Wild Florida Safari & Airboats

Wild Florida sits on Lake Cypress in Kenansville, in the headwaters of the Florida Everglades, a good way south-east of the Orlando tourist corridor. Most people arrive for one of three things: the drive-thru safari, an airboat ride on the park’s own wetlands, or the gator park. You can do all three in one long day, and every ticket includes the gator park.

The catch is the drive and the calendar. The official directions put it at roughly 34 miles from Disney, and the park is open Monday to Saturday only, 9 am to 6 pm. It is closed on Sundays.

The drive-thru safari

The safari opened in December 2019 and has grown since. The park now describes a 170-acre, four-mile dirt route with more than 150 animals, including reticulated giraffes, zebras, bison, eland, scimitar oryx, wildebeest and watusi cattle. A loop takes 45 to 90 minutes, and you can drive it as many times as you like the same day. Hand-feeding the giraffes costs a few dollars extra.

You drive your own car. Convertibles, motorcycles and vehicles without a roof or doors are not allowed, so rental convertibles are out. Safari tickets start from about $35 for adults and $25 for children at the park (as of 2026), and they include the gator park. Visitors without a suitable car can book the park’s VIP Safari Tour in a park vehicle, which costs much more and is for ages 12 and up.

The safari is not sold on GetYourGuide, so book it on Wild Florida’s own website. That’s also why this page leads with the park and airboat tickets you can book with free cancellation below.

Airboat ride + wildlife park

The Everglades airboat ride and wildlife park ticket is the most-reviewed Wild Florida product on this page by a wide margin. You pick a 30-minute or one-hour ride across the operator’s protected marsh and river, and the ticket includes the wildlife park and the live alligator demonstration.

The one-hour ride simply gives you twice the time on the water to spot birds and gators. The half-hour suits young kids and anyone short on time. Gator sightings on the water are never guaranteed. Kids 5 and under wear life jackets, and ear protection is provided. See our breakdown of the airboat ticket for the full details.

Wildlife park + gator shows

The Wild Florida park ticket with gator shows covers the gator park alone. It’s a compact site with more than 200 animals, including sloths, lemurs and capybaras, plus a bird aviary, the Hawk Swamp boardwalk through a cypress swamp and a petting zoo. Gator shows star Crusher, an alligator over 13 feet long, at 11 am and 3:45 pm.

Some options on this ticket add one animal encounter, such as a sloth or capybara. Encounters have age minimums: 8 for sloths and porcupines, 12 for lemurs and gator feeding. Book this ticket if you’re passing through or want a short animal stop. If you’re doing the safari or an airboat ride anyway, skip it, because both of those already include the park. Read our breakdown of the park ticket.

Airboat with hotel pickup and lunch

The Wild Florida airboat ride with hotel pickup and lunch solves the distance problem. Round-trip transport runs from Orlando, Kissimmee and the Disney area, and the day includes a 30-minute airboat ride, the wildlife park, the gator demonstration, a BBQ basket lunch and one photo per family.

It costs several times the self-drive ticket, and the ride is the shorter 30-minute one. It also doesn’t include the safari, which needs your own car or the park’s pricier VIP tour. Choose it when nobody in your group wants to drive, or compare other pickup rides on our airboat tours with transport page.

Which one should you choose?

• You have a car and want the full day: the safari (booked with the park) plus the airboat ride + wildlife park ticket.
• Airboats are the priority: the airboat + wildlife park ticket, one-hour option.
• A short stop with young kids: the wildlife park ticket, maybe with an encounter.
• No car: the airboat with hotel pickup and lunch. The safari then means the VIP tour, once you’ve found a way to Kenansville.
• Sunday is your only free day: go to Gatorland instead, which opens daily.

Practical information

Getting there

Wild Florida is at 3301 Lake Cypress Rd, Kenansville. From Disney, the route runs east on US-192 to St. Cloud, then south on Vermont Avenue and Canoe Creek Road. The last stretch is rural, so if you arrive by rideshare, arrange your return before you go. Parking is free.

Time needed and timing

The safari takes 45 to 90 minutes per loop, and airboats run 30 or 60 minutes after a 45-minute check-in. The park suggests leaving about two hours between an airboat ride and an animal encounter. A safari, an airboat ride and the gator park fill most of a day. Airboats run from 9 am to 4:30 pm; the operator recommends the 9 am ride in summer.

Heat, rain and what to bring

Nearly everything is outdoors, and summer afternoons often bring thunderstorms. Go early, wear sunscreen and a hat, and bring water. If the park cancels for severe weather, you can reschedule or get a refund. Outside food and picnics are allowed, and the Chomp House Grill serves gator platters if you want to try them.

Alternatives

Wild Florida is a long way to go for a short visit. If time is tight, Gatorland is much closer and open every day, so compare the two in our Gatorland vs Wild Florida guide. For other airboat operators nearer Kissimmee, see Orlando airboat tours. Traveling with kids? Our Orlando with kids hub has shorter wildlife outings.