Meet hundreds of animals on an hour-long guided ride with petting zoo access
1 hr
Guided tour, Petting zoo access
Hop aboard a guided tractor-trailer ride to meet animals from around the world. Tours offer an interactive experience and include petting zoo access.
Open 9am–5pm daily except Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day; tours run continuously with waits up to 30–45 minutes during busy times. Operates rain or shine; tours pause for lightning and a drive-through option may be offered. Wheelchair accessible via ramp.
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before your scheduled booking. Cancellations within 24 hours are nonrefundable.
Approximately one hour.
No, tours do not leave at set times.
Waits can be 30–45 minutes; weekends and holidays are busiest.
235 Zoo Trail, Johnson City, TX 78636, United States
At Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch, the animals come to you. Drive slowly through the sprawling Texas Hill Country landscape and find giraffes leaning toward your window, zebras grazing alongside the road, and ostriches peering curiously into your car. The ranch sits just outside San Antonio, making it an easy escape into something genuinely wild. Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch puts you inside the habitat rather than outside looking in.
This Texas Hill Country safari experience earns consistently glowing praise across generations, with reviewers ranging from toddlers to an 86-year-old grandmother all walking away with big smiles. The tractor-guided tours are a clear crowd favorite, giving visitors close-up encounters with giraffes, zebras, bison, camels, capybaras, kangaroos, and more while knowledgeable guides share fascinating facts along the way. Staff like Addy get called out by name for being warm and passionate, and the facility itself is noted for being clean and well-maintained. One practical tip that almost every visitor echoes: buy more animal feed than you think you need. Nearly everyone wishes they had grabbed extra buckets. There is one recurring concern worth knowing about, the zoo's single giraffe, with at least one visitor feeling the animal appeared isolated and understimulated. It comes up occasionally enough that animal-sensitive travelers may want to keep it in mind when deciding. For most people though, this place delivers something genuinely different from a traditional zoo. The open setting, the hands-on feeding, and the sheer variety of animals make it a memorable outing, and plenty of visitors mention wanting to come back. If getting close to exotic wildlife in a relaxed, unhurried environment sounds appealing, this one is hard to beat.
What an amazing experience! Truly one of the most fun and memorable places we’ve visited. It’s a wonderful destination for every generation — toddlers, children, teenagers, adults, and seniors alike. My mom is 86 years old, and she absolutely loved it and had an incredible time. The atmosphere, the experience, and the joy it brought to our family made this place instantly become one of our favorites. Highly recommended for families and groups of all ages! Pd. One bucket of food per person. You will regret not buying more food for animals. It wort it.
Adriana Restrepo
May 22, 2026
What an amazing experience! Truly one of the most fun and memorable places we’ve visited. It’s a wonderful destination for every generation — toddlers, children, teenagers, adults, and seniors alike. My mom is 86 years old, and she absolutely loved it and had an incredible time. The atmosphere, the experience, and the joy it brought to our family made this place instantly become one of our favorites. Highly recommended for families and groups of all ages! Pd. One bucket of food per person. You will regret not buying more food for animals. It wort it.
Adriana Restrepo
May 22, 2026