Out of Africa Wildlife Park — Attraction in Camp Verde

This place is amazing! We travel everywhere have been to everything from zoos and aquariums, to more interactive places like SeaQuest to drive in safaris where you can feed the animals. And in places all across the United States. This is by far our favorite. If it seems a bit pricey, the money is going to a good cause. It’s also independently owned. It includes a safari ride and free bus transportation to get around the park. You also get the tiger and creature show included as well as açaí leaf to feed the giraffe. I love that it is their natural food and not a lettuce leaf that’s prob not even organic like most places. Loved: That animals had space! This is not a sad looking place like a zoo or most animal parks. Even the snakes (which I know don’t need much space) had way better cages than any I’ve ever seen. They also rotate animal pens and who’s in the tiger show so that it is more of an enrichment vs. an over worked labor animal. The sloth was doing laps when we arrived which was so cool to see since they usually just sleep and rest. Also largest sloth environment. The lemurs were such a hit. They come right up to you under and in the side of the cage and start making noises. They put their hands out and look at you. Very social! My kids loved them. The snake area had a python which my kids also enjoyed because he was so active. Usually we just see snakes sleep. But not this fella. He was up and about all over really exciting us. Watching the cats get fed was unlike anything we’ve seen. If you hang out after they make lots or roaring noises and are very vocal. If you get there early you’ll see them pacing, scratching and looking for food trucks. Their cages are double chain link so you can really see the animals. There’s no smudgy plexiglass to look through. Most come right up to the fence too. They seem to actually somewhat like people and not be completely annoyed and disturbed by them. They looked happy and healthy. This is the closest I’ve ever been to a hyena before. They have spritzers going throughout the park to cool you off. Prices for food were reasonable. Tiger splash was fun- lots of humor. You can tell that the staff enjoy their jobs and lots of respect for animals. Zip lining is worth the add on. Although I was hoping to be over the tiger area- not giraffe. Con: I really hope this gets read because the one thing that needs to change is that they need to have water. This is in Arizona. We were there in mid June so especially hot. We have a large group and arrived each with full water bottles. I ended up distributing mine since it’s a 64 oz . We ended up buying 2 extra plastic ones- which I hate because it’s so bad for the environment. And eventually My kids also ended up filling them in their bathroom sinks. I’d pack two waters per person unless you can all bring really large ones. But really, Out of Africa please install a drinking fountain or water station....

We visited here early in the day to avoid the heat and wound up in a rain storm. Heat problem solved. Luckily it rained after the Safari Bush Tour and we were at the concession, so we waited out the rain with a white Bengal tiger who seemed to be enjoying the cold wet relief as well. The tour guide, Emily, on the Bush tour was so energetic and fun. She obviously loves the animals and loves sharing them with everyone. Our shuttle driver to the show area was also very enthusiastic, although he started off with a long self history about being Gary Montana the stuntman, which we were not able to verify with online research. He said he was friends of the owners and he was doing community service for DWIs. Lovely. He was very entertaining for the most part, although at the end I did have to explain to my 6yr old why his girlfriend really wasn't a hairy smelly bear who liked to hug him in bed, as he claimed. She was very concerned her claws would hurt him while they were sleeping. The variety of animals is great and would engage kids of most ages. Snake collection has a bunch of enormous specimens. There are also options for more in depth tours for animal enthusiast and older kids. My young kids were done after we got about half way through the walking exhibits. I did see a bit of controversy in reviews/comments, over the big cat feeding. That is a side of nature we acknowledge with our children, so they are not so squeemish if they see it, but that event happened the previous day so it wasn't an option for us. Check the schedule when planning if you are interested in watching the cats/bears/hyenas being fed. All in all the park is well done for its size and not being government run/funded. You do get to see more of the animals than in an institutional zoo. Definitely recommend if you are passing...

It was fun, and there's a lot of cool stuff to see. But we had a lot of trouble with getting clear information. When we came, is 3:00, and the ticket counter let us know there were only a couple of activities left for the day: in indoor tiger exhibit and the safari ride. We had a lot of small kids and a 90 year old with us, so walking in the heat wasn't an option. But these were fine options for us. We did find out the park closes at 4:30, and parking lot closes at 5:00, which was a surprise since it's listed online as closing at 5:30. So we catch the trolley, and he tells us the indoor event was at 1:15. We would be going to the walking tour, which sounded like something that wouldn't work for us. But when he described it, it sounded like we sit in the shade and they walk in front of us. Okay, that will work. Well, after he left, the guide came and said it was walking, and unless we were super prepared to stand in the heat, we shouldn't do the walk. Even let us know that he's had some really tough guys pass out. So, half of us went, half sat in the outdoor benches in the shade. It was an enjoyable time, and the animals were fun to see up close on the other side of the fence. The trolley came back later and took us to the bus for the safari tour. That was a great time for all of us. Feeding the giraffes, seeing the animals up close, it was really fun. Not a ton of animals, but several and interesting to see. I think if I was to do it again, it would probably be better to get there earlier for more options and events to watch. That may make it worth the cost: it was pricey! But overall, it was a good experience. And they do have a lot of bathrooms,...