San Diego Zoo Safari Park

The animals are treated like they should be treated. They are in huge enclosures, with plenty of food and daily maintenance. The SD Zoo and Safari park are hands down the best in the country, and I love being a member for 2^nd year in a row!

Loved this trip! My Bf and I decided to go to the zoo for our 4^th anniversary because I love giraffes! We ended up calling a few days before to do the caravan safari and we got lucky because there were only 2 spots available. The day we went it was raining like it never rained in California! We almost rescheduled, but decided to just go and I’m glad we did.
We were on the caravan with 14 other people, so it was a little tight. It didn’t really matter because we all ended up standing and walking around in the caravan when we saw the giraffes and rhinos. The tour is similar to the one that comes with the regular ticket to the park, but that tour you see everything from far away (we went on that tour first to compare to the caravan). When we got to the giraffes they gave us leaves to feed them and they came up right to the caravan to eat! (Awesome picture moment). Giraffes don’t really like the rain, but they were hungry. It’s better to go on the caravan early so they are hungry when you want to feed them. It was amazing I was able to feed the giraffes 3 times because there was so many leaves to feed them! Watch out for the giraffes tongue! They literally will take the leaves out of your hand, it’s awesome! There was a baby giraffe that was 2 months and a baby rhino that was about 4 months! When we saw the rhinos they gave us apples to feed them. It felt like a real life safari because it was raining and everything was so green! Oh and the rhinos played in a mud bath! Rhinos only like to be energetic when it rains, they love the rain!
I wish that children could go, but it’s too rough for them they have to be 8+ to go on. After the safari was over everyone was soaked but it was one of the best experiences of my life! I want to go back and I highly recommend to anyone that loves giraffes and rhinos!

The San Diego Zoo safari is one of my favorite spot to spend time with my family. I strongly recommend it !

So I’m pissed that they are no longer doing discounted parking for members, so I guess we will have to upgrade our membership to get free parking, thanks a lot. I recommend coming right when they open and heading to the tiger, damn why am I telling you my secrets? Well the tigers are very active in tech morning and there is even a new cub that, just like my son, loves to play with cardboard boxes. They put out toys for the cub but what did he want? Just the box! Sooo typical!
They stagger letting each tiger out so that they can put treats around the enclosure it’s pretty amazing.
Also love the giraffes and rhinos. On my trip back in September, I got to see Nola before she passed away. What an amazing rhino.
I don’t do any of the extra stuff. But I’m not gonna lie, I’d love to stay the night here. And do the lemur walk way thingy, looks so rad, oh and go out in a caravan, that would really be awesome.
Anyways a few great playgrounds for the kids. One by the Tigers and the other, larger, by the amphitheater (birds of pray I think).
We go at 9am and are done by 12 – 12:30. And then my son passes out. Good times. Beware in the summer it is hot as hell, literally! So stay hydrated or just don’t come here. If you do come they have a splash area for the kids, best thing they ever did.

We had a great day walking around the park. The place is huge and we didn’t see everything. nWen
Before you go, buy your passes in advance so you can scan them and head right in as the lines get long.

Safari Park is a great place to spend the day. We have annual passes, so we go frequently. Parking is $ 12 as opposed to the Zoo which is free. Get there early bc the lot fills pretty quickly. Walk isn’t too bad, but it is uphill. I think there may be a shuttle that can drop you off too.
They have a tram that drives a large group of people around the park and you see tons of different animals in a «wild» like setting. Be prepared to do lots of walking here at the park. They have strollers for rent, but you can bring your own in for free. You can bring in your own food and drink, just make sure it’s in your backpack. They don’t look in everyone’s bag to see what they have in there. A burger here is $ 11 at least, so it’s a good idea to at least bring snacks and eat somewhere in Escondido after. They have shows at different times throughout the day. You don’t get as close to the animals here as you do at the Zoo. This park has an African theme and most of the animals are from there.
They also have a petting area where you can pet and feed goats. It cost extra to feed them, it’s it’s free to pet and brush them. Just make sure you don’t have anything in your hands bc they will eat it.
It’s a perfect way to spend the day and get some exercise in.

