Six Flags Great Adventure Park - Safari Off-Road Adventure

Six Flags Great Adventure Park located in Jackson, New Jersey is one of the hottest tourist destinations in New Jersey.

It is considered among the top theme parks in the USA.
It has everything right from thrill, adventure, world-class rides to superb shows.

But one of the most amazing activities to do here is to go on exotic Safari Off-Road Adventure.
The safari off-road adventure is an amazing experience where you get to see over 1,200 animals including elephants, rhinos, tigers, giraffes and lions in a 350-acre land.
Feeding of animals is also allowed.

Also there are informative guides who provide details and facts about various animals and also answer all your queries.

Fees
The safari is included with the general admission or the season pass.

Time
So without making any stop it takes around 45 minutes to complete the safari but if you make a stop at Camp Aventura, which normally everyone does, it takes around 2 hours to complete the whole safari.
Camp Aventura is the main stop along the off-road excursion where you can feed Giraffes, play with colorful birds, check out some exotic reptiles and have fun with other small animals.

Now time for some gyan from Explorer Lens
1. As the animals are at a distance so if you are interested in wildlife photography, carry a zoom lens.
2. Sit at the end of the row in the truck so that you can get a good angle to take pics or make a video.
3. Definitely stop at Camp Aventura and have fun with the birds, giraffe and other amazing animals.
4. Go a bit early, around 10 a.m. in the morning to avoid big queues and also because the animals are
    also the most active at that time.

Here is the photowalk of the Safari Adventure

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Places to visit in Virginia - Shenandoah National Park

In my last post, I talked about my visit to Virginia Safari Park, which is one of the top attractions in Virginia. If you have missed it, please check out that post here.

So after a successful, memorable and fun trip of the Safari Park, it was time to visit the top natural destination of Virginia, “Shenandoah National Park”.

Shenandoah National Park lies along the Blue Ridge Mountains in north-central Virginia.
The park stretches for 105 miles along the scenic Skyline Drive from near the town of Front Royal in the northeast to near the city of Waynesboro in the southwest.

Main Attractions
The main attractions of the park are -:
1. Skyline Drive
2. Hiking
3. Camping
4. Waterfalls
5. Wildlife, which includes deer, black bears, foxes, birds and other animals.

My experience
I started the scenic drive from the northern entry point of the Park, which is situated near the town of Front Royal.
The entry fee is $25 per vehicle and is valid for a week from the start date.

We got a map which had the information about different scenic points where you can stop your vehicle and enjoy the endless natural beauty of the lush green mountains

As it was sunset time so I was very excited to get some stunning view of the Park and I was not at all disappointed. The sky was covered with layers of orange, blue and white, and the sun rays falling on the mountains covered in the blanket of green, made the whole view breathtaking.

We drove for around 20 miles and experienced the stunning views but now it was time for something else, the “FOG”.
Yes, as we drove ahead the endless fog welcomes us and the visibility at some points became just nil.
Driving through the fog was like sailing through a cloud, a lifetime experience indeed.

We took a U turn from 30 miles as it was getting dark and too much foggy.

And last but not the least, we were fortunate to see the wildlife too.
There were two instances of spotting a black bear, one when an adult black bear was crossing the road and the second was of a young one ambling on the sides of the road.
We also saw a deer and a different species of bird which was of a size of a vulture.

It was definitely a successful, super thrilling, adventurous, beautiful and memorable visit to “Shenandoah National Park”.

Tickets & Fees
The entry fee for the park is $25 for a car for 7 days.

Connectivity
The Skyline has two entry points, one near the town of Front Royal in the northeast and other one near the city of Waynesboro in the southwest.

Food
There are no food junctions, cafes, restaurants or any facility where you can get food.

Stay
I was staying in the town of Front Royal where there are a lot of decent motels available. Also there are lodges along the skyline drive.

Now time for some gyan from Explorer Lens
1. Visit the park during either sunset or sunrise to experience those amazing views.
2. It gets foggy in the evening so plan your visit accordingly.
3. Don’t plan for the complete 105 miles stretch of the Skyline, until you are not short of time.
    As the speed limit is only 35 miles/hr so it will easily take you 5 hours to cover the complete
    stretch.
4. There are black bears all over the park, so if you are planning for camping or hiking, do take all the
    safety measures beforehand.

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Best places to visit in Virginia - Virginia Safari Park

There are few states in USA which can be considered as synonym to natural beauty and Virginia is one of them. It can be also called the natural jewel of the USA Eastern Coast.

"Virginia is for Lovers" is the state's tourism slogan and it holds true in many ways.
Whether you are a wildlife lover or nature lover, a mountain lover or beach lover, history lover or wine lover, this places has something for everyone which will make them fall in love with it.

We were quite excited about our trip to Virginia and were all set to experience some of the world famous places, which are a must visit if you are travelling to Virginia and are not short on time.
Below are the top five places to visit in Virginia -:
    1. Shenandoah National Park
    2. Luray Caverns
    3. Virginia Safari Park
    4. Virginia Beach
    5. If you love wine and history, visit towns like Williamsburg, Charlottesville, Richmond and
        Fredericksburg.

We started our tour of Virginia from Virginia Safari Park, which is a 180-acre drive-through zoo located in Natural Bridge, VA. It is a great place for people of all ages.

