Six Flags Announces Safari Drive-Through Opening Date

Karen Wall
Updated ·4 min read

JACKSON, NJ — Six Flags Great Adventure will open its Wild Safari Drive-Thru Adventure May 30, the theme park announced Wednesday.

The park announced it would bring back the self-guided tours of safari park last week in the wake of Gov. Phil Murphy's announcement permitting drive-through and in-car gatherings, part of the easing of the stay-at-home restrictions during the coronavirus crisis.

The drive-through experience comes with new rules and requirements, part of efforts to maintain social distancing, Six Flags officials said.

Tops among those rules: All safari tickets must be purchased online and in advance. Ticket sales will not be available at the gate. The reservation system — which also will apply to the amusement park when it is permitted to reopen — will be used to prevent overcrowding and provide proper social distancing. People who come to the park without reservations will be turned away.

The new online reservation system will open for reservations at 10 a.m. May 27.

The safari park will be open seven days a week, weather permitting, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Active Members, Season Pass holders and employees can catch a special preview May 29. The drive-through is about 5 miles long and takes about an hour to complete, park officials said.

Six Flags Great Adventure’s safari operated as a self-drive-through experience from 1974 through 2012 and entertained more than 10 million guests. Since 2013, Great Adventure has offered guided truck tours of the safari. Wild Safari Drive-Thru Adventure will operate until the theme park is able to reopen.

Here is additional information from Six Flags:

Single-day tickets are $20 for people ages 11 and up on the weekends, and $15 per person on weekdays, with kids 10 and under charged $18 on weekends and $13 on weekdays. People who are Active Members or Season Pass holders get in free, and can purchase a Bring-A-Friend ticket for $9.99.

You must purchase tickets to make the reservation (pass holders use their pass number). Choose a date from the calendar that is available for your ticket type, enter the required information, and print the confirmation sheet. "A printed sheet is easier to scan through the car window than a phone screen," park officials said. "We want this experience to be as contact-free as possible."

The following rules will be in place to keep the animals safe and park patrons will be monitored:

  • SLOW – 5 mph speed limit

  • Maintain space between your car and others

  • Animals always have the right of way

  • Remain in your vehicle and on paved roadway at all times

  • Windows and sun roofs must remain completely closed

  • Convertible tops must be closed

  • No pets, including service animals, are permitted inside cars

  • Do not feed or touch the animals

  • No smoking or littering

  • No parking or stopping, other than yielding to animals

  • All vehicles will be screened by Six Flags Security prior to entering Wild Safari

  • No items are permitted in pickup truck beds or in vehicles with open storage

  • Cars, SUVs and consumer pickup trucks only permitted – no buses, RVs, box trucks, commercial vehicles, pickup trucks larger than a consumer pickup allowed

All vehicles will be inspected prior to entering the safari, rules will be enforced throughout the journey by park staff, and anyone who violates the rules will be ejected from the park without a refund and possibly prosecuted.

As a safety precaution, all Six Flags employees will be temperature and health screened each day, and wear masks and gloves where appropriate.

Park officials also urge people coming to the safari to plan ahead, as there will be no restrooms, food or gasoline available in the park. There will be portable toilets at the entrance and exit.

The safari drive-through will follow the pathway that has been used for the Safari Off Road Adventure. Guests also will be able to visit the Baboon Jungle prior to exiting the safari. Camp Aventura will remain closed.

If a vehicle breaks down in the safari park, park staff will assist. "Do not exit the vehicle for any reason," park officials said.

The safari park has 1,200 exotic animals on 350 acres in 11 simulated natural habitats, including giraffes, elephants, rhinos, lions, tigers, bears and baboons. While most animals roam freely in the safari, predators are kept safely behind fences. All animals are clearly visible from car windows. Guests can learn all about the animals and their habitats on the park’s website at www.sixflags.com/safari.

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This article originally appeared on the Brick Patch