We Live In Canada, But I Found A Tiger In My Backyard!

A Tiger In My Backyard

Who would have thought that we could find tigers, elephants and lions in our own backyard here in Niagara?

We were shocked when we found out that there was such a good Safari Park just down the road – about 30 minutes away (10 minutes from Niagara Falls, Ontario).

To be honest, we’ve never bothered to stop in at wildlife parks or “big cat” parks that you see advertised along the highway because we’d always imagined them to be hokey, lame imitations of “real” zoos. Based on our experience at Safari Niagara it’s safe to say we’ve been completely wrong about them and we’ll certainly investigate more in the future.

Safari Niagara (www.safariniagara.com/) offers more than just wild animals behind fences. You can actually get quite close to them – one family told us they couldn’t believe how close they could get when comparing it to the Toronto Zoo that they’d visited the previous week.

In addition the excellent variety of wild animals, there’s also a multi-level adventure ropes course, a splash pad, Outdoor Summer Concerts (an amphitheatre that accommodates up to 5,000 people), paddle boats, catch and release fishing as well as many other activities to keep the whole family entertained.

The 2013 season is exciting because they have 2 very unique displays – the very rare White Rhinos and White Lions.

If you look at the Park Map [www.safariniagara.com/parkmap] it doesn’t look that big, but it’s very deceiving. We thought we’d blow through the park in an hour or so, but 4 hours later we were still not finished! (Mind you … we do like to stop and take a LOT of pictures) We regretted skipping past the restaurant.

Featuring over 500 exotic and domestic animals and birds throughout the 110 acres grounds, as well as interactive shows and tours, there are plenty of feeding stations throughout the park (before you ask – NO you can’t bring your neighbours horrible kid and feed him to the Lions!)

Have you ever fed a giraffe? You can at Safari Niagara!

The season ticket price is very reasonable for those that live not too far away ($59.95 adults/$49.95 children). Safari Niagara offers a Special Deal they call “try us on for size.” Purchase a ticket and spend the day at the park and at the end of your visit you can upgrade to a Season Membership.

For more pictures – visit our Facebook Gallery>

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When You Go:

From Buffalo– only 10 minutes from the Peace Bridge. Take QEW towards Niagara Falls, exit at Sodom Rd
From Toronto- Stay on QEW past Niagara Falls and exit at Sodom Rd.
From Niagara Falls U.S. – Take QEW towards Buffalo/Fort Erie and it’s just outside Niagara Falls

Hours Of Operation:
May 11 – May 31 9 am – 5 pm June 1 – Sept. 2 9 am – 6 pm
Sept. 3 – Oct. 14 10 am – 4 pm (Fall hours subject to change without notice)

Prices:
Parking: FREE

Children under 3 are free.

May, September & October
Children Age 4-12 $15.95
Adults Age 13-64 $19.95
Seniors 65+ $17.95

June 1 – Sept. 2
Children Age 4-12 $22.95
Adults Age 13-64 $26.95
Seniors 65+ $22.95

Gator Express an open-air tram system is included in your day admission from June 1- Labour Day! A $3.00 charge will apply during off-season (May, September and October).

About TravelBloggers.ca
Iain Shankland & Gail Shankland started blogging in order to inspire and motivate people to travel the world from their perspective – specializing in having the most fun while using the least amount of money, travelling on the cheap without sacrificing comfort.

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