Summer Safari Camp 2025
Registration Details
Get ready for Summer Safari Camp 2025!
Registration will open on the following dates and times on this webpage:
| Zoo Members: | February 11, 2025, at 12 p.m., Noon |
| General Public: | February 18, 2025, at 12 p.m., Noon |
Summer day camps are by the grade level your child will enter in Fall 2025, and programs repeat weekly. Day camps will be available during the weeks of June 18 through Aug. 18. Twilight Trails evening camps will be offered for grades one through six on select dates in June and July.
We offer Teen Volunteer Opportunities for teens ages 15 through 17 to join us as Counselors-in-Training (CIT). Applications to become a CIT for 2025 will open in March.
See the Summer Camp tab below for camp descriptions, pricing, and dates each program is offered throughout the season.
If a camp shows no dates to select, it is sold out. You may add to the waitlist linked below:
WAITLIST for Summer Safari Camp 2025
CAMPS SOLD OUT as of 3/27/2025:
Weeklong camps – K-9th
Two-day camps – Kindergarten, Grades 1-2, Grades 3-4 Art
Few spaces remaining in:
Weeklong camps – Ninth-Twelfth grade Animal Welfare Workshop
Two-day camps – Grades 3-4 Engineering (1 space remaining), Grades 5-6 Engineering and Art
Select nights of Twilight Trails Evening Camps grades 1-6
Summer day camps are by the grade level your child will enter in Fall 2025, and programs repeat weekly. Day camps will be available during the weeks of June 18 through Aug. 18. Twilight Trails evening camps will be offered for grades one through six on select dates in June and July.
We offer Teen Volunteer Opportunities for teens ages 15 through 17 to join us as Counselors-in-Training (CIT). Applications to become a CIT for 2025 will open in March.
See the Summer Camp tab below for camp descriptions, pricing, and dates each program is offered throughout the season.
Please note:
- Camp purchases are not refundable. You may email to be added to the transfer request list should you need to change program dates and if space becomes available, but it is not guaranteed, and a refund will not be given if we do not transfer your registration.
- Children must be registered for camp levels corresponding to the school grade they will enter in Fall 2025 for Summer Safari Camp. Registrations for the incorrect camp level may be canceled.
- Campers will spend the majority of their day outdoors during Summer Safari Camp. Campers will spend time both outdoors and indoors during Winter Safari Camp. Please have your camper dress for the weather, rain or shine. During severe weather, campers will be brought indoors until it is safe to return outside.
- Information on the camp behavior, weather, late drop-off/early-pickup policies, Extended Care, medical and accommodations, and additional FAQs can be found at the bottom of the webpage.
- Please note: For the safety and well-being of our campers and animals, youth do not handle or clean up after the animals. A variety of other engaging activities will increase understanding and appreciation toward wildlife and wild places.
Questions? Email us at safaricamp@dzs.org.
Safari Camp provides campers with fundamental experiences that create meaningful connections between people, animals, and the natural world so all can thrive. By engaging campers in project-based learning, STEAM activities and inquiry projects that utilize the Zoo’s unique habitats, they develop skills to advocate for stewardship of wildlife and wild spaces and ignite positive change for animals and nature.
Weeklong camp programs run Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., except half-day Kindergarten programs that run either 9 a.m. – noon or 1 – 4 p.m., depending on the selected week. Camp programs are the same weekly and are offered throughout the summer.
Two-day camp programs run two consecutive days, each from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Zoo Engineers and Zoo Art are different programs than weeklong camps.
Before registering for camp programs, please review the information below:
- Camp purchases are not refundable. You may email to be added to the transfer request list should you need to change program dates and if space becomes available, but it is not guaranteed, and a refund will not be given if we do not transfer your registration.
- Children must be registered for Summer Safari Camp levels corresponding to the school grade they are entering in Fall 2025. Registrations for the incorrect camp level may be canceled.
- Campers will spend the majority of their day outdoors during Summer Safari Camp. Please have your camper dress for the weather, rain or shine. During severe weather, campers will be brought indoors until it is safe to return outside.
- Please note: For the safety and well-being of our campers and animals, youth do not handle or clean up after the animals. A variety of other engaging activities will increase understanding and appreciation toward wildlife and wild places.
Camp directors can be reached at safaricamp@dzs.org for questions or if you have additional details to share with us about your camper.
Grades K-12
Week-long Zookeeper Camps
9 a.m. – 4 p.m. (except half-day Kindergarten)
Zookeeper Camps are immersive, full-day, weeklong camps introducing campers to the needs of animals and the complexities of animal care. Campers will have the opportunity to explore all types of animals and learn about their health, behavior, nutrition, and welfare by visiting habitats of the Zoo’s residents throughout the week. Each camp incorporates elements of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics), focusing on their camp’s theme through inquiry activities, art projects, learning labs, and games. All campers receive a morning and afternoon snack each day and one Safari Camp t-shirt.
