True, but I once thought they could swim under the walkway. Which is why I asked a keeper.
From snow to sunshine- A TZDugong trip
- Thread starter TZDugong
- Start date
Day 2
The 2nd day of my California trip was not as exciting (or as long) but was nevertheless a very interesting and fulfilling day.
I woke up later than I usually do, at around 8:30 am, which was kind of annoying seeing as I only had 14 days in California and I wanted to make the most of it. Now that I think about it, the day before I did have a 11-hour zoo visit, and thus an early wake-up would have finished me for good! Anyway, talks about my laziness aside, most of my day would be spent in the city of La Jolla, because there’s an aquarium there. For those who don’t know about this city (as I’m guessing many of you don’t), it’s a rich suburb of San Diego with 8 million-dollar homes and great views of the La Jolla Bay. On Wikipedia it states that around 45000 people live here which I think is a tad low, considering what I saw of the town
My main goal for the morning was to go searching for some wild animals with my target species being two species of Pinniped. The two species, Harbour Seals and California Sea Lions are ones that I’ve seen quite a few times in zoos and aquariums but never in the wild. Harbour seals turned out to be easy to find, as within 15 minutes of walking, I stumbled across a group of 40-50 seals. Only a couple of them moved but I was happy with seeing them. The Sea Lions turned out to be a bit trickier, but I just walked on the shoreline until I spotted some. I only saw 2, but my actual animal-watching experience was much better than it was with the seals, as these guys were insanely active. Feeling satisfied, I was walking back to the car, when I saw a twitch of movement out of the corner of my eyes. Intrigued I moved towards the movement and too my delight, it was a Hummingbird! I certainly wasn’t expecting to see one of these guys, and Hummingbirds are such great creatures. I also saw a lot of Pelicans (I think American White but I’m not sure) and Cormorants
Wildlife-watching out of the way, it was time to visit the Birch Aquarium (well technically Birch Aquarium at Scripps, but I find Birch Aquarium a much better name).
Zoo/Aquarium #2 Birch Aquarium 15/12/2017 Visit Time: 2 hours
The Birch Aquarium is one of two aquariums that I visited on this trip (the other being Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay), and I really enjoyed my visit to this small but high-quality facility. The aquarium took two hours for me to tour, but a zoochatter pressed for time could probably see this facility in an hour and a half, as it really isn’t very large. But what it lacks in size, it makes up with exhibit quality, as every exhibit is average or better. The species are quite mundane, with a huge diversity of seahorses and a Giant Black Sea Bass being the exception. So, while its relatively small size restricts it from being in the upper echelon of Aquariums (your Valencia’s, Georgia’s and Shedd’s), it is an above average aquarium and I’d definitely recommend a visit.
Before even seeing a captive animal, there were three things about this place that I really liked. The first is a very nice statue of a Grey Whale, which makes a great entrance to the facility. Another great part is the stunning view of the La Jolla Cove. From the outdoor tide pool plaza, you get a simply breathtaking view, which is rare as most aquariums are entirely indoors. Finally, I really enjoyed the buildings in which the aquarium was situated in. I found them to be quite attractive and much better than the of the glass and steel monstrosities aquariums are usually in (although that’s a matter of personal taste).
After spending a few minutes admiring the very nice Grey Whale sculpture, I paid my fee, noted a small tank for schooling fish, and walked to the first area. This area is Tidepool Plaza, a very nice area that I would consider the 2nd best part of the place. There are three different tide pools, one very large one and two smaller ones which are incredibly detailed and well designed. You are allowed to touch the animals, including a sea cucumber, which was one of the highlights of the aquarium. The most notable species for me was a Garibaldi (the state fish of California) and to see this bright orange fish just inches away was nice. I got lucky, as my arrival coincided with the tidepool feeding time, so I got to see just about all the animals including the Lobsters (forget which species) which the person doing the feeding said are usually impossible to spot. So overall, a fantastic section that shows of native wildlife amazingly well.
After spending quite a long time at the tidepool tank (30 minutes or in other words, a quarter of my stay), it was time to delve into the main section of the aquarium, Hall of Fishes. This area is one big loop, and I quite enjoyed the fact that it starts out in the cold waters of the Pacific Northwest and then progresses to the warm waters of Mexico. For the most part the exhibits are of a good quality with two exceptions (more on that later). They’re nothing fancy, but for the most part they’re a good size and more than acceptable for the species they house. The vast majority of species are small fish, of which I bet many are very rare, but I am definitely not a fish expert. I forget the exact species, but I remember that there were quite a few jellyfish species.
So, onto the two exhibits that stood out from the rest, one for being exceptionally good, and one for being subpar. The good one, which is easily the best feature of the entire aquarium, is the Kelp Forest. I read somewhere (probably on Zoochat) that the tank is 70 000 gallons, but I assure you that in person it looks a lot bigger. The fish themselves are intriguing, with the aforementioned Giant Black Sea Bass being the highlight, and the fact that real kelp is used puts the exhibit over the top. Viewing is also splendid, with a floor-to-ceiling acrylic window, and I appreciated the fact that there was a little amphitheater in which you can sit and just observe the fish. Now for the least successful part of the aquarium, the Mexico tank. For most of the inhabitants in this tank (stingrays and medium sized fish) the exhibit is perfectly acceptable, but in my opinion, it is not for the solitary Green Sea Turtle that calls this exhibit home. My main gripe I have is that the exhibit is simply too small for the turtle. It appeared (although I’m not 100% sure) that the Turtle was missing a leg, and while the Aquarium took the honourable task of caring for this animal, I think that the habitat should be expanded, or the Turtle should be moved to another facility.
