Fuji Safari Park

The Fuji Safari Park (富士サファリパーク) is a wildlife park on the southern slopes of Mount Fuji where visitors can take a safari through the simulated habitats of freely roaming animals, including lions, tigers, bears, giraffes, cheetahs, elephants, rhinoceroses, zebras and bison. It is one of the largest and most popular safari parks in Japan.

There are multiple ways to explore the park's safari zone: by your own car, by a rental car, by bus or on foot. No additional fee is charged if you drive through the safari zone with your own car. On average, it takes visitors about an hour to complete the course, but the road through the park is broad enough to allow each car to proceed at its personally preferred pace.

Bus tours take about an hour and employ large, caged buses designed to look like the different animals found around the park. During the tour, participants are allowed to feed bears, lions and camels with pieces of vegetables, fruits and meat through the caged windows of the bus. The tours cost an additional 1500 yen per person including food and may sell out on busy days.

Available for rent at the park are 4WD vehicles painted in a striped zebra pattern and equipped with a navigation system to lead you on a self guided tour through the safari zone. The rental fee is 6500 yen, and the vehicles seat up to seven passengers. Along the way you can feed the park's large herbivores, such as camels and gazelles, through the vehicle's caged windows. A valid driving license recognized by Japan is required for renting these vehicles.

Another great way to explore the park is on foot along a 2.5 kilometer nature trail that leads around the safari zone. The trail is open from late March to November and takes about two hours to complete including stops at the various observation decks and blinds along the way where you can look out at the animals in their habitats.

At some of the points along the trail you can purchase food, such as leaves, pellets and raw chicken to feed to the animals. The walking safari costs an additional 600 yen per person and is only for visitors aged four and above. The price for food varies from 100 to 500 yen.

Besides the Safari Zone, the Fuji Safari Park also maintains a regular zoo zone where visitors can see a variety of animals such as red pandas, meerkats, leopards, hippopotamuses and ring-tailed lemurs. It is possible to feed several of the animals (at a small additional cost) or enter their cages, including kangaroos, capybara and squirrel monkeys.

Paid activities include horse cart rides, pony rides and pictures taking with baby animals (if available). There are also cat, dog and rabbit houses and a guinea pig area where visitors can spend time holding and playing with the different animals. The activities vary in price, but typically cost around 500 yen. The safari park also offers multiple restaurants and a well stocked souvenir shop.