Lion Park, South Africa

My last stop in South Africa before heading back stateside was to the Lion Park, located between Johannesburg and Pretoria. By this point, I’d already been on safari and got to see the Big Five in their natural habitat, but I was still excited to see more of the same types of animals. Honestly though, I think I was most excited about the prospect of petting baby lion cubs (pictured below)!

The Lion Park is a sanctuary for important breeds of South African animals, including giraffes, lions, zebras, ostriches, meerkats, and more. The grounds are pretty large, and you can drive through a variety of different areas to see all of the different animals. I happened to be there when it was feeding time for the lions, so that was pretty interesting to see. (Also, if blood grosses you out, I apologize that some of the photos are kind of graphic.)

After my drive around the park, I parked and started on foot through other sections of the park, where I saw giraffes, cheetahs, and the best part–baby lion cubs. The line was pretty long to meet the cubs, but it went rather quickly and was worth the wait to play with these cute little guys. There were a few that were just totally passed out on a little rock pile, and two who were awake and alert. They only let a few people into the cub area at a time, which means that you don’t have to fight too many people to get to them, but there were still more people than I would’ve liked. You sort of only had a chance to pet them, snap a photo, and move on.

I thought the Lion Park was a really fun time, so long as you go into it knowing that it’s at all similar to a safari experience. It’s amazing to see all of these animals in one place, but the experience gets a bit ruined when you’re snapping photos of lions and getting every other car in the shot. Also, some people just sort of sat and waited for things to happen, which held things up for those of us who were behind them. At some points, it became difficult to see the animals because there were so many cars. If you’re looking for an authentic safari-like time, this is absolutely not for you. If you want to see a lot of amazing animals in a concentrated area, want to pet some lion cubs, and want a more family-oriented experience, Lion Park is for you.

I leave you to the rest of the photos!