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    Wildlife Safari

    4.5 (469 reviews)
    Open 9:00 am - 6:00 pm

    Wildlife Safari Photos

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    Trina H.

    I have been coming here for decades, and it just keeps getting better! You cannot fathom how expansive this place is. It is truly fun for all ages to search for and observe the animals moving around while inside of your own car. We spent two hours driving around and then another hour or walking around the pedestrian portion. It could use more food/drink options. It's a must-do!

    The wildlife in the Asia section!
    Helene W.

    This is our second visit to wildlife. I'm always amazed with how much time we spend here. A single drive-thru loop can take 2 to 3 hours because of how much you stop. Unfortunately, the spot to buy the feed cup was closed when we got there. However, all of the animals still came up thinking we had food in our hand. If you're doing the drive from Portland going South, it is well worth it.

    It's so much fun to meet the giraffes
    Nico B.

    This place is amazing! I love visiting for three reasons... Emu, Flamingoes, and the wonderful Giraffes. Honestly, there is so much to see and do here, there are hundreds of reasons why one should visit. I've visted the Wildlife Safari in Winston, Oregon a number of times over the years. Once I surprised my husband with a private giraffe experience where he was able to interact with and feed two giraffes for thirty minutes. We had a private audience with the giraffe-keeper, and were able to learn so much about these graceful animals. During another visit I ended up staying with my grandmother in the garden overlooking the flamingo enclosure because she didn't feel up to walking much that day. I sat for an hour, transfixed by these magnificent creatures! There is so much going on in their little community... and they're oblivious to the human spectators taking it all in. Did you know a group of flamingoes is called a flamboyance? They're so aptly named! If you've never been to a drive-thru wildlife safari where you can interact with emu, please do me a favor and search for "emu encounter" videos when you have a chance. Those lucky enough to interact with these bizarre creatures realize the experience is both terrifying and exhilerating. The giant birds are intimidating, but their persistence and curiosity make encounters with them so much fun. The Wildlife Safari is a bit off the beaten track, but it is well worth the visit. Visitors can take a guided tour in a tram to feed specific animal groups, walk through the upper garden and animal exhibits, or drive through the safari. Indeed, there is much to see and do here!

    Jon C.

    If you love animals and are in the area, it's definitely a must stop. The entry into the park is actually free. You only pay for the animal encounters, the wildlife safari drive, and train ride. The park itself is not huge but there's a good number of animals like the red panda, flamingo, lemurs, cheetah, petting zoo, train rain, for kids to see and do. The park can take a bout an hour to 2 to finish experiencing. They have a restaurant on the premise that serves burgers, fries, chicken sandwiches and drinks with plenty of indoor seating. The highlight was the wildlife safari drive which requires a separate admission per person. We got to see a variety of roaming animals like bison, zebras, wild turkeys, giraffe. They have bears safely tucked behind a fence but we still go to see them up close. The drive can take anywhere from an hour (if you don't make too many stops) to 2 (if you stop a lot and take a lot of pictures). And if you do the drive in the morning, you can do the same drive for free (or as many times as you want in the day) in the afternoon. We signed up for the red panda feeding which was a little disappointing because they didn't wake up for the feeding. But that's wildlife for you and you can't force it. We thoroughly enjoyed the giraffe feeding where they take you on a truck and provide you with lettuce to feed them. The tiger feeding was really neat too as you placed food down for them to come out to eat at the end of the day. You're safe and separated by a fence. Keep in mind that if you feed any animals at the end of the day, the park closes at 6 pm so you're relegated to the port o' potties in the parking lot when you return to the park.

    Tammy K.

    What an absolute gem! This place is magical, so well maintained and full of animals roaming in big open spaces. The staff are incredibly friendly, and get this: entry to the zoo is free! I honestly don't know how they fund this, but it's amazing. Every animal we saw looked happy and healthy, and the enclosures were spotless. We visited on a Monday afternoon, and everything was impressively clean. After finishing the safari drive, we explored the zoo area. What a fantastic experience! The petting and feeding zoo was wonderful, the playground was such a nice bonus for families, and to top it all off, they even offer free water stations. That small gesture meant so much to us that we decided to donate money here. It truly shows how much they care about their visitors as well as the animals. And here's a fun fact: while most cheetah conservation programs around the world struggle, the Wildlife Safari in Winston is a true success story. I spotted a sign saying they've had over 257 cheetah cubs born here. That's incredible! Honestly, this place is better than the Oregon Zoo and even the San Diego Zoo. I grew up going to the San Diego Zoo, and it doesn't even compare to the experience here. Huge applause for Oregon's Wildlife Safari, they're doing something really special here.

