Opened in 1984 as a safari park type zoo and amusement park, the Himeji Central Park is a theme park located on a vast plot of land that is 1.9 million ㎡ large. It has a "sister park" agreement with the Nairobi National Park in Kenya and has many ways to experience a safari: a drive-through safari where you can ride in your car and observe large carnivorous animals such as tigers and lions and herbivorous animals from your car window, a walking safari where you can stroll and see such animals as water fowl and kangaroos up close, and a sky safari where you can see animals from a rope way gondola.
In the amusement park, there is a large Ferris wheel and suspended roller coaster that stands 35 meter off the ground. Also in the summertime, there is "Aquaria" such as pool with flowing water and a "Surfing Downhill" where you can slide down a hill on a surf board and in the winter there is "ice park" by skating on a chalk castle of wind.
| Access | * Get on a Shinki bus from either the JR/Sanyo Himeji Station and get off at the Himeji Central Park bus stop. * Change from "Fukusaki IC" on the Chugoku Expressway to the Bantan Road. The park is about 15 minutes from the "Hanada IC." * The park is about 5 minutes from the "Himeji Higashi IC" on the Sanyo Expressway. |
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| TEL | 079-264-1611 |
| Closed | Wednesday (However, it is open on national holidays, and during the spring, summer, and winter holidays.) |
| Hours (changes by season) | Safari Park 10:00-17:00 (winter season: 10:00-16:00) Amusement park 10:00-17:30 (winter season: 10:00-16:30) |
| Admission fee | Adults (junior high school students and above) 3,100 yen, elementary school students 1,900 yen, small children (3 years old up to elementary school age) 1,200 yen |
| Day Pass to all attractions | Adults (junior high school students and above) 2,800 yen, elementary school students 2,600 yen, small children (3 years old up to elementary school age) 1,200 yen |
| Parking | All day 1,000 yen |
| Safari/Bus | 800 yen (operates on a regular basis) |
| Notes: | Automobile types not allowed at park → canvas top, convertible, low-riding, and modified type cars and trucks |
This is a safari that can be enjoyed from the comfort of your own car. Large carnivorous animals such as cheetahs, tigers, and lions along with herbivorous animals can be observed at a close distance from the car window. Those without automobile transportation can use the regular scheduled Safari Bus service.
Cheetahs, lions, tigers
Reticulated giraffes, ostriches, oryx dammahs, spotted deer, nilgais, and Chapman's zebras
Himalayan tahrs, bharals, Barbary sheep, European white pelicans, blackbucks, and Japanese deer
American bisons, llamas, blue wildebeests, the roan-antelopes, and hippopotamuses
Imperial zebras, bharals, markhors, and blackbacks
African elephants, Southern white rhinoceros, and Bactrian camels
Here visitors can stroll the grounds and come into close contact with small animals that are popular with small children such as free roaming waterfowl and kangaroos. Be sure to enjoy the attraction of powerful elephants and explanations on ecology while looking at the sight of squirrel monkeys being fed. Also, in the Child's Farm, there are many small animals to enjoy playing with and ponies that can be ridden.
Hokkaido brown bears, Asiatic black bears, African elephants, and Japanese monkeys
Hawaiian geese, snow geese, Mandarin ducks, Phoenicopterus chilensis, capybaras, ring-tailed lemurs, squirrel monkeys, mute swans, ruddy shelducks, grey crowned cranes, and white storks
Sun parakeets, fantail pigeons, black-tailed prairie dogs, grey miercats, and Indian peacocks
Bennett wallabies, Cape Barren geese, emus, and African and Magellanic penguins
Visitors can come in close proximity to actually realize the size of the African elephant and we encourage you to feel the power of their wilderness breathing.
It is also possible to experience the thrill of feeding these massive animals.
White tigers and lions, red pandas, chimpanzees, and Asian small-clawed otters
This is the observatory tower surveying the herbivorous sections of the Drive-thru Safari. There is also a "Giraffe Lunch Corner" where visitors can stand at eye-level to feed the giraffes and observed them chewing while feeling their snouts
A ropeway made its appearance on the Walking Safari in 2003. The gondola is capable of carrying 12 people and has gained popularity as a "Sky Safari" that commands a spectacular view of the animals from the air. The distance between the "Fureai no Kuni (Petting Land)" station on the summit of the Safari Zone and the "Yasei no Kuni (Wild Land)" station on the base is 318m and has an elevation difference of 41 m and takes nearly 3 minutes to complete. The service is free of charge.
Miniature pigs, Kiso horse, ponies, sheep, goats, large and small dogs, domesticated ducks, Black and White Spangled Japanese bantams, Patagonian hares, cats, rabbits, and guinea pigs
Diablo, Free Fall, Flapper, Helios, Crazy Bar, Labyrinth, Great Poseidon, Roller-coaster, Hurricane
Duck Fleet, Pegasus, Paopao, Albatross, Sky Helicopter, Fairy Tale Box, Grand Carousel Pegasus
Go Carts, Locomotive 'Let's Go', Battery Car, Let's Go Thomas, Convoy, Safari Pet
Ferris Wheel, Castle Guardian, Fortunetelling Witch House, Putt Putt Golf, Bumper Boats, Bazooka, Buster Bomb, Milana's Psychological Labyrinth, Shocking Horror Museum, Fire Bull, Carnival Corner, Cyber Station
"Aquarea" is a resort pool composed of seven kinds of pools and slides that are arranged in plateaus on the slope of a mountain. There is a shallow pool with a beautiful gradation of water, a beach pool, a pool with a Jacuzzi, a 260 m circumference flowing pool, and a rock pool. "Surfing Downhill" is a pleasant sensation, providing an even more fulfilling thrill of a rocky river run. Since it is a pool that goes around a mountain filled with greenery, there is an even greater thrill with the beauty of the surroundings.
In the middle of the Central Park Amusement Park is a soaring white building called the "Castle of Wind." Large boulders on the level of the pyramid were used for this magnificent multi-purpose auditorium. In the winter, this hall is transformed into an all-weather skating rink. It is possible to enjoy winter sports while looking at the clear blue sky of winter through a retractable roof.
