drive through safari louisiana

Looking for a wild adventure out of the classroom? Book a Safari Adventure with us at Global Wildlife Center.

Be sure to check out the News section for the latest happenings at Global Wildlife Center!

Get ready for a WILD Interactive Adventure!

Explore our vision.

The Global Wildlife Center is one of the largest free-roaming wildlife preserves of its kind in the country! We are located in Folsom, Louisiana and are home to over 2,000 exotic, endangered, and threatened animals from all over the world.

Adventure Tours

Find your adventure.

Wagon tours

Explorers are encouraged to touch and feed animals from the comfort of a canopy-covered wagon while learning about each species from their tour guide.

• Private Tours

For those who enjoy an up close and intimate experience, Global Wildlife offers private tours. Your friends and family are shuttled by Pinzgauer or Can-Am to your favorite animals.

• Safari Parties

Looking for a fun and exciting setting for your next company picnic or birthday party? Check out our Pavillion rentals. Global Wildlife would love to host your next event!

Book Today!

Did you know..., every tour booked benefits the wildlife we work to protect, every tour booked benefits the wildlife we work to protect​.

Global Wildlife Center contributes to Global Wildlife Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with a mission of ensuring the conservation of threatened and endangered species through the education of future generations.

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Our work cannot continue without the generous financial support of our members. The best part about becoming a member are the members only events we host yearly.

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Stay up to date on all the exciting things happening at Global Wildlife Center from newborn baby giraffes, to upcoming events and promotions, and even updates on endangered species! 

• 985-624-WILD
• 26389 Hwy 40 Folsom, LA 70437
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Get Up Close and Personal With the Animals!

Gone wild safari petting zoo open everday from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m., no reservations are needed; note that hours are subject to change without notice;  please call for today's hours (318) 787-6902, you may purchase animal food at our gift shop * important: no outside food is allowed  our animals can only eat a specific kind of feed., let your adventure begin now, meet some of our petting zoo friends, > zebra > buffalo > kangaroo > eland > tortoise > ostrich > parrots > llama > giraffe > zorse > pheasants > exotic pigeons > macaws > toggenburg goats > dwarf horses, remember: no pets allowed no outside feed, for group reservations please call and book now, > peacocks > bongo antelope > water buffalo > wildebeest > geese > ducks > white tail deer > fallow deer > black bucks > exotic cattle > and so much more, click here to, it is fun and exciting to feed all of our exotic animals, call now (318) 787-6902, the ultimate family-friendly journey into the wild, we understand the thrill of discovery and the joy of connecting with nature. that's why we've dedicated ourselves to creating a place where these experiences come to life. so, are you ready to unleash your wild side join us at gone wild safari, your pathfinder to adventure and discovery ., our animals love it when you feed them, fun awaits you.

Wild Country Safari Park

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Wild Country Safari Park - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

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Gone Wild Safari

About the Safari:

Gone Wild Safari is an immersive wildlife experience located at 1805 Hooper Rd, Pineville, LA 71360, United States. It offers visitors a unique opportunity to get up close and personal with a wide variety of animals in a safari setting without leaving the country.

The safari park boasts a diverse range of animals, including capybaras, ostriches, antelopes, giraffes, parrots, reptiles, and more. Visitors can drive through the animal enclosures and observe these fascinating creatures in their natural habitats. Additionally, there are areas where visitors can walk around and interact with animals in designated spaces like the petting zoo.

One of the highlights of Gone Wild Safari is the chance to feed the animals during the drive-through experience. However, visitors are advised to be cautious, especially when feeding camels, as they can be quite aggressive and may steal the feed cups, scattering food inside the vehicle.

The park also features a gift shop where visitors can purchase souvenirs, toys for kids, and observe birds and reptiles on display. There are amenities like a playground for children to enjoy as well.

Drive-Through Safari: Gone Wild Safari offers a unique drive-through safari experience where visitors can observe and feed a wide range of animals from the comfort of their vehicles. It’s an immersive way to connect with wildlife and learn about different species.

Animal Feeding: Visitors have the opportunity to feed various animals during the safari, including giraffes, capybaras, and ostriches. However, caution is advised when feeding camels, as they can be aggressive and may snatch food cups from visitors’ hands.