After the main section of the Aquarium, there were two more areas to visit. The first is the Seahorse Gallery, and like most of the aquariums exhibits is nothing spectacular or flashy but is still very nice for its inhabitants. I cannot remember most of the species, but I do remember that the collection was varied, and lager than usual. The final zone is one that I wasn’t particularly impressed with, ElasmoBeach. This area contains mostly Elasmobranches (sharks and rays) from the local La Jolla bay, and too be honest I wasn’t a huge fan of this area. I think this exhibit is probably average for the animals, as the Shark species are fairly small, but the back walls of this exhibit is extremely ugly, and the viewing panels are terrible.
Now those are all the animal exhibits, but there are quite a few non-animal areas. The most intriguing area for me was the Infinity Cube, a temporary exhibition that is so hard to explain that I’ll just link it right here https://aquarium.ucsd.edu/visit/exhibits/infinity-cube. There is also Feeling the Heat, a very good area with lots of information about global warming. The final area is Boundless Energy, an area that is about renewable energy and is mostly for children. While I bet most people on Zoochat would rather see these areas filled with animal exhibits, I bet these areas are extremely popular, and on my visit more people were learning about climate change then they were staring at fishes!
So yeah, the Birch Aquarium is a facility that is nowhere near as good as some of the mega aquariums in the U.S, but it’s a very nice local facility that I enjoyed immensely. If you’re in San Diego for 4-5 days visiting the zoo and safari park, I would recommend spending a half-day at this aquarium, and if you’re into wildlife-watching, then there are a few nice places nearby.
So that’s my review, and the next day, was my last full day in San Diego, and the only one without a captive facility. And before you get outraged by the fact that I didn’t visit the Safari Park, I did, just on my way to the city of Palm Springs.
The 2nd day of my California trip was not as exciting (or as long) but was nevertheless a very interesting and fulfilling day.
I woke up later than I usually do, at around 8:30 am, which was kind of annoying seeing as I only had 14 days in California and I wanted to make the most of it. Now that I think about it, the day before I did have a 11-hour zoo visit, and thus an early wake-up would have finished me for good! Anyway, talks about my laziness aside, most of my day would be spent in the city of La Jolla, because there’s an aquarium there. For those who don’t know about this city (as I’m guessing many of you don’t), it’s a rich suburb of San Diego with 8 million-dollar homes and great views of the La Jolla Bay. On Wikipedia it states that around 45000 people live here which I think is a tad low, considering what I saw of the town
My main goal for the morning was to go searching for some wild animals with my target species being two species of Pinniped. The two species, Harbour Seals and California Sea Lions are ones that I’ve seen quite a few times in zoos and aquariums but never in the wild. Harbour seals turned out to be easy to find, as within 15 minutes of walking, I stumbled across a group of 40-50 seals. Only a couple of them moved but I was happy with seeing them. The Sea Lions turned out to be a bit trickier, but I just walked on the shoreline until I spotted some. I only saw 2, but my actual animal-watching experience was much better than it was with the seals, as these guys were insanely active. Feeling satisfied, I was walking back to the car, when I saw a twitch of movement out of the corner of my eyes. Intrigued I moved towards the movement and too my delight, it was a Hummingbird! I certainly wasn’t expecting to see one of these guys, and Hummingbirds are such great creatures. I also saw a lot of Pelicans (I think American White but I’m not sure) and Cormorants
Wildlife-watching out of the way, it was time to visit the Birch Aquarium (well technically Birch Aquarium at Scripps, but I find Birch Aquarium a much better name).
Zoo/Aquarium #2 Birch Aquarium 15/12/2017 Visit Time: 2 hours
The Birch Aquarium is one of two aquariums that I visited on this trip (the other being Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay), and I really enjoyed my visit to this small but high-quality facility. The aquarium took two hours for me to tour, but a zoochatter pressed for time could probably see this facility in an hour and a half, as it really isn’t very large. But what it lacks in size, it makes up with exhibit quality, as every exhibit is average or better. The species are quite mundane, with a huge diversity of seahorses and a Giant Black Sea Bass being the exception. So, while its relatively small size restricts it from being in the upper echelon of Aquariums (your Valencia’s, Georgia’s and Shedd’s), it is an above average aquarium and I’d definitely recommend a visit.
Before even seeing a captive animal, there were three things about this place that I really liked. The first is a very nice statue of a Grey Whale, which makes a great entrance to the facility. Another great part is the stunning view of the La Jolla Cove. From the outdoor tide pool plaza, you get a simply breathtaking view, which is rare as most aquariums are entirely indoors. Finally, I really enjoyed the buildings in which the aquarium was situated in. I found them to be quite attractive and much better than the of the glass and steel monstrosities aquariums are usually in (although that’s a matter of personal taste).
After spending a few minutes admiring the very nice Grey Whale sculpture, I paid my fee, noted a small tank for schooling fish, and walked to the first area. This area is Tidepool Plaza, a very nice area that I would consider the 2nd best part of the place. There are three different tide pools, one very large one and two smaller ones which are incredibly detailed and well designed. You are allowed to touch the animals, including a sea cucumber, which was one of the highlights of the aquarium. The most notable species for me was a Garibaldi (the state fish of California) and to see this bright orange fish just inches away was nice. I got lucky, as my arrival coincided with the tidepool feeding time, so I got to see just about all the animals including the Lobsters (forget which species) which the person doing the feeding said are usually impossible to spot. So overall, a fantastic section that shows of native wildlife amazingly well.
