Kyushu African Safari

The Kyushu African Safari is a wildlife park in Usa, southern Japan, home to numerous species from Africa and other continents. The grounds are divided by animal groups and allow visitors to drive through with their own vehicle or aboard special buses that bring them close to the animals.

The park opened in 1976 and brought the concept of driving through animal enclosures to the Kyushu region. The design followed international models of animal husbandry and introduced a new way to observe wildlife from outside Europe.

The name evokes open plains and connects them with the desire to experience African wildlife in Japan. Visitors drive through open enclosures and observe how animals move in groups and interact with one another.

The journey from Beppu Station by bus takes around fifty minutes, or visitors can drive from Hayami exit, eight kilometers away. The drive through the animal zones lasts about an hour and a half and follows a set route.

The buses with reinforced windows allow visitors to see predators at close range as they walk right past the vehicle. Visitors often hear the sound of paws on metal and feel the movement of animals nearby.