    Doug C.

    This place is incredible. A must visit. The animal encounters and feedings are special experiences. The animals are one thing but without the passion and experience of the caretakers in the interaction is the best part. I spent an hour there with nonstop questions. They were beautiful. I mean the caretakers and the animals. They do a good job with the animals and are successfully breeding the tigers and leopards. probably more but didn't have enough time to ask or see other animals. Could spend multiple hour long visits here. Impossible to do in 1 day. Mostly run by human females. All amazing people. Can see the animals communicate w the humans. So much the mass media gets wrong about the animals; and the plethora of common misconceptions amplified by social media outrage that comes with personal opinions which are often wrong. Baby tiger; can hear the tiger roar if you stay long enough. Baby leopards look like small house cats. The cheetah enclosure is in same place as tigers. The cheetah photo event shows the behavior patterns of the cheetah. Can see how good the eyesight is. They lock onto any motion in distance. And they make sounds like a house cat. 2 types of animals; flight or fight. Lions are fight, cheetah is flight. When confronted with unknown they either run or fight. Lions are a bit scary. People with small kids instinctually hold their small kids to prevent lions from identifying kids as prey. This is very different than viewing lions in a zoo. The encounter experience is so close you get the feeling they are evaluating for weakness with a very intense stare. Intense and memorable. Will never forget the intense gaze of a lion directly aimed at you. This experience is unique and worth 10x. They look right at you with specific purpose. Different disposition than house cat. Not interested in friendly interaction; very intense stare. Male and female lions have different personalities. Male lions constantly staring at females. Mating instinct very strong. 2 lions: male and female. Can do the feeding or training event. You can get up to the fence line with the lions. The male lions are smaller than normal. One looks like a cartoon character with a light colored mane. They were malnourished when younger and didn't reach full size. The males and females have different personalities. If the male lion aims a spray towards you; you are supposed to sidestep instead of running back. Hippo: males are very territorial. They can turn their tail like a propeller when pooping and use the technique to get attention. The encounter requires all participants to stay in the bus for safety. You open the window and ask questions. The feeding shows pieces of watermelon and food and the large incisors when the hippo opens his mouth. Hippo communicates when he wants a gum massage. Very cute animal. The animals have to be protected against the public or they would be tormented to death from abuse. The death part isn't an exaggeration. Humans so incredibly selfish. People have to poke them to elicit a reaction, throw things, and keep on escalating for entertainment.

    AmberAyame T.

    We've been coming here for so long! Maybe 15 years now. So I do not support zoos or anything like that. However, this is a wildlife sanctuary and that I'm on board with. I like how it reminds me of the sanctuaries back in the European countryside that I used to love going to back when I lived there. The animals look so content and healthy. There are a ton of animals to see and the kids love how they often come up to the car. You can purchase very well priced snack items to feed them. There is also a petting zoo that has gum-ball machines w food so you can feed and pet them. We all love that part lol. We went once in the summer and the vibe was hella lively and really fun, but SO crowded. After that, we went back to only going on the off (colder) seasons to avoid crowds. One time we saw a mommy giraffe feeding her baby, it was really special and happy. The parking is ample in the off season and there are nice restrooms and a gift shop.

    Mandy D.

    500 review!!! Road trip through the I5 North West, I found this while yelping activities along the way from Ashland to Portland. I highly recommend if you have time and willing to do the drive thru safari for about an hr and a half. I really enjoyed it. It was a cooling day, so a lot of the animals were out and about. The bears were sleeping though and the wolves weren't too active though. I did enjoy feeding the deers and emus in the Asia area - this is the only area of the drive thru where you can feed the animals. They were maybe $7 a cup, which is quite steep. However, it's an experience and we did purchase our tickets through Groupon, which saved us a bit - enough to cover for the feeding. We had some nice low key island instrumental music playing in the car to make the experience even better. We had an interesting experience when the Rhino walked on the road - the path for the drive through. The staff also drives around to remind us to not move until the Rhino walks across the road. It took about 10 mins or so, but that was quite an experience to see the Rhino quite up close without any enclosure. Tip: - The walk through is free. There are cheetahs, flamingos, owls, etc. There is also a petting zoo with goats and baby goats at the time. - Check Groupon for discounts.

    April F.

    If you're in Oregon you gotta check out the Wild Life Safari. It's small and quaint so it's not super busy! Stop in and take a drive thru the park to see the wild life. You can even feed the deer but be careful you might just get your cup of treats snagged away

    Alissa K.

