Six Flags Wild Safari Adventure

Six Flags Wild Safari Adventure is a special safari park next to Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson Township, New Jersey. It first opened its doors on July 4, 1974, as a drive-through safari where visitors could see animals from their own cars.

For many years, people enjoyed driving through and watching wildlife up close. But on September 30, 2012, it changed into a new kind of ride called the Safari Off Road Adventure.

Then, because of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the park went back to being a drive-through place for private cars. People had to buy separate tickets for this part of the park.

Now, in the 2024 season, the Safari Off Road Adventure is open again for visitors to enjoy.

History

When Warner LeRoy planned the Great Adventure park, he wanted to add a drive-thru safari with 10 miles of road, twelve sections, and many animals. Although this original idea wasn’t built, some animals were still included in the park.

Six Flags Wild Safari opened to the public on July 4, 1974, the same day as the Great Adventure theme park. On September 30, 2012, the drive-thru safari closed to become a new ride experience called the Safari Off Road Adventure, which opened on May 25, 2013. These rides used special vehicles made from old Army trucks.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Six Flags temporarily closed all its parks. Later, Six Flags Great Adventure decided to reopen the Safari Off Road Adventure as a drive-through safari, which became popular because people could stay in their own cars and keep space between groups. In 2022 and 2023, the Safari Off Road Adventure changed to a special Giraffe Encounter Tour. It reopened in 2024 with a new entrance area and a small resort with 20 suites.

Overview

The Wild Safari park covers 350 acres with a main road that is 4.5 miles long. It has 11 themed sections and is home to 1,200 animals from six different continents. When the safari attraction joined Great Adventure in 2013, it helped make Six Flags Great Adventure the second-largest theme park in the world, after Disney's Animal Kingdom. After its renovation, the Safari Off Road Adventure kept the themed areas from Wild Safari.

Animals

The Safari park was home to many different animals from around the world. Some of the animals included deer, elk, bison, llamas, and rheas in The Americas area. Afrikka had elephants, ostriches, rhinoceroses, zebras, and water buffalo.

Wilde Plains featured antelopes, oryx, peafowl, giraffes, and gnus. The Serengeti Grasslands had antelopes and other unique animals. Kingsland had lions, and Black Bear Ridge had black bears.

Terra Ursus was home to brown bears, while the Conservation Area included deer, foxes, raccoons, and turtles. Didgeridoo Pass had kangaroos and emus. Tigris Asiana featured tigers, nilgai, and yaks. Finally, Baboon Village was home to olive baboons.