The three in one theme park located close to Fasano, south of Bari, is a great day out for children and adults alike. As you approach Fasano the Zoo Safari is clearly sign-posted. The theme park is made up of a Zoo Safari, an amusement park and events. For us, the Zoo Safari is the absolute highlight of the theme park. Whenever we have relatives or friends staying with younger children we use it as an excuse for another visit to the Zoo Safari. The Zoo Safari is a self-drive tour through a wildlife park where there are a number of different types of animals to see.
As you begin your safari through the wildlife park you can keep the car windows open. Entrances to the dangerous animal ahead are secured and you close the windows before entering each secure area. We saw deer, goats, lions (secure area), elephants, tigers (secure area), brown bears (secure area), llamas, giraffes, camels, bison (I think), ostriches and zebras. And not just one or two of each, but whole groups of them.
The Ticket price for 2020 is €28.00 per adult, €22.00 for children between the ages of 4 and 10, and under 1.4 metres in height. Children under 4 and under 1 metre in height go free.
Included in the ticket price are
• Safari through the wildlife park in your own vehicle (to discover lions, tigers, elephants, giraffes, zebras, antelopes and many other animals roaming freely)
• Entrance to the amusement park Fasanolandia
• Zoological trails where you can see primates, small carnivores and birds
• A train ride during which you can observe leopards, cavies, storks, etc.
• Lake of Great Mammals where polar bears, brown bears, rhinos, hippos and seals can be seen
• An armoured train ride through the Village of the Monkeys where over 300 baboons in roam
• A visit to the Tropical Room where there is an aquarium, a reptile house and a vivarium
• Educational paths including the Tortoise Recovery Centre, a working farm, Puglia in Miniature and a Botanical trail• Exhibitions
• Exhibitions
After you have completed your safari through the wildlife park, park your car and take the pedestrian entrance into the zoo and amusement park. Take a short train ride to the “Lake of the Large Mammals”, during which you will see leopards, cavies, storks etc. At the “Lake of the Large Mammals” you should see can see polar bears, rhinos, hippos and seals. There is an island in the middle of the lake where gibbons live and happily perform for the enjoyment of their visitors. There are cafés and bars dotted around the park whenever you are ready for rest and refreshment.
Next, a visit to the Monkey Village, before you start your visit be sure to buy some peanuts to feed the monkeys. When you visit the monkeys, the tables are turned and you board an armoured train before starting your journey through Monkey Village. Once you arrive in the village it will become obvious to you why the train is armoured and the doors were tightly locked. Each row of seats in the monkey train has feeder tubes down which you can drop your peanuts. As soon as everyone is on board and the carriages secured the train drives into monkey village. The monkeys come running immediately and swarm all over the carriage grabbing peanuts from the feeder tubes.
Take your time to wander around the rest of the theme park following the trails that take your fancy. When you are leaving the park, you may be treated to a grand finale, an acrobatic display performed by a pair of gibbons.
