A hidden gem deep inside the state of Arizona, USA, is a wildlife park that will take you out of this country! Out of Africa Wildlife Park is more than your ordinary city zoo. This park offers an experience unlike any other park for any age group. In this post we will show you a whole new world and show you an experience you will not forget!
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Where is Out of Africa?
Out of Africa Wildlife Park is located 1 1/2 hours north of Phoenix, Arizona just outside of a town called Camp Verde, Arizona. The highways up to the park from Phoenix are in good condition and are pretty straightforward. You might experience traffic up north on Friday nights or south on Sundays as Phoenicians tend to escape the heat in the summer months.
Food near the Park
In Camp Verde you will find a nice place to eat breakfast or lunch at the Verde Cafe. The breakfast burrito and the eggs, bacon, hash brown, and biscuit plates are personal favorites of ours. The Verde Cafe serves up a lot of other amazing dishes at an affordable price. If you are interested in going to Jerome which is about 20 miles west of Out of Africa Wildlife Park you can check out our other post on Northern Arizona to find out the best places to eat!
Out of Africa Wildlife Park
Out of Africa Wildlife Park is a sanctuary for many endangered animals from all over the world. Out of Africa is a non-profit organization that is run by volunteers and donations. When you walk inside the park you will meet a friendly employee at the ticket booth where you can buy your ticket for admission. Ticket prices range from $18.95-$33.95 depending on what ticket applies to you (Child, Adult, Military). If it is your birthday month you will be able to enter the park for FREE (Make sure you have valid id or passport)! If you are interested to see how much your tickets will cost click here.
At the entrance you will not find many animals just some birds in the Community Aviary. The Community Aviary has lots of beautiful birds and some very rare birds like the Blue and Gold Macaw named Alexis! Once you pass the aviary you will hop on a trolley that will take you deeper inside the park where most of the animals are. The trolley is about a quick 5 minute trip to the first stop where you will find the tigers, wolves, and other animals. Also on the first stop you will find the reptile experience and tiger stadium. We were able to make the Giant Snake Show where we saw a Amelanistic Burmese Python named Melanie. Melanie is one of the six largest snakes in the world and is the largest subspecies of the Indian Python. You will have a few experienced trainers who will explain where Melanie is from (Southern and Southeast Asia) and how they attack their prey. After the trainers are done explaining about the python you will have an oppurtunity to go inside the fenced area to hang out with Melanie. She will not mind you feeling her scales and will slither towards you to get a closer look. Melanie is harmless and loves tourists! You can learn more about Melanie and the Amelanistic Burmese Python here.
Right next to the reptile experience you might hear something laughing. No this is not your typical children playing around but a few Spotted Hyenas. Inside a large habitat you will find Chipa and Chitabe who were both born in South Africa. You will see them chase children around the perimeter of the fence and hear their contagious laugh. Spotted Hyenas are found in the Sub-Sharian region of Africa. You can read more about Chipa, Chitabe, and the Spotted Hyyena here.
Not too far away you will notice what looks to be a very large dog resting on it’s tower overlooking the valley. This is not your normal house dog, this is a Gray Wolf named Kanab. Kanab is from Montana, United States and was brought to Out of Africa Park when he was only 3 weeks old. The Gray Wolf can be found mostly in the wilderness or remote areas of North America, Europe, and Asia. Kanab is an Alpha Male and is the leader of his pack of wolves that are in the habitat with him. You can read more about Kanab and the Gray Wolf here.
When you are walking from the Gray Wolf habitat towards the shuttle stop you will see one more habitat on your left that will catch your eye. You will see a rare White Tiger named Chalet who is with her roommate Kumba who is a lion. Chalet was born in Tennessee, United States and was brought over to Out of Africa at just 2 weeks old. Surprisingly Chalet and Kumba were born on the same day! White Tigers are originally from Asia but unfortunately no White Tigers can be found in the wild today. The last White Tiger spotted in the wild was in 1970 in India. White Tigers can be found in captivity today like Chalet where they are safe from hunters and poachers. Right now there are several hundred White Tigers in the world and since they are being protected the numbers are starting to increase. Chalet loves to perform at the Tiger Stadium at Out of Africa in a show called Tiger Splash™. She is one of the biggest stars of the show and loves the attention from visitors! You can read more about Chalet, Kumba, and the White Tigers here.
Before you hop back on the shuttle make sure to cool off and grab some ice cream at the snack bar! You can have it in a cone or a cup and you won’t have to worry on spending t0o much for it! Also at the snack bar you can get food and other snacks as well. There is plenty of seating by the snack bar where you can relax for a bit before you explore some more!
After your snack you can hop on the shuttle to the next stop where you will find the Reptile and Lion habitats. Or you can opt into staying on the shuttle to go back towards the main entrance where you can take an African Bush Safari Tour. Included with your entrance ticket you will be able to hop on a bus and go on a safari tour to The Serengeti. Led by a friendly bus driver who will guide you around the park and talk about different animals that are in the park. Let’s meet some of animals on the safari tour!
First you will see the tallest animal in the world! The Reticulated Giraffe is one of the most impressive animals in the world. Included with your safari tour you will be able to feed the Giraffe either a cucumber or celery stick. You can either put your hand out and feel the Giraffe’s hairy tongue eat your tasty treat or if you feel like you want a big sloppy kiss you can put the treat in your mouth and the Giraffe will take care of the rest! Out of Africa has two Giraffes, one was the birthday boy when we went on August 3rd. His name is Kibo and the other is Pilgrim. Both are super friendly and love tasty treats.
Once you are in the habitat you will see Grant’s Zebras which are from the grasslands and savannas of Africa. These striped horses hangout mostly in packs and have strong powerful kicks to defend themselves from predators.
Travel Tip: Do not feed any of the Zebras the tasty Giraffe treat! They may look like kind striped horses and they might approach you wanting the treat. The reality is that Zebras have very strong sharp teeth and have no idea what they are biting when you give them a treat. So you might be missing some fingers if you do decide to for-go their warning of not feeding or petting the Zebras. I know it’s tempting because they are so cute!
You will also see a few Addaxs roaming around. These are extremely rare and are close to being extinct. The Addax is from Sahara Desert in Africa where poachers kill these animals and sell their horns or make them into trophies. Out of Africa Wildlife Park does it’s very best to protect these endangered species and hopes to continue the life of the Addax.
You might see a large looking cow with huge horns. The first thought that comes to mind is that this must be a Texas Longhorn. Actually this is Watusi cattle and can be found in the United States and also in Central Africa. The horns on the Watusi cattle can grow to be HUGE! The world record for a Watusi cattle grew to be the size of a small telephone pole on each side!
You will be able to see a few more different animals on the safari tour including Kibo the famous Giraffe! You can watch our African Bush Tour Video here!
After you finish the African Bush Safari Tour you can make your way to the gift shop by the main entrance. They have shirts, hats, ornaments for your Christmas tree! If you have children or know someone who does they have a great selection of toys and stuffed animals to choose from.
Out of Africa Wildlife Park is doing a great job keeping animals safe and giving them the care they need. Out of Africa is supported by a large group of volunteers and is a non-profit organization that is supported by donations. To help out these animals you can do your part and enroll in the Adopt an Animal Program. It is only $100 which goes to help the animals in the park by supplying food, water, and new facilities. If you want to donate a toy for the animals you can also do that by clicking here. If you are interested in volunteering at the park and working with some of the world’s most loved animals please click here. We hope that you get to experience Out of Africa Wildlife Park! Please let us know what your favorite animal is below in the comments!
