Is African Lion Safari Worth It?

Yes, if you have a car and most of a day free. African Lion Safari is a 750-acre drive-through safari near Cambridge where you drive your own vehicle through Game Reserves holding more than 1,000 animals across over 100 species, then park to catch a boat cruise, a scenic railway and Pets' Corner — the park itself markets the whole visit as 4 to 6 hours.

What not to miss

Featured location African Lion Safari Flamborough, Canada CAZAWAZAWAZA-WP Seven game reserves cover roughly 740 acres and are toured by bus or private car.

African Lion Safari was founded by Colonel G.D. Dailley and opened on August 22, 1969. It has grown to more than 750 acres holding upwards of 1,000 animals across over 100 species, enough that it's a founding member (1975) of what is now Canada's Accredited Zoos and Aquariums and a member of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

The main event is the self-drive through the Game Reserves: 9 km of road, taking 1 to 1.5 hours if you don't linger at every pride or herd. Once you've parked, the African Queen boat cruise is a 15-minute ride past white-handed gibbons and two species of spider monkey on islands in Water Safari Lake, and the "Nature Boy" Scenic Railway is pulled by a miniature replica of an 1863 steam engine through a 16-hectare reserve, also about 15 minutes. Pets' Corner rounds it out with alpacas, macaws, squirrel monkeys, bats and tortoises to see up close.

If you want more than a drive-by, the paid Wake Up The Wild tour gets you into the park before it opens to the public: $159 for an adult and $119 for a child (8-12), plus tax, for an open-air truck ride near the rhino, zebra and ostrich enclosures, a chance to hand-feed the giraffe herd, and the lions at their most active, being fed their morning meal.

Tickets and saving money

Prices move with the season. Online, a 2026 adult ticket costs $39.95 and a child's (3-12) $26.95 from May 2-15 and again from September 8 to October 11; from May 16 to September 7 those rise to $47.95 and $33.95. Those figures were checked in September 2026 — the venue page carries whatever the park is charging when you book.

The drive itself is covered by admission, but the guided Safari Tour Bus is $4.82 per person on top, for a narrated 1 to 1.5 hour tour if you'd rather not drive yourself.

Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory, the hub's other listed venue, is the cheaper half-day: $22.50 for an adult (13-64) and $13.50 for a child (3-12), as of September 2026, with free on-site parking.

Getting there

There's no direct public bus route, though Grand River Transit serves the surrounding area, so plan on driving. If you are driving, know the rules before you leave: no convertibles or soft-top vehicles are allowed through the Game Reserves, and every window has to stay closed for the whole route.

Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory is about 60 minutes west of Toronto and has free on-site parking, so if African Lion Safari's vehicle rules rule out your car for the day, the conservatory is the easier stop on the same trip.

Best time to visit

The 2026 season runs daily until September 20, then on select dates from September 23 to October 11 — there's no winter opening, so plan between spring and mid-October. Game Reserves open at 10am each day. The drive runs rain or shine: some features may close temporarily in severe weather, and African Lion Safari gives no refunds or rain cheques for bad weather, so watch the forecast rather than the calendar.

With kids and accessibility

African Lion Safari rents wheelchairs for $5 and wagons for $8, both with a refundable deposit — useful once you've parked the car and are covering ground on foot between the boat cruise, the railway and Pets' Corner. Pets of your own aren't allowed anywhere on the property, drive included.

At Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory, a wheelchair and walker are available to borrow, and every public indoor area is wheelchair-accessible. Its newest exhibit, home to two axolotls named Flutter and Freckles, is a good stop for younger kids who've had enough of butterflies landing on them.