The capybara is having a bit of a cultural moment. I’ve seen shirts and stuffed animals featuring capybaras at levels I never recall seeing before. There is even a local zoo in Georgia that offers capybara yoga! However, if you want to see some real live capybaras, one of the best places is at Wild Adventures Theme Park in Valdosta, Georgia. They have several of them that are quite active in a great habitat viewable from the giraffe overlook in the back center of the park. They are quite entertaining to watch and appear to be living their best capybara life!

If you’re reading this, you probably are already familiar with the capybara. However, if you’re not, here’s a brief summary. The capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) is the largest rodent in the world, native to South America. Typically weighing between 77 to 150 pounds, capybaras have a stocky build, webbed feet, and a short head. They are social animals, often found in groups near bodies of water, where they spend much of their time swimming and foraging for grasses and aquatic plants. Capybaras are known for their gentle demeanor and often coexist peacefully with various other animal species. They are semi-aquatic, making them excellent swimmers, and their unique adaptations allow them to thrive in their natural habitats, which include savannas, wetlands, and forests.

The water part is for real. In addition to being able to see them from the giraffe overlook, you can also see them from another angle while waiting for the Safari Train. Last Saturday morning one of them basically got a running start and belly flopped into the water. I so wish I had acted fast enough to get video, it was hilarious. When they swim often just their head is visible and they also see to like to dive completely underwater too.

The park doesn’t yet offer a capaybara encounter, but hopefully that happens soon given they’re offering several new encounters exclusive to campground guests such as porcupines, anteaters and sloths. Given capybaras gentle nature and the prevalence of encounters from yoga to cafes, hopefully there will be the chance to meet the Wild Adventures capybaras soon. Other parks are getting into the capybara game with Busch Gardens recently getting capybaras for their new Wild Oasis area, but that area won’t open until spring 2025. They’re also late in the capybara game compared to Wild Adventures who have had them for years.

If you love capybaras you should definitely check out Wild Adventures. In addition to seeing some capybaras you can also see dozens of other animals, ride some great attractions, have a great meal and see some entertaining shows. The viewing area at Wild Adventures is a great shaded overlook structure so you’ll be able to comfortably spend some time watching these amazing creatures do their thing. The park is very reasonably priced at just a little more than most zoos with a ton more to do and season passes are also very affordable. So if you live in the area or are just passing through on I-75 on your way to Orlando or Atlanta, be sure to stop at Wild Adventures to see their amazing capybaras!