After spending quite a long time at the tidepool tank (30 minutes or in other words, a quarter of my stay), it was time to delve into the main section of the aquarium, Hall of Fishes. This area is one big loop, and I quite enjoyed the fact that it starts out in the cold waters of the Pacific Northwest and then progresses to the warm waters of Mexico. For the most part the exhibits are of a good quality with two exceptions (more on that later). They’re nothing fancy, but for the most part they’re a good size and more than acceptable for the species they house. The vast majority of species are small fish, of which I bet many are very rare, but I am definitely not a fish expert. I forget the exact species, but I remember that there were quite a few jellyfish species.
So, onto the two exhibits that stood out from the rest, one for being exceptionally good, and one for being subpar. The good one, which is easily the best feature of the entire aquarium, is the Kelp Forest. I read somewhere (probably on Zoochat) that the tank is 70 000 gallons, but I assure you that in person it looks a lot bigger. The fish themselves are intriguing, with the aforementioned Giant Black Sea Bass being the highlight, and the fact that real kelp is used puts the exhibit over the top. Viewing is also splendid, with a floor-to-ceiling acrylic window, and I appreciated the fact that there was a little amphitheater in which you can sit and just observe the fish. Now for the least successful part of the aquarium, the Mexico tank. For most of the inhabitants in this tank (stingrays and medium sized fish) the exhibit is perfectly acceptable, but in my opinion, it is not for the solitary Green Sea Turtle that calls this exhibit home. My main gripe I have is that the exhibit is simply too small for the turtle. It appeared (although I’m not 100% sure) that the Turtle was missing a leg, and while the Aquarium took the honourable task of caring for this animal, I think that the habitat should be expanded, or the Turtle should be moved to another facility.
After the main section of the Aquarium, there were two more areas to visit. The first is the Seahorse Gallery, and like most of the aquariums exhibits is nothing spectacular or flashy but is still very nice for its inhabitants. I cannot remember most of the species, but I do remember that the collection was varied, and lager than usual. The final zone is one that I wasn’t particularly impressed with, ElasmoBeach. This area contains mostly Elasmobranches (sharks and rays) from the local La Jolla bay, and too be honest I wasn’t a huge fan of this area. I think this exhibit is probably average for the animals, as the Shark species are fairly small, but the back walls of this exhibit is extremely ugly, and the viewing panels are terrible.
Now those are all the animal exhibits, but there are quite a few non-animal areas. The most intriguing area for me was the Infinity Cube, a temporary exhibition that is so hard to explain that I’ll just link it right here https://aquarium.ucsd.edu/visit/exhibits/infinity-cube. There is also Feeling the Heat, a very good area with lots of information about global warming. The final area is Boundless Energy, an area that is about renewable energy and is mostly for children. While I bet most people on Zoochat would rather see these areas filled with animal exhibits, I bet these areas are extremely popular, and on my visit more people were learning about climate change then they were staring at fishes!
So yeah, the Birch Aquarium is a facility that is nowhere near as good as some of the mega aquariums in the U.S, but it’s a very nice local facility that I enjoyed immensely. If you’re in San Diego for 4-5 days visiting the zoo and safari park, I would recommend spending a half-day at this aquarium, and if you’re into wildlife-watching, then there are a few nice places nearby.
So that’s my review, and the next day, was my last full day in San Diego, and the only one without a captive facility. And before you get outraged by the fact that I didn’t visit the Safari Park, I did, just on my way to the city of Palm Springs.
Kakapo
Well-Known Member
No, the pelicans at La Jolla beach are Brown Pelicans.
Mundane? Maybe "local" would be a better word... There are some species I died for!
Nice! When I was here there was no garibaldis in the tide pool, but a juvenile one still with the blue markings just opposite to the jellyfish, in the previous tank than Sarcastic Fringehead. But seeing garibaldis in the wild is quite easy La Jolla too, they swim near surface and given it's size and colour they are very easy to spot.
Mexican warm waters are the middle of the loop, they still continue after that with the international section of tropical (mostly Indopacific) species.
Hmmm, I think that both exhibits are good, but really all the other tanks are perfect too. Just bigger tanks for bigger species (the kelp forest and the shipwrek) and smaller tanks for smaller fishes.
The giant sea bass is really an amazing sight, and one is impressed seeing children in front of them and seeing that the fish is bigger than the children. But it's concerning that being a critically endangered species they only have one individual, they should try to have a pair and breed them artificially...
I disagree, in my opinion the loggerhead (not green) turtle is adequately housed. Even a sane individual of loggerhead would find the tank acceptable, tough there are of course other aquarium with bigger tanks housing this species. But this individual lacks a hind leg and had the near part of the shell deformed/broken, very probably because a collision with a ship. It swims with the rear up and slowly, is not as active swimmer as a healthy one would be, and I think that it needs less space than a healthy individual.
Gosh! What are your idea of spectacular or flashing? Both species of sea dragons, sea moths and ribboned pipefish are not enough spectacular and flashing?
The sharks and rays here are not enormous because the tank would be too small for them. They are medium-sized species and because that they are more interesting species than the boring sharks that we see in every tunnel shark tank in worldwide aquariums (basically sand tiger shark and sandbar shark). You have in this tank something so interesting as California angelshark, tough will be extremely difficult to see nothing more than a pair of eyes surrounded by plain sand. I agree that is not the best exhibit visually and for photograph, altough I would be not so hard. Just, it's an outside tank that receive outdoor light (but not direct sunlight), hence reflections in glass can be very bad for photograph, but one can do good photos with patience and tricky poses.
