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Julie Hoag Writer

Why Your Family Should Visit the San Diego Zoo Safari Park

November 9, 2017

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San Diego Zoo Safari Park Gorilla mom holding baby gorilla. #zoo #famliytravel #sandiego #sandiegozoosafaripark #familyattraction #ustravel #visitcalifornia #visitsandiego
San Diego Zoo Safari Park Gorilla mom holding baby gorilla. Such a beautiful sight! Photo credit: Julie Hoag

My family visited the San Diego area of California and we visited many places. One of our favorite attractions was the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. I enjoyed how the park was set up and I was pleased with all the options. I loved what the zoo offered for family entertainment and education. We were all thrilled to see many animals happy and playful. I look for those factors when exposing my children to a zoo situation. I’m sharing our travel experience to this awesome zoo to tell you Why Your Family Should Visit the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in California.

We loved this experience because as I mentioned above, we saw many animals happy and playful. The animals appeared all to be in very good condition and well taken care of. I prefer to see animals in the wild, but for animals born in a zoo environment, I am so much happier when I see them well taken care of and  happy. Zoos are a great way to teach people about animals, plus zoos are an important part of conservation.

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San Diego Zoo Safari Park entrance #zoo #sandiegozoosafaripark #sandiego #visitcalifornia #familyattractions #ustraveldestination #familytraveldestination
San Diego Zoo Safari Park entrance. Photo credit: Julie Hoag

 

San Diego Zoo Safari Park view. #zoo #sandiegozoosafaripark #sandiego #attractionsinsandiego #visitcalifornia #familyfun
San Diego Zoo Safari Park view. Photo credit: Julie Hoag

 

Why Your Family Should Visit the San Diego Zoo Safari Park:

What this post will cover:

  • Why Your Family will LOVE The Cheetah Run
  • Information and pictures of the animals and park exhibits: the park is huge and offers many animal viewing and learning experiences
  • Info and park link to customize your visit to fit your own family’s needs: Overview of the options for planning your day
  • Advice for your Family based on what my family did on our visit to the park

Your Family Will Love The Cheetah Run

Our favorite show by far was the cheetah run. The Cheetah Run was just awesome! Cheetahs are the fastest animals on the planet. Watching a cheetah go from 0-70 mph in 4 seconds was both thrilling and exciting. I have to admit it was a little scary realizing that there would be no way a human could ever outrun a cheetah. Cheetahs are amazing and beautiful animal’s and being able to watch one run free was an unforgettable life experience.

The cheetah had a dog friend. It was so sweet to see this animal friendship. The dog came out with the cheetah when it was time for him to do his run and he remained out with the cheetah. The staff informed us that they were companions and always hung out together. I loved seeing how the staff cared so much about the cheetah to consider his social well-being. That is the kind of zoo I want to expose my children too, one that cares about the animals in all regards.

I loved watching the cheetah run. It was so entertaining and educational for my boys to watch. We took pictures, but even though we have a good camera, they still turned out a bit blurry, but I’ll share them anyway just to just to give you a taste.

 

San Diego Zoo Safari Park cheetah running
San Diego Zoo Safari Park cheetah running, Amazingly fast! So awesome! Photo credit: Julie Hoag

 

San Diego Zoo Safari Park cheetah run. #familyfun #sandiego #visitcalifornia #sandiegozoosafaripark #familytravel #ustravel #zoo #visitthezoo #familiyattractions #tourist
San Diego Zoo Safari Park cheetah run. An awesome thing to watch! The fastest animal on the planet! Photo credit: Julie Hoag

Loved seeing the strong bond between the cheetah and the trainer. After the run, the cheetah went right to the trainer. The connection they shared was obvious.

 

San Diego Zoo Safari Park cheetah done running #zoo #sandiegozoosafaripark #cheetah #animals #tourism #california #visitsandiego #familyattractions #familyfun #educationalactivity #familytime
San Diego Zoo Safari Park cheetah done running and went right to the trainer for a snuggle. There was an obvious positive bond between the cheetah and the trainer. A pleasant sight to see indeed. Photo credit: Julie Hoag

 

The Animals and Park Exhibits: So Many Animal Viewing and Learning Experiences for Families

We learned so much about the amazing animals of our world during our visit!

We saw many beautiful and amazing animals during our day visit to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. I appreciated the cleanliness of the zoo and the cages. My family rode the Africa Tram which brought visitors around on a road above the valley where many animals were housed together in a giant open field enclosure.

We saw several baby animals as well which as so much fun. We all really enjoyed watching the baby elephants and seeing the mother gorilla holding her baby.

My family watched elephants playing together too which was so much fun to witness!

The exhibits to walk around to view animals and activities include the following:

  • Condor Ridge
  • World Gardens
  • Asian Savanna
  • African Plains
  • Elephant Valley
  • Safari Base Camp
  • Nairobi Village
  • Lion Camp
  • African Outpost
  • Gorilla Forest
  • petting area
  • aviary
  • play area and water play
  • various animal encounters

Here are some pictures of the animals we were fortunate to see during our visit.

