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African Lion Safari in Ontario

African Lion Safari

Unlike the traditional zoo where visitors freely roam the grounds observing animals in cages, the African Lion Safari near Toronto , Ontario, is set up to allow visitors to drive at their own pace around multi-acre reserves in which the animals roam freely.

Open daily between May and October, the African Lion Safari also stages animal shows and workshops and has a splash pad and playground.

Though the African Lion Safari is more acceptable in terms of animal welfare than zoos and amusement parks like the atrocious Marineland in Niagara Falls , which has been criticized for its animal cruelty, the elephant shows and rides at the African Lion Safari do seem archaic and humiliating to the animals while offering no educational value for viewers.

Tips for Visiting

Dennis Jarvis / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0

• Driving your own vehicle around the animal reserves is at your own risk. Baboons have been known to jump on and scratch cars, pull at antennas or remove windshield wipers. Take the Safari Bus if you are concerned about your car being damaged.
• If you decide to drive your own vehicle, you have the option of a monkey-free route; monkeys tend to be the biggest car hazard.
• The park is less busy and not so hot if you arrive for the 10 am opening.
• As with most theme parks, food is generally unhealthy and overpriced. Pack a picnic lunch or at the least bring a snack and a water bottle.
• July and August can be very hot; be prepared with water, sunscreen, hats, and bring bathing suits for the kids to take advantage of the splash pad.
• Slightly rainy days are good days to visit, with fewer visitors and animals that are more active than on very hot, humid days.
• If you want to see some of the shows (Birds of Prey, Parrot, Elephants), find out their start times before you do anything else, and plan your activities around these times.

See the Animals

Derek Hatfield / Flickr / CC BY 2.0 

Animals wandering the African Lion Safari reserves include giraffes, zebras, rhinoceroses, ostriches, lions, cheetahs, baboons, and more.

Birds of prey, including eagles, hawks, owls, vultures, and falcons as well as parrots can be seen during demonstration and shows.

Gentle animals, such as baby goats, can be handled and pet at the Pets' Corner.

How Much Time to Spend at the Safari

African Lion Safari 

Visitors should plan on spending at least three hours at the African Lion Safari. The drive through the animal reserves takes between an hour and two hours, but the other amenities will keep you at the park for longer. Many people arrive for the 10 am opening and stay the whole day.

Getting There

Google Maps

Located in a rural part of Cambridge, Ontario, the African Lion Safari is about an hour from Toronto and 1.5 hours from Niagara Falls. Note that depending on your source, the location may be given as - not Cambridge - but Hamilton or Flamborough.

The route is marked clearly with blue Ontario attraction signage.

While You're in the Area

Little Louie's Burger Joint & Soupery

• Where to eat:  Enjoy delicious Mexican food in a casual atmosphere at Latinoamerica Unida. Slightly more sophisticated than a food truck, Little Louie's Burger Joint & Soupery serves up delish fast food.
• Where to stay: Several hotels are in the vicinity of the African Lion Safari - mostly mid-range. Homewood Suites by Hilton is particularly convenient for families as each guest room has at least one bedroom plus full kitchen and double sofa sleeper. If you're looking for something a little swankier, Langdon Hall is a Relais & Chateaux property in the area.
• Other attractions: A lot of green space, farmland, and conservation areas surround the African Lion Safari. Some charming towns within 20-minutes travel include Elora and Fergus - famous for 19th-century architecture and a preserved mill - and St. Jacobs Country - popular with tourists because of the hiking trails, strong Mennonite presence, and artistic offerings.
• The Donkey Sanctuary of Canada is a less touristy, quieter way to observe animals roaming freely, namely, donkeys who have been rescued from abuse and/or neglect.

Related Articles

More related articles.

African Lion Safari: Ontario’s Wildest Safari Adventure

Great news for fans of African Lion Safari – they open Saturday, May 4th for the 2024 season and have lots of WILD fun in store for you and your family! We have the inside scoop on what you can expect when you visit this summer, updates on the new African Lion Safari ticket prices plus some tips and important info for visitors.

