This is going to be a shorter post. I want to document my stay at my second KOA in Florida back in January 2022, but I was in the area for work and didn’t have a chance to explore much of the area other than the campground!
To read about my first KOA stay, check out this post from my Glades County trip!
Lion Country Safari
As someone who tries to travel as consciously as possible, I am always doing my best to avoid spending my money at unethical places.
I believe that a lot of places that keep animals in captivity are doing important education and conservation work, but I know that is not the case for every animal-centric destination, so I always try to do my research first.
Before I booked my stay at the KOA campground connected to the Lion Country Safari, I did a little digging to see what kind of standards the safari had for their animal care. The conservation section of their website and the guest reviews set my mind at ease. I reasoned that I could go and make my own judgment and report back if I felt like the treatment of animals didn’t seem appropriate.
None of that ended up mattering, because I was too busy with work to actually enter the park, so I may end up writing a follow-up post to this in the future if I go back to the area and go into Lion Country Safari.
However, I did have a chance to explore the campgrounds a little bit, so here was my experience.
Lion Country Safari KOA campgrounds
Check-in was easy, and I headed over to my adorable little log cabin, which would make a perfect base for the next few days.
Cabin guests need to bring their own linens, and the cabins are a single room equipped with AC and electricity.
Behind the cabin was a private grassy space with a picnic area and a grill.
Other accommodation options at the Lion Country Safari KOA include tent and RV camping or safari-style tents that are already set up.
Bathroom stalls are located in the nearby KOA office (accessible from inside the office or around the back by the pool), and the shower house is a little further beyond that.
The showers were nice, especially compared to the bathroom trailers at the previous KOA I’d stayed at. Each shower stall was behind a lockable door, with a curtain to separate the shower from the changing section. There was also an accessible shower stall.
I was surprised by how nice and extensive the campground amenities were.
The pool was heated, and other recreational activities included shuffleboard, basketball, volleyball, petanque, horseshoes, and a playground.
I’ve noticed that the KOA campgrounds cater to retired folks who are RVing around the country full-time or RVing around Florida during the winter to escape their frigid homes up north. And of course there are also vacationing families with children.
The amenities do a good job catering to both of those groups, as opposed to campgrounds at state parks, which usually don’t have activities other than the natural features found at that park. (But that’s perfect for those of us who are wanting to spend our time digging into nature!)
I always like to see what information is displayed at campground bulletin boards, and Lion Country Safari won me over even more when I saw they had one sign about how bugs were in danger and another sign detailing their work with the Giraffe Conservation Foundation.
Between the campgrounds being really nice and not having had a chance to go into the actual Lion Country Safari, I’m definitely hoping to make a return visit before too long, and I’ll be sure to report back here when I do!
Have you been to Lion Country Safari? What is a location that you think does a good job of conservation and education?