 

San Diego Zoo Safari Park baby elephant #zoo #sandiego #visitcalifornia #familyvacation #familytravel #attractions #familyfun
San Diego Zoo Safari Park baby elephant, such a sweet little one! Photo credit: Julie Hoag

 

San Diego Zoo Safari Park elephants playing. #zoo #sandiegozoosafaripark #visitcalifornia #ustravel #touristattractions #animals #teachingkids
San Diego Zoo Safari Park elephants playing which was so fun to see! Photo credit: Julie Hoag

 

San Diego Zoo Safari Park elephants standing under rock structure. #zoo #sandiego #california #visitcalifornia #familyfun #attractions #familytime #elephants
San Diego Zoo Safari Park elephants standing under rock structure. They posed perfectly! Photo credit: Julie Hoag

 

San Diego Zoo Safari Park giraffes necks crossed
San Diego Zoo Safari Park giraffes necks crossed, they are getting ready to fight. Photo credit: Julie Hoag

 

San Diego Zoo Safari Park giraffes fighting #sandiegozoosafaripark #zoo #sandiego #visitsandiego #visitcalifornia #familytravel #ustravel #familyfun #familytime
San Diego Zoo Safari Park giraffes fighting and swinging their necks at each other. Photo credit: Julie Hoag

 

San Diego Zoo Safari Park giraffes done fighting walking parallel
San Diego Zoo Safari Park giraffes done fighting walking parallel, no longer fighting but getting along. Photo credit: Julie Hoag

 

San Diego Zoo Safari Park zebras
San Diego Zoo Safari Park zebras. Beautiful animals! Photo credit: Julie Hoag

 

San Diego Zoo Safari Park rhinoceros. #zoo #sandiegozoosafaripark #visitsandiego #sandiego #visitcalifornia #familyfun #touristattractions #animals #travel
San Diego Zoo Safari Park rhinoceros resting. Photo credit: Julie Hoag

This is the camera I use. It is a DSLR and it takes great pictures, especially outdoors. I love it because of its versatility; I can shoot in manual mode or automatic. This is an affiliate link.


Canon EOS Rebel T6 Digital SLR Camera Kit with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II Lens, Built-in WiFi and NFC – Black (Certified Refurbished)

 

San Diego Zoo Safari Park flamingo. #zoo #sandiego #sandiegozoosafaripark #visitcalifornia #familytravel #attractions #attractionsforfamiliesinsandiego #whattodoinsandiego #familytime
San Diego Zoo Safari Park flamingo. Such gorgeous birds! Photo credit: Julie Hoag

 

Visit Tip: We did quite a bit of walking so if you have younger kids, be sure to bring a stroller.

Customize Your Experience: Overview of Options for Planning Your Day

There are several options for all price ranges for people to choose from when planning their visit to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. Check out their website at San Diego Zoo Safari Park to see their descriptions, prices, and videos for all the available options. The park offers several options to add in extras to customize your experience to make your visit perfect for your own family, or simply choose the day pass.

There are many extras people can choose to add to the regular admission ticket including a hot air balloon ride over the park, jungle ropes safari obstacle course, flightline safari zip line, and an overnight experience. There are also various safari treks to choose from where visitors can ride up close to the animals within their enclosures. Someday I’d love to bring my boys back to do the obstacle course and zip line (they would LOVE to do those activities).

Check out their website, right now they have an adorable video of the baby tigers.

The new exhibit coming in 2018 is a Walkabout Australia exhibit.

 

San Diego Zoo Safari Park safari tour near animals #zoo #sandiego #sandiegozoosafaripark #visitcalifornia #tourism #touristattraction #animals #education
San Diego Zoo Safari Park safari tour near animals. This is an option people can add in to their day. Photo credit: Julie Hoag

 

San Diego Zoo Safari Park zip line #zoo #sandiegozoosafaripark #zipline #visitcalifornia #familyfun #touristattractions #animals #familyfun #familyactivity
San Diego Zoo Safari Park zip line. Family fun for those who are not scared of heights! Photo credit: Julie Hoag

Advice Based on What My Family Did at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park

There is so much great adventure to be had at this park, plus it’s educational and fun too!

My husband and I researched the park online and viewed the park map on their website. We could see there was so much to do so we didn’t add in any extras to our passes. We chose the regular pass without any safari or other extra additions. The regular day pass included walking around the exhibits, the Africa Tram ride, the Cheetah Run, and other scheduled shows. However, the package we chose to purchase was a two pack admission so we were able to visit the Safari Park one day and San Diego Zoo another day. This was a good deal and I would do it again.

We liked the tram experience. The tram ride made it nice to rest while still viewing animals. We enjoyed seeing many species together in one enclosure which is more like they would be living if in the wild.

