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 see animals up close and out in the open.
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 animals, how to get around, and what is open (cheetah run, bird show, lorikeets may be closed).
Conservation carousel
- A big hit with 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.
On the
Nairobi Walk
, stop into the animal care nursery, where we saw an armadillo running in circles and an adorable white Fennec fox with huge ears, among other baby animals. Little kids will enjoy the
Petting Kraal
(petting zoo) and
Village Playground
, with African drums. At
Lorikeet Landing
, buy nectar and these colorful birds will land on your hand!
One of our favorite walks is the
African Loop Trail
through the woods and around the lagoon. Animals are housed in open enclosures, making them easy to see close up - okapi, hooded vultures, warthogs, bat-eared foxes, cheetahs, 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:
On
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.
On
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 and sandwiches, there's Mexican food, salads, vegetarian burgers, and barbeque, plus snacks galore - ice cream, popcorn, cold drinks, Belgian waffles, 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, you can use any of the tables at the eating areas or snack bars; no coolers, ice chests, glass bottles or straws inside the park.