The Safari Park is my equivalent of Disneyland — it really is the happiest place on earth for me. This is one place where you get to view a variety of often endangered species in truly natural surroundings. The tram (included with admission) is a must-​do: it winds its way through rolling plains that mimic habitats in Asia and Africa, allowing you to see towering giraffes, rhinos and several species of antelope behave as they would in the wild. Also, happy animals make baby animals — so there are almost always new babies you’re likely to see while on the tram ride. Of course, if your budget permits, do not miss out on an optional tour — I can’t recommend the caravan safari highly enough — you get deep into the plains, for close encounters with giraffes and rhinos (among other animals).
If the safaris are not for you, there are still numerous ways to get up close to the animals — there are multiple open aviaries (beware of bird poop!), a free-​range lemur exhibit where inquisitive lemurs will often walk up to you, opportunities to feed colorful lorikeets, and of course a petting zoo. The gorilla troop is pretty great too, and you can count on them for a week’s worth of entertainment and drama!
I understand that visiting this park is not a cheap proposition, but please remember that all the money goes back into conservation. While the food is pricey (but better than amusement park food IMHO), you are absolutely permitted to bring your own food in. Additionally, there are often deals on sites like groupon and livingsocial for discounted tickets.
P.S: if you plan to visit more than once a year, the annual membership (which also includes the San Diego Zoo) pays for itself!

Large zoo with lots to see!!! Different than any other zoo I have been too. Walk around and see animals in large areas with information on hand. Got to ride through a safari type area which was massive!!! Having gone on a real sagari, this didn’t even come close. But, for a zoo, this was awesome! Sit back, enjoy the ride as the driver tells you all about each animal you are seeing. Prepare to walk alot! I left there wishing there were more animals to see… but we saw a ton through the entire park. Wear comfortable shoes!

I love animals, and I love places that rehabilitate and conserve wildlife. That place is the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. My fiancé and I come here almost annually.
Word of advice though, come during the seasons when it’s NOT hot. You’ll do yourself a favor by not suffering in the heat, and when it’s really hot, the animals just lay there and some don’t even come out.
We went during the colder months, and the animals are much more active. Also almost all of the money spent at the park goes to animal conservation!

The Safari Park is a really cool experience and my kids loved it. Some important tips:
– The admission only includes the free tram around the park which does not get that close to the animals and is pretty short.
– The line for the tram can get really long but you can jump the line with priority boarding passes for $ 18/​each.
– It is so so worth it if you can afford it to buy one of the caravan safaris. We did a one hour Taste of Africa and got up close and personal with rhinos and giraffes, plus were able to feed the giraffes including a baby one. My kids are still talking about it. But it is super pricey.
– Do book the upgraded safaris before your visit. The day we went most were already sold out including the ziplines, etc.

I just came here yesterday to see the Tigers and wow that whole sections is very cool and worth the 1 hour drive. There’s a female on one side and male on the other side I believe. The other tiger just didn’t have balls hanging from the back lol! The restrooms where the Tiger section is, is very nice. I loved the entire set up for the tiger section exceeded my expectations. If you order a café late «large» is soooo good and I am a Starbucks girl. I know my fresh coffee. When I got my drink, it was in a size small and I was confused but when I saw the receipt the lady gave me a double shot. Yummm! Anyway good times and the safari park.

The San Diego Zoo Safari Park is pretty awesome and I had a great time, but I just can’t give it 5 stars because of the crazy upsells. Everything that you want to do costs extra, the food inside is crazy expensive (and you obviously can’t bring anything in) and it’s not cheap to get in in the first place ($ 50 per adult). This is worse than Disneyland.
You really have to do the Caravan Safari to experience the best of what this park has to offer, but expect to pay $ 110 per person, and get charged $ 30 at the end if you want the photos that they took at the beginning of the tour. But if price isn’t a problem for you, this is well worth doing. The tour lasts two hours, you get to see animals up close that you have probably never seen before, and you get to feed rhinos and giraffes! This was the highlight of my day. The ziplines looked cool too, but were. wait for it. and upsell of another $ 75.
This is one of the most unique things that you can do in Southern California and I highly recommend it, but just be prepared to pay!

