The 12 Safari Tours in the USA That Earn Their Price

1.Everglades Safari Park Airboat Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 1,267 reviews · 1 day · from $41Our pick

At Everglades Safari Park, an English-speaking guide takes you on a roughly 40-minute airboat ride through the River of Grass. Captain Joe is one guide praised for his humor and clear explanations. Afterward, see the Wildlife Nature Show, exhibits, observation platform, and jungle trail.

“Very cool experience! The guide was fun and it felt like he enjoyed entertaining us on the airboat! Walked through the trail-park after the boat ride, which was very nice, and we saw several alligators. 10/10 would recommend!”

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2.Grand Teton Wildlife Safari in a Enclosed or Open-Air Vehicle (season dependent)

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,212 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $159Top rated

Spend about four hours searching Grand Teton National Park for moose, elk, bears, bison, wolves, and birds with a local naturalist. Ride open-air from June to mid-September or a heated vehicle in colder months. Binoculars, snacks, drinks, and small-group guiding are included.

“The guide was friendly, patient and extremely knowledgeable. He clearly knew the spots where we were likely to view animals. The van was comfortable as well.”

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3.Everglades Airboat Safari Adventure with Transportation

★★★★★★★★★★3.0 · 956 reviews · 4 to 5 hours (approx.) · from $35Best value

Leave from 305 Lincoln Road in Miami Beach for a 4 to 5-hour outing with round-trip transport, a roughly 40-minute airboat ride, wildlife viewing, and time for exhibits. Confirm the destination before booking: many departures use a private northern airboat park rather than the main Everglades National Park visitor area.

“I had a very disappointing experience with this tour. The bus took us to the northern part of the Everglades, which was much less beautiful than the national park, and not at all what we had imagined. The boat tour lasted 40 minutes, which was fine, but after that, we were given an hour of free time to visit the “exhibition,” as they call it on their website. However, it turned out to be just animals in captivity. The cages were tiny, and the animals were either isolated or crammed together, spending years in those conditions. At the end of the visit, we were allowed to touch a baby alligator.…”

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4.3 Hour Off-Road Sunset Safari to Grand Canyon with Entrance Gate Detour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 904 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $133

Ride from Tusayan in a small 4WD safari vehicle, bypassing the busy South Rim entrance on forest back roads. Guides such as Mark, Tyler, Werner, and Sheila share canyon geology, Native history, wildlife notes, and local stories before sunset stops at Yavapai Point, Pipe Creek Vista, and Grandview Point.

“I was super excited to see the Grand Canyon and was expecting a little more from this tour. Our guide was very mellow and wasn’t engaging. The tour was actually a little boring. It was also freezing cold driving in the open air truck. We sat in the back and got tons of wind blowing on us as we drove between the scenic lookouts. Once the sun went down, the guide finally put the wind flaps down, but it was still kind of uncomfortable. Also, he took us to a spot to see the sunset, but the sun was partially blocked by a rock, so it was not the spectacular…”

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5.Big Island, Hawaii: Volcanoes National Park Safari

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 545 reviews · 55 minutes (approx.) · from $379

From Hilo Airport, Safari Helicopters takes you over Volcanoes National Park, lava flows, waterfalls, orchid farms, and native forest. Your pilot, often Andrew, Jim, or Drew, narrates the flight with island history and geology. The 55-minute flight carries up to six people.

“It was a great tour. The volcano wasn’t as active as we had hoped but the pilot, Andrew, did a great job describing what we were seeing along with giving a description and history of everything we saw from the volcano to the waterfalls. He also answered any and all questions.”

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6.Everglades Day Safari from Ft Lauderdale

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 488 reviews · 10 hours (approx.) · from $250

Spend about 10 hours exploring the Everglades from Fort Lauderdale with a guide such as Julio, Reza, or Marc. Ride an airboat, walk beneath bald cypress, search for alligators and birds, enjoy lunch, and cruise the Ten Thousand Islands for dolphins and manatees.