Petting Zoo: The park features a petting zoo area where visitors can interact with friendly animals such as goats, hogs, cows, bunnies, and more. It’s a hands-on experience that kids and adults alike can enjoy.

Gift Shop: Gone Wild Safari has a gift shop that offers a variety of souvenirs, toys, and merchandise. Visitors can also explore displays of birds and reptiles in the gift shop area.

Playground: Families with children can take advantage of the playground facilities at the park. It provides a fun and safe environment for kids to play and unwind after the safari experience.

Educational Opportunities: The safari park offers educational opportunities for visitors to learn about wildlife conservation, animal behaviors, and the importance of preserving natural habitats.

Overall, Gone Wild Safari provides an exciting and educational outing for families, nature enthusiasts, and anyone looking to experience the thrill of a safari adventure without leaving Louisiana.

Directions:

Gone Wild Safari is located at 805 Hooper Rd, Pineville, LA 71360, United States.

• +1 318-787-6902
• [email protected]
• www.gonewildsafari.com

Service Categories

• Exotic Petting Zoo
• Petting Zoo
• A variety of animals
• Animal Feeding
• Birthday Party
• Educational Programs
• Hands-on interaction
• Petting Animals
• Petting zoo parties
• Playgrounds
• United States

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Google reviews.

So much fun! I recommend buying at least 4 cups. Try to avoid feeding the camels because they will steal the cup and scatter the food into your car while chewing on it. Emus are also a little stupid throwing the food everywhere but they are easier to get rid of 🤣 We loved the sheer variety of animals, from capybaras and ostriches to beautiful antelopes and a giraffe. There are lots of parrots and a couple reptiles in the gift shop. The two cats roaming around are super clingy and sweet!!! If you end up needing a car wash afterwards, Amerishine is a good one and they have free vacuums.

Shannon Stearns

My 3 year old Grandson loved it! A cute place to go with kids

Destiny Harber

Immersive drive-thru safari experience for all ages without leaving the country! Beware: you’re liable for possible minor damage sustained during the adventure to your personal vehicle. Also, the camels WILL steal the feed cups and we had it scattered in every crevice from one end of the car to the other Definitely worth it though. The ticket building had birds and reptiles to see, and there was a few fenced in areas to walk around and see animals. We stayed for about 2 hours, went through it twice. Family of 7, with 3 adults and 4 children spent roughly $80

University of Louisiana Alumnus

I went on 11/05/23 around 2:30 P.M., and it was the most fun and exciting zoo experience ever! The camels are very aggressive...lol There was a camel that literally took a cup of feed from the floor of the truck by my feet. Lol I was a little terrified, but my reaction did not freak it out at all...it had a mission, and it took the cup without spilling any of the feed. Lol!!! You will enjoy yourself here. I intend to go again. It is very affordable, too. I believe $8.00 or so per person and $4.00 for the cups of feed.

It’s an adventure. Get up close and personal with the animals. Watch out for the camels. They want the food and they will get it. They will stick there entire head and neck in your vehicle to reach it. If you don’t mind a little camels slobber, not a problem. The giraffes are very friendly.

Opening Hours

• Monday 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
• Tuesday 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
• Wednesday 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
• Thursday 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
• Friday 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
• Saturday 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
• Sunday 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Disclaimer: Information provided in a listing such as fees and opening hours is subject to change depending upon seasons and availability. For proper confirmation, kindly recheck from the contact source available.

Gone Wild Safari Park

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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

GONE WILD SAFARI PARK: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

Wild Country Safari Park

Top ways to experience nearby attractions

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

WILD COUNTRY SAFARI PARK: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

DESTINATION LOUISIANE: Get an inside look at the Wild Country Safari Park in Delhi, LA

D ELHI, LA (KTVE/KARD)- Welcome to the Wild Country Safari Park, where they specialize in getting up, close, and personal with wildlife…giving you the real safari experience. Now grab your safari gear and animal feed and let’s take a walk on the wild side.

“There is nothing to be afraid of. We do not have animals that would hurt you or we would not have you back there with them,” said Denny Cahanin, Tour Guide at Wild Country Safari Park.