By the way, thanks for make this review! It bringed me back good memories of this wonderful place
Thanks for correcting me. I wasn't really sure about the species so I just took a stab at it.
Agreed, local is a better way to put it. I bet there were many amazing small fish, but I'm no expert so I just kind of passed them by.
Ahh, so we probably saw the same Garibaldi
. I didn't manage to see any wild Garibaldi, but I wish I had, as they really are striking fish.Yep the Sea Bass really is an amazing sight, even if it's a pity that they only have one.
Thanks for correcting me about the species. My faulty memory knows no bounds! Now that you've confirmed the fact that the Turtle is a rescue, I'll retract my statement that the tank is too small, but if the turtle was not injured then I would stand by my original statement.
I was referring to the exhibit quality, but yes the species were very spectacular.
I agree with the fact that the shark species are better than your usual ones, and the Angelshak was truly a delight to see. My major gripe with the enclosure was the viewing, as the windows are kind of warped in a weird way, and I'm not a photographer but I can imagine how hard it would be to get a good photo of this exhibit.
By the way, thanks for make this review! It bringed me back good memories of this wonderful place
Thanks! Writing this review also brought back memories of this interesting establishment.
TheEthiopianWolf03
Well-Known Member
There’s a slight chance I may have saw you as I went to LA zoo around the same time as you. When did you visit?
So, the next day was without a captive facility, but it still had its highlights.
When I originally planned the trip, this was the day that I was supposed to visit SeaWorld San Diego, but the day before I decided against it. Part of the reason was that I had yet to see the city of San Diego properly, partly because I’ve been to the one in Orlando and I didn’t love it, but mostly because of a fact I learned the day before. While I was watching the Tide Pool feeding at the Birch Aquarium, I overheard a docent saying that the Aquarium partners with a whale-watching business. So instead of being basically guaranteed to spot a few cetaceans, I tried my luck with wild ones (a risky idea, but I find that seeing an animal in the wild is always better than seeing one in captivity, even if the chances of finding one is slim). After coming back from my trip, I learned that SeaWorld has Guadeloupe Fur Seals and Emperor Penguins, which I regret missing, but hey another incentive to come back to Southern California one day.
Whale Watching then. The day started out on a bit of a rough note, as I got lost on my way to the meeting point, but luckily for me I got up early, so I made it with time to spare. A ticket is fairly expensive (around 40$) but then again, I was going to go to SeaWorld, so needless to say had I known I was going Whale-Watching before the trip I would’ve added an extra day. I’d say we were out in the bay for 3-4 hours, which is a perfectly reasonable time and the boat was great. I’m not the kind of person that gets seasick, but even I noticed how smoothly the ship was gliding over the water. Now the animals. I saw quite a few Pelicans and Cormorants, as those things are incredibly common, and while I saw this species the day before, 8 Californian Sea Lions were great to see. But the highlight animal wise for me was seeing three Bottlenose Dolphins jumping in the wake of our boat. I’ve seen this species twice before, once in Australia, and once in Chile, but this species is always a delight to see. As you’ve probably deduced, the main problem with this excursion was the fact that I saw no Whales! The time of year that I went was in prime Grey Whale migratory season, but alas, the animal-spotting was not in my favour that day. With the slight disappointment of the whale watching aside, I still had a round half a day left, and so went to one of San Diego’s most famous attractions. This is the Uss Midway, and while I won’t go into detail here, I will say that I enjoyed it very much and it’s well worth going too.
That was my final full day in San Diego, and so the next day I was off to Palm Springs! When I originally planned this trip, I was going to drive straight to Palm Springs, but while I was eating lunch at the San Diego Zoo, I devised a much better strategy. Instead of just driving to Palm Springs I would combine it with the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, and thus have more time in San Diego.
Zoo #3 San Diego Zoo Safari Park Visit Time: 5 hours
So, where to begin with a place that was second to only the San Diego Zoo in anticipation before I went on this trip. One thing’s for sure, it did not disappoint. The San Diego Zoo Safari Park (terrible name by the way) is an exceptional facility, and with a combination of this park and the zoo (owned by the same group), San Diego must be one of the best places in the world to look at captive animals (only Berlin and Singapore are in the same league). A huge asset to the zoo is that it’s simply humongous. The total acreage of the zoo is something like 1800 acres (of course not all of that is open to the public), and that means that just about every animal enjoys spacious exhibits, something that’s hard to provide at a traditional city zoo. The safari park is technically not in San Diego, it’s located just outside the city of Escondido in the San Pasqual valley, one hour away from San Diego.
The San Diego Zoo Safari Park (I’ll refer to it as SDZSP from now on, as the name is way too long) is clearly a great zoo. I don’t think anyone who has visited could deny that. However, in my opinion it’s not at that Bronx, San Diego, Omaha level and the main reason for that is its collection. This is clearly a mammal zoo through and through, an don’t get me wrong, I love mammals, but I prefer a balanced collection (like the Zoo) over a straight mammal zoo. If you came to the park to see birds you’d leave happy with a few rarities (Shoebills and California Condors), but you’ll leave disappointed with the amount of species seen and if you came for Reptiles/Amphibians you’d leave fuming as there are probably around 5 species total. Also, there really is only one continent represented here (Africa). Sure the collection of African mammals is huge and noteworthy, but after that there are only 2 non-African sections, with one having around 9 species (Condor Ridge), and the other having one (Tiger Trail). Thankfully, SDZSP is building a new Australian zone (almost completed now) and more species will be added. Anyway, I’ve probably droned on too long, so I’ll just start the review now!