900^th Unilocal review!!!
Let me preface it with this: the San Diego Zoo Safari Park will ALWAYS be the Wild Animal Park to me — the name change went into effect back in 2010 to show the ties between the San Diego Zoo and the Wild Animal Park for those unaware of them (in other words, out-​of-​town visitors).
I had gotten a couple of passes from Living Social earlier this year for a date idea with my lady, and we finally used them this past weekend. Although we only had five hours at the park by the time we arrived, we were surprised to see how much we’d squeezed in. Among the highlights:
— Kathy seeing flamingoes in person for the first time. Watching the look on her face as she took pictures of the flock was priceless.
— Checking out the gorilla exhibit; it was surprising to see how quiet everyone was… and then we read the signs warning visitors not to agitate the gorillas in any way whatsoever.
— Riding the African Tram (aka, the free safari that’s included in your admission; all the other ones cost extra… but that $ 83 zipline was very tempting); seeing animals such as giraffes, antelopes, wildebeests, and rhinos in what’s close to their natural habitat was an experience… but hearing how there are only six (which will eventually become five) species of rhinos as opposed to 100 species a century ago was a very sobering thought.
— Scoping out the elephant enclosure… we got some great pics of the African elephants on display, and were also a bit surprised & disgusted when a younger pachyderm in front of us decided to answer the call of nature — and proceeded to sniff and eat his poop. Um, yeah…
— Viewing the Cheetah Run; as my friend Isabella B. said in her Unilocal review, you have to see this at least once. We were near the end of the run… and the cat goes by FAST, so if you’re unprepared, you’ll miss it (0 – 40 mph in 6 – 7 seconds — beat that, Usain Bolt)! Not only were we lucky enough to get our cheetah to do a second run, we were also fortunate to see a flock of condors soaring and circling overhead.
At 1800 acres, you will be getting your steps in — good thing that there’s those foot massage machines from the San Diego County Fair interspersed around the grounds!
Also, the concessions and merchandise at the park are quite expensive (and seeing how we’re Disney passholders, that’s saying something)… at least the proceeds go toward the care and maintenance of the animals, as well as towards conservation efforts, so there’s that.
Definitely coming back — and one day I want to do the zipline!

The Safari Park was more fun than a barrel of monkeys! It definitely is a huge place, so you can get your money’s worth. There are deals on living social/​groupon sometimes which really makes your dollar travel a little farther with the herd.
The only thing that was kind of irked me is that I felt that they nickel and dime you a lot. The Africa Tram is included with the admission, which is great. The organization as a whole seems to take good care of the animals and do what they can to really educated and inform the guests about conservation and how everyone plays an important role.
Once you enter, all of the optional (keyword here) safaris are extra. The hot air balloon is relatively cheaper than the rest. But if you really want to get your hands/​paws/​feet/​claws dirty, there are: trike safaris, cart safaris, ziplines, tree climbs and a few more. These easily cost more than the tickets themselves. However, they do seem worth it, so research before you come so that your expectations are as high as a giraffe, and not as low as a meerkat.
Again, after spending about 6 hours here, we barely made it through half the park. Granted, half the time was eating or waiting in line for something, but it can definitely take a whole day if you wanted it to. Also be aware that some of the food stands/​restaurants do not have disposable straws. This is understandably for the safety of the animals. As you know, animals are all temptresses and hypnotists who take advantage of the week well of toddlers and children to indulge in the sweet nectar of corn syrup filled icee’s and sodas. The souvenir cup is a good deal, especially if you share it with your fam. «Drinking» an icee with a spoon was almost as underwhelming as expecting to see bats fly around during the day time.

