By Paul Edwards
With more than 450 animals and 45-plus species, Parc Safari in Hemingford, Quebec, is full of surprises and wonders. The visitors can see the animals from the comfort of their vehicle, or from an electric bush truck. The animals roam in seven distinct types of enclosures. Much more than a zoo, Parc Safari features a waterpark suitable for all ages, a Discovery Pavilion, restaurants, and an International Boutique. Plan on arriving early to make the most of your visit.
Safari Expedition
You can now go on a safari aboard the LION electric bush truck. In 2017, Marc Bédard, president of Lion Electric Company, agreed to produce a truck adapted to the specific needs of Parc Safari. The result is a spectacular safari-like bush truck, with a cabin and a van designed by the engineers at Quebec-based Soudure Brault manufacturers, that can comfortably accommodate 50 people and four wheelchairs. The guided tour offers a new way to visit Safari Adventure. Tours are available from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. After 1:30 p.m., visitors can visit Safari Adventure in their own vehicles.
Parc Safari Lion Bus, Photo Courtesy Parc Safari
Parc Safari on foot
The trails and walkways take you to different areas: the Olduvai Walkway, the Afrika Terrace, the Farm of the Five Continents, the Deer Trail, the Cheetahs’ Plain and the Feline Tunnels: these last two destinations are usually the visitors’ favourites.
Visit Parc Safari from the comfort of your own vehicle. Photo Courtesy Parc Safari
The Feline Tunnels puts visitors face to face with lions. The only thing between you and the great cats are the windows of the glass tunnels. Looking into the eyes or walking underneath the king of the Savannah makes indelible memories, and great pictures.
The Cheetahs’ Plain gives the world’s fastest land animal space to reach their peak speed. Running short distance, they are faster than a Formula 1 race car. During training, the cheetahs will run the whole length of the plain in just a few seconds.
With the help of its Cheetah Research Center and in collaboration with the Aspinall Foundation and the Imire Preserve, in January 2021, Parc Safari reintroduced two cheetahs in the wild, at Imire, in Zimbabwe. The brothers are thriving in their new environment, and their rewilding will contribute to the renewal of the gene pool and thus help to support efforts to protect the species.
The Afrika Terrace lets you enjoy a giraffe’s view of the African plain and Safari Adventure. The terrace is an accurate representation and orientation of the African continent and its countries. On the terrace, kids can travel, naming the countries they are crossing. You can bring salad and feed the giraffes, and observe zebras, water buffalo, elephants, and more.
From the Big Bang to today
The exhibition at the Discovery Pavilion presents minerals, fossils and skeletons, all forms and traces of the appearance of life of some five billion years of evolution on Earth.
This exhibition documents the first appearance of life on Earth, including a replica of a bone dating back 5,000 years that bears ancient Chinese writing. Closer to us, we see that minerals are present in the objects of our everyday lives. These sights might ignite new passions in young visitors and solidify their desire to protect our only residence, the Blue Planet.
Spend the night at Parc Safari
Have a sleepover near the animals of Parc Safari: enjoy one or two nights and two or three full days at Parc Safari. Relax by the pools and visit your favourite animals at your leisure. The Coolbox, a mobile accommodation concept, accommodates four to eight people. A Coolbox is equipped with a bathroom, a kitchen, bunk beds, a refrigerator, a small stove and counter oven and air conditioning.
Parc Safari Coolbox. Photo Courtesy Parc Safari
Parc Safari Coolbox Picnic. Photo Courtesy Parc Safari
Get in the swim at Safari Water Park
Parc Safari is also a water park for the whole family, with four pools, a Nile River tube ride and slides. The park’s NEPTUNE filtration system provides crystal clear, high purity water and reduces the amount of chlorine for the greatest comfort of swimmers. The water park is made up of many pools and water games: the Dolphins’ Lagoon, the Dino Wading Pool, the Tropical Oasis with the Lake Victoria wave pool and its waterfall, three large water slides and the Nile River tube ride, a 400-metre-long attraction that takes visitors past the ruins of Kush, the Khartoum hydro dam, the Valley of the Kings, the pyramid of Cheops and the famous passenger ship Sudan.
Parc Safari’s waterpark has attractions for kids of all ages. Photo Courtesy Parc Safari
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