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365ThingsSWFL
The Auto Safari Chapin is a Guatemalan institution. I used to go there as a kid and it has really come a long way. I love the idea of being able to drive into each animal's environment and see them roam freely and get so close to them. I was pleasantly surprised to see the zoo in great conditions, the animals looked happy and in great health. We where able to see many animals and some of our favorites where the hippos, there was a baby hippo that was super cute and we got the see them from pretty close. Having the opportunity to feed the giraffes was truly memorable and fun for everyone, but specially for the kids. We loved having to stop for white tail deer or spider monkeys to cross the road in front of the car and getting so close to the lions, who where resting just a couple of meters away from the road was really exciting. We also watched as a deer heard jumped over a stream. It really felt like you where out on a safari as the roads although in great condition are dirt roads and sometimes you even have to cross a little stream, my 7 year old thought that was so cool.There was a place where you could stop in the middle of the ride to get refreshments, look at the giraffes and have the kids burn some energy on a playground, which I thought was just perfect.There is also a walk through zoo that has lots of local wildlife from birds like toucans and parrots to reptiles and other local felines that can not be kept in an enclosure you can drive through. The vegetation was well taken care of and you really felt like you where in the jungle or an African savanna. We did not take the boat ride although it looked fun. The only con of the place would be the restaurant, don't expect much from this open cafeteria restaurant but the Auto Safari is in such a remote area that you can't really ask for much more. I spoke with the manager after we had gone through the drive through part of the zoo to ask him if I could take some pictures of the kids feeding the giraffes in the car and wanted to know if there was any way I could get out of the car to take them. He was incredibly nice and accommodating and took us back to the giraffe enclosure on the Auto Safari pick up where we where able to feed the giraffes from the back of the pick up. All of the giraffes came to us at the same time and it was really amazing, the kids where awe struck by the whole experience and so was I (and the rest of the adults in our part). This is really a must see, specially if you are traveling with kids and it would make a perfect day trip from Guatemala City or Antigua or an ideal stop on your way to the beach. We have been to big and small zoos all over NYC, Washington DC, Miami, Tampa and what I loved about Auto Safari is that the animals really look and feel like they are in their natural environment, the lawns and are not well manicured and the gardens are not designed, it just looks natural but still well kept and maintained.
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CharnP_13
The Auto Safari Chapin is an open zoo that serve two purposes. For group tour, there are 14 gated compounds that allow the coach to drive through them. Each of these compounds has different animals in their habitat. The animals run freely and interact with other animals. The other area is gear for visitors to walk through caged animals. Majority of the visitors experience both the drive-through as well as the walk-through zoo. The amazing thing is the natural surrounding that the place is kept. It has the tropical rainforest atmosphere which allow the animals to live in their almost natural habitat. Excellent place to visit.
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malafoca
I had planned this visit with my family for a couple of weeks. I did not expect it to be all to fancy as it had been over 20 years since I last went to this car safari. Boy did I have the wrong expectation! The animals were very well taken care of! It was a safe ride, where we were able to see a variety of animals! The roads were in good shape, the animal's area was also in good shape, and the animals themselves were in great shape! If you paid Q10 more at the entrance you had the chance to hand feed the Giraffes, which of course I loved! We were properly warned to shut down the windows when we got to the Lions ( I saw another car that did not pay attention, I think this should be reinforced with some people!!).The Zoo at the end was great, I was impressed by the variety of animals, and my kids loved the pythons! The Boat ride I think is for people that did not bring young kids, but it looked fantastic!The restaurant was ok, it is a remote area and people do not go there for the food, so I think it was ok.Definitely coming back again soon!
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mbungay
We drove there from Antigua and got thoroughly lost through Escuintla. The lack of road signage is a little difficult but we'll figure it out. Despite the driving hiccups, we had a great day here. It was nice to see a zoo where the animals were not in concrete enclosures with metal bars everywhere. While the enclosures were not big like a natural habitat, they were much bigger than a normal zoo. The kids enjoyed driving through the exhibits. It was crazy to drive through the lion exhibit and be that close to them! The lunch area is not the best - everything is fried and it was really slow. We were the only ones for quite a while and it still took a good 15 minutes to get our food. What my kids enjoyed the swimming pools! We didn't know there were pools there so didn't come prepared but the kids stripped down to their underwear, along with many other guests, and cooled off. There are changing areas there in case you do come prepared!Living in Antigua, I assumed the weather at the zoo would be similar to Antigua. I was wrong. It is more like normal Central America and very warm! Bring your bug spray as there were lots of bugs there. If you're driving from Antigua, leave early and spend the day there. We could have easily spent more time there if we would have been a little better prepared. Also, the animals may be more active in the mornings. We were there in the afternoon and they all seemed to be napping in the shade. We will definitely be going back. It was a fun diversion from the regular zoo experience.
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bunnywunny
It was awesome!! We were sooo up close and personal with the animals if there wasn't a window between us a giraffe would have either kissed me or bit me!! (don't know if their nice or mean!!)
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OkieTraveler73162
Six of us took this tour as a shore excursion from Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala. The bus ride there was scenic and interesting, and once at the park we got a bathroom and refreshment break. The ride through the animal enclosures was great, and the animals don't seem bothered by the traffic. As my picture shows, one giraffe actually came to us and looked into the windows on both sides of the bus. Someone probably taught him the trick, but it was great to see nonetheless. The drive featured hundreds of animals, and then when you get back to the front gate, there is a small zoo featuring monkeys, birds, reptiles, and several large cat varieties. You have to move quickly to see it all on the shore excursion!I highly recommend this tour for families and anyone who loves animals.
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dad414
We booked this as an excursion to our cruise, when we stopped in Puerto Quetzel, Guatamala. After booking it, I thought we probably would not see many animals because when they hear the bus roaring thru they would run. WAS I WRONG!!! First of all the, then enclosures are long but not very wide, so even if the aniamls did want to run, they couldn't go very far. But they are so used to vehicles, that they didn't run. The giraffes actually blocked our bus and bent down to check us out. They were NOSY!! It was hilarious. They entire bus was in an uproar because the giraffe was face-to-face with the driver. Great pictures!! Their web site lists all the animals, but I can remember zebra, buffalo, hippo, giraffe, deer, croc, ostrich, emu, geese, iguana, coyote. When you stop at the rest area for food, looked delicious, but we had our own food, you can walk thru and see more animals, hila monster, peacock, turtles, cayman, lots of birds.
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371maureenf
Muy bonito, para familias con niños!!! No es lujoso pero es una bonita experiencia, se hace un tour dentro del carro viendo animales salvajes.... dimos de comer a las jirafas, luego conocimos un zoo a pie y por ultimo llegamos a la piscina, grande y limpia!!! La entrada incluía la comida y nos quedamos gratamente sorprendidos ya que el menu era grande y muy rico. Visiten auto safari... hasta la tienda de souvenirs era muy barata.... increíble.
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558daniellek
Otimo custo beneficio, muito organizado, você pode comprar pacote pra passer o dia, depois de conhecer todo o safari vc pode retirar sua refeição no restaurante e passer o restante do dia na piscine. Combinação muito bacana, adorei!
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MirnaB690
Cuentan con animales atractivos que ver, sin embargo el recorrido es pequeño; lo malo es que está bastante descuidado, algunos animales se ve que necesitan mejor cuido; el restaurante es pésimo en comida y servicio. Estoy segura que tendrían una clientela más satisfecha, si cuidaran en la mejora, limpieza y servicio del lugar.
