Kansas Getaway {Tanganyika Wildlife Park}

While volunteering with Whit this summer at a camp for kids with multiple disabilities I learned so much about my smart, quiet teen. One thing he shared in detail with his favorite camper during daily lunch hour was his love of penguins! I knew he enjoyed them but had no idea the depth and breadth of his love for the flightless bird. In fact, I learned his biggest teen dream is to swim with them! By the end of the week I was googling “where can I swim with penguins” thinking an extravagant trip half way around the world be required. As it turns out, you can swim with penguins in Wichita Kansas at Tanganyika Wildlife Park! And so, and idea was born – we would give the trip to Whit for his birthday or Christmas. Well…. as it turns out, you cannot swim with the penguins year round in Kansas. :-) And so, we booked our flights, found a hotel, secured all sorts of animal experiences and SURPRISED Whit with a trip to Kansas last weekend!

Tanganyika Wildlife Park is “wildly” different from our local zoo and aquarium. In fact, it was pretty much heaven on earth for Whit. From feeding the giraffes, swimming with the penguins, interacting with the lemurs, and so on, they create wow moments. In our one full day, we made lifetime memories through hands-on animal experiences designed to inspire the stewardship of animals.

Our day started bright and early before the park even opened to day guests! I received a text the day prior saying that their penguin chick was ready to interact with guests and would we be interested in adding this to our itinerary. UM… YES PLEASE! This was absolutely the sweetest encounter. Baby chick was not yet named, and they don’t yet know the gender. We just loved our hour holding, petting and feeding it! We had its zookeeper with us to teach us ALL sorts of things about penguin chicks, how they are born, raised and develop. Truly a once in a lifetime experience.

Next, we had about 30 minutes before the park opened to do a little exploring. The zookeepers were readying the animals for the day. It was so quiet and peaceful and we had NO IDEA how many guests would soon be showing up. This was certainly precious time. Guests are able to feed most animals, and we had unlimited feeding as part of our day package. We all loved it so much!

Being able to go inside the kangaroo enclosure was super special. A couple even had a little joey in their pouches, which was almost as cute as baby penguin chick. :-) We were able to pet them when lying down, which was something. Again, there are always zookeepers nearby to ensure safety but also to educate the guests and answer any question you could dream up.

We’ve seen rhinos many times at Disney, but these two were awful close and VERY active. It must have been the cool Kansas weather.

There were so many different species of monkeys I lost track. Our favorite was this precious mama!

We made multiple visits to the birds, where Whit just delighted at having them land all over him!

After about 90 minutes of exploring, it was time for our otter meet. After penguins, I learned at camp that Whit’s other favorite animals are dogs (we knew that!), otters and manatees (trying to arrange that this winter!) When I saw the park offered an otter meet, I signed up for that too. The surprises unfolded ALL DAY! This one was in a small group with two zookeepers and 3 triplet boy otters!! They came out one at a time to play with us. They do bite, so we were cautioned to keep fingers hidden.

Next we had lunch at picnic tables under twinkle lights. The whole park was charming!

After lunch we were off to our third booked experience – the ruffled lemur meet. This little guy was darling and so smart. We got to each feed him a bite to eat and also do a little training with him.

In addition to meets and feedings, there are also times where zookeepers do training demonstrations. We popped by the big cats to see theirs.

Afterwards we waited in our first and only line of the day to get a chance to visit lemur island! They take in one family at a time and, if a lemur is willing, they join you for a photo and snack! SO CUTE! This guy left his group hug juuuuuust long enough to do both.

Next we crossed the park to visit the giraffes, catching a few other things on the way.

And, finally, it was time for the grand finale – the penguin swim! Along with two others, we donned wetsuits and swam with these precious birds! They were just so darling and playful. They swam fast, played with toys, relaxed in our hands and tried to nip at anything remotely colorful on your body (painted nails, permanent jewelry). They were all named, obviously loved by their humans, and had distinct personalities! We didn’t want to leave!

This was truly Whit’s BEST DAY EVER and something that Honey and I also loved every moment of. The park did a fantastic job of educating guests and respecting the creatures under their care. We left with knowledge, memories and full hearts.

I only wish John had been there, too! Happy (early) birthday, Whit! You are one of a kind!

Dixie Delights
join me as I travel, decorate, create & celebrate
Instagram | Pinterest

Dixie Travels
perfectly planned trips & our travel adventures
Book Now | Learn More
Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest

[birdsend form=50801]