Unfortunately, my morning didn’t start out the best. I slept in too late (again!), and since the Safari Park is a 1-hour drive from San Diego, I arrived at 11:30, a long time after the zoo opened. I quickly raced out of my car and paid my ticket, as I wanted to get to the parks main attraction before it got too busy. In my haste to get to the Africa Tram I passed 2 different exhibits that I would unfortunately only get one good look at. The first was Wings of the World, a large walkthrough aviary that is just inside the zoo entrance. This aviary was actually nice with some large birds and if I wasn’t in such a rush, I could’ve spent a while in here. It’s pedestrian compared to the massive aviaries at the Zoo, but it was a joy to see. The other exhibit was one I could summon no enthusiasm for, Elephant Valley. The habitat is fine, it’s slightly better than average but I just don’t really like Elephants (don’t kill me Elephant lovers). I don’t hate them per se, but they’re so boring, and so not much time was spent here.
After my brief encounter with those 2 exhibits, I was finally at the area which was one of the main reasons as to why I came to California in the first place. This is of course the African Plains, an exhibit so big that it dwarfs whole zoos. My first paragraph on this epic exhibit is about the visitor experience (everything but the animals and the exhibits), and I was surprised at how good it was. I was expecting a huge line to have formed for the tram, but it wasn’t that bad and after 10 minutes of waiting, I was on. A really nice touch is that while you are waiting in line you can view a species of antelope (species is escaping me at the moment), so the wait was quite exciting! I was also surprised at just how long the tour was, as I was expecting a 25-minute trip but it was closer to 40 minutes. That meant that lots of stopping was done and so the main problem with rides like this one (the fact that animals zoom by, which is a huge problem with DAK’s Kilimanjaro Safari) was avoided. The guide was also surprisingly good as I rode the ride two times in a row, and both of the guides were informative and good spotters.
I entered the ride with very high expectations, as I had heard a lot about this exhibit and it didn’t disappoint. The focal point of the tour is of course the gargantuan central habitat, and it is simply stunning. The exhibit is vast, and the amount of species co-existing in this habitat is remarkable. There must be around 30 species in this savannah, but you only see a few at a time as there are many spots for the animals to hide. The exhibit itself is awesome, as at times it’s a shady, grassy savannah, but then it transitions into a lush wetland with islands for pelicans. Animal highlights for me include my first ever viewing of Cape Buffalo (huge and impressive), a baby White Rhino (adorable and energetic) and Gnu (also known as Wildebeest) were a delight to see as well. Even with all of that good stuff, there was one element that just made the exhibit for me and that was the sheer volume of each species. When I go to my local Toronto Zoo I usually see around 4 or 5 giraffes and 1 or 2 Rhinos, so it was delightful to see massive herds of each species (I saw around 15 to 20 Giraffes and 12 Rhinos). Antelope are also here in plentiful numbers, and I’m pretty sure this is due to the fact that SDZSP is one of the top zoos in the world for breeding ungulates (I’m fairly certain that they’ve bred around 95 White Rhinos and probably even more Antelopes and Gazelles).
If that was the only exhibit the tram went by I would’ve been a happy camper, but there were many side exhibits to take in as well. The first two are for Cheetahs and Black Rhinos, with the Cheetah exhibit being a grassy hill and the Rhino exhibit being a decently-sized, dusty paddock. I’ve read that Black Rhinos are more aggressive then their white counterparts which is probably why they’re not in the main savannah, but it was still a tad disappointing. A huge rocky mountain for Bighorn Sheep is magnificent and I was extremely lucky as I caught a glimpse of a group scrambling across the boulders. The guide himself says that he sees the Sheep once every two weeks and so I felt very happy to observe them. I had a magnificent experience as a group of 25 Red River Hogs were released into their better than average paddock and proceeded to cause mayhem with Hogs going in every direction. Other than those highlights there were a few average paddocks for nondescript species of hoofstock.
After having an absolute blast at the African Tram tour, I made my way to the African Outpost, a hodgepodge of creatures but in good exhibits. The exhibit begins with a view of the same cheetah exhibit from the tram tour, and a little African village with many visitor amenities. A decent pool for a large group of Flamingoes is nearby, as is the lushest primate exhibit I’ve ever seen. It’s an island for Colobus Monkeys (San Diego really likes their Colobus Monkeys), and while it isn’t too large, the vegetation is so thick that I had no chance of finding a monkey. A mix of Bat-Eared Fox and Warthogs was very interesting and while I didn’t see the Fox (which would’ve been a first for me), I at least saw some Warthog piglets. The final exhibit in African Outpost was one I almost missed (I don’t know how, it’s quite easy to find) and I’m happy I didn’t as it had my first ever viewing of Situanga antelope.
African Woods was up next and it continued SDZSP’s run of solid areas. A funny thing with this exhibit is that on the otherwise excellent map, it makes it appear as if all the trees are dead! That was definitely not the case as this area was very lush and probably the most wooded (as it should be with a name like African Woods) area of the zoo. The first few exhibits were mostly for large birds (Kori Bustard and Secretary Birds) and while the habitats were nice they just didn’t have much of a wow factor. African Woods got much better however, as just up the path was a large grassy exhibit for Red-Flanked Duiker (I also remember seeing Storks)! My new favourite hoofstock species, not even Okapi can top them. Speaking about Okapis, just across the long wooden boardwalk was a shady exhibit for these Giraffe-like beasts (and I saw an Okapi, meaning I’m 2 for 2 on the trip). I think that I prefer this exhibit to the one at the zoo, as this exhibit is slightly larger with much better viewing opportunities. The exhibit ends with a surprisingly poor exhibit for a variety of Vultures (the birds could probably hobble 4 or 5 feet in either direction) and a couple excellent hillside exhibits for Gerenuk and a species of Eland (I think it was Patterson’s, but the Safari Parks website didn’t tell me, so I just left it as unidentified).