There are 4 main things to do here -:

1. Safari Drive thru
    This is the main attraction of the Safari Park.
    You can drive your vehicle in the three miles of maintained gravel road with over 1000 animals
    running and roaming around freely. There will be yalks, bisons , elks, ostriches, rheas, oryxs,
    blackbucks, more than 6 types of deer, antelopes, llamas, watusi and many more animals coming
    to your vehicle for the food and you can feed them the specialty grain which is provided by the
    park. You are not allowed to feed your own food.

    

There are other animals like Zebras, Rhinos, Giraffes and Camels which are also seen in drive thru
    but they are inside the fence and not allowed to room freely, may be because of the security 

    reasons. The interaction with animals, watching them from so close and especially feeding huge 

     animals like yalk, bison or elk is a lifetime experience.

    If you don’t want to take your own vehicle inside, there are safari owned wagons where you can
     get a seat for $6.5.

Check out from videos from the Drive Thru -:

                                           

                                           

2. Budgie Adventure Aviary
     If you are a bird lover, especially of those small colorful ones, than this is the place for you.
     You can walk in this free-flight aviary and there will be many colorful budgies flying and  

     roaming all around. You can feed them with the Budgie feed sticks which you can get at the gift 

     shops for $1.5 each.

     There are more than 6 types of colorful budgies, parrots and cocks here.
     Feeding these amazing creatures, especially when the gentle and vivid colored budgies perch on
      your hand, is simply incredible.

 
3. Giraffe Feeding
    What is it like getting close to and feeding a 20 feet animal? Well in most of the cases it will be
     thrill, excitement and an experience of a lifetime. Giraffe feeding to me is something amazing and 

     I would definitely recommend it to all my readers.

    You can get lettuce pack for $4.5 at the feeding point.

                                         

   

4. Safari Village walk thru
    There is another part of the park other than the Safari drive thru which is equally awesome, The
     Safari Village walk thru. 

    It is divided into different territories -:
    1. Tiger Territory, where you will get to see the great Bengal Tiger from India.

    2. Kangaroo Walk about, where you can walk through the enclosure with Kangaroos hopping
        around and lying in the sun.

    3. Reptile house, where you can watch snakes and dragons crawling.

    4. Petting area, where you can feed goats, pigs, chickens and baby llamas.
    5. I personally loved the cute monkeys doing somersaults and having fun. 

    

6. Apart from the above ones there are many other animal also like wolves, penguins,
     cheetahs and big tortoises.

7. Do check out the vultures there who believe in living life king size.

Tickets & Fees
The entry fee for the park is $25 for an adult

Connectivity

Easily accessible and has lot of free parking space available.

Food

There is café inside where you will get a variety of options to satisfy your hunger.

Stay
There are hotels available in vicinity but they are a bit costly, I would suggest to go for Airbnb so that you can get a homely feeling in reasonable price.

Now time for some gyan from Explorer Lens
1. If you are looking to photograph and feed the animals, it is advisable to take the wagon instead of
    taking your own car because you will be busy driving and have to be more cautious because of
    animals coming from all around.
    Also with wagon ticket you get the bucket of grains free while individually it costs around 

    $4/bucket.
2. The animals are fresh and energetic in the morning so plan to go before 12 p.m. so that you get to
     have the max interaction.
3. Keep some quarters handy as there are lot of feeding machines which accepts only quarters.

Here are few more pics and videos from the Drive Thru, hope you will enjoy them.

                                           

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A visit to Ichetucknee Springs State Park

Overview-:Ichetucknee Springs State Park is one of Florida’s outstanding natural wonders.
In 1972, the U.S. Department of the interior declared the Ichetucknee Spring a National Natural Landmark.
The nearly transparent Ichetucknee River flows six miles though the dense forest before it joins the Santa Fe River and provides great opportunity for tourist activities.

It is around 90 miles from Jacksonville, the city where I stay.

There are 2 entrances for the park, The North and South Entrance. North one is more popular than the south because it is home to more tourist points.

Activities to do-:1. Tubing
     Tubing down the river is the most popular and premier activity in the area.
     You get rented tubes for around $7 from the shops nearby. There are different spots which are
     called springs from where you can start your tube adventure. Scenic views of the vast jungle from

     the middle of the river is one hell of an experience. I couldn’t take my camera or mobile with me 

      in the tube as there was danger of those devices falling in the river if my tube tumbles.

2. Canoeing & Kayaking
    There are canoeing spots from where you can start paddling your canoe.
     Canoe’s can be rented but most of the people were seen bringing their own.
     Similar to tubing they are also a great way to enjoy the natural beauty of the river with an
     opportunity to see an abundance of wildlife.

3. Swimming
    There are lots of springs where you can swim and have fun. The water is cold and deep at few
     places so better get into the depths only when you are an expert in swimming.

4. Snorkeling
    The points where water is deep, snorkeling can be exercised, Blue Hole Spring is one of the most
     popular spots.

5. Picnicking
    There are arrangements for reunions on both the entrances. Areas are equipped with picnic tables
    and grills.

6. Hiking
    Hiking is not popularly practiced here but there are 3 hiking points on the north entrance.
    a. Blue Hole Trail
    b. Trestle Point Trail
    c. Pine Ridge Trail

Points to remember -:1. Canteen is available only at the south entrance hence carry a good amount of stuff to eat.
2. Bring lot of water to drink as you have to walk around a lot.
3. Bring extra pair of clothes.
4. Try to reach as early as possible as the tubing limit is only 750 people which fills up fast.
5. Take good amount of guidance from someone who had already gone before as the map provided to
     you at the gate is a bit confusing and you can have a hard time finding different spots.

Credit - Here

Credit - Here

Credit - Here

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