Myrtle Beach Safari: A once-in-a-lifetime experience (Cost and everything 2023)

Myrtle Beach is the home of many attractions including the private zoo ‘Myrtle Beach Safari’ in South Carolina, United States. This is a wildlife animal reservation facility run by Doc Antle, a well-known and experienced animal trainer.

Several wild species in the Safari will give a thrilling and intoxicating experience of the wild environment. You will have King Tut, the fastest mammal, Bubbles; an African elephant, and many other species to take a closer look at.

$589 is counted as the standard cost of booking preservation at Doc Antle’s Myrtle Beach Safari. For additional guests, $489 per person will be the further expenses. Photo Encounters start at $100 to $200.

Here in this article, we will provide the latest cost-related information for season 2022 and also mention the rest of the schedule of the year. So, if you are looking for a tour of the Safari of Myrtle Beach, you need to go through our whole writing. We have discussed the expenses and everything here altogether.    

Myrtle Beach Safari

About the owner of Myrtle Beach Safari

Mahamayavi Bhagavan Antle is the founder of the 50-acre wildlife preserve ‘the T.I.G.E.R.S.’ in South Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. He was a pet lover at a young age. His first name was Kevin Antle and grew up in a wealthy family. The name Mahamayavi Bhagavan Antle was given by his mother, who was influenced by Asian philosophy. Antle started operating his private zoo in 1983.

In China, acquiring basic medical training earned him the nickname ‘Doc’. Despite his weak educational background he claims to have a Ph.D. in zoology. But most of his former employees and two of his wives claimed that he never attained a Ph.D.

He is known as an experienced animal trainer and had the opportunity to play a vital role in a few films in Hollywood as well. He is also the founder of the Rare Species Fund which works for the welfare of extreme wild animals. Doc made the T.I.G.E.R.S. one of the premiere private wildlife facilities through his hard work.

Doc Antle has worked on more than 500 films, documentaries, TV shows, and advertisements. He has worked as a trainer and even played characters in movies like Ace Ventura and Disney’s The Jungle Book and many more.

Admission cost and Packages

The Safari requires a reservation to visit the facility and the open zoo. This sanctuary is private property, and all the animals are preserved with food and care.

With a diversity of animals and birds, the wild environment of the sanctuary opens up to tourists and visitors. Antle’s endangered animal preservation saved many lives. Now they are part of the facility.

Visitors are asked to book any of the packages offered by Myrtle Beach safari to enter and enjoy the natural and wild environment. Here we have stated the packages along with their prices according to Doc Antle’s Myrtle Beach Safari

Encounter OptionsPrice Per Person
Wild Encounters Day Tour$589 (1st guest)
$489 (additional guest)
Night Safari$589 (1st guest)
$489 (additional guest
($50 off with Day and Night safari combo)
Photo Encounters$200
($100 for each additional person)
African Safari$10,908 (double occupancy)
$13,988 (single occupancy)
*details are below
Proposals and WeddingsPhoto Encounters+$1,000 (proposals)
*Contact for customized wedding cost
Private EncountersAdditional cost with a day or night safari
*connect for the price 

Day Tour

The Day Tour reservation avails a great experience of wildlife. Great moments and a pack of happiness are served within the 3 hours of the Safari.

Visitors are guided the whole time and help encounter the friendly beast and interact with it.

You are about to meet the Liger, the largest cat in the world; a crossbreed of lion and tiger, and hundreds of animals including the Bubbles (an African elephant), its own King Tut, and many attractions. The cuddly baby tiger cubs are soft and play like puppies.

The 50-acre wildlife tropical preserve served at those hours and will give you memories once in a lifetime. This Day Tour does not allow swimming with the animals.

Night Safari

At night, you find things a little different with the shady circumstances at the Myrtle Beach safari. You will encounter a different view of the Safari. The Grand Tiger palace will introduce you to the extraordinary variety of Snow Tiger to the rarest Golden Tabby. 

A Night Tour reservation also offers to feed these big cats with your own hands. Relaxing after dinner with Bubbles can be another reason to make a Night Tour purchase. There is a chance to fry marshmallows with the two chimpanzees called Vali and Sugriva.  

Photo Encounters

Since the safari authority does not allow any smartphone or camera, you can barely take any photos or videos. Thus you need to hire photographers from the venture. They do cost a bit, but you be sure of the quality of the photos and videos. A digital copy of your files is provided by the photographers. 

The safari lodge preserve at South Myrtle Beach costs $200 per person and $100 per additional person for Photo Encounters. While in the preservation station at Barefoot Landing, North Myrtle Beach it costs $100 per person and $50 for each additional one.

To observe the Safari extensively, it is recommended to purchase any three-hour package reservations.

Proposals and Weddings 

To take your proposal next level you can arrange the proposals in the Myrtle Beach Safari with Proposal and Wedding Encounters package. This will cost you an additional $1,000 with the pre-booked Day or Night safari.

This preservation includes wedding ceremonial occasions with a customized special TIGER wedding package. Your requirement-based wedding environment is all they work for.

As the wedding plan needs further information on guests, itinerary, foods and drinks, and decorative information, it needs to contact and confirm connecting and providing all the information with the team. The cost will be decided only then. 

Private Encounters

You do not get to swim or have a one-on-one experience with any other but the Private Encounter package. Here, a one-hour private experience will allow you to enjoy the moments with the animals in the nearest way possible. The nice and calm Hercules, the bubbles, and the other animals become part of your swimming.