Photos taken by camp staff will highlight the activities and experiences of the campers and be posted on a private website shared with the camper’s parents/guardians by email the week following camp. The photos are intended to spark conversation between the campers and their families as they talk about their camp experience.
The cost listed is for one selected full week of camp.
½ DAY KINDERGARTEN
‘Sense-ational’ Animals
Offered:
AM Camps (9 a.m.-noon): July 7-11, Aug. 4-8
PM Camps (1-4 p.m.): June 23-27, July 14-18, July 21-July 25, July 28-Aug 1
During this half-day, weeklong camp, rising kindergarteners have the opportunity to sense the world as animals do as they explore their own five senses. Campers create a self-portrait where they take on their favorite animals’ eyes, ears, mouth, nose, and hands. They will have fun learning about sight, sound, taste, smell, and touch through hikes, crafts, and activities. Campers design their own animal puppet and film a puppet show clip at the end of the week!
Cost: Members $190, Regular $220
FULL DAY KINDERGARTEN
World Travelers
Offered weeks: June 23-27, July 7-11, July 14-18, July 21-25, July 28-Aug. 1, Aug. 4-8, Aug. 11-15
Grab your passport and get ready to go! During this full-day, weeklong camp for children entering kindergarten, campers will have the opportunity to learn about animals from all over the world without leaving the Zoo! Their travels will be documented with photos to create a souvenir map and a twist puzzle with the different animals they visit. Throughout the week, campers will keep a passport journal where they highlight adaptations that animals have to live in their natural habitats while practicing early literacy skills.
Cost: Members $380, Regular $410
FIRST GRADE
Junior Zookeeper
Offered weeks: June 23-27, July 7-11, July 14-18, July 21-25, July 28-Aug. 1, Aug. 4-8, Aug. 11-15
Campers entering first grade learn the basics of animal care and how zookeepers tend to the animals who live at the Detroit Zoo. As campers learn about animal needs, they’ll build a closed terrarium ecosystem to take home and practice nurturing a lifelike environment. Campers explore and study the expansive and naturalistic animal habitats throughout the Zoo, documenting the diversity of the environments they see and creating their own interactive 2D habitat with reusable elements.
Cost: Members $380, Regular $410
SECOND GRADE
Feeding Frenzy
Offered weeks: June 23-27, July 7-11, July 14-18, July 21-25, July 28-Aug. 1, Aug. 4-8, Aug. 11-15
It’s feeding time! Campers entering second grade spend the week learning about the wild diets of animals and how the Detroit Zoo animal care team works hard to replicate them at the Zoo. Campers will compare their own diets to the many animal residents here and have an opportunity to prepare a meal for themselves by partnering with the chefs at one of the Zoo’s restaurants. To remember their experience long after the summer, campers will create a recipe book inspired by the animal diets they’ve explored and design a place setting to take home.
Cost: Members $380, Regular $410
THIRD GRADE
Avian Adventure
Offered weeks: June 23-27, July 7-11, July 14-18, July 21-25, July 28-Aug. 1, Aug. 4-8, Aug. 11-15
Campers entering third grade explore the many species of birds who live at the Detroit Zoo in our care, as well as those who are native to Michigan and have chosen to visit the Zoo. Campers build observation skills throughout the week and document the birds they see, contributing their data to the Celebrate Urban Birds participatory science project. Combining what they learn about adaptations and their imaginations, youth design their bird species, its nest, eggs, and habitat elements. Campers create decals to prevent bird collisions with windows at home and build a birdhouse for their backyards to continue observing birds for years to come.
Cost: Members $380, Regular $410
FOURTH GRADE
Herpetologist
Offered weeks: June 23-27, July 7-11, July 14-18, July 21-25, July 28-Aug. 1, Aug. 4-8, Aug. 11-15
Campers entering fourth grade will explore the Holden Reptile Conservation Center and the National Amphibian Conservation Center to learn more about species that the Zoo is helping to save from the brink of extinction. They will collaborate to create a storybook to share these stories and more. Each camper will receive a digital copy of the book they create to share with family and friends. They’ll also put their creativity and engineering skills into practice to create a perfect home for neighborhood frogs and toads.
Cost: Members $380, Regular $410
FIFTH GRADE
Mammal Mania
Offered weeks: June 23-27, July 7-11, July 14-18, July 21-25, July 28-Aug. 1, Aug. 4-8, Aug. 11-15
Campers entering fifth grade learn about the challenges and rewards of caring for the more than forty mammal species at the Detroit Zoo. Throughout the week, campers will hear the stories of animals who were rescued and found sanctuary at the Zoo. They’ll help animals cool off during the hot summer by creating frozen treats for some of the Zoo’s resident mammals alongside animal care staff. Using their newly gained insight, campers share information on their favorite animals in a recorded “habitat chat” to be shared with friends and family. To remember their experience, campers also construct a plaster statue of an animal.
