San Diego Zoo Safari Park
Going to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park is the quickest way to take an African safari with your family. Kids can watch animals up close and out in the open - giraffes munching on leaves, cheetahs napping, elephants splashing in water holtes, beautiful okapis, rhinos running.
At the entrance
- At the entrance are lockers (for extra clothing after the water play areas or souvenirs) and strollers available for rent. Check out the schedule for the bird show, cheetah run, and animal encounters.
Park docents wearing red vests are available throughout the park to answer questions about the animals, how to get around, and what is open.
Conservation carousel
- A big hit with little kids, ride around on endangered animals, such as a panda, jaguar, okapi, rhino, giraffe.
Start the day with a ride on the 25 min.
Africa Tram Safari
, where kids will see white rhinos, giraffes, lions, gazelles, ostriches, Cape buffalo and antelopes, grazing in the open. Tip: Go early as possible (or late in the day), to avoid a long lines for the tram.
Elephant Valley - Step over a bridge into a large area, where African elephants roam free. Watch elephants eating away (they need to eat 7% of their body weight daily), splashing in water holes, tossing dirt over their back to stay cool, and social interactions of the multi-generational herd.
On the
Nairobi Walk
, stop into the animal care nursery, where you might see an armadillo running in circles and white Fennec fox with huge ears, among other baby animals. Little kids will enjoy Village Playground
, with African drums.
One of our favorite walks is the
African Loop Trail
through the woods and around the lagoon. Animals are easy to see - cheetah, okapi, hooded vultures, warthogs, bat-eared foxes, lions, and oodles of pink flamingoes.
Condor Ridge
- The Safari Park has a breeding program for the endangered California condor (chicks were originally fed with hand puppets. Visit Condor Ridge to see these magnificent birds, as well as the desert bighorn sheep (native to California, but hard to see in the wild).
Australia Walkabout
- Kids can see kangaroos up close, even touch them! On our last visit, baby kangaroo and mom were fun to see hopping around.
Water play area
- On a hot day, it feels good to cool off in Savanna Cool Zone water play area at Lion Camp on the African Loop Trail.
More activities and tours
- The following activities and tours require an additional ticket:
Wildland Safari
- Go out on the savanna in an open air truck, see giraffes close up, along with newest animal babies. For kids ages 3 and up.
Flightline Safaris
- Ride a 160 ft. zipline over the park for a bird's eye view of the animals below. Ages 8 and up, must be accompanied by a parent, wear closed-toed shoes.
Roar & Snore -
Want to spend the night at the Safari Park? Sleep in big tents, sit around the campfire, and, during the night, you might hear a lion roar! Fun for everyone in the family, all ages. Advance reservations are required.
Fun food
-
At the park are a dozen places for meals and snacks. Besides hamburgers, hot dogs, pizza and sandwiches, there's Mexican food, salads, vegetarian burgers, crispy chicken, Asian inspired dishes, barbeque, plus snacks galore – ice cream, cookies, cold drinks, fresh fruit.
Or, bring your own picnic lunch, drinks and snacks. Outside the Safari Park, just north of the entrance, are picnic tables. Inside the park, use any of the tables at eating areas or snack bars, shaded picnic tables at Mawazo Woods. No coolers, ice chests, glass bottles or straws inside the park.
Buy tickets online before you visit, skip the line.