“Wow! What a great day! Reza our guide for the day was great, he really looked after everyone and provided some really interesting facts about the Everglades, animals and the history. We saw so many Gators! 4 on the airboat ride alone and one so close you could have touched it, if you were mad! Lots more throughout the day. Reza explained the 3 different habitats, sea of grass, cypress forest and mangrove. We had time at each to see the wildlife The boat ride in the mangroves was so good, we saw a pod or two of dolphins about 6 or 7 in total and when two rode the…”

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7.3 Hour Back-Road Safari to Grand Canyon with Entrance Gate By-Pass at 9:30 am

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 430 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $130

This three-hour morning tour takes you from Tusayan through Kaibab National Forest by back road, avoiding the usual South Rim entrance queue. Your guide leads short walks at Yavapai Point, Bright Angel Trail, Hopi House, and nearby historic buildings. Groups are limited to 12, with guides such as Mark, Werner, Tyler, Sheila, and Audrey.

“Our guide, Sheila, was extremely knowledgeable about the Grand Canyon, the plant life, and the animal behavior. She had great personal knowledge and showed our group some unique formations within the Grand Canyon. On our tour, a ram climbed up the side of the canyon and actually jumped onto the walkway directly in front of us.”

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8.The Rocky Mountain National Park Safari Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 366 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $119

Ride from Estes Park into Rocky Mountain National Park in an open-air Jeep with a guide such as Chance, Nick, Sam, or Kae. In about three hours, you’ll see mountain meadows, waterfalls, wildlife habitat, Trail Ridge Road, the Alpine Visitor Center, and the accessible Alluvial Fan.

“Our driver Pete was very informative. The tour was able to deal well with the weather even though we were not well prepared.”

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9.Half-Day Wildlife Safari Tour in Grand Teton National Park

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 341 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $170

Join Jackson Hole Wildlife Safaris for a four-hour, small-group ride through the National Elk Refuge and Grand Teton National Park. Guides such as Jeff, Abby, Barry, and Jordan help you find moose, bison, pronghorn, elk, and bears. Hotel pickup, snacks, breakfast on morning trips, binoculars, and spotting scopes are included.

“The absolutely best way to experience Grand Teton National Park in a 4-hour time frame! Our guide was super knowledgeable and made sure we saw as much as possible. Highly recommend this tour.”

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10.Estes Park: Rocky Mountain National Park Safari Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 264 reviews · from $130

Join a small group of up to 10 for a three-hour Rocky Mountain National Park tour from downtown Estes Park. Your English-speaking guide drives through meadows, aspen groves, waterfalls, and high tundra, with time for wildlife and scenic stops. Old Fall River Road is included when open.

“Julie was our guide and she was wonderful. We were in Estes Park with out of town family and were worried about an activity during the recent snowfall. It was magical even if the visibility was poor. I can only imagine what it would be like in clear weather. So we will definitely be back.”

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11.Half Day Grand Teton Wildlife Safari Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 259 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $170

Spend four hours exploring Grand Teton National Park and the Jackson Hole area with a naturalist guide such as Kayla, Corey, Jeffrey, or Dave. Pickup, snacks, drinks, binoculars, spotting scopes, and return transport are included. Routes shift with wildlife, weather, road access, and your interests.

“The tour was fantastic! We had Jeffrey Meehan for our guide, and he was awesome. Very fun and knowledgeable. We were lucky enough to see a lot of wildlife during our 4 hours.”

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12.Best of Yellowstone – Guided National Park Safari Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 178 reviews · 10 to 12 hours (approx.) · from $345

Spend 10 to 12 hours crossing Grand Teton and Yellowstone with a naturalist guide, searching for bears, bison, moose, elk, and more. The small vehicle holds no more than eight people and includes hotel pickup, breakfast, lunch, snacks, drinks, binoculars, and spotting scopes.

“Having an experienced guide who knew when and where to stop for photo opportunities and animal activity was amazing. Corey was so very well informed and it was clear he thrived on learning all he can about the area. Small group was nice and we were lucky with our other tour companions.”

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