Finally got to check out the Safari (Wild animal) park when my parents came to visit. I had a really great time here, i noticed a lot of the interactive attractions there cost a lot, but it’s to be expected along with the food pricing which is comparable to stadium or movie theater pricing.
There are a few deals here and there if keep your eyes peeled, the souvenir cup cost more up front but its refillable as many times as you want on the same day (keep your receipt for proof) and be sure to bring it back when you return the next time (or at the zoo) its refillable for 99¢. You’ll need to refill it at least a few times if you plan to check out the entire park, i think i refilled it at least 4 times. You can also bring in your own food too but lugging it around can be quite a hassle, so think of finger food or something portable like a sandwich and a camel back.
I thought the Africa tram was ok and not that special, but its included in you admission ticket so take advantage of it. We were very fortunate to see the Northern white rhino, because only a few days ago she passed away. There are only 3 left in the world and they are all past reproduction age, so they are basically going to be extinct with in our life time. So sad, glad i got to see her.
The lay out of the park can be a little confusing even with the map, but generally it will get you in the right direction. You must stay and see the cheetah run, you should go early to get a good spot. Seeing a cheetah in full sprint is a pretty awesome sight. Also don’t try to take a picture of it, because you’ll miss the experience. You might catch it on your camera but you’ll miss the true awesomeness of seeing it live, your camera wont capture the true essence of it.
My favorite part of the Safari Park was the Tiger exhibit. The way they had it laid out with the bamboo forest entrance and all the Indonesian looking structures really transported you to another place. It was also the coolest (temperature wise) place in the park, so it was nice to get out of the heat for a bit. When walking along to the tiger, i saw a small side trail which let me a few steps down to a glass window where a tiger happened to be sleeping right behind! So cool! He was literally just a few inches away! When you get to the main tiger area, a different tiger was pacing back and forth along his path. They are so beautiful, bright orange and they look so strong and intense. Easily my favorite part of the park.
After the tiger exhibit i headed up toward the condor exhibit, it was really neat how they transitioned the lush green habitat of the tiger in one area to the dry rocky habitat of the condor in the adjacent area. There are also bald eagles there too which was pretty awesome.
Right next to the condor off the beaten path was the bonsai garden and perennial garden. The Bonsai garden was pretty awesome. It’s so peaceful and I think its amazing how they can shape these trees to look old and miniature. It was my 2^nd favorite part of the park.
Over all i think i enjoyed the safari park more than the zoo, because you were closer to many of the animals. I liked how you could go into many of the bird enclosures and be a part of their environment and also pet the goats and stuff. There were also many demonstrations where a handler would hold a sugar glider, and owl or an armadillo and tell you about it up close. Its the more personal things that make the Safari park better than the zoo.
Also since im in the process of redoing my yard, there was landscaping for many different types of environments and they were all really beautiful and done right, you can get so many ideas of what plants work together and how to configure them no matter what type of landscape or environment you have in mind.

Despite negative reviews, I think everyone should experience the safari tram at least once to see the animals in what seems to be the opening sequence of Lion King. The highlight for us was seeing the giraffes and other animals parting to make room for the mama rhino walking through with her baby trying to keep up. And we saw two species of antelope butt heads (literally) in a standoff. With 20 years in between visits I was sad to see the mountain goats off the tram route (BRING IT BACK), and it seemed much shorter.
With the tram over, the rest is just a zoo. Maybe things are different in November, but it did not feel crowded at all. And though many reviews here complain about the lack of shade, I feel like efforts were made (lush trees, stand-​alone structures) to provide LOTS of shade. Bring an umbrella ella ella if you need one.
Random notes:
There seemed to be an actual person at every fork to help the guests along. Good job!
Food prices were expensive, but $ 10 for a reusable cup and free refills wasn’t a bad deal. Just be prepared to leave it outside some exhibits. Apparently, lemurs love neon-​orange plastic cups with lion faces.
Lorikeet Landing was fun. No extra charge (Long Beach’s Aquarium of the Pacific and Palm Springs’ Living Desert do), but there’s a $ 4 charge for a half-​shot of nectar. If that seems expensive, just put it on his bill. (get it?)

