The Ramat Gan Safari is the main zoo in the Tel Aviv area. It has a drive-through safari and is home to the largest collection of animals in the Middle East!
I can’t tell you how many hours I have spent with my family at the Ramat Gan Safari, driving through the safari and walking through the zoo.
It’s arguably even better than the Jerusalem Zoo.
While I really like the Bronx Zoo in New York, what I like better about the Ramat Gan Safari is that you can see not just one but two types of elephants!
In the Bronx Zoo you can’t see any elephants unless you take the monorail.
One thing I really like about both the Ramat Gan Zoo and the Bronx Zoo is that they both have peacocks walking around.
My brother doesn’t love this though because a peacock once chased him for his sandwich in the Bronx Zoo when he was little, and he’s still not a fan.
The zoo part of Ramat Gan Safari also has chickens walking around which my family and I always get a kick out of.
Pro Tip: on your visit, keep an eye out for them hanging out up high in the trees! I saw some by the kangaroos.
The drive-through safari section is always a family favorite.
It has large herds that roam the grounds and sometimes zebras and ostriches come up to the car windows.
What my family likes to do is drive through the safari first, next walk around the zoo, and then go back to the safari before leaving.
The safari/zoo is on 250 acres and has 1,600 species of animals, including 68 species of mammals, 130 species of fowl, and 25 species of reptiles.
To name a few, it is home to African and Asian elephants, giraffes, orangutans, Sumatran tigers, gorillas, a Komodo dragon, a hippo herd, white rhinos, and a pride of lions.
If you care about animal welfare the way I do, you will be happy to know that this zoo is pretty active in helping the animal kingdom.
The Safari is a member of international and European zoo associations and is closely tied to wildlife conservation organizations throughout the world.
It has also participated in 60 international and local endangered species breeding programs and runs breeding programs for endangered species.
In fact, it plays an important role in the vultures breeding program. Thanks to the Safari’s vultures, many vultures were released to the wild in Israel.
In case you were wondering…
The Safari began as a small children’s zoo in the National Park of Ramat Gan in 1958.
In the late 1960s, the founding director was inspired by the novel concept of Safari Parks which were developing around the world. So, he convinced the first mayor of Ramat Gan that a drive-through Safari Park in Israel was a good idea.
The drive-through African park opened to the public in 1974. To this day, the drive-through African Safari section with its mixed herds is the signature area for the visitor experience.
In 1981, the zoo section was established to replace the Tel Aviv Zoo and house its animals when it was closed down.
A ‘Training & Enrichment’ department was established in 2008 to improve the quality of the animals’ lives.
Animals are now trained to voluntarily participate in their own care. This technique is known to reduce stress caused by medical and husbandry procedures.
Behavioral enrichment is incorporated into daily animal care routine and encourages natural behaviors, which provides interesting experiences for both animals and zoo visitors.
Plan Your Visit
For information on visiting hours and ticket prices, check out the Ramat Gan Safari Park website for the most up-to-date information.
Early morning private safari tours are offered by the zoo. The tour takes about 3 hours and is deal for 2 to 5 visitors at a time.
If you are like so many who enjoy watching animals being fed, feeding times are on a regular schedule and different times for different animals, so you don’t have to choose between them.
Shuttle service
The Ramat Gan Safari offers a shuttle service between the hours of 10:00-15:00, which takes visitors from the ticket booth at the entrance through the African Savannah and into the zoo.
The shuttle is not wheelchair accessible. However, folded wheelchairs can be loaded onto the shuttle.
They recommend that visitors who require wheelchairs and arrive by taxi continue with the taxi until the beginning of the walking tour of the zoo. If this isn’t possible, you can contact them in advance to coordinate proper entrance.
Getting to Safari by public transport:
About a 10-minute walk from the safari gate:
33 (Dan Company) from Tel Aviv through Ayalon Mall – to a square near Safari
31 (Dan Company) from Carmel Tel Aviv, through a new Tel Aviv Central Station – to the square near Safari
67,57 (Dan Company) from Ayalon Mall – to the square near Safari
34 (Dan Company) from the new Central Station – to champion Sade Rabin Road corner, from there to switch line 33 towards Winter Stadium
About 20 minutes walk from the safari gate:
63 (Dan Company) from the Carmelit in Tel Aviv through Dizengoff Center, Azrieli – to a field champion
65 (Dan Company) from Ayalon Mall – to field champion
55 (Kavim Company) from Tel Aviv Reading, through Central Railway Station (Arlozorov) – to champion field
56 (Kavim Company) From Tel Aviv Reading, Azrieli Road – to champion field
- Public transport cannot be reached until the safari gate
- Traveling by electric bike throughout the garden is prohibited