Monarto Safari Park - Lion 360 Experience

On this visit to Monarto, we've signed up for two special experiences. Even though we have purchased a one year pass, we must pay extra for them but they are worth the added cost.

We enter what appears to be two doors in the side of a hill. The doors lead to a passageway decorated as shown below.

Inside OUR cage are placards describing the experience and the African habitat of the lions.

This one is called Lion 360 Experience. For this one we humans are the ones in the cage and the lions are free to roam about their domain.

Lion 360 is held at 3pm in the afternoon. The lions have come to expect a feeding of fresh raw meat (hopefully not us) at this time of day. The females and "baby" lions arrive. The males are too lazy for this. They get fed later in the day closer to where they spend evenings. Here come the four young lions.

The baby lions are gaining nearly 7 pounds every day.

Once the adults arrive, the fun starts. The big girls climb on top of the cage, jump on the sides for their food and get into fights with each other over food.

This picture is taken just before these two had a go at each other of who got the next bite.

How close are we to the lions? Is this close enough?

And then they are on top of us. Biggest risk to us is that they drool, pee or poop on us.

The lions follow the trainer feeding them wherever they go.

We saw many lions in Africa but it was nothing like this. We are the ones in the cage and the lions, in all their magnificence climb the walls of the cage and while trying to feed and get at us, put on the show of a lifetime.