As an avid fan of the San Diego Zoo, it’s natural for me to love going to the Safari Park as well. And living in the area with a curious toddler means having the chance to go out to these spots more often. But, while may think that these two places are synonymous, there are a few key differences to espouse upon that you should take into consideration before packing up the mini-​van to visit.
First, I should say that I very much like the Safari Park. Like the Zoo and Balboa Park before it, I’ve been coming here since I was a kid and every time I wander the paths and see the giraffes and lions, it reminds me of the happy times growing up; and that’s always a plus. However, where the zoo is a fairly compact space with individual exhibits that you can easily navigate and enjoy, the Safari Park is a sprawling, scenic landscape where the animals are allowed to mingle and live together, not in cages, but in a setting more similar to their natural habitat.
This makes for a gorgeous visit, watching gazelle bound across the hillside as the rhinos lay about in the shade, all while cranes of various colors fly across the lakes. But, this also means that everything in the park is extremely spread out. If you’re used to going to the San Diego Zoo and spending a few minutes enjoying an animal play about before wandering 50′ up the hill to see the next exhibit, then the vastness of the Safari Park can be a little daunting. On the flip side of this, you can take the Safari Park Tour, which leads you all around the main animal area, but it can pretty much wrap up your entire trip to the park in one 40 minute ride.
It all comes down to how you want to spend your day. If you’d rather cram as many animals into your visit as possible, head to the Zoo. If you’re looking for a day-​long hike into the inland hills with the chance to see fewer animals, but in a more natural setting, then the Safari Park may be more your speed. Both are gorgeous in their own way, both have plenty to see, and both are a good way to spend an afternoon.
I do prefer the zoo, as I feel the Safari Park is too dry for my personal comfort. And I find that once you do go on the tram tour here, you can head out and still feel like you had a full day. This makes Safari Park a potentially much shorter visit, which can be seen as good or bad. I’ve never done them myself, but I believe there are more extensive tours into the park if you’re willing to pay. I think the top one even allows you to take a jeep right up to the animals and the owners of the park will even release a douche-​bag Dentist into the wild for you to hunt down and kill for your trophy room.
I could be wrong on that, though.
Anyway, the Safari Park, for me, is not as fun as the zoo, but still ranks as a superior way to spend your day. Just make sure you get that tour in to make the most of your visit.

I really loved the Safari Park experience. It’s one of the rare places you could visit where animals roam in very large areas and try to mimic their natural habitat.
I would have given this place a 5 star if not for the lack of shade for the park visitors. On the day of our visit, the weather was scorching hot. We left the park early without visiting the Asian section from fear of heat stroke. Constant hydration provided little comfort.
Nonetheless, I would still recommend a visit at this park because it provided us a unique opportunity to see the animals in their natural habitat. Although living in the wild, does not compare to the safari park facility. It was a safe haven for endangered animals or animals who are being nursed back to health.
We did the African Tram, which allowed us to roam around the African area and view the animals up close without subjecting oursleves to direct sun exposure and blistered foot. I liked the natural setting. I especially liked the lagoon loop and the balloon ride. The extra $ 12 usd for the balloon ride was so worth it.
If given the chance, I would want to revisit this park during the cooler season. I love what they’re doing to help animals around the world. I also like how everyone in the park are so friendly, helpful, and happy.

DO NOT have an event here, especially if it is a wedding. Our daughter and her fiancé wanted to have their reception here and we came for the tour and discuss the possibilities with the sales person. She was wonderful, LOVED all our ideas and said YES to everything. I am super detail orientated so I asked about having golf carts available to drive women who are wearing high heels to the venue and was told, absolutely!!.
We gave them a $ 10k deposit, because this was the place. Then we were passed to the event planner. I can guarantee you if she was the sales person we would have NEVER signed a contract or agreed to have the wedding reception there. She said NO to everything, including wanting our guests in heels to ride a bus through the behind the scenes to the venue, passing by trash bins etc. WTF?
One of the key features for the kids was to have the animal interaction they keep selling and for them to have their photos taken with the animals. NOPE no guarantee, working with animals ALL my life, I get the part that you can not guarantee an animals availability, but they refused to hold off on the animal interaction portion until the wedding party was actually at the wedding. We were told over and over again, that this would delay the party and they could not guarantee the newly married couple photo ops with the animals.
The event planner was a very condescending person with attitude for days and her favorite word was NO. We decided to change the wedding venue because the writing was on the wall, this place was not hospitable. The park is excellent for animals, but their catering department lacks professionalism, personality or ethics.
We took the party to the Marriott and were treated like royalty and we had THE BEST party ever. Skip the park for your events.
NOTE: If you want to come visit animals, this place is excellent especially for photographers.

