It’s time for our next installment of things you can do right now that are both safe and fun! Today, I’m going to take you on a drive through animal safari!
Last month we visited the Six Flags Great Adventure Animal Safari. It’s a fun afternoon for the whole family and you don’t have to leave your car!
This month I’m sharing with you an activity that you can do with the whole family! In fact, this would be a great activity to take the kids to – and you don’t have to leave your car. Keep reading to find out more!
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WHAT MAKES SIX FLAGS ANIMAL SAFARI THE PERFECT PLACE TO VISIT?
What makes this the perfect place to visit? Simple – you don’t have to leave your car and you come in zero contact with other people. In fact, I didn’t even have to come in contact with anyone to enter the safari. I just held my ticket up against the car window and an attendant scanned it from there.
Once you are inside the safari, you stay inside your car (with the windows up) the entire time. In fact, you’ll see signs throughout the safari that remind you to not leave your car and to keep your windows up.
A few of the animals got pretty close to the car, like this ostrich. So, you definitely want to keep your windows rolled up!
As for the animals, we had a few that walked up pretty close to the car. But for the most part, the animals were either in a fenced in area or looking for some shade on a hot summer afternoon.
These animals found a nice cool pond to hang out in on a hot summer day!
WHAT SHOULD I KNOW BEFORE I GO?
Before going to the animal safari, you must buy a ticket and you must make a reservation. Because the park is trying to keep things contact free, you have to purchase your ticket online before you go. You can purchase your ticket here. Tickets are $19.99 per person (plus fees) and you must have a ticket for each person in your vehicle. Kids under 2 are free.
Once you purchase your ticket for the safari, you will need to make a reservation. Because this is a drive through safari, they have to limit the number of cars that enter the park. You’ll need your online order number, ticket number or Membership/Season Pass number to make the reservation. Only one reservation per car is required. Click here to make a reservation.
We visited the safari on a Sunday afternoon and it was pretty crowded. You must make a reservation and enter the park at your reservation time.
When the day and time arrives for your visit, here are some tips that I discovered to make your visit to the safari a little more pleasant.
You are not able to purchase food at the safari, so grab lunch before or after. There is a Wawa about 5 minutes away, where you can grab a sandwich. We actually met a friend and had a little socially distant tailgate in the Wawa parking lot.
There are port-a-potties as you enter the park. Make sure you use them before you enter the safari – there are no restrooms once you get in.
On a busy day, plan on around 2 to 3 hours to drive through the safari. The traffic moves pretty slowly. People stop to take pictures and check out the animals. We also got stopped a few time for a herd of buffalo crossing the road!
Make sure your car’s air conditioning is in good shape! You cannot roll down your windows while you are in the safari.
Be ready with your camera! I got some great shots throughout the safari, but animals rarely cooperate when you want to take their picture, so be ready!
If you have your camera ready, you might just catch a good action shot. Like this rhino “relieving” himself!
ABOUT THE SAFARI
The animal safari is part of Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, NJ. Years ago it was open to the public to drive through, however, the park eventually changed that and only allowed guests to ride through the safari in one of their guided vehicles. But with COVID-19, Six Flags decided to open the park back up to allow individuals to drive through in their personal vehicles so families can still experience the safari while staying safe.
It was really interesting to see the animals hanging out together as well as interacting with other types of animals.
The safari sits on 350 acres of land and contains over 1,200 animals from six different continents. There are 11 “stations” or “lands” that you drive through – The Americas, Afrikka, Wild Plains, Serengeti Grassland, Kingsland, Black Bear Ridge, Terra Ursus, Conservation Area, Didgeridoo Pass, Tigris Asiana and Baboon Village.
You can see all sorts of animals at the safari, including several elephants!
I was amazed at how many different animals we saw in the safari. You can see everything from kangaroos to giraffes to rhinos to elephants.
The giraffes were one of my favorite animals. And they had everything from adults to babies!
Be sure to download the safari guide before your visit and print it out, or have it up on your phone, so that you can learn about each of the different animals you’ll see throughout your drive. You can find the safari guide here.
Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! Including this big brown bear who was hanging out!
So there you have it! Another great idea for a fun activity to do with the whole family, while staying safe. Stay tuned to my website for more fun and safe things to do this summer!
This brown bear has the right idea for this summer. He’s swimming all by himself. Social distancing in effect!
Do you have suggestions of safe and fun things to do this summer? Let us know what they are! Comment below or e-mail me at tips2livebywriter@gmail.com.
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