 

 

San Diego Zoo Safari Park tram. #visitsandiego #zoo #visitcalifornia
San Diego Zoo Safari Park tram. Great for all to sit for a bit and still be able to see animals. Photo credit: Julie Hoag

 

While we walked around we also encountered staff members with a hyena on a leash and jumping cats on leashes. The staff member with the hyena answered our questions and talked about the hyena. The staff member with the cats did tricks with two different species of cats to illustrate for us how high the cats could jump.

 

San Diego Zoo Safari Park animal encounter jumping cat #iustravel #zoo #sandiegozoosafaripark #california
San Diego Zoo Safari Park animal encounter jumping cat. Photo credit: Julie Hoag

 

San Diego Zoo Safari Park jumping cat encounter. #sandiego #california #visitsandiego #sandiegozoosafaripark #familytime
San Diego Zoo Safari Park jumping cat encounter. We just stumbled upon watching this fun animal show while walking around the zoo. Photo credit: Julie Hoag

 

San Diego Zoo Safari Park hyena animal encounter. #zoo #sandiego #sandiegozoosafaripark #visitcalifornia #familytime #vacationdestination #touristattraction
San Diego Zoo Safari Park hyena animal encounter. We were walking along and suddenly came upon a hyena just hanging out on the side of the path. Photo credit: Julie Hoag

 

We really enjoyed our visit to the park and look forward to visiting again someday when we are back in the San Diego Area. We visited in November and temperatures were around the sixties. It was warm to us because back home it is always colder than the sixties in November. Keeping a sweatshirt handy was plenty for the weather. We had sunshine every day. It was wonderful!

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Baby bears climbing a tree at Bearizona Williams Arizona
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Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel entrance going into tunnel
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Animal Trainer acts as a gator wrangler at Gatorland show. Orlando Florida. Family fun. Family vacation destination. Family travel.
Animal Trainer acts as a gator wrangler at Gatorland show.

 

Why Your Family Should Visit the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. Family Fun. Visit San Diego. What to do in San Diego for families. #sandiego #sandiegozoosafaripark #california #californiaadventure #visitsandiego #visitcalifornia #touristattractions #TouristGuide #travel #ustravel #familyfun #zoo #familyactivity #educational #vacationdestination #familytrips
Why Your Family Should Visit the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. PIn me:)

 

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10 Comments
Filed Under: Family, Travel

Comments

  1. Marissa | Marissa's Teachable Moments says

    November 10, 2017 at 11:52 am

    I’ve been to San Diego a few times, but I’ve never been to the safari park. You’re making me think I need to make another trip so I can visit!

    Reply
    • Julie Hoag says

      November 10, 2017 at 8:21 pm

      You should go next time:) It is a great zoo, I was very impressed. Thanks!!

      Reply
  2. Jenni LeBaron says

    November 10, 2017 at 12:35 pm

    Great photos! Elephants are always my favorite. I love a good trip to the zoo.

    Reply
    • Julie Hoag says

      November 10, 2017 at 8:20 pm

      I totally agree! Elephants are awesome! It’s a fantastic zoo to visit:) Thanks!

      Reply
  3. Mimi says

    November 10, 2017 at 1:33 pm

    OMG Mama gorilla and her baby are sooooo cute!! Melting over the cheetah and its trainer!! Animals are adorable, would love to visit the zoo!

    Reply
    • Julie Hoag says

      November 10, 2017 at 8:20 pm

      I know, aren’t the animals so cute and amazing! The zoo is awesome! I hope you can visit it someday. Thanks!

      Reply
  4. Brittany says

    November 11, 2017 at 3:29 pm

    i’ve heard such amazing things about the San Diego zoo! The Safari park looks amazing and like something my daughter would absolutely love!

    Reply
    • Julie Hoag says

      November 11, 2017 at 10:33 pm

      Yes! It’s a perfect place to visit with kids! I hope you go and your family loves it! It’s a gem:) Thanks!

      Reply
  5. Monica says

    November 13, 2017 at 8:56 am

    My husband and I are heading to San Diego in December for our baby moon and I’ve heard so many great things about this Safari Park!!! Sososo glad you shared this, now it’s on our “MUST SEE” list!

    Reply
    • Julie Hoag says

      November 13, 2017 at 10:44 am

      Yes! It’s definitely a “MUST SEE”! I hope you have wonderful trip and you make it out to this awesome Safari Park zoo!! Thank you!!

      Reply

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Hello & Welcome! I’m Julie. I’m a wife and a mom to 3 boys. I’m sharing Ideas for Recipes, Family Lifestyle, Travel, DIY & Pets:) I’m SO happy you are here! Leave me a comment, I’d love to hear from you. I’m also a YA Author of the novel “Hungry Hearts” published in 2020 with Swoon Romance/Month9Books and Georgia McBride. “Out of Control” releases in 2021.

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