It is approximately an hour and 45 minute drive from the East Valley but we thought it was well worth the drive!
The Out of Africa Wildlife Park (http://www.outofafricapark.com/) in Camp Verde is located off of the I-17 and Highway 260 in Camp Verde. The cost was a little steep, even with a coupon, but it was a great experience for the entire family! We arrived at the park around 11:45am and started our day on the Safari ride. Everyone was given a carrot to feed the giraffe and away we went into a fenced enclosure where there were animals running free. The giraffe came right up to the 'bus' and ate the carrots right from the hands. The guide was very knowledgeable about who the animals were, what they were, etc. The Safari include antelope like animals, a giraffe, two different types of zebras, and ostriches.
After our safari we caught a tram up to the top where we chose to walk the path but were given the option to ride the tram around. There were plenty of animals to see: lions, tigers (including white tigers), leopards, jaguars, capybara, black bears, grizzly bears, hyenas, prairie dogs, snakes, sloth, lemurs, porcupines, white and gray wolves and Boom Boom the rhino. My favorite part was watching the free Tiger Splash show where the staff interacted with two tigers in a large enclosure. They played with them, swam with them. It was a great show! You could feed a tiger (with tongs through a fence) for an additional fee but we chose to pass. There was a free snake show where you could touch and hold snakes, again we passed, and a free "feed the predator" deal where you tagged along with staff while they fed the predators, again we passed... not because we weren't interested but because by that time, a large crowd had accumulated and with two young kids, we just did not want to deal with it.
It was a great learning experience and the kids had a blast seeing animals in a "natural" setting outside of the zoo. M believes that the park has great animals, a lot of land but their exhibits "leave much to be desired".
Cost for a family of 4: (one child under the age of 3) $77.00 admission (with a $5.00 per person coupon, saving us an additional $15.00) plus food, gift shop, feed the tigers, etc.
Overall grade: B+
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