2024 Season highlights

African Lion Safari is Canada’s Original Safari Adventure. They maintain a collection of over 1,000 exotic birds and animals comprised of over 100 different species. What animal is your favourite? Will you giggle at the silly monkeys and lemurs or be entranced watching the long-legged giraffes stroll their habitat?

Drive Through Game Reserve – One of my earliest memories of African Lion Safari was when we saw cars driving through the game reserves getting oh-so-close to the animals roaming around. It was like nothing I had ever seen before! The drive-through is 9 km long and it takes you up close through 7 large Game Reserves featuring Nairobi Sanctuary, Simba Lion Country, Timbavati Lion Country, Wankie Bushland Trail, Rocky Ridge Veldt, Australasia and The Americas. You stay in your vehicle, driving at a very slow pace, and you get to witness animals roam their territory.

Take The “Nature Boy “Train – Hop on the train for a 15-minute ride through 16 hectares of animals and birds. A trip is included in your admission.

Climb Aboard The “African Queen” – Take a boat ride to enjoy a pleasant tour around Water Safari Lake. The informative captain will take you on a cruise around the islands and point out exotic primates including the White-handed gibbon, Ring-tailed lemur, Black-handed Spider monkeys and Robust Black Spider monkeys. Bird dwellers include the Marabou stork and the Pink-backed pelican. The tour is about 15 minutes and is included in your admission.

African Lion Safari’s Waterpark Splash Pad

The splash pad, Misumu Bay Wetplay, is more than just a splash pad at African Lion Safari! As a matter of fact, this may be the highlight of your visit! I have multiple friends who buy season passes strictly for this amazing waterpark. The waterpark is included in your admission and while you’re there cool down under the dumping bucket or slip down the water slides. Enjoy sprinklers and water shooters and fountains, too!

African Lion Safari Tickets 2024

How much is it to go to the Safari? This year, you can purchase your tickets in advance online or at the gate. Limited tickets will be available to buy at the gate, and they recommend pre-purchasing online to secure your spot. What’s more, you save a few dollars when you buy online. Click here to buy your African Lion Safari tickets.

We are always on the lookout for African Lion Safari discount codes for you, therefore watch this spot as this is where we will share them.

2024 ONLINE TICKET PRICES

2024 gate safari tickets, a season’s passport – is it worth it.

Season’s Passports are a great idea if you plan on visiting African Lion Safari 3 or more times. A Passport gives you unlimited visits for the season and if you love the looks of Misumu Bay Wetplay , it will be worth it to invest. Season Passport holders also receive 20% off food and non-alcoholic beverages at all on-site food service locations (this excludes vending carts). You also enjoy 20% off in the gift shops (excluding sales and batteries). Click here to buy your African Lion Safari Season Passport .

If we discover African Lion Safari coupons, coupon codes or deals, we will share them here!

Tips and FAQs

Yes, it is! You can see a detailed list of Accessible measures and specific park sections here.

Yes, they are. But please leave pets at home.

“African Lion Safari is pleased to participate in the Easter Seals Access 2 Card Program and offer both an individual with a disability and one support person, 25% off regular gate admission at the Ticketbooth.”

Yes, wagon rentals are available for $8 and wheelchairs are $5. Both rentals require a security deposit

VISA, MasterCard, Interac and cash are accepted at all locations throughout the park. 

Washrooms are available at Jungle Junction, Mombasa Market Restaurant, Misumu Bay Wetplay and at the end of Tusker Trail. 

More Staycation Ideas You’ll Love

Upcoming Events

Toddler days at joseph brant museum, 16th annual telling tales festival.

Modern Day Ruins

Modern Day Ruins is dedicated to the not-so-forgotten abandoned places we once loved.

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August 28, 2008, lion country safari: irvine, california.

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What it was like

31 comments:.

