Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch — Attraction in Bulverde

Usually when I visit attractions, I’m happy going just once but this place makes me want to come back again! The best part? Where do I even start! First, if you’re tired from walking or have someone who can’t walk much, this place is perfect. You drive up to buy tickets which are $24.99 per adult. On their website, they have a link that will direct you the San Antonio coupon book and you can get a discount but it didn’t work for us for the month of March. Honestly though, the price was just fine, even without the small discount. At the ticket booth you can also purchase bags of food for $4.50 and we are so happy we did because it made the experience even better. We fed so many kinds of animals and took lovely photos and videos. At the ticket booth, they will also give you a brochure that explains the animals and facts about them, making it very educational. After that, you will then drive through the whole park in your vehicle. It’s a nice way to pass the time because we were there for about 1.5 hours. We had all our windows rolled down and had a blast. We came on a Friday at around 11:30am and it was not very busy. There is one main road with white dividers on it that splits into 2 paths. If you want to go quicker, you can pass the other cars or you can take your time. They want you to keep your speed at 5mph and you can feed all the animals except the giraffe’s and caged animals at the end of the safari. About half way, you will also find a spot where you can park. This area has a snack booth, very clean restrooms, a cute sign you can snap a picture at and you can walk up to get a better look at the giraffes. Once the drive is done, at the very end, you’ll pull into a parking lot. This area has more restrooms, benches to sit on, a restaurant and cute gift shop. It also has a walking area where you can see enclosed animals. You can pay an extra $3 per person to walk inside the enclosed bird cage. We weren’t able to because due to staffing shortages, no one was there to supervise but we could still see the birds from the outside. The worst part? It might not seem like it but you are given a lot of food pellets. At the beginning, we didn’t want to “waste” them because we were worried we’d run out by the end. I can not tell you how many people had leftovers at the end. We were trying to gift bags to people going in because we had so much left!! So, either use it up as much as you can or even before you enter, I don’t know if you could turn into the lot (to the right of the ticket booth) but if you do, you could probably get peoples leftovers and avoid paying. Also, some animals bite! The ostriches were hard to feed because they kept biting our fingers and hands. A tip would be to put food on something or cover your hand with a sweater or blanket. That way they can’t get your fingers. The ranch also has a lot of signs everywhere so make sure you read them. They give you good safety reminders and will mention when some animals, like zebras, might bite. We also chose to take 2 cars because if we had packed into our van, then the people in the back wouldn’t have their own windows to feed the animals. You’ll be happy you came! It’s wonderful and family friendly. Everyone will have...

To sum it up: It was AMAZING! If you’re looking for relaxation or an escape from the everyday, this is the place to go.

We found this spot while looking for something to do when our child had a day off from school during the week.

You can buy tickets on-site, but they’re about $4-6 cheaper online. Even if it’s last-minute, I strongly recommend purchasing them online.

When you drive in, you’ll show your e-ticket at the entrance, where you can also buy feed bags. Each bag was around $5. We went as a group of three, and one bag was more than enough—we had about a third left over in the end.

We did the self-guided tour -where you drive your own car-, and it was perfectly fine without a guide. You can identify most of the animals by checking the brochure. In cooler weather, the open-air tours might be a good option, but in the heat, using your own car is ideal. Even a sedan is suitable for the drive.

There are four ticket options:

Safari only (self-guided) Safari + Aviary Experience - Parrot Encounter Safari + Prehistoric Experience - Dinosaur Exhibit Safari + Aviary Experience + Prehistoric Experience

The tickets labeled “PLUS” include all three (Safari, Parrots, and Dinosaurs).

While tickets specify a time, when I called to ask, they said you could visit at any time. So, for example, if you have a 1 PM ticket, you can show up at 10 AM or 3 PM, and it’s no problem.

We took our time and spent about 1 hour and 10 minutes driving through. Since it was a weekday, it wasn’t crowded, and even if there are cars in front of you, you can pass them and go at your own pace.

The road through the safari is well-maintained, one-way, and wide enough to pass other vehicles if needed.

There are areas without cell service, so be sure to download your favorite music in advance. We listened to The Lion King soundtrack during our tour, and it was perfect!

The animals were friendly and approached us for food. They were so cute, and it was a truly relaxing experience—almost like animal therapy.

Afterward, we visited the Aviary Experience, where you can interact with parakeets, cockatiels, and even turkeys. You’re given a stick with food on it, and the birds will come right up to you. They landed on our heads, shoulders, hands, and even shoes—it was adorable! Just be careful walking directly under trees, as the birds might leave a little surprise.

It was our first time seeing such a large number of parakeets in one place, and we had so much fun. Both adults and kids seemed to really enjoy it.

The gift shop was also well-stocked, and the kids were begging for stuffed animals.

If you’re visiting the nearby caves, be sure to stop by here as well. It’s highly...

Overall 9 out of 10 That one zebra that eats out of the cars 10 out of 10 Those ostriches though hard 8 out 10

Now your probably wondering like which zebra is it but really what’s up with the Ostriches and why only an 8.

Well let me tell YOU!

First of all we came on Mother’s Day cause we wanted to entertain the kids, chill with other wild mothers, and try to beat the heat.

I strongly recommend getting there by around 9 so it’s cooler and so the animals are out.

Second, the deers eat the most out of all animals which are in the entrance. I’d strongly recommend only 2 bags most of feed I got too excited and bought 4 and had so much leftover.

Third. The animals are all cool, very calm, and so peaceful to look at. But then you go down to the giraffes and then (play the Jurassic Park song) appear the Ostriches. Bless these amazing creatures, they protect their section and it’s almost like they check every car that comes in and out which I commend because they are protecting themselves, their kids ( potentially- I don’t know there were no family pictures hanging), and each other. It was cool to see but a bit frightening as you weren’t sure if they were going to charge your car or stick their head through the window and grab a bag of food or snatch your kid. So I’d suggest to be aware and don’t get too close or stay too long around them. It was cool to see them running after one of the park staff team members in their little off roader buggy. I’d never seen one run in real life so it was cool plus after it did a little dance but probably warning the others to watch out. Either way it was scary and cool all at the same time- perfect Mother’s Day gift!

And now the beautiful Zebra who came up to my window. May the good Lord bless you with long life you are a precious animal that holds a dear spot in my heart. The beautiful thing came up to my window and ate out of my hand and was so chill. It was magical like I was at Disney World but in Texas. It was super friendly and so good with people and cars. 10/10 recommend this zebras they others… I’m sure they are cool too they just didn’t come near the car to eat.

Also the crocodile statue in the pond by the lemurs is creepy and weird - totally recommend just removing it as we were all confused if it was real, fake, or dead.

All in all, so worth the money as you can go multiple times and really cool animals just remember to go early, only 2 bags of food, and just pass by those Ostriches but feed that...