Besides, meals and photos/videos are included in the package. This VIP package is all about having a live wildlife experience with playful beasts.

For a Private Encounters package reservation, contact Myrtle Beach Safari online. 

African Safari

The 2019 African Safari was one of the milestones for the company. It took almost all the initiatives to complete a tour of the African Safari by Doc Antle. The cost of the trip was,

  • $10,908 for Deluxe Rooms (double occupancy)
  • $13,988 (single occupancy)

The prices included international airfare from New York’s JFK airport, all international flights and transfers inside South Africa, safari activities, accommodations, and all food and drinks.

Prices do not include alcohol souvenirs or gratuities.

A $2,000 per person non-refundable deposit was required to hold one’s spot for the booking.

Discount tickets

Tickets are available with up to 20% discounts with promo codes offered by a few online websites. Other than that, Myrtle Beach Safari offers $50 off on anyone booking both the Day and Night Safari as a combo package.

You can also avail of seasonal discounts with the official booking site of the Myrtle Beach Safari and claim discounts with additional visitors.  

Operating schedule 2022

Tours are arranged once a week and they are operated by expert guides throughout the Safari. The basic three packages are scheduled for the 2022 season and they are given below.

Day Safari

The Day Tour starts at 9:00 am and ends at approximately 1:30 pm. visitors are requested to come at least one hour before the scheduled time.

MonthsScheduled days
June/July/AugustSaturday, Tuesday, and Thursday
September and OctoberSaturday, Monday, and Thursday
NovemberSaturdays

Night Safari

The night tour starts at 7:00 pm and ends at approximately 10:30 pm. Below 6 years aged are not allowed at Night Safari without a senior.

MonthsScheduled days
June, July, and AugustThursdays
September, October, and NovemberSaturdays

Safari Lodge Photo Encounter 

Photo Encounter preservations are offered in two options. 1. Safari lodge at the preserve and 2. Preservation station at barefoot landing. The Safari Lodge Photo Encounter is available until November 26, 2022, of the season and is available at 5:00 pm.

Cancellation Policy

Tours are offered once a week. It takes approximately 3 hours to take a tour of the whole facility. The three-hour safari tour with a guide requires preservation. But what if you are delayed after booking?

You can cancel your booking within 24 hours of the purchase. After a day of your reservation, your booking becomes non-refundable. But you get the chance to reschedule your reservation for one year of your original date of purchase after the cancellation. It will cost between $50 and $100 for any or all changes.

Animal Ambassadors

The reservation facility has more than 200 animals. Tigers, elephants, monkeys, chimpanzees, and many more mammals and birds are available at the Safari. The key faces are,

  • King Tut: the resident Cheetah of the facility. The fastest beast with a speed of 60 mph!
  • Bubbles; the African elephant and the largest mammal in the open zoo weighing 9,000 pounds
  • Ahren: the African fish eagle: known for its distinctive plumage, loud-iconic cry, and barbed feet
  • Hercules: one of the only few ligers and is the main attraction. This is an 11 feet tall crossbreed beast weighing 900 pounds.
  • The Stripes: the Bengal tigers and the wolf pups are the cutest and cuddly part of the wild encounters just like domestic puppies
  • The Chimpanzees: with a stronger strength of interaction the chimps are the most advanced animals here.  
  • The Gibbons: an endangered species from southeast Asia finding sanctuary at TIGERS 

Safari Review

Plenty of reviews are available all over the internet. These are available on some social media too. We have collected data on people’s opinions on wildlife preservation at the Safari. They have shared mixed feelings overall.

From Facebook reviews, we found Jack Mayben to appreciate the overall experience with the staff and all. On the other hand, Chris May says it would be a waste of money to put there. 

People also suggest a different solutions as alternates. Like, Shelley Jasmine Timbs suggests sending the girl elephant somewhere she would not feel lonely. So many opinions and mixed feelings are shared by many.

What matters is that, if you are convinced to take a tour at the Safari, you will taste the actual change of perspective. So, trying out different spots is fun!

The TIGER shop

Now you can purchase items from your favorite Doc Antle collection. There are discounts on some items too. The TIGER shop has a variety of items including books, clothes, and accessories.  

We have included the items in the cart with the price.

BooksClothesAccessories
Big Cat Studio – $40Infant Onesie – $30Save The Tiger Bracelet – $40
Big Cats – $20
Bubbles; an elephant’s story – $30
Fierce Beauty – $65

Accusations and charges against Doc Antle

The founder of T.I.G.E.R.S. was greatly accused of some serious allegations. Though, he has been denying them from the beginning. But it seems to be fishy whether all of them are right.

Firstly, an accusation like mistreating and killing animals was the beginning. He was also accused of illegal animal trafficking. The Rare Species Fund he started to support wildlife animals is claimed to be a money-making project by one of his former employees. 

Criminal charges like violations of the Endangered Species Act, animal cruelty, and money laundering get him arrested on June 3, 2022. After a trial in July, he was booked in jail. He is also accused of running a cult-like group of people in the facility of Myrtle Beach Safari by many of his employees. Sumati Steinberg, Antle’s former partner claimed that she was brutally abused when she wanted to leave the facility.

According to National Geographic, two of his daughters are accused with the charges of animal cruelty and violations of the Endangered Species Act too.   

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