Cost: Members $380, Regular $410
SIXTH GRADE
Design-A-Zoo
Offered weeks: June 23-27, July 14-18, July 21-25, July 28-Aug. 1, Aug. 11-15
Campers entering sixth grade investigate the many considerations for building safe, naturalistic, and innovative habitats. The experience will explore how habitat designers consider the needs of the animals and the animal care staff, alongside visitor expectations. Campers use their new knowledge to design and build a model habitat for an animal of their choice out of recycled and art materials. Working as a team, campers will combine their individual habitats to build their own zoo and film a virtual tour of their creation to share with friends and family.
Cost: Members $380, Regular $410
SEVENTH GRADE
Animal Conservation
Offered weeks: June 23-27, July 21-25, July 28-Aug. 1, Aug. 4-8, Aug. 11-15
Campers entering seventh grade traverse the Zoo taking on the role of conservation scientists. They explore animals’ important roles in their ecosystem and the environment’s resiliency. Campers will design an inquiry study as a group using field cameras by collecting and analyzing data and sharing their conclusions, just as conservation scientists do in the field to study animals and habitats. Campers create an action plan for a cause important to them and create a canvas bag with a unique logo of their design to bring attention to their causes.
Cost: Members $380, Regular $410
EIGHTH GRADE
Animal Behavior
Offered weeks: July 7-11, July 21-25
Rising eighth graders investigate the intriguing world of animal minds and learn the techniques animal care staff use to understand animal behavior. Campers consider how staff ensure animals feel content, safe, and interested in their environments by practicing ethology research methods of ethograms and habitat space use observations. Animal care staff meet with campers after they observe a training session to learn how Zoo animal residents are able to take an active role in their welfare. Through team and individual projects, campers use their creativity to design puzzle feeder inquiry and art projects, as well as create enrichment activities for animals at the Zoo.
Cost: Members $380, Regular $410
NINTH - TENTH GRADE
Animal Health
Offered weeks: July 14-18
Campers entering ninth or tenth grade focus on the science of veterinary medicine in a zoological setting. Behind the scenes at the Animal Health Complex, campers learn how our talented vet staff addresses the health needs of the different animals living at the Zoo through x-rays, bloodwork, maintenance exams, nursery care, and more. Throughout the week, they also discover how Zoo residents are helping us learn more about their species as a whole through research studies and programs such as the Great Ape Heart Project. Campers are tasked with a mock case study for an animal patient, working together in a team to research, diagnose, and complete a procedure to provide the best care in their role as a zoo vet.
*This camp does not involve direct involvement in real animal procedures, but may have the opportunity to observe animal care staff during an animal exam or training session. Campers will experience a hospital-like setting at the Animal Health Complex and have multiple interactions with zookeepers and vet staff throughout the week.
Cost: Members $425, Regular $455
TENTH - TWELFTH GRADE
Animal Welfare Workshops
Offered weeks: July 14-18
This weeklong experience for high schoolers entering grades 10 through 12 offers the chance to dive into the field of animal welfare and wellbeing. Engaging with the tools used to evaluate and improve the lives of animals who reside at the Zoo, students will learn from and alongside animal care and research staff. Students have the opportunity to explore career fields, build and share empathy for animals through group and individual inquiry and art projects, and take part in unique behind-the-scenes opportunities such as a habitat immersion experience and visiting the endocrinology lab.
*This camp does not involve direct involvement in real animal procedures, but has the opportunity to enter an unoccupied animal habitat for observation. Campers will observe and interact with animal care staff during enrichment and training sessions throughout the week.
Cost: Members $425, Regular $455
Zoo Engineers and Zoo Art
Grades K-6
9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Two-day camp experiences are offered June 18-19, June 30-July 1 and August 18-19. The cost listed is for one selected two-day, full-day camp program.
Cost: Members $200, Regular $230
Kindergarten-Sixth Grade
Zoo Engineers
Offered dates: June 18-19, June 30-July 1, August 18-19
Let creative minds run wild at the Detroit Zoo this summer! During this two-day camp, youth discover the world of animals through an engineering lens as they investigate habitat designs, size comparisons, locomotion, and ecosystem relationships. Campers practice spatial and coding skills through a workshop led by The Robot Garage, where they will work as a team and individually to create animals and code movement with building blocks. Each camp group visits areas of the Zoo each day of camp related to their group’s theme, along with other STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) activities.
Kindergarten-Sixth Grade
Zoo Art
Offered dates: June 30-July 1
Campers will focus on exploring the diverse art and wildlife of the Zoo during this two-day camp. Expressing their unique perspectives through a creative lens, each camper artist will create artwork through sculpting, drawing, painting, or mixed media. Groups will display and share their pieces in a showcase that will be documented in a virtual gallery and shared with caregivers. *Most art projects are the same as Winter Safari Camp 2024.