My boyfriend turned thirty-​one this past weekend. In an effort to keep him feeling young at heart, I purchased two tickets for us to go to the Safari Park on Saturday! He was ECSTATIC. I purchased the tickets on LivingSocial, so we got them for a steal. The place was very easy to find (we live in Long Beach, California), and the drive there was so beautiful! Because we already had tickets we didn’t have to wait in line AT ALL to get in. To get to the park you have to walk up a pretty steep hill, but I didn’t mind. There is ample parking, even if you have to park a little far away. But you’re going to be walking all day at the park anyway.
It was a VERY hot Saturday. Luckily the park is equipped with these little showers that mist you with cold air (if you choose to walk under them). Luckily we were smart enough to leave our sweaters in the car! If you get thirsty, there are places to buy beverages EVERYWHERE. And for people who complain that it costs too much, you are going to the park to SUPPORT the park, and that means paying for everything in it. They allow you to bring coolers in, too, for those who choose not to purchase drinks and food at the park. For the alcohol enthusiasts, they make yummy mixed drinks, too. I had a Serengeti Sunset and it was amazing! The girl who works the Bamburi Boat Bar (I’m not sure if I spelled it correctly) is super sweet!
There is such a diverse collection of animals here, it is nearly impossible to see everything. The BEST part of our day was when we went to see the tigers. There is a viewing window directly adjacent to the tiger enclosure, and one of the tigers was being SUCH a ham. I got some great pictures of him.
My boyfriend was SUPER pleased with his birthday trip. We are planning to go back in December when it’s not so hot, so maybe we can take the safari tram! I am a brat and didn’t want to wait in the big long line in the heat, lol. Sorry baby!

Der Park hat eine schöné Afrikasavannne durch die man mit einer Bahn fahren kann wo man interessante Dinge erzählt bekommt.
Für etwas mehr Geld kann man auch Fototouren durch die Savanne buchen bei der man dann sogar ganz dicht an die Tiere heran kommt und die Giraffen füttern darf.
Das Loin Camp ist ein großes Freigehege für Löwen und ganz nett anzuschauen, aber da die Löwen tagsüber nur dösen gibt es nicht so viel zu sehen.
Das Elefantengehege dagegn ist riesig und es gibt die Dickhäuter dort in allen Altersklassen, so das immer Bewegung in der Herde ist, dadurch macht es großen Spaß ihnen zu zuschauen.
Ansonsten wird in dem Park auch viel wert auf Natur gelegt und es gibt ein paar Wanderwege bei denen am Rand die verschiedene Pflanzen anzuschauen gibt. Aber Achtung: immer auf den Wegen bleiben, dort gibt es nämlich Klapperschlangen. Darauf wird man bestimmt alle 50m bei den Wanderwegen aufmerksam gemacht!
Was auch mal was wirklich anderes war war der Streichelzoo!!! Dort gab es keine Scafe, Ziegen oder Esel sondern verschidene Antilopen-​und Gazellenarten die man mit Futter anlocken konnte.
Auch der Dinomountain war ganz nett aber wohl eher was für Kinder und Familien.
Dann gab es auch noch einen Asiatischen Teil im Animalpark in dem es unter anderm Tiger gab die aber nur schwer zu sehen waren, da dieses Gehege an einem großen Hang liegt und es viele Bäume gibt.
Alles in allem war es ganz schön dort aber es gibt schönere Zoos, bzw. Safariparks.