Opinions on Serengeti Safari at Busch Gardens?

jenhelgren

DIS Veteran
Joined
Mar 13, 2010
This will be our first trip to Busch Gardens and I cant decide if the safari is worth the extra money for us. I have been reading review online and they are about split between love it or hate it but I would rather hear opinions from fellow DISers. In the photos it looks like you are standing the whole time-how many people are crammed into the truck. My DD is still 10 and would be much shorter than adults so I am wondering how uncomfortable the trip would be for her?? Some other reviews mentioned that the view is the same that you get from the train and that feeding the giraffe is the only difference. We have a local zoo where we feed the giraffes all the time so that wouldn't be something new for us....
 
I saw this in December, 2017. It looked awesome but I did notice they seemed to be crammed in there like there was no room if someone wanted a break from standing.

Edit: The part I saw is when they were surrounded by, and feeding, giraffes. Which it sounds like is not a big deal for you.
 
If you are doing just one day and interested in the big rides, consider also that the day will be quite full already. IE, do you want to dedicate the time for that when there is so much to do at the park?
 
We’ve done this twice as part of the larger VIP tour. Although, both times were a few years ago, so I’m not sure if the experience has changed any since then. Also, we’ve never gotten around to finding time to ride the train, so not sure how the two views differ.

We really enjoyed the experience. I think the kids were 11 to 13 at the time. I don’t remember feeling crammed into the truck or anything, and they made sure each person got a chance to feed the giraffes, and that the photographer got pictures of everyone. I don’t remember issues with standing or anyone complaining about standing, and honestly that particular trip (not BG, just the week in general) was a behavioral nightmare, so I would have heard complaining if the standing had been too much.

I’d definitely recommend it to someone who has never fed giraffes before. We didn’t regret it. However, I’m not sure if you will enjoy it. The main point of the experience is feeding the giraffes, so if that doesn’t really interest you because it’s gotten old, I’d skip it. You do see a few other animals along the way to where you go to feed the giraffes, but not a ton or anything. It kind of feels like a shorter version of Kilimanjaro Safaris to me with less animals. You basically get in the truck, ride to the giraffe feeding area, feed the giraffes, ride back. That’s all there is to it.

There are so many interesting things to see and do at BS, you might be better off spending your time on something else. One of the highlights of one of our trips was feeding the kangaroos. There was a baby at the time, and it was the cutest thing ever, especially when it jumped in and out of the mother’s pouch. This was a much quicker and much less expensive feeding opportunity as well.
 


We did the Safari last summer. Please be aware that the feeding of the giraffes depends on the giraffes. They were not interested in our truck, they would not come over no matter what the guides tried. After a few minutes, we were taken back without feeding the giraffes. We had fun and got some great pictures but we could have gotten similar pictures from the train without spending the money on the Safari.
 
Our tour wasn’t crowded, everyone had ample room to hang onto the side and feed the giraffes. People were nice enough to move out of the way to ensure all got a chance to feed them. We didn’t feel rushed at all, a ton of fun:)

We did the kangaroo feeding the same day. Neither really took up that much time, there was plenty of time to enjoy the park.
 
Just did the tour again yesterday, so I thought I’d answer this again with updated info while it is still fresh in my mind.

The tour starts at the check in area. This is a covered area with seating and free water. You wait there until everyone on the tour is checked in. Then, free lockers are provided for storing any loose objects or bags you don’t want to carry. You can take bags with you, not loose items, but you must carry the bags the whole time. You cannot set them down inside the truck.

There were probably 15 to 20 people on the truck. However, the tours are arranged so that each person is standing around the edge of the truck. No one is allowed to stand in the middle or behind someone else. Everyone has a good view.

Sitting is not allowed. I didn’t find it hard or tiring to stand. You are distracted looking at the different animals, and the ride itself was fun. However, I did notice a couple of kids (probably 8 to 10 range) on our tour that were tired and kept trying to sit down. The tour guide kept having to tell them to stand up. Our tour was during the hottest part of the day, late afternoon, and I’m thinking the kids were fading more from walking around all day, then the actual Safari tour. I’d try for an early morning tour if doing this in the hot summer, so everyone still has energy to stand.

As far as tour verses train, I think the biggest difference is how close you get to the animals. I definitely prefer the tour to the train. We were able to see the animals much better. There were a number of animals that we went right past. They were within feet of us. There was a baby giraffe standing right on the edge of the “road” we went past. There was a zebra in the “road” we had to detour around. It’s also nice to have your own guide providing information and answering questions if you are into animals and want to know more.

There is also a professional photographer on the tour taking pictures of all the animals you see, so if having nice pictures of the safari animals is important to you, this would be the way to go. Most of the animals are too far away on the train to really get good shots of them, especially without a professional telescoping lens.

Now onto feeding the giraffes, everyone was given one piece of lettuce to feed the giraffes. It was very organized with each person getting a chance to feed and pose while the photographer took pictures. Then they went back and had each group feed the giraffe and pose for shots. You are also free to pet the giraffes on the neck.

Everyone on our tour seemed like they had a great time. I know a few people in my own group commented to me on how much they enjoyed feeding the giraffes. They had originally been unsure, but decided they were really glad we did it.
 


I think it's a lot of fun. If you'd like to feed Giraffes (They are so fun to feed) and don't have that as a regular experience at home, I think everyone in your party would really enjoy this. If you live in Colorado Springs (They have an awesome little zoo where you can feed giraffes all the time for a very nominal price) then I'd skip it due to the cost and probably less of a wow factor for you. I would do it again and recommend it. Also, I don't live in Colorado Springs, but was there last summer and visited their adorable little zoo. Enjoy your time at Busch Gardens!
 

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