serenity springs wildlife center

I guess I should start out by saying that if I could re-invent myself or change careers now I would be a big cat trainer or care taker.....I love the cat family and could literally sit and watch them for days at a time. This place is a bit out of the way, in a town East of Colorado Springs about 45 min away. The drive out is pretty boring as you are headed into flat lands with almost no scenery- but WORTH THE DRIVE! The facility itself is very much like someone's private property, in a semi-residential area with large multi acre lots. The area has trees that shade most of the animals. There are literally only chain link fences separating you from the amazing creatures. They have some rare species (ligers, a pure white tiger with no stripes- only 17 of these in the world!) and the guides are well trained! the tour is about an hour and very educational. I am not much of a "tour" person, but this is basically your only option to walk through the facility. It is all outside with narrow paths between cages. They do a nice job monitoring to make sure that you are not getting too close, as it could literally take one swipe of a huge paw and you would be in trouble! The animals appear happy and well kept, cages clean and secure. I have seen some bad press at times regarding citations for numerous violations, but from what I have seen, and imagining the conditions that these beautiful animals came from, I highly doubt their current living conditions are worse. This is staffed by all volunteers! These animals (they also have bears and Coutimundi and more) are allowed to live out their lives in peace (except for us pesky humans watching them) in a safe and as natural habitat as possible. This is a trip for the whole family! just keep your little ones close to you! You will be walking a lot - and the path is mulch (so plan accordingly with footwear) it is all outside (so take appropriate layered clothing for the weather). There is nowhere to sit along the way, so if you have someone elderly that has trouble, this may not be the trek for them. (not sure if you could use a wheel chair on the mulch paths- guess you could put the 4 wheel tires on!) Take water for yourself if you go in the summer as it gets warm out there. The last thing and most exciting in my book- IF they have a baby (when it is old enough to be handled, but young enough to not harm you) you can pay extra and play with it, get your picture taken and pretend to be that big cat trainer for a few minutes. I literally got back in line and paid again to get to spend more time with Milo when he was little. I figure the $$ goes to a good cause anyway! Have fun! this is a very special and unique place. You can also check out The Painted Canyon that is only 5 min away- nice place for a picnic and hike before or after your visit to Serenity Springs!

We frequent these type of places and this one is pretty cool. Yes it is mostly animals from the feline world but there are a few others. The best was we went when they had recently has a cub and for a small fee you are able to hold the baby and get a picture- so cool!

Worth stopping in and supporting the facility with a donation, the cause is admirable. Don't expect a zoo type experience. For that go west to Colorado Springs and spend a day at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, you won't regret it.

I took my 16 and 21 year old grand kids plus friends and hubby. It was a hidden treasure and what an honorable pursuit to save these great cat. It's sad that they can't provide larger (they're not tiny but not like zoos or wildlife reserves) enclosures but $$ doesn't allow for it and you have to remember many of theses cats would have been euthanized but for them. The cats seem content and were magnificent to see. You are up close and in the end can hold a tiger cub if you want to pay for pictures. Price for the tour is very reasonable $10 , picture with cub $25 with up to four people, souvenirs are pricy but all of it goes to the care of theses great cats. Worth going to. Wear shoes that you can dip the soles in bleach water and casual attire. Only porta potties and water/soda. Not recommended for people with stability problems, no wheelchairs or strollers allowed.

This is a very great place to visit. The operation is very simple but this allows this non profit to keep it's doors open to these big cats that they rescue. There were so many and we really got to see these magnificent animals up close and personal! Tips:Bring exact change for admission and cash for the gift shop. Don't wear sandals like I did lolTake lots of photos but no video is allowed. Have a blast and go visit and donate!

Thank you for taking the time to review our facility. You are correct we do not have "million dollar" enclosures but if I might quote a Director of a local AZA zoo, "I see you don't have million dollar enclosures but you animals are in excellent condition, and very well cared for." We are funded entirely through donations and visitors and we appreciate all the assistance we can get. We are very thankful for our volunteers who help provide these unwated and cast off animals a wonderful loving home. We try to accomodate everyone as best we can and we do advise on our website and voicemail to please be on time as we conduct guided tours only. We do sell bottled water in our gift shop and offer it on every tour. Thank you again for your visit as just visiting you help the animals.

We really enjoyed the Wildlife Center. We took a tour and saw numerous rescued wild cats. We were able to go into a cage and pet two lion cubs. Great day!

