Ramat Gan Safari – Visitors Guide

Ramat Gan Safari has the most extensive collection of animals in the Middle East. Moreover, there are African territories with grazing herds.

Note: Check out Zoos and Aquariums in Israel‎ for additional information about animals and wildlife.

Map

The Safari is located at Hatzvi Avenue 1, Ramat Gan.

Directions for drivers: Link to Waze and Link to Google Maps
Directions for public transport: Link to Moovit

Interactive map of the area:

A short explanation of what you can find inside the Ramat Gan Geological Center. The center has two areas:

• Looking at the map above, you can see the entrance and the exit at the bottom of the diagram. The open area (orange background color), also called the African park, is where different animals walk freely. You drive in your car on paved roads and see animals around you. Part of the African area has a closed space, the lion’s habitat (top left corner).
• Inside the open area are several fenced facilities (green background color). The main ones are the zoo and the animal hospital.

Note: you can visit the animal hospital only on a dedicated tour. These tours are free but do not take place every day. Check the events schedule on the official site.

On a typical visit to the Safari, you drive through the open space. Then, leave the car near the zoo and walk inside. And after a visit to the zoo, you drive back through the open area towards the exit. You can visit the lions before or after your visit to the zoo.

If you do not have a car, you can purchase an open train ticket to take you through the open area to the zoo and back. But, since it is an open train, it will not enter the lion’s territory.

Opening Hours

Month	Sunday – Thursday	Friday and Holiday eve	Saturday and Holidays
March	09:00 – 17:00	09:00 – 16:00	08:30 – 17:00
April	09:00 – 18:00	09:00 – 16:00	08:30 – 18:00
May	09:00 – 18:00	09:00 – 16:00	08:30 – 18:00
June, July	09:00 – 20:30	09:00 – 16:00	08:30 – 20:30
August	09:00 – 21:00	09:00 – 16:00	08:30 – 21:00
September	09:00 – 18:00	09:00 – 16:00	08:30 – 18:00
October	09:00 – 16:30	09:00 – 16:00	08:30 – 18:00
November, December, January, and February	09:00 – 16:00	09:00 – 16:00	08:30 – 16:30

Notes:

• Cash registers at the entrance are closed two hours before the closure time.
• In case of bad weather, the opening hours may change.
• The lion area is open from 10:00.

Entrance Fee

Note: you can purchase tickets at the cash register on the official site. Purchasing on the website and booking time slots is cheaper and ensures entry.

Adult/Child (when purchasing at the cash register) – 99 NIS
Adult/Child (when purchasing on the official website) – 89 NIS
Pensioner/Soldier/Student – 77 NIS

A train ride through the open area (for those without a car) costs an extra 7 NIS.

Notes:

• Children under the age of two do not need tickets.
• Opening hours, entrance fees, and coupons were updated in May 2024, and in any case, before visiting, recheck the official site.
• You can rent an electric club car inside the zoo. Here is the price list.

Coupons

Usually, there are few coupons for Safari (though the number of offerings started to grow in recent years). But on multiple occasions, I was able to find discounted tickets. And the coupons reach up to 50%.

Currently available coupons:

• Credit Cards:
  • Max – 1+1 for 99 NIS
  • American Express – 1+1 for 99 NIS
• Shufersal4U – 55 NIS per ticket
• Pais – starting from 57NIS
• Couponofesh – 82 NIS per ticket
• HTZone – starting from 59 NIS
• Teachers Association – 50 NIS

You can find the complete list of organizations and unions that provide discounts here.

If you purchase discounted tickets, you must buy them beforehand (usually online) and then book your visit at the official site.

Tours

In recent years, Safari started to offer various tours (in addition to regular visits). The number of tours continually grows, and the most popular tours are:

• Safari morning tour – starts before the Safari opens to the public (usually at 7:30). During this three-hour tour, you learn and feed the animals. I have joined several of those tours and will show one later. The total ticket price is 99 NIS. Age restriction: above three years old.
• Night Safari – when the stars go out, you will embark on a guided night tour through the open African terrain and enjoy a rare opportunity to discover what the animals are doing during the night. The 2.25-hour tour costs 109 NIS and has an age restriction of above five years old.
• Midnight Safari is similar to Night Safari but takes place later (around 22:00). It is a 2.25-hour tour, and the entrance fee is 109 NIS – age restriction: above 18 years old.

Tickets for tours can be purchased on the official site. And I would suggest buying them in advance since they might run out.

Feeding

During a regular visit, you can watch an animal feeding and get a short explanation regarding those animals.

Here is the timetable:

Note: this timetable is from April 2024 and can change over time.

And now, let’s start by joining the Safari Morning Tour.

Safari Morning Tour

One of the benefits of this tour is that you start early (around 7:30). The tour starts before the Safari is open to the public while it is still not too hot. And the animals are more active. But before buying tickets, if you do not know Hebrew, check out what language the guided tour will be in (our tours were in Hebrew).

Also, note that if you plan to come without children, then you will probably be the only one :)

In the Open Area

Last week we attended such a tour. We started by riding the train into the open area. That is the time when they are feeding the animals.

At The Zoo

After riding the train in the open area and receiving explanations from our guide, the train entered the zoo. We received explanations about different animals and had a chance to feed them. For example, we threw fruits and vegetables to bear territory (before their door to the open area was opened).

For me, the highlight of this tour was feeding giraffes with cabbage.

There are two ways to feed a giraffe. The natural is giving food as if taken from a tree. Like in the following photo:

And the more courageous method is placing the food on your palm. But your hand will be wet with the giraffe’s saliva in that case. The instructor told us that some believe this (being licked by a giraffe) is a good sign and brings luck for the next seven years.

This mother elephant with two babies is one of my favorite photos from that Safari morning tour:

Since small elephants can not cover themselves with dust, their mother does it for them.

Though I did not see the crocodile move, we were told that this was the real thing :)

The morning safari tour lasted about three hours. After the tour, we could enter the Safari in our car (included in the morning tour price). So we made another round since we wanted to visit the lions.

Note: the train is open (it has no windows). Thus, it does not enter the lions’ area.

After the Tour

We entered the open space once again in our car. And these are the photos I took on our way to the lions.

When we reached the lions, it was already around 11:00 and boiling. So all lions lay in the shade:

Overall, we liked the Safari morning tour a lot. There are many advantages. The main ones are: you get a guide, you visit early while it is not too hot, and you get to feed the animals. As long as kids are happy, their parents will be delighted. The only downside is the ticket price. But, since the difference in ticket price between the morning tour and the regular visit is not significant, I am leaning towards the morning tour. If you plan to visit Safari and buy full-price tickets, consider the Safari morning tour. In my case, I purchased the tickets through a coupon, and the ticket price was 35 NIS per person (this is even cheaper than the regular entrance). So,