Anyway, I think that will just about end this post. I was originally planning on doing the Safari Park in one post, until I realized that I’d already written 2,250 words (3 full pages on Microsoft Word) and I was just about halfway! As I’ve already spent a really long time on this review (I’m not the fastest typer), I decided that I should do it in two posts as I didn’t want to lag behind too far. Anyways, hoped you enjoyed this part of the review as much as I enjoyed making it!
When I originally planned the trip, this was the day that I was supposed to visit SeaWorld San Diego, but the day before I decided against it. Part of the reason was that I had yet to see the city of San Diego properly, partly because I’ve been to the one in Orlando and I didn’t love it, but mostly because of a fact I learned the day before. While I was watching the Tide Pool feeding at the Birch Aquarium, I overheard a docent saying that the Aquarium partners with a whale-watching business. So instead of being basically guaranteed to spot a few cetaceans, I tried my luck with wild ones (a risky idea, but I find that seeing an animal in the wild is always better than seeing one in captivity, even if the chances of finding one is slim). After coming back from my trip, I learned that SeaWorld has Guadeloupe Fur Seals and Emperor Penguins, which I regret missing, but hey another incentive to come back to Southern California one day.
Whale Watching then. The day started out on a bit of a rough note, as I got lost on my way to the meeting point, but luckily for me I got up early, so I made it with time to spare. A ticket is fairly expensive (around 40$) but then again, I was going to go to SeaWorld, so needless to say had I known I was going Whale-Watching before the trip I would’ve added an extra day. I’d say we were out in the bay for 3-4 hours, which is a perfectly reasonable time and the boat was great. I’m not the kind of person that gets seasick, but even I noticed how smoothly the ship was gliding over the water. Now the animals. I saw quite a few Pelicans and Cormorants, as those things are incredibly common, and while I saw this species the day before, 8 Californian Sea Lions were great to see. But the highlight animal wise for me was seeing three Bottlenose Dolphins jumping in the wake of our boat. I’ve seen this species twice before, once in Australia, and once in Chile, but this species is always a delight to see. As you’ve probably deduced, the main problem with this excursion was the fact that I saw no Whales! The time of year that I went was in prime Grey Whale migratory season, but alas, the animal-spotting was not in my favour that day. With the slight disappointment of the whale watching aside, I still had a round half a day left, and so went to one of San Diego’s most famous attractions. This is the Uss Midway, and while I won’t go into detail here, I will say that I enjoyed it very much and it’s well worth going too.
That was my final full day in San Diego, and so the next day I was off to Palm Springs! When I originally planned this trip, I was going to drive straight to Palm Springs, but while I was eating lunch at the San Diego Zoo, I devised a much better strategy. Instead of just driving to Palm Springs I would combine it with the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, and thus have more time in San Diego.
Zoo #3 San Diego Zoo Safari Park Visit Time: 5 hours
So, where to begin with a place that was second to only the San Diego Zoo in anticipation before I went on this trip. One thing’s for sure, it did not disappoint. The San Diego Zoo Safari Park (terrible name by the way) is an exceptional facility, and with a combination of this park and the zoo (owned by the same group), San Diego must be one of the best places in the world to look at captive animals (only Berlin and Singapore are in the same league). A huge asset to the zoo is that it’s simply humongous. The total acreage of the zoo is something like 1800 acres (of course not all of that is open to the public), and that means that just about every animal enjoys spacious exhibits, something that’s hard to provide at a traditional city zoo. The safari park is technically not in San Diego, it’s located just outside the city of Escondido in the San Pasqual valley, one hour away from San Diego.
The San Diego Zoo Safari Park (I’ll refer to it as SDZSP from now on, as the name is way too long) is clearly a great zoo. I don’t think anyone who has visited could deny that. However, in my opinion it’s not at that Bronx, San Diego, Omaha level and the main reason for that is its collection. This is clearly a mammal zoo through and through, an don’t get me wrong, I love mammals, but I prefer a balanced collection (like the Zoo) over a straight mammal zoo. If you came to the park to see birds you’d leave happy with a few rarities (Shoebills and California Condors), but you’ll leave disappointed with the amount of species seen and if you came for Reptiles/Amphibians you’d leave fuming as there are probably around 5 species total. Also, there really is only one continent represented here (Africa). Sure the collection of African mammals is huge and noteworthy, but after that there are only 2 non-African sections, with one having around 9 species (Condor Ridge), and the other having one (Tiger Trail). Thankfully, SDZSP is building a new Australian zone (almost completed now) and more species will be added. Anyway, I’ve probably droned on too long, so I’ll just start the review now!
Unfortunately, my morning didn’t start out the best. I slept in too late (again!), and since the Safari Park is a 1-hour drive from San Diego, I arrived at 11:30, a long time after the zoo opened. I quickly raced out of my car and paid my ticket, as I wanted to get to the parks main attraction before it got too busy. In my haste to get to the Africa Tram I passed 2 different exhibits that I would unfortunately only get one good look at. The first was Wings of the World, a large walkthrough aviary that is just inside the zoo entrance. This aviary was actually nice with some large birds and if I wasn’t in such a rush, I could’ve spent a while in here. It’s pedestrian compared to the massive aviaries at the Zoo, but it was a joy to see. The other exhibit was one I could summon no enthusiasm for, Elephant Valley. The habitat is fine, it’s slightly better than average but I just don’t really like Elephants (don’t kill me Elephant lovers). I don’t hate them per se, but they’re so boring, and so not much time was spent here.
