Taste of Africa in Central Florida
Connolly: See exotic creatures at Lakeland’s Safari Wilderness.
Irecently found myself in a unique situation: up close with a nearly 1,500-pound water buffalo, looking it right in the eyes.
It wasn’t fear that consumed me but awe and wonder as I felt its warm breath on my hand while a long tongue reached out in search of treats.
This was just one highlight of my ATV safari at Lakeland-area Safari Wilderness. Though the experience is set in Central Florida, it felt like I was on a trek across the African savanna as I traveled aboard my fourwheeler with the sun beating down.
While exploring 260 acres of ranch land, I gazed upon see axis deer, fallow deer and endangered barasingha lounging in the shade of trees or in shallow waters. I took in the sights of red lechwe and waterbuck, both native to Botswana, before continuing on to catch glimpses of llamas cooling off and native birds in the distance.
The Central Florida attraction offers a number of other methods for seeing these exotic creatures, including camelback and kayak — not to mention the newly added guided drive-thru safari, a pandemic-inspired addition. But the ATV safari comes most highly rated by customers — who must be ages 16 and older to participate.
“You can do as much offroading as you want to do, you can make splashes if you want,” said Jack West, manager of Safari Wilderness. “This is definitely a place that is most in line with people who want to experience a real sort of African adventure. We’re not in Africa, but it’s as close as you’re going to get without actually going.”
That’s useful for locals, since traveling to Africa doesn’t seem possible amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Later in the tour, a friendly zebra accepted handouts of carrots and made for a great selfie background.
Warthogs splashed around in a muddy pit to cool off, while I learned that the name of Disney’s popular warthog, Pumbaa, means dumb or foolish in Swahili. And these hogs are actually
quite smart, certainly more than people give them credit for.
I admired the herd dynamics of zebras, who engaged in a sort of social grimacing ritual, then observed Watusi from a distance as they clinked their giant horns together.
The end of the tour yielded views of a small island inhabited by ringtailed lemurs and goats that serve as living lawnmowers when grazing. I also learned an important fact about these small primates.
“If you’ve seen the movie ‘Madagascar,’ you’ve been lied to. There’s no King Julian; it would be a Queen Julia,” West said. “It’s totally matriarchal with one dominant female.”
The icing on the cake was getting to feed a troop of the ring-tailed lemurs after my adventure. Their little hands reached out for the grapes in mine, a snack they clamored over. Instagram photo ops abound.
If you go: Safari Wilderness is open daily with tours at 9 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. at 10850 Moore Road in Lakeland. The truck tour costs $119 per guest, while the ATV safari, camel expedition and kayak safari each cost $239 per guest. The drive-thru safari is $100 per vehicle. Learn more by visiting safariwilderness.com or calling 813-382-2120.
Do you have suggestions for my next destination or just want to get in touch? Find me on Twitter @PConnPie, Instagram @PConnPie or send me an email: pconnolly@orlandosentinel.com.