The park is an open animal enclosure. This means just like in the wild, all the exotic animals run together freely. Families are able to either drive through the park in their personal car — or on a guided tour. Either way, you get to enjoy these majestic creatures at arm’s length without getting out of the car.

“The animals actually just come up to the window and you feed them out of a cup. You don’t get to do that in many places,” said Debbie Broadway, Manager of Wild Country Safari Park.

Roughly 500 animals and 30 different species call this place home.

“In the tour area, we have the large animals. We have water buffalo, bison, camels, zebra, zedonks, and 7 different types of deer,” said Broadway.

On the guided tour, you will learn all about the lifestyle and habitats of some of those animals. The family-owned business welcomed the Northeast Louisiana community to the animal kingdom at the end of 2011, after Travis and Kathy Broadway bought the place. Since then, every animal there has become part of the Broadway family.

“My brother just said “Hey, I need you to come and stay a few weeks and see what you think.” Well, it turned into 7 years and it’s because I love the animals,” said Broadway.

Officials say this drive-through is very educational for kids because not only do they get to interact with the animals but learn about the animals as well.

“One of the animals took the cup out of my hand. It’s always the camel,” said a kid who went through the drive-through safari.

“I really enjoy the people, especially the children who come. Most of them would never experience these types of animals, so it’s very rewarding,” said Broadway.

But the safari experience doesn’t stop there. In the welcome center, you’ll not only be greeted by human beings…but birds, chinchillas, and bearded dragons. Then grab some feed and head outside to the 2 petting zoos. There you will find goats, kangaroos, deer, ostriches, and so much more!

The wild country safari park is open Tuesday through Sunday, all year long. The pricing depends on a few things, including how old you are and which drive-through option you chose. To see the pricing, click here .

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGNO.

The Drive-Thru Gone Wild Safari In Louisiana Lets You Experience A Safari From You Own Car

Louisiana native and LSU Alum (Geaux Tigers!), Jackie has lived in Louisiana for over three decades and currently lives in New Orleans. She's been writing for OnlyInYourState since 2016 and can often be found with a coffee at her side, dreaming of her next adventure.

More by this Author

Calling all animal lovers! Tucked away in central Louisiana lies one of the most unique attractions in the state, Gone Wild Safari. What started as an animal rescue has turned into a fascinating exotic animal park where you can get up close and personal to some of your favorite furry friends. The whole family will love this adventure so bring the whole crew out to this hidden gem.

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Ready to book your tickets? Head on over to the Gone Wild Safari website for more information and be sure to give them a follow on Facebook so you can stay up to date on the latest activities and possible closures (they’ll have to close down if the weather is bad). If you’ve ever visited Gone Wild Safari, share your experience with us in the comments below!

OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

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Elephants, alpacas, drive-thru safari: Check out interactive zoo experiences in Oklahoma

Have you ever wanted to see an elephant up close and personal? Or a camel from your car?

These immersive animal experiences in Oklahoma offer visitors the chance to do just that.

From alpaca farms to an elephant sanctuary, here's your guide to hands-on zoo experiences in Oklahoma.

Arbuckle Wilderness Park drive-thru safari

Arbuckle Wilderness Park in Davis offers a drive-thru safari where drivers and their passengers can feed llamas, emus, camels among several other animals.

The park is located at 6132 Kay Starr Trail in Davis and is open every day from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. on weekdays and 5:30 p.m. on the weekends.

For more information, visit http://arbucklewildernesspark.com/ .

Elephant sanctuary in Hugo

The Endangered Ark Foundation in Hugo is a private non-profit that provides a retirement ranch for circus elephants.

The sanctuary offers public tours of the facility on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. It also offers private encounters, group visits and observation deck experiences.

Elephant Ark Foundation is located at 2657 E 2070 Rd. For more information, visit https://www.endangeredarkfoundation.org/ .

Mowdy Ranch

Mowdy Ranch is a wild horse sanctuary with 4,000 acres of wooded hills and open valleys in southeastern Oklahoma.

With 350 wild horses, guests can book a tour and even adopt a horse at the sanctuary located at 16280 Oklahoma Highway 31 in Coalgate.