Lion Country Safari can be seen on the TV show "More Things That Aren't Here Anymore." "A follow-up to the 1997 special recalls bygone Southland landmarks. Included: Hollywood's Brown Derby; Gilmore Stadium, a minor-league field; the steamships of Catalina Island; the original McDonald's restaurant. Host: Ralph Story." This program can be found on KCET.

The Irvine Company recently tore down Wild Rivers and are building a residential community on the site. The road going into the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater off of Irvine Center Dr. is still named Lion Country Safari road.

I forgot this part. The Irvine Company also extended Lake Forest Blvd. over some hills that are adjacent to the old Wild Rivers site. From the road you can easily see the entire area.

A twin engine Beach King Air also plowed into the Amphitheater during the 90s (?) on a final to El Toro.

I have a picture of me sitting on a lion. Not sure of the exact year, but early 70s. We loved that place as kids!!

I remember going to Lion Country Safari when I was a little girl. The ostrich tried to get the door lock on the inside of our vehicle. The other thing I remember is they had a machine that would make you a wax animal right there. It was so cool. Sad to see that it is no longer there. This was in the late 70's. Memories :-)

Wow so sad to have closed it down.We were there back in the 70's it was such a neat place to see.I have alot of pictures i took good thing i did.Im so sorry for the animals that were destroyed.Too bad they couldnt of did something to keep it open.Id really like to go through it again.):

I used to work at Lion Country Safari. Some of the detail left out is- The elephant that escape belong to Gentle Jungle. Who rented space from Lion Country Safari. There was accident involving the tiger from the show. Again the animal belong to Gentle Jungle. I was on duty that day. Here what happen. The show started (please remember this is Gentle Jungle equipment and animals). One Child was running all over the place, his father was to busying to control his child, it is ask parents please control your child at the beginning of each show. The tiger was having a bad day the trainer got him out of the ring somehow the tiger got out the cages and fences. The tiger attack a little boy. Where was his dad? To busy running leaving his child behind but did not forget his beer. I was one on the first one there. I will never forget this. Who gets sued? Lion Country Safari. Why? Lion Country Safari had money! Gentle Jungle didn't. I love working there. I have such great memories of Lion Country Safari

So glad to see your post. I am Dr. Dooley's daughter. I loved going to work with him back then. People are sue-happy and forget that animals are animals and to take care. I hate hearing the backlash. Lion Country was an amazing place!

There is an amazing episode of an old show called Cannon that I think was filmed there. Curious to know how much of it was.

I also worked there way back when as a apprentice to the magician who's name I can't remember. I think his first name was Lee. I can't remember his stage name either. If anyone remembers it please let me know..thanks

If you're going to tell the story tell the truth. These people were our upstairs neighbors and family friends. I KNOW what happened.

use to do the elephant show. One of the elephants is at LA Zoo. Many of the lions went to Shambala which at the time was owned by Teppi Heddren. Great place, good animals and lots of poor management from unknowing and uncaring executives.

I'm always grateful to hear these experiences from others, especially those of you who worked there. I remember the wax lion machine at the entry. I still have a souvenir from the gift shop of a plastic lion in a wooden cage with the LCS sticker on the bottom. I never could understand why this place dwindled on attendance but hearing from some of you, now I know why. They didn't seem to invest much back into the place. So sorry about the animals and the lawsuits. ...and the idiot people. It's hard for me to hear that Michael Crighton based Jurassic Park on the San Diego Zoo or Wild Animal Park when it was obviously much closer to Lion Country Safari.

Hi! I remember going on a school field trip to Lion Country Safari,I loved it and I still have my wax "Doc the Lion"Mold a Roma,I wish I could get information on"Doc the Lion"and I wish I could get a brochure of the park to go with my Doc the Lion.

went there in 1972? when Dad&Mom came out to see me.I was in the Navy.