Twilight Trails Evening Camps
Grades 1-6
6:30-9 p.m.
Explore the Detroit Zoo at dusk! Campers have the opportunity to explore the Zoo through an exclusive experience during the evening hours between 6:30 – 9:00 p.m.
Each group takes evening hikes to visit crepuscular and nocturnal animal residents and explore their unique adaptations. Campers make a craft to remember their experience and complete the night with an evening campfire and s’mores snack.
*If a program is canceled due to a severe weather outlook, we have held August 6 or 8 for tentative rain dates.
Cost: Members $45, Regular $55
*Twilight Trails does not include a camp t-shirt.
FIRST - SECOND GRADE
Night Sense
Offered dates: June 17, June 24, July 1, July 17, July 24
When night comes, can you see as well as a tiger or hear as well as an owl? Children entering first and second grade explore the heightened senses of nocturnal animals while hiking through the Zoo and explore the different ways animals rely on their senses through games and group activities. Campers also have the chance to test their sense of taste with s’mores at the campfire.
THIRD - FOURTH GRADE
Insects at Night
Offered dates: June 17, June 24, July 1, July 17, July 24
Follow Zoo trails in the more incredible twilight hours on a search for insects! Campers entering third and fourth grade enjoy an evening at the Zoo, see how animal behavior changes when the sun goes down, and test their skills at firefly communication. The visit is complete with s‘mores at the campfire and a unique craft.
FIFTH - SIXTH GRADE
Nocturnal Adaptations
Offered dates: June 24, July 17
How are animals that are active at night different from those that are active during the day? Children entering fifth and sixth grade join us on a nocturnal adventure to learn more about these fascinating animals and the adaptations that help them to survive. Campers design their own night animal and enjoy a yummy s’mores snack.
Winter Safari Camp
Campers grades K-4 spent two days over winter break exploring the unique art and wildlife at the Detroit Zoo, inspired to let their creativity shine through a variety of art projects. Save the dates below and check back in early September for an update on Winter Safari Camp 2025!
December 29 and 30, 2025
Extended Care
Busy schedules and work commitments don’t always work well with a 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. camp schedule. Take advantage of our early drop-off and late pick-up program to make Safari Camp work for you. Supervised by Safari Camp staff, campers enjoy games, activities, and stories. Registration for extended care is available to add on during camp registration. Availability is limited. Early Bird Care begins at 7:30 a.m. Late Owl Care ends at 5:30 p.m.
Camp Policies
Cancellation/Transfer
Camp purchases are not refundable. All requests to cancel or transfer to another week must be sent to safaricamp@dzs.org and are not guaranteed.
Behavior
By registering for camp, caregivers acknowledge that their child must follow camp rules and directions from the camp staff while at the Detroit Zoo. At the occurrence of a disciplinary problem, campers are encouraged to choose to take a “break” or be asked to by staff, and reflect on their actions with the support of staff members. However, actions that are severe or put the camper or others in danger may result in immediate dismissal from the program.
A disciplinary problem is defined as an action or behavior that hinders the flow of the program by requiring constant one-to-one staff attention; inflicting physical, verbal, or emotional harm on other campers or camp staff; or is unable to conform to the rules and guidelines of the program.
Upon a disciplinary problem, a child may be removed from their camp for the day or the remainder of the camp program for their safety and the safety of other program participants, DZS staff, and the resident animals. In this case, the parent or emergency contacts will be notified to pick up the child immediately. No refunds will be given if your child is removed from the program due to a disciplinary problem.
Weather
In the case of inclement weather, camp directors will decide on what action to take. At the first sight of lightning, all groups will be instructed to take cover in the nearest approved shelter. Winter weather will be evaluated throughout the day and spending shorter periods of time outdoors as the wind chill temperatures allow. Camp directors will provide instructions via radio or cell phone as conditions warrant.
Late Drop Off/Early Pickup
If you arrive late, please locate Security at the Member’s Entrance or call the Zoo at 248-541-5717. Campers arriving after the start of camp will have to wait to be escorted into the Zoo by a camp supervisor or director. Please remain with your camper until they have been checked in by camp staff.
If your child has a conflict and is in need of an early pickup at day of camp, please notify camp directors via email at safaricamp@dzs.org and share with camp instructors at check-in. Early pickup times must be prior to 3:30 p.m. Upon arrival, please locate Security or Zoo staff at the Member’s Entrance or call the Zoo at 248-541-5717. Once admitted into the Zoo, please follow the path and wait in the Ford Education Center lobby. Campers will be escorted by a camp supervisor or director for sign-out. The adult picking up early must be listed as an authorized pickup person and present a photo ID to sign out your camper.
