- Attraction: Wild Animal Safari
- Location: 1300 Oak Grove Rd, Pine Mountain, GA 31822
- Industry: Zoo
- Website: https://www.animalsafari.com/
Wild Animal Safari in Pine Mountain has been delivering these unforgettable moments since 1991, sprawling across 500 acres where over 65 different species and more than 650 animals roam freely.
Just an hour southeast of Atlanta, this isn’t your typical zoo experience – it’s an African-style adventure where the animals come to you.
The park was born out of love for animal conservation and education, and today it offers both a thrilling drive-through safari and a walkabout zoo experience. You’ll cruise along a 3.5-mile trail through different animal habitats, getting closer to exotic wildlife than you ever imagined possible.
Safari Experience Highlights
The Giraffe Encounter: These gentle giants are absolutely the stars of the show. Meet Rosie, the 16-foot female giraffe, and Too Tall, the towering 18-foot male who will literally stick their heads into your vehicle to grab a snack. Rosie especially loves being petted, creating those magical photo moments that’ll have your social media followers doing double-takes.
Bison Up Close: The massive American buffalo are surprisingly gentle despite their intimidating size. These thousand-pound creatures actually enjoy being petted, and they’ll make your truck look small when they approach. They tend to crowd the entrance and exits, sometimes blocking the way, but that just adds to the authentic safari experience.
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Keep Exploring →Zebra Traffic Jams: You might encounter actual zebra crossing traffic stops as these striped beauties casually stroll across the road. The zebras, along with llamas and donkeys, create quite the interactive experience as they approach your vehicle looking for treats.
Aggressive Ostriches: The ostriches are hilariously aggressive when it comes to getting food, creating moments of laughter and slight terror as these giant birds peer directly into your car at eye level. Just stay calm when you first encounter them – their enthusiasm is part of the fun.
Exotic Variety: Beyond the headliners, you’ll meet camels, rhinos, water buffalo, deer, goats, pigs, and various cattle from around the world. The pigs are especially entertaining with their playful personalities and eagerness to interact.
Walkabout Adventure Zoo
Big Cats & Bears: After your drive-through adventure, stretch your legs in the walkabout section featuring lions, tigers, bears, and even ligers in more traditional zoo-style enclosures. The white tiger exhibit is particularly captivating.
Interactive Exhibits: You can feed giraffes in this section and enjoy spider monkeys, lemurs, singing dogs, and giant tortoises. The area features kangaroos, exotic birds, and interactive displays with educational insights.
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Discover MoreAnimal Encounters: Book exclusive Animal Encounters for up-close experiences with popular animals and opportunities to ask zookeepers questions. The sloth and lemur encounters are especially fantastic, with lemurs gently holding your finger to take treats.
Atmosphere & Vehicle Options
Drive-Through Choices: You have three options for exploring the safari. Drive your own vehicle, rent one of their safari vans, or take the complimentary safari bus with a tour guide. The zebra-striped rental vans are highly recommended over using your own car to avoid slobber, scratches, and potential damage from enthusiastic animals.
Natural Setting: The drive embraces a natural open setting designed to bring you face-to-face with animals, and the 5-mile trail winds around meandering lakes creating a genuinely scenic backdrop for your wildlife encounters.
Slobber Factor: Be prepared to get slobber, dirt, and maybe a little animal waste on your hands if you feed the animals – one popular souvenir magnet even says “I got slobbered!” It’s all part of the authentic experience that visitors find hilarious and memorable.
Other Considerations
Pricing Value: Adult tickets cost $32, kids ages 3-12 are $26, and children 2 and under are free. Family 4-packs are available for $25 per person with a minimum purchase of 4 tickets. The unique up-close animal experience provides excellent value for the cost.
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Keep Exploring →Animal Food Strategy: Animal food costs $6 per bag or $21 for 4 bags. Getting 2-3 bags is recommended because you’ll want to feed every animal you encounter, and running out of food before completing the drive is disappointing.
Timing Tips: Arriving early when the park opens at 10 AM means no wait times and readily available van rentals, while arriving just an hour later can mean hour-long waits. The animals are hungriest and most active early in the day.
Time Investment: The drive-through takes about an hour, and the walkabout adds another hour, totaling around 3 hours maximum. Your ticket is good for the whole day, so you can make multiple trips through the safari to see different animal behaviors.
Family Friendly: The experience delights all ages, though bringing hand sanitizer and wet wipes is essential for the inevitable animal interactions. The park offers dog kennels at the ticket building if you’re traveling with pets.
Wild Animal Safari
📍 1300 Oak Grove Rd, Pine Mountain, GA 31822