After my brief encounter with those 2 exhibits, I was finally at the area which was one of the main reasons as to why I came to California in the first place. This is of course the African Plains, an exhibit so big that it dwarfs whole zoos. My first paragraph on this epic exhibit is about the visitor experience (everything but the animals and the exhibits), and I was surprised at how good it was. I was expecting a huge line to have formed for the tram, but it wasn’t that bad and after 10 minutes of waiting, I was on. A really nice touch is that while you are waiting in line you can view a species of antelope (species is escaping me at the moment), so the wait was quite exciting! I was also surprised at just how long the tour was, as I was expecting a 25-minute trip but it was closer to 40 minutes. That meant that lots of stopping was done and so the main problem with rides like this one (the fact that animals zoom by, which is a huge problem with DAK’s Kilimanjaro Safari) was avoided. The guide was also surprisingly good as I rode the ride two times in a row, and both of the guides were informative and good spotters.
I entered the ride with very high expectations, as I had heard a lot about this exhibit and it didn’t disappoint. The focal point of the tour is of course the gargantuan central habitat, and it is simply stunning. The exhibit is vast, and the amount of species co-existing in this habitat is remarkable. There must be around 30 species in this savannah, but you only see a few at a time as there are many spots for the animals to hide. The exhibit itself is awesome, as at times it’s a shady, grassy savannah, but then it transitions into a lush wetland with islands for pelicans. Animal highlights for me include my first ever viewing of Cape Buffalo (huge and impressive), a baby White Rhino (adorable and energetic) and Gnu (also known as Wildebeest) were a delight to see as well. Even with all of that good stuff, there was one element that just made the exhibit for me and that was the sheer volume of each species. When I go to my local Toronto Zoo I usually see around 4 or 5 giraffes and 1 or 2 Rhinos, so it was delightful to see massive herds of each species (I saw around 15 to 20 Giraffes and 12 Rhinos). Antelope are also here in plentiful numbers, and I’m pretty sure this is due to the fact that SDZSP is one of the top zoos in the world for breeding ungulates (I’m fairly certain that they’ve bred around 95 White Rhinos and probably even more Antelopes and Gazelles).
If that was the only exhibit the tram went by I would’ve been a happy camper, but there were many side exhibits to take in as well. The first two are for Cheetahs and Black Rhinos, with the Cheetah exhibit being a grassy hill and the Rhino exhibit being a decently-sized, dusty paddock. I’ve read that Black Rhinos are more aggressive then their white counterparts which is probably why they’re not in the main savannah, but it was still a tad disappointing. A huge rocky mountain for Bighorn Sheep is magnificent and I was extremely lucky as I caught a glimpse of a group scrambling across the boulders. The guide himself says that he sees the Sheep once every two weeks and so I felt very happy to observe them. I had a magnificent experience as a group of 25 Red River Hogs were released into their better than average paddock and proceeded to cause mayhem with Hogs going in every direction. Other than those highlights there were a few average paddocks for nondescript species of hoofstock.
After having an absolute blast at the African Tram tour, I made my way to the African Outpost, a hodgepodge of creatures but in good exhibits. The exhibit begins with a view of the same cheetah exhibit from the tram tour, and a little African village with many visitor amenities. A decent pool for a large group of Flamingoes is nearby, as is the lushest primate exhibit I’ve ever seen. It’s an island for Colobus Monkeys (San Diego really likes their Colobus Monkeys), and while it isn’t too large, the vegetation is so thick that I had no chance of finding a monkey. A mix of Bat-Eared Fox and Warthogs was very interesting and while I didn’t see the Fox (which would’ve been a first for me), I at least saw some Warthog piglets. The final exhibit in African Outpost was one I almost missed (I don’t know how, it’s quite easy to find) and I’m happy I didn’t as it had my first ever viewing of Situanga antelope.
African Woods was up next and it continued SDZSP’s run of solid areas. A funny thing with this exhibit is that on the otherwise excellent map, it makes it appear as if all the trees are dead! That was definitely not the case as this area was very lush and probably the most wooded (as it should be with a name like African Woods) area of the zoo. The first few exhibits were mostly for large birds (Kori Bustard and Secretary Birds) and while the habitats were nice they just didn’t have much of a wow factor. African Woods got much better however, as just up the path was a large grassy exhibit for Red-Flanked Duiker (I also remember seeing Storks)! My new favourite hoofstock species, not even Okapi can top them. Speaking about Okapis, just across the long wooden boardwalk was a shady exhibit for these Giraffe-like beasts (and I saw an Okapi, meaning I’m 2 for 2 on the trip). I think that I prefer this exhibit to the one at the zoo, as this exhibit is slightly larger with much better viewing opportunities. The exhibit ends with a surprisingly poor exhibit for a variety of Vultures (the birds could probably hobble 4 or 5 feet in either direction) and a couple excellent hillside exhibits for Gerenuk and a species of Eland (I think it was Patterson’s, but the Safari Parks website didn’t tell me, so I just left it as unidentified).
Anyway, I think that will just about end this post. I was originally planning on doing the Safari Park in one post, until I realized that I’d already written 2,250 words (3 full pages on Microsoft Word) and I was just about halfway! As I’ve already spent a really long time on this review (I’m not the fastest typer), I decided that I should do it in two posts as I didn’t want to lag behind too far. Anyways, hoped you enjoyed this part of the review as much as I enjoyed making it!
sooty mangabey
Well-Known Member
Those eland are giant eland - a pretty special species!
