RV Rental Near Lion Country Safari KOA in Loxahatchee, FL

I’m the local owner here at Fireside RV Rental in West Palm Beach, and the Lion Country Safari KOA out in Loxahatchee is one of my favorite drop-offs of the whole year. I’ve delivered rigs out to that western edge of Palm Beach County more times than I can count, and there’s a particular kind of family that books it — parents who want their kids to see a real lion from the back seat, then walk back to a campsite with a pool and a fire ring instead of a hotel hallway. If that’s you, here’s everything I actually tell people before I hitch up and head west on Southern Boulevard to meet them out there.

Why this is one of the best family RV trips in the county

Lion Country Safari has been running since 1967, and it was the original cageless, drive-through safari in this country — over 900 animals spread across a roughly four-mile loop. Lions, rhinos, giraffes, zebras, the whole cast. What makes it special for an RV trip is that the KOA campground sits right there attached to it, so you’re not driving back to a hotel after a long day in the sun. The kids crash in their own bunks, you’ve got a kitchen and AC, and you can do the safari loop twice in a weekend without it feeling like a production. I’ve had families tell me the campfire afterward, with the kids still buzzing about the giraffes, was the part they remembered most.

The one logistics detail nobody tells you: you drive the safari in your own car

This is the thing I make sure every renter understands before they book, because it changes the plan. You do not drive the safari loop in the rented RV. The park doesn’t allow soft-tops or convertibles through — it’s a real wildlife drive with real animals — and a motorhome or a big travel trailer isn’t the vehicle for it anyway. So the move is simple: park the RV at the KOA, set up camp, and drive the safari loop in your own everyday car. That’s actually the ideal setup. The RV is your basecamp and your bedroom; your sedan or SUV is your safari vehicle. If you’re renting one of my towable travel trailers, you’ve already got your tow vehicle on site, so you’re covered. I just don’t want anyone showing up thinking they’ll roll the rig past the lions — that’s not how it works, and knowing it ahead of time makes the whole weekend smoother.

Getting an RV into the KOA — what fits and what to ask for

The KOA here has proper full-hookup RV sites — water, electric, and sewer — which is exactly what you want in South Florida because it means you can run the air conditioning around the clock without babysitting a generator or a battery. When you reserve your site, ask specifically for a full-hookup pull-through or back-in that fits the length of the rig you’re renting from me, and tell them you’ll have a separate tow or guest vehicle on the pad. That last part matters more than people think — you need room for the RV and the car you’re taking on the safari, and the better sites have space for both. If you tell me which rig you’re leaning toward, I’ll give you the exact length and tongue-to-bumper footprint so you can match it to the site they offer you. I’ve delivered enough trailers out there to know which sites are tight and which ones give you elbow room.

The campground and Safari World — what to do between drives

Beyond the drive-through, there’s a walk-through amusement area called Safari World with rides and a water section, which is where my families with younger kids end up spending half the day. The KOA itself has the standard amenities I’m always glad to see for a family booking — a pool to cool off in after the safari, a camp store for the thing you forgot, and usually a playground and a dog park. My honest advice: do the animal drive first thing in the morning when it’s cooler and the animals are actually moving, come back to the campsite for lunch and a swim during the hot part of the afternoon, then let the kids loose in Safari World or by the pool. That rhythm beats the heat instead of fighting it, and it’s the schedule I coach almost everyone into.

Honest South Florida tips for camping out here

I won’t sugarcoat our weather, because knowing it is what makes the trip great instead of miserable. Loxahatchee sits right on the edge of the Everglades, and that has real consequences for an RV stay. Here’s what I tell every renter before they head out:

• November through April is the sweet spot. Dry, comfortable, fewer bugs. This is the season I tell families to aim for, and it’s also when the KOA books up fastest — reserve your RV and your site several weeks out.
• Summer means heat and humidity, so use those full hookups. Keep the AC running. That’s the whole reason I push people toward full-hookup sites out here — you don’t want to ration power when it’s 92 and sticky.
• Expect afternoon thunderstorms from May into October. They roll in off the Everglades almost on schedule, hit hard, and clear out. Plan your safari drive for the morning and treat the afternoon storm as your pool-and-nap window.
• The no-see-ums show up at dusk. Those tiny biting gnats come out around sunset near all that wetland. Have repellent ready and you’ll barely notice them; get caught off guard and you’ll remember it.
• Mind hurricane season (roughly June through November). It’s rarely a problem on any given weekend, but keep an eye on the forecast and I’ll always work with you on dates if something genuine is brewing.
• Bring a separate vehicle for the animal loop — covered above, but it’s the one tip worth repeating twice.

How delivery works — I bring the RV to you

Here’s the part that makes this easy: you don’t have to tow anything or learn to back a trailer into a site. I deliver the RV right to the Lion Country Safari KOA, level it, hook up the water, power, and sewer, and walk you through how everything works before I leave. When your trip’s over, I come back and haul it out — you just pack the car and drive home. For a family that wants the camping experience without the camping learning curve, that’s the whole point. It’s about a 30-minute run for me from West Palm Beach out to Loxahatchee, so it’s an easy delivery and one I genuinely enjoy doing.

If a safari weekend with the kids sounds right, take a look and browse the fleet to find the rig that fits your crew, and I’ll match it to the right site out at the KOA. I deliver all over the Palm Beaches, and if you’re still deciding where to camp, my guide to local campgrounds and RV parks will help you pick. Reach out and let’s get your dates on the calendar — the good winter weekends go early.