So this is an email I sent, and I dont wanna re-type it but it describes it perfectly!Ok so 1st I wanna say no complaints at all! We went to the fair but it kinda sucked and we were all set to go home and sit, and have a crappy day. Then we saw Big Cat Tours and were all llike "what, in the middle of nowhere?" so we stopped in and were surprised to find you! We are all military and got in for $25 (we paid 40 and forgot change but it was worth it, every penny!), So we got in and got our 11:30 tour time, and by the way Tony was one of the best guides Ive had anywhere he did a wonderful job, and even if he is volunteering (i saw some volunteers not sure if he is one) you guys should pay him! He was very informative and it was Amazing to see a Liger! Was not expecting that at all. So we got done with the tour and your sales guys were really nice, and we got a DVD, a book, and some shirts, and a free calender which is awesome! Just wanna say thanks for making a bad day turn into the best thing I have done all summer, I will be recommending you guys to everyone I know and will DEFINITELY be coming back, worth the 30min drive! Thanks again for the amazing tour and experience,BenThis was an amazing place to visit, they also offer a feeding tour and a photography tour which I hope to do, I recommend anyone coming to the Springs or Denver to take the drive here IT IS WORTH YOUR TIME!!!!!! The Tour Guides are amazing and you can pick up some cool gifts and it all goes back to the animals! Again WORTH YOUR TIME TO STOP!!!!

We were there at opening at 9AM on a very warm (85 degrees) Sunday but got a "tour" of the facility which includes a History of each animal, as well as the educational background of where it came from; what it eats; how high it can leap; etc. GREAT TOUR FOR ALL AGES! The grounds and habitats were well-kept, with no noticeable aroma for having so many animals. LOVE THE FACT THAT SEVERAL ARE RETIRED MOVIE OR STAGE PERFORMERS. This rescue center is providing a safe place for these animals to live out their lives.

My family had an amazing experience. Wonderful big cat rescue! They have a ton of history to share on each and every animal there. You can even experience up close tours with some animals. They have a few famous animals that have been on TV, in a movie, and on tv shows. It's a wonderful price and a great place to take the family for the day!!!

We visited the center for a tour on Sunday at 11am. There were about 25 people for the tour and while it was warm (80's) the animals were active. First off, the staff and our tour guide, Steve, were great. Very educational but a friendly, casual, informative talk about the various animals. This is a rescue center and they try to give these animals their forever home. They only allow tours on Sat and Sun to give animals a rest during the week. The center has the big cats (lions, tigers, mountain lions, black spotted leopards, etc.) but also some unusual animals like lemurs, a binturong (weirdest animal I've ever seen), and small cats like the coutimundi and caracals, bobcat and cervals. The guide tries to take you to the enclosures where the animals are out of their den. We saw every type of animal including ligers and white tigers. The place is very clean...didn't have any urine/feces smell and the animals interacted with the guide. You can't get close to the fence so most of your photos will have the fence in them unless you have a zoom that can center through a chain link fence from 3 ft away. We had the pleasure of going in with a white tiger cub (extra cost). It was awesome to get that close and feel their fur and claws. They don't always have a cub and only allow this if the cub is less than 4 months old. I wholeheartedly recommend visiting this great wildlife rescue center. If you can't visit, at least go to their website and try to donate to help with their costs. Can't wait to go back with my other grandkids.

I am surprised by all the great reviews. I thought the animals would be in big, large enclosures. The lions seem to be the only ones. The enclosures are small and little to no shade. The water stock tanks for the tigers to go in, one was almost empty with a little dirt colored water in it. The tour guide called them ponds, I would call that a stretch. While what they are doing is a good thing, I feel that just to be alive is not the most important thing. Quality of life is what they should offer and that should be room to roam, with man made shade. Not pace back and forth in a small space. Would you be happy in prison, just because they fed you well? I guess people doen't realize what being caged in small enclosures does to an animals mind. The Keenesburg big cat rescue is much better for the animals. Large enclosures. Also I question the photos with the baby cats. It is very convenient they always have baby cats for photos. Where do those come from? A rescue shouldn't be breeding or buying babies.

My family and I have been twice and had great experiences both times. We enjoy how the volunteers know so much about each animal and interact with them. We did the lion photo and it turned out awesome and my daughter will remember that experience for forever. Look forward to going again.

We did the photographer tour last year for my husband's birthday and have done the regular visitors tour. If you can afford the private tour highly recommend it as you are so close to the big cats you can feel them breathe on the back of your neck! There is fencing between you and these large cats but that is how close you are and able to put your camera lens through the fencing.The tour guide is with you at close proximity to watch you and the cats to make sure there are safety measures in place. The enclosures are large and very clean and you can see the animals are well cared for. The normal tour also allows being closer to the animals than being at a zoo as to why they do tours vs just walking around on your own like at the zoo for yours and the animals safety. Go check them out.

We have wanted to visit this place for a while and finally decided to do it this past weekend. We showed up for the 9am tour (it was the first day of the summer they started doing the 9am ones) and we were the only family there! We got a private tour because no one else came. Lots of one of one time with the tour guide and up close to the animals! It is obvious that the volunteers and employees love the animals. This was easily one of the best “big cat tours” I have ever done! For an additional charge we were able to play with a tiger cub! That is a once in a lifetime type experience. I highly recommend this place!