You're possibly damming the Wild Animal Park with faint praise in dismissing its bird and non-African elements.
The bird collection could be easily overlooked, such is the brilliance of the mammal displays, but there are some wonderful species in that aviary by the entrance, as well as elsewhere: African darter, Storm's storks and shoebill to name just three.
Meanwhile, the Asian ungulate area is superb, even if it is only visible from afar or from an additional tour - certainty worth it.
The "American" area is none-too-shabby either....
You're possibly damming the Wild Animal Park with faint praise in dismissing its bird and non-African elements.
The bird collection could be easily overlooked, such is the brilliance of the mammal displays, but there are some wonderful species in that aviary by the entrance, as well as elsewhere: African darter, Storm's storks and shoebill to name just three.
Meanwhile, the Asian ungulate area is superb, even if it is only visible from afar or from an additional tour - certainty worth it.
The "American" area is none-too-shabby either....
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Thank you, and agreed very nice species.
Regarding the birds, I feel as if I was spoiled by the zoo a couple days before and practically any zoo's bird collection seems small compared to the San Diego Zoo. There are some really nice species (although where were the Storm's Storks? I may have missed them) and as you will se in the second part of the review, I was very excited about the Shoebills.
For the non-African animals, I was only talking in terms of size of collection, the exhibits themselves are fantastic. My biggest regret at the Safari Park was missing the Asian Savanna tour, I simply forgot and missed out on all those great species of hoofstock.
Kakapo
Well-Known Member
Your whale watching tour reminds me my own one: I went supposedly in the best moment (and best place in the world) to see a species, but I didn't saw that species nor any bearded whale, just dolphins. The difference is that I went in full summer and the whales to see was Blue Whales.
Anyway I don't regret the trip: common and Risso's dolphins were great highlights (and lifers) and I also saw pelagic terns, shearwaters, a lone absolutely exciting By-the-wind Sailor (Velella velella) (I was the only person in the ship that saw it, but of course no chance to photograph as the ship was sailing quickly), and very surprisingly, a hummingbird!!!!!!!!!!!!! in the middle of the ocean!!!!!!
There are various whale-watching facilities in San Diego, and I think that you choosed an expensive one. I don't remember very well the mine but I think it cost not much more than 12 dollars.
Anyway I don't regret the trip: common and Risso's dolphins were great highlights (and lifers) and I also saw pelagic terns, shearwaters, a lone absolutely exciting By-the-wind Sailor (Velella velella) (I was the only person in the ship that saw it, but of course no chance to photograph as the ship was sailing quickly), and very surprisingly, a hummingbird!!!!!!!!!!!!! in the middle of the ocean!!!!!!
There are various whale-watching facilities in San Diego, and I think that you choosed an expensive one. I don't remember very well the mine but I think it cost not much more than 12 dollars.
Nice review! The Safari Parks collection is certainly comprised of almost exclusively mammals and birds. Mammals of course dominate just about everything, however there are still plenty of the birds scattered throughout the park. The Wings of the World aviary, Mombasa Lagoon, Condor Trail aviaries, the vulture and larger bird yards in African Woods, and a few more here and there. However, the reptile, amphibian and fish collection is pathetic. The Hidden Jungle and small terrariums in the Nairobi Village Animal Center comprise the entire collection. I believe it adds up to about 15 or so species combined, which is quite an abysmal list even more so compared to it's sister facility.
Yikes! Blue Whales are probably the whale I want to see the most (only Sperm Whales could challenge), so missing them would be a travesty! A Hummingbird in the middle of the ocean would definitely be a sight I would be interested in seeing.
Yes the mammals do dominate the park, but I feel as if I was too harsh towards the bird collection. Going to the Zoo 3 days before made the Safari Parks collection rather tame (then again, as I've said, San Diego's Bird Collection puts almost any zoos collection to shame)
I think the Reptile, Amphibian and Fish collection is even worse then you say, as all the Hidden Jungle terrariums were boarded up. I think I counted 6-7 species, all in the Nairobi Village.
Sorry I haven’t been updating the thread, I’ve been busy and haven’t had time for a long post. Am trying to make up for it, though!
Part 2
Gorilla Forest was up next, and in my opinion, this was the weakest area of the zoo, even if in most zoos it would be considered good (as the quality of exhibitory at SDZSP is extraordinarily high). The Gorilla exhibit itself is fine, nothing to complain about, but nothing to applaud either. One thing that I noticed is that the exhibit has a dry moat (there may have been a little water at the bottom but if there was, I didn’t notice it), which is a first for me (actually, Valencia may have had a dry moat, can anyone confirm this?). A small meshed exhibit for Bee-Eaters is nearby, and in between the Gorilla Forest and Nairobi Village there are a few more of these kind of exhibits (with Turaco and Crested Coua).
Nearby, but not in the Gorilla forest is a walkthrough exhibit for Ring-Tailed Lemurs. I am a huge fan of walkthrough enclosures, but I feel as if this one was a disappointment. There are simply not enough primates, as I counted only 3, and the exhibit itself cannot compare to some of the others I’ve seen (Valencia being the best). The fix is so simple, just add more Lemurs, but until then, this exhibit is disappointing. Near the Lemurs is an aviary called the Hidden Jungle, and like the Lemurs, it was a bit weak in comparison to the other exhibits. A long row of small, but empty terrariums do not make a good first impression, and the aviary itself was looking a bit tired. It’s not necessarily bad, per se, but it just isn’t something that I’d come to expect from the Safari Park.
These exhibits transitioned into the next area, the Nairobi Village. The focal point of this area is the