Safari Wilderness Ranch is piece of old Florida that offers unique adventures

LAKELAND, Fla. - Nestled next to the Green Swamp is a ranch that is more like stepping into the wilds of Africa.

Safari Wilderness Ranch is not a zoo, but it does have animals most people associate with one. It's not a ranch like a farmer's ranch, but is more like a range where wild animals live.

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"We have about 800 animals here," Shared CEO and resident owner Lex Salisbury. "They're all animals that do well in this climate and they thrive here, and you'll see them in big herds."

The here is a piece of old Florida, still wild and untamed like it used to be.

"We're at Safari Wilderness now which is 260 acres in the Green Swamp in Florida," shared Salisbury. "And the Green Swamp is the second-largest wilderness area after the Florida Everglades and this is the heart of the Florida Aquifer."

"There are five different ways you can see the place," shared Salisbury. "You can see 'em on ATVs, you can see 'em on camel back safaris, you can go on vehicle tours, you can do drive-thru tours, and you can can go on kayak tours."

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All of the experiences put the visitor in the heart of the open land where the herds of animals live and thrive.

"It's a different experience than going to a zoo," admitted Salisbury. "I think it's a more real, richer thing."

And he knows a bit about zoos, having worked in the business professionally before opening this adventure.

"Experiential learning is far more superior than lecturing people in school," said Salisbury of this ranch. "If you can let people ride a camel, smell a camel, and feel a camel [then] the sense of smell and the sense of touch are emotional triggers that allow you to commit the experience to memory."

Those memories are what keep people coming back. They are what inspire the next generation of animal lovers to support the conservation efforts of ventures like this.

Safari Wilderness is located at 10850 Moore Road in Lakeland. To learn more about them and book your own visit, click here.

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