Hey everybody, Chrissa here!
And if you're heading over to Busch Gardens
and wondering if the Serengeti Safari tour would be a good add on to your day.
Well, today I'm going to go over all of those details to help you decide.
So let's get into it.
Busch Gardens in Tampa's Serengeti Safari Tour is an award winning
30 minute off road tour that gets you up close and personal
with the animals in the Busch Gardens Serengeti Plain.
The tour cost about $39.99 to $64.99 per person depending on the day that you go.
And this is an add on encounter.
So you would also have to pay for the tickets in order to get into the park.
The great thing is that if you're already a pass holder,
you probably get a discount for this encounter.
And if you're a platinum pass holder, you get one animal encounter included
in your pass, which is either this or the dolphin encounter tour at SeaWorld.
You can add on the Serengeti Safari tour to your day online.
But if you're already at the park for the day, you can head over
to the Serengeti outpost in Nairobi, just north of the train station.
We went on a Saturday morning and went on one of the tours around noon,
and your guide starts checking you
in about 10 to 15 minutes before your tour starts.
So make sure that you get to the outpost at least 10 to 15 minutes
before your tour.
If you get there early, you can hang out in the shaded tent area
that has these really nice ceiling fans and grab a cup of water while you wait.
I definitely recommend hydrating before
you get on the truck because it's not shaded at all.
And especially if you're going during the summer,
you'll be in the sun for a straight 30 minutes altogether.
Before you head out to the truck you are able to put
all of your belongings in this locker that you don't want to carry with you.
But if you feel comfortable carrying your bag through the entire
time, you are safe to bring it on the truck.
The only thing that you can't
bring with you or any open containers of food or beverage.
After you lock away your things, your tour guides will lead you over
to where the trucks are located on the other side of the train tracks.
The trucks are really awesome and very spacious, and the tour allows you
to trek across an amazing recreation of the wide and wild African plain.
During your tour you'll get to see a number of animals
like zebras, giraffes and ostriches,
as well as a few more exotic species.
Our tour guide was great, as she told us some unique details
about them and how she was able to tell them apart.
The big highlight of the entire tour is definitely
getting the chance to hand feed the giraffes.
If you didn't know giraffes or some of my favorite animals
and I was so excited to get a chance to do this,
when you get closer to the giraffe, your driver will
stop the truck and your guide will take out a few handfuls
of lettuce where everybody in the truck will get an opportunity to feed them.
This experience is so fun and you get plenty of chances
to get your photo opportunities if you miss it the first time around.
The giraffes are pretty amazing and awesome to be so close to.
And this experience alone I think is totally worth the tour.
After getting to feed the giraffes you'll head over to the rhino section
where you'll get an opportunity to drive pretty close to these magnificent animals.
A few things that I do want you to know if you are planning
to add on the safari to your day. First,
you do have to stand the entire time while you're on the back of the truck.
The truck does go pretty slow and they are very careful to make sure
that everybody is hanging on it before the truck starts moving again.
Second, make sure that you touch up your sunscreen and hydrate
before you get on the truck.
The truck is open air and there is no shade.
So with the tour being about 30 minutes, you'll want to make sure that you are OK
to stand in direct sunlight and the heat for at least 30 minutes.
Kids must be at least five years old to participate
and must also be able to stand during the entire tour.
If you are going during the busy season like the summer,
then make sure that you book your tour ahead of time,
or at least make your reservation as early as you can during the day,
because this tour tends to book up quickly, especially on the busy days.
If you are visiting Busch Gardens and want to get an even closer
look at the animals, the Serengeti Safari Tour is an awesome way to do that.
If you want to know what other attractions there are to see at Busch Gardens
then you'll have to check out my overview that just popped up on the screen.
Until next time, everyone!
I hope you have an amazing day and go out and enjoy some Florida sunshine.