A Safari In California?

The San Diego Wild Animal Park offers a wide variety of animal experiences that are perfect for an adventure thats both local and filled with wild fun!

Animal Conversation

“The Zoo and Safari Park are protected havens where breeding and caring for endangered species can help protect against extinction.”

- San Diego Wild Safari Park

Now, before you come after me for visiting a zoo. Enclosing a wild animal to a confinement for the rest of their life sounds cruel, especially when they are made to wander within their natural habitats. However, the San Diego Wild Safari Park is more than just a zoo, it's sancutionary for endangered species. All research done on wildlife in the zoo is sent to the scientists across the world to help these animals populations grow and succeed in life in their natural habitats. They also fight for animal rights across the world to end wild animal hunting such as Rhinos and Elephants. They have returned over 44 species back into the wild and have conducted Panda research for over 22 years. One of their biggest successes is the breeding program for Rhinos. They have had a total of 184 rhino births at the San Diego Zoo. These births included more than 90 Southern White Rhinos, 65 greater One-horned Rhinos, and 13 Black Rhinos. They have also successfully had two Southern White Rhino's born from artificial insemination in 2019. With this research, they are looking to save more rhino species by working with other conservationists across the world to prevent this species from going extinct. For many species across the world, their biggest predator are humans. From deforestation to the poaching of many species like the Rhino, conservation should be any zoos number one priority. That's why I like the San Diego Wild Safari Park! To learn more about their conservation efforts, please visit their website.

Plan your WILD Day

The wild animal park is perfect to feed your adventurous soul and make you feel like you're on a miniature safari. The park is filled with many wild animals from Elephants to Bald Eagles to Giraffes. It's the perfect day to enjoy the beautiful California weather and see some of the worlds most fascinating little creatures.

Africa Tram

My favorite part of the zoo is the Africa Tram. This gives you the opportunity to check out the Savanna Habitat which is 300-acres of land that allows several species to roam freely. Some of those animals include; giraffes, rhinos, antelope, zebras and more! The ride is about 25 - 30 minutes and you get to observe many animals up close! Tours start at 10 am daily, but some of the busiest times of the day are from 11 am - 3 pm for this ride. I would recommend doing this tour right when you get to the park or at the end of your day so you can avoid the crowds!

Balloon Safari

After your African Tram Tour, make your way over to the Balloon Safari. This cool experience gives you the opportunity toes spectacular views of not only the safari park, but of San Diego as well. The balloon rises 400-feet in the air and is approximately 10-12 minutes long.

Roar & Snore

“Be original, show off your style, and tell your story.”

During our trip we decided to attend the Safari Parks adult only Roar N' Snore. Yes, it's exactly what it sounds like! We got to stay in our very own tent on property with beautiful views of the Savana Habitat. We even woke up to Giraffes right outside our tents! We arrived at the park in the morning and checked-in by 4 pm for our sleepover at the zoo! Our tent was filled with 6 cots.

We threw our sleeping bags and pillows on our cots and headed to dinner. For around $150, you get dinner, breakfast, snacks, a personal tent, and a private tour of the Zoo after dark. At dinner, they offered a full bar which was cash only! The food was delicious for both breakfast and dinner. For dinner they served chicken and steak then you could choose your sides which included; mashed potatoes, salad, vegetables and bread. Breakfast was the classic eggs, bacon, sausage, waffles or pancakes. Some snacks included: popcorn, hot chocolate and s'mores!! This was definitely one of the best girls trip I have been on.

During our tour, we learned about the Zoos conservation efforts for their big cats, rhinos and other species. I learned that the big cats love Chanel, Dior and even Gucci Perfumes. They don't like Victoria Secret only the expensive stuff! We also got to see some animals up close. It was truly a remarkable experience. Be prepared to hear the lions roar around 4 am! Once you wake up, you're off to your second tour of the park. This time seeing some other fun friends from around the world.

Get Inspired

This fun adventure led me to learn more about conservation and what we can do to help these amazing animals thrive! "Reduce. Reuse. Recycle." This classic saying has so much truth behind it. Just by recycling you can start your journey as citizen scientist. To find our more on how you can help the conservation of many of these animals please visit the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance website.