Safari Wilderness offers drive-through tours for lockdown-weary animal lovers

LAKELAND, Fla. - Do you feel like the walls are closing in on you after being cooped up at home because of COVID-19?

Safari Wilderness is offering you an opportunity to meet exotic animals nose to nose, enjoy the wide-open spaces and stay at a safe distance from other people to avoid the coronavirus.

“It will all be socially distanced,” said Safari Wilderness manager Jack West. “We’re keeping safety as a priority.”

For the first time, the north Polk County park is offering guided drive-through tours across its 260 unspoiled acres in the Green Swamp.

They start Saturday.

“We have 600 animals out here, some rare and endangered species,” Lex Salisbury, CEO of Safari Wilderness, told FOX 13.

The animals hail from several continents, including Africa and Asia.

Cars will follow a lead vehicle with a tour guide who will talk about the animals, and the Florida ecosystem.

Tours, which have to be booked in advance, will take an hour. They cost $120 a carload on weekdays, and $125 on weekends.

LINK: For more information, go to www.safariwilderness.com, or call (813) 382-2120.