I took my kids to Wild Rivers in the early 90s. Many great memories. When I visited CA in 1979, we drove through Lion Country Safari and had a great time. In October 1994, the lions were long gone when my fiance and I held our wedding there. We married near the water's edge and had our reception in the circular building nearby that had floor to ceiling windows - as I remember it. It was a beautiful place and I'm sorry that it is no longer around!

I lived in southern California for 11 years from 1980 to 1991. We went to many concerts a at the amphitheater. The last time we went to see Journey we snuck in via lion country safari! I remember going over the fence in a fairly inconspicuous spot and running down a hill to the walkway leading from parking to the amphitheater. Once down the hill we blended in with others walking to the show.

We took our three children there every year for many years we have such great memories great movies we watch them now with our grandchildren our grandchildren wish they could have seen the animals up close and see them as they should be saying you're free It was a great time we always look forward every year to go with my children got to Pat baby lions and they never will forget that so sad that it was not taken care of like it should've been it would be great for the children of today so so sad

I went to the summer camp. My grandmother ran the ropes challenge course there in the 90's. I loved exploring the park and old attractions.

that summer camp was great I attended from like 92-95, that was the highlight of every summer I was sad to see it go. They reopened as camp james in Newport Dunes apparently still highly rated as a summer camp.

I worked at camp Frasier during that time. Was a fun job

I went the summer camp called Camp Fraser about 3 times in the early 1990s ( I think from like 92-95ish) and it was a BLAST. We would go to wild rivers in the morning, and then have the whole lion country safari area as basically a playground with like ATV's and hiking and stuff (I don't really remember any exotic animals being around)

My sister worked there when it first opened in 1970. They had a brood of very young lion cubs to care for 7 days a week, and on weekends my sister would sometimes have to bring a couple of cubs home to bottle-feed and... uh... "wipe" every so often. Hungry little guys!

Mayfair High School Had Our 1977 Prom At Lion Country Safari. It Was So Fun. I Took My Good Friend Lauri Love. She Was The Most Foxy'st Girl There.

Was there in 1974 and love every minute of it. I am sorry to hear that is no longer open. I would like to have gone there again.

Went there only a couple of times, once as a field trip. My uncle helped develop a similar park in Puebla, Mexico, which I think is still open. I remember when Frasier was ill and passed away, I was delivering papers at the time. Every day was an update on the front page. Frasier was supposed to be buried up on the hills above the park. The guides would point it out. I remember also that Frasier was supposed have sired something like 23 cubs while he was at the park. Fond memeries.

I went there in the early 70's with my Aunt when we visited from Mn. I remember getting my photo taken with Gentle Ben, the bear. He stood up and had his paw on my shoulder. Was a great place..I remember my Aunt and her son rode the elephant. Too bad it closed.

I remember going through LCS in the 70s with my family. We were going through when they were feeding the Lions as the man was throwing them the raw meat he noticed dad was filming him. He threw a piece of meat on the hood of our car and when the lioness licked it off it scuffed up our paint because her tongue was so ruff. I will never forget that.

Hi Everyone, I'm a producer for ISH Entertainment, an award winning production studio in New York. We're casting a show for a big time network about LCR and are looking to talk to people with wild experiences from LCR. Please reach out to [email protected]. Thank you! Best, ISH Entertainment NYC

I was one of the first two counselors hired to run Camp Frasier in 1982. Within a few months of operating the camp we added a third counselor. The age range of participants was such that we "deputized" the older campers as junior counselors. We were always looking for activities for the kids to do. We talked the maintenance staff into helping us create fishing poles and the kids caught dozens of huge catfish which were displayed for parents when they came to pick up their children. Apparently, the jungle boat river had never been fished! [email protected]

 Here's an article from August 2024 about bringing back Lake Dolores/Rock-A-Hoola Water Park. This isn't the first time we are heari...

