendly. The truck you tour the preserve in is a little bit of a rough ride. My kidneys are still recouperating. very knowledgeable tour guide. Petting and feeding of the animals is lots of fun. A nice ½ day visit for a couple or a family. After the motor tour you can pet a pot bellied pig baby or a pygmy goat baby. You can also pay extra to feed the lemurs. The only negatives, without a groupon the cost is too much and there is nothing extraordainary to see, no elephants, no giraffes. They are celebrating their 1 year anniversary and they are expanding. The terrific weather we were having made the trip worth it.

Best place ever! We went with a large group of friends and really enjoyed the fun. We had a great tour guide that told us all of the fun facts about the animals that live on the ranch. They had water buffalo, African pigs, ostrich, zebra’s, cows, basically a farm plus Africa! Sometimes the ground gets wet and rainy so if it has rained within the last couple days before you go drive a vehicle with 4-​wheel drive and wear rain boots or shoes you aren’t attached too. Also, when you drive out to the location, it will seem like you are in the middle of nowhere and you actually are. Also, buy the expensive grapes and hand feed the lemurs.

Quite possibly the coolest place I’ve ever been. We visited the ranch not too long after they opened and I scheduled the tour as a surpise for my daughter who LOVES zebras. First let me say that from the reservation process through the end of the tour, I felt like an actual human being, which is totally different that dealing with any of the Disney parks. I love the fact that the park only takes reservations so when you arrive, they are ready for you and you don’t spend half your day waiting in a line in the heat. I also reserved a camel ride and lemur feeding for my daughter. The surprise was kept a secret until we were pulling in and she saw the zebras. Talk about a kid smiling from ear to ear.
The tour was amazing. Seeing the animals up close as they came to greet the truck was amazing. I’ve never been that close nor have I ever seen many of the animals there. They were gorgeous and seeing them in the lush landscaping made it even better. Many of the animals also had babies which was especially cute. There were two Austrian Haflinger horses that were so playful and reminded me of how my daughter and son wrestle all the time. Many of the pictures I captured looked very majestic, almost like the animals were aware of their beauty and allowed me to capture it. Who can say they hand fed water buffalo? We can! Who can say they say a zeedonk (cross between a donkey and zebra)? We can!
The tour guides who were a vet and a zookeeper, I believe, were great. They shared their knowledge about the animals and stopped at a number of places to allow for the most up close views and best pictures.
If you’re looking for a place that will probably be the closest thing you’ll get to an Afican or Asian safari, this is the place. And to be able to have both in one place is unheard of.

WHAT FUN to see animals from Asia and Africa roaming free right here in the USA! This preserve was an incredible voyage. We spent over 2 hours in a 20-​passenger safari vehicle information-​narrated and driven by one of their staff, Melissa. She stopped and turned off the vehicle several times, giving us plenty of time to take photos of these beautiful animals. We even had the opportunity to lean out of the vehicle to feed the water buffalo who came over to say hello! Towards the end of the tour, we took advantage of the opportunity to feed the lemurs (pieces of grapes that were furnished to us), an amazing experience! There are no paved roads here, truly a natural habitat for these animals. There are fences, but these are for protection of the animals from each other, cayotes and even alligators! Call for reserve-​reservations! :)