For more information, visit https://mowdyranch.com/home .

Magnolias & Prayers: Everything Alpaca

Magnolias & Prayers: Everything Alpaca is an alpaca farm featuring over 40 alpacas that hosts several events like wine tastings ang yoga in the pasture with the animals. These events include petting and feeding the alpacas.

The farm also offers private events like tours, parties, weddings and more.

For more information on how to book an experience, visit https://www.magnoliablossomranch.com/ .

Bradt's Menagerie

Bradt's Menagerie is a family-owned petting zoo located at 39755 US Highway 64 in Alva.

The zoo features a variety of farm animals such as cows, llamas, goats and chickens.

For more information, visit the Bradt's Menagerie Facebook page .

TRAFFIC ALERT: Severe weather causes several road closures through NELA

MONROE, La. (KNOE) - There are several road closures in the Northeast Louisiana region after severe weather rolled through the area overnight on Tuesday, June 3.

Below is a list of all of the road closures.

Union Parish

• La. 348, located about 1.5 miles east of its intersection with La. 549

Ouachita Parish

• As of 9:30 p.m., DOTD crews were working to remove fallen trees from I-20 West near mile marker 106. The last update from the DOTD was that the roadway would be cleared soon after 9:30.

Reopened roads

• La. 810 in Jackson Parish, located about 0.75 miles east of its intersection with La. 505
• La. 548, located about 1.2 miles east of its intersection with La. 34

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‘It just grabbed her’: Giraffe picks up toddler during family trip to drive-thru safari

GLEN ROSE, Texas ( KWTX /Gray News) - A family in Texas says they went through quite the scare when recently visiting a wildlife center.

According to the Toten family, a giraffe accidentally picked their toddler up out of the bed of their truck when they were visiting the Fossil Rim Wildlife Center on June 1.

KWTX reports that park visitors get to drive themselves along a path where exotic and endangered animals roam free at the center.

Visitors are also allowed to feed the animals.

The family said Paisley, 2, was in the back of the pickup truck with her mom feeding the animals when the giraffe grabbed her shirt and lifted the little girl into the air.

Paisley’s father, Jason Toten, said the incident was caught on video by a car behind them.

“We stopped to feed the giraffes and I turned around to look out the back window,” he said. “That’s when I saw the giraffe kind of digging around and then it just grabbed her.”

According to the Toten family, it appeared to be a complete accident and they didn’t break any rules.

“Paisley was holding the bag, and the giraffe went to go get the bag, not her, but it ended up getting her shirt too and picked her up,” Toten said.

Thankfully, Paisley didn’t get too high up before the giraffe dropped her.

“As soon as she went up, her mom yelled, ‘Hey!’ and the giraffe let go,” Toten said.

Paisley’s father said she ended up falling into her mother’s arms without anyone getting hurt, but it still was a scary moment.

“My heart stopped, my stomach dropped … it scared me,” Toten said.

Afterward, Toten said they went to the gift shop and got Paisley a toy giraffe because “she deserved it.”

The family said they do plan on returning to the park in the future.

According to the wildlife center, visitors are allowed to ride in the bed of a truck if an adult is riding in the back with them and everyone is safely inside the vehicle.

Copyright 2024 KWTX via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Giraffe lifts up toddler into the air during Texas safari drive-thru

A couple from Texas experienced a shocking incident from their visit to a wildlife center after a giraffe picked up their toddler during a safari drive-through.

Over the weekend, the family visited Fossil Rim Wildlife Center, where the visitors are allowed to drive themselves through a path to get a closer look at the wildlife and feed them.

Paisley Toten, 2, was sitting at the back of her family's truck with her mom when she was feeding the giraffe before the animal grabbed her by the shirt and lifted her into the air.

The moment was caught on camera by the mom and the visitors in the car behind them.

Paisley's dad, Jason Toten, told ABC News his daughter was eventually released by the giraffe and did not suffer any injuries.

According to the rules on the center's website , during the drive through, "Only giraffes can be fed by hand. This is for your safety, as animals besides giraffe [ s ] can bite."

ABC News has reached out to Fossil Rim Wildlife Center for comment and has not heard back immediately.

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