Wild Encounters

Stunning, Powerful, Majestic African Lion Roar In The Wild

Posted: June 1, 2024 | Last updated: June 1, 2024

One of the lions of the Mapogo male lion coalition roars in reply to a lioness in the distance. The distinctive lion in the video is notorious Mapogo lion Mr.T. The roars of the Mapogo lions are no longer heard in the wilds of Africa as they have all passed on but we are lucky to be able to hear the roar of each lion of the coalition here on YouTube!Filmed in the Sabi Sand Wildtuin, Greater Kruger National Park, South Africa A roar is a deep, bellowing outburst of sound forced through an open mouth. It is produced by animals of certain species. A roar is usually made using the hyoid, a small bone which is not completely rigid in adults. Animals roar for various reasons, including territorial proclamation, communication with other members, and anger. Additionally, the roar of an animal such as a lion is used in the process of finding and competing for a mate.The roar pattern is composed of three overall segments - a beginning segment sounding like moaning, a middle segment with low frequency loud tones and a final segment which sounds much like grunting. The lion's roar is familiar to many through its inclusion in the MGM opening sequence. This roar segment consists only of the middle portion of the roar, omitting the first and last portions Subscribe:​ ​https://bit.ly/30a0IRM​ ​| Merch: ​http://teespring.com/stores/robtheranger Watch the newest videos: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLLkJbMHt1booI-NVZ7lZxheEp8UMFRYEFollow">https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLLkJbMHt1booI-NVZ7lZxheEp8UMFRYEFollow</a> Rob The Ranger:TWITTER: ​http://goo.gl/U8IQGfINSTAGRAM: ​https://instagram.com/robtheranger BLOG: ​http://goo.gl/yJJ3pTFACEBOOK: ​http://goo.gl/M8pnJhSTEEMIT: ​https://steemit.com/@robtheranger TUMBLR: ​http://goo.gl/qF6sNSWatch ​more videos!Lions, Lions, And More Lions: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLLkJbMHt1bpPTGnTaR798fdsHNJ7ZNGtAfrican">https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLLkJbMHt1bpPTGnTaR798fdsHNJ7ZNGtAfrican</a> Elephant (Loxodonta africana): <a href="https://.youtube.com/playlist?v=qzINZPv7PMc&list=PLLLkJbMHt1bpUo_KWtwJ3ck3Q1-xfMmkh&playnex">https://.youtube.com/playlist?v=qzINZPv7PMc&list=PLLLkJbMHt1bpUo_KWtwJ3ck3Q1-xfMmkh&playnex</a> t=1African Wild Dogs/Painted Wolves: <a href="https://youtube.com/playlist?v=DXQc_v5qjS4&list=PLLLkJbMHt1bocK9_hokQ5Z8tpEOukHJnv&playnext">https://youtube.com/playlist?v=DXQc_v5qjS4&list=PLLLkJbMHt1bocK9_hokQ5Z8tpEOukHJnv&playnext</a> =1Hippo (Hippopotamus amphibius): [​https://youtube.com/playlist?v=nDgIt9QF_IM&list=PLLLkJbMHt1bqhsVIGpg5YgS4-prwujiKq&playnext=1 Most Popular: ​https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLLkJbMHt1bpQ4T4enPPMkf_5cK26VouwAbout Rob The Ranger Wildlife Videos:The purpose of the channel is to show what it is like to experience seeing wild animals on an African safari. Nature Documentaries are often highly edited to tell a story, wildlife safaris are not, and the idea here is to show the wildlife sightings the way they were seen. Safari tours in Africa are generally suitable for all ages and this channel can be considered an educational channel about incredible nature, some scenes in the nature videos may be more graphic than people are used to but this is the reality of nature and is what you would see if you were present on such a safari in person. Safaris in Kenya, South Africa, or any other African country are an unrivalled experience for anyone with a passion for nature, wildlife photography, and travel. Hopefully the animal videos on this channel can provide a glimpse into what the nature experience is like and encourage more people to take a wildlife safari one day. Make sure to subscribe and enable ALL notifications!#robtheranger #roar #lionroar

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