    We saw the advertisements off of the freeway on our way to Coos Bay Oregon and we didn't stop! But I am so glad we did on our way home back to California! This place is AMAZING! And well worth it! First of all the drive through safari experience is awesome! About an hour and a half drive around and the animals ACTUALLY come up to your vehicle! I mean like zebras and giraffes and wildebeests! They have sooo many animals in the safari drive through it was so awesome and fun for our littles and even ourselves! There's even a potion where you can feed the safari animals through your car and I think I can die happy now. That was the greatest part of it all having the animals stick their heads through our windows haha! The inside park is SO NICE! It's clean and well maintained and I mean so put together! It's absolutely beautiful and how it is managed is spot on! The employees are friendly and managing the animals throughout the park it clearly shows the care that goes into this facility! If you're on highway 5 from California to Oregon or vise versa you HAVE to stop it's so fun and a great beginning or end to your trip! Much love from California.

    Gloria L.

    I'm updating Wildlife Safari for Things to Do for Earth Day. They focus on education and conservation both needed for our wildlife to thrive. Since 1972, when Wildlife Safari started breeding cheetahs and successfully produced a litter the following year. Since then, 241 cheetahs have been born at the park, making Wildlife Safari the second most successful breeding center on Earth and the top center in the Western Hemisphere. Cheetahs are considered a vulnerable species in Africa due to habitat loss, poaching and hunting by farmers. So, every new cheetah born adds to the gene pool so the entire species is stronger. Things you can do for Earth Day to support this wonderful organization is Take the Tour, Become a Member, Donate and Tell Others about Wildlife Safari I've been here numerous times and find different times of the year and the day gives you a whole new experience so visit again even if you've been there.

    Cheeta Encouter
    Bruce O.

    Wildlife Safari, Winston, OR - September 29, 2024 We were here about six years ago when we were staying in Rosenberg. We did the whole experience then, driving through the park - seeing lots of great wildlife like zebras, giraffes, rhinos, hippos, antelope, and more; doing a few special exhibits like up close and personal with the chetas and elephants; and just walking through the caged exhibits - seeing lions, bobcats, lemurs, birds, red pandas, and the like. This time around, we only did the walking zoo exhibits. To our surprise, the walking part of the zoo is free. In an addition to all of the nice animal exhibits, they have a nice gift store as well as a decent looking café. The café doesn't open until 11 AM so we didn't actually go in and check it out. If you do decide to do the drive -through part of the park, there is a charge. It's something like $20 per adult and $15 for children, with the youngest of children being free. Definitely a nice way to see some awesome animals and have an enjoyable time.

    Love the balls on their horns...pointy horns!

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    So fun to drive through the areas with animals. We could go as slow as we wanted so sat and watched a wide variety of animals.

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    Page 1 of 12

    Ask the Community - Wildlife Safari

    Is this attraction pet friendly? We have a 12 pound poodle mix

    Pets are not allowed in the park.

    Can I drive through in My 28ft RV?

    I'd call them to double check in the morning to be sure but the restrictions mention open top vehicles and motorcycles. They didn't say no RVs. They even have an RV park on the Safari grounds outside the gates. The phone number is (541) 679-6761.

    What are the road conditions?

    We drove through in our CRV with our bike rack and electric bike on the back, had no issues. Roads are smooth, easy to navigate, and everyone is driving at a nice slow pace. awesome experience!

    How long would one expect to spend here? We're trying to break a 6 hour drive in half. It would be nice to get out and stretch our legs if that was a thing here but don't plan to be here long. Wondering if it's worth the time and money.

    We spent about 1-1.5 hours going through the park and having a bite at the cafe. I was absolutely amazed driving through. I've lived with fabulous zoos (Toledo, LA and Sa Diego) and have been to a drive-thru Safari Park in California but I felt… 

    Can anyone recommend a place to stay that's is kid friendly nearby?

    I would check out the Safari Inn. It is a very very close and makes getting to the Safari easy. I have never stayed there but it's worth checking out.

    When is the best time to visit the park ?we are planning a trip in November around thanksgiving coming from California to visit family and wanted to stop by weekend or weekday?

    There are only a few issues for a November trip. One is rain. This may cause some of the animals to be inside. Weekday is better for less traffic and you can drive at your viewing pace. I would recommend going in the morning. We have found that some… 

    Does anyone know what it's like to go in Mid december? Are a lot of animals going to be hibernating? Friend and I are going to be in Portland on Dec 17 but were debating on…

    I know the bears are hibernating, but I've been told that most of the animals are more visible than during the warmer months of summer.

    Do you get to have your picture taken with a cheetah anymore?

    Go to their website and look up animal encounters. The Cheetah experience says you get a picture taken (costs extra).

    How are the dog kennels? We'll be driving through as we're moving north, and we'll have our dog with us. I read that they have kennels available at the front of the park so they'll be safe while you drive through?

    Very safe. Clean and cordoned off from each dog so no mingling. Not sure of cost but it's really not much considering how much you'll enjoy the park. Suggest you come early when it's cooler and animals are out, as well as your dog more… 

    How is the Safari for viewing in Feb?

    It's wonderful! The weather is perfect for viewing the animals.

    Best time of day to go?

    I think that is largely subjective. That said, I would guess earlier in the day when it's cool since many animals are less active when it's warm and after they've eaten.… 

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    Review Highlights - Wildlife Safari

    Love to see the good variety of exotic animals as well as the standard ones like elephants and beautiful giraffes.

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    Cascades Raptor Center - Swainson's Hawk

    Cascades Raptor Center

    4.5(122 reviews)
    61.0 mi

    I really try hard to make sure that all of my reviews are fair and balanced. The main reason that I…read morewrite on Yelp is to try and help other people. Normally I would take off stars when things merit that, but because my overall experience here was so good and the joy I felt definitely seems to outweigh all the negatives, I just can't give the Cascades Raptor Center aything less than five stars. Let me go through the negatives with you first though because there are a few: Parking can be ... an adventure . The center sits at the top of the hill with a very small steep road leading up to a tiny parking lot. As many of the other reviews have noted, if you have anything larger than a midsized vehicle, I would not recommend attempting to use their parking lot. We tried originally and realized immediately that was a mistake, then turned around and parked at the trailhead across the street. We had to walk across a busy street and make it up that steep steep hill. I'm not going to lie, I was dying by the time I reached the entrance . But to be fair, I think most people are in better shape than I am :) so hopefully you'll be fine. They also have a very strict no dogs rule which I completely understand based on the venue. However, that means you cannot have even the smallest dog in the car or anywhere on the premises. Even the sight or sound of a dog can be stressful for the birds. So it totally makes sense to me that they're putting the animals first, but as someone who travels with her dog, it's important for you to know before coming . Lastly, I think the price is absolutely worth it. We paid $32 for two adults and I feel I got my money's worth but cost is important to a lot of people so I do feel the need to mention it. Having got all that out of the way, we had an amazing time here! We spent around an hour here at closing time and honestly I could have stayed a lot longer. Staff were very sweet and said that we could keep wandering around even after close if we wanted to because it takes them a while to get everything shut down and many of them are volunteers. There is no way I would have done that because I value people's time, but it is sweet of them to offer and they really seem to love and care for these animals deeply. I enjoyed speaking to many of them and they were all kind and informative. One of the things I appreciated most was learning about each resident and why they are there. These animals aren't on display for entertainment. They are ambassadors helping people understand and appreciate birds of prey. This organization rehabilities injured raprors, cares for many birds that to cannot be in the wild any longer and help utilize themto educate the public. The absolute sweetheart of my visit was Lethe, a turkey vulture who casually walked right up to us like we were old friends. I never expected one of my favorite interactions to be with a turkey vulture, but he absolutely stole my heart. Hans, the Eurasian eagle owl, was breathtaking. His enormous orange eyes were mesmerizing and I could have stood there watching him for hours. He is a stunning bird and to see him up close was incredible. I was also very excited to see Francis the magpie. My husband loves owls and that is why we came here, but magpies are my favorite birds so imagine my surprise when I saw her. Francis is actually not a raptor, she's a corvid, but she is a rescue and as the centers only non-rafter resident ,they also use her as an education ambassador. It was a challenge to try and get any good photos of any of the birds so although I'm attaching photos as always, you should understand that they don't do justice to actually being there. Because it was hard to get good photos and because of all of the other challenges that I have listed, if I was reviewing the raptor center completely objectively, I would probably give it three stars, maybee less honestly, but there is an element of community and learning and magic and hope and beauty here that just cannot be boiled down to an unequivocal rating. I would come here again every time, and all the time, and I highly recommend this stop if you're in the area and at all interested in birds or any kind of animal rescue and rehabilitation. .

    My wife and I stopped by during the Eugene Marathon weekend. Being over 30, we understand that…read morebirds are cool. There were 31 birds with their own exhibits. Admission was $16/person, but well worth it for the experience. There are informative displays about each species and also each individual bird.

    Photos
    Cascades Raptor Center
    Cascades Raptor Center - Eurasian eagle-owl

    Eurasian eagle-owl

    Cascades Raptor Center

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    Wildlife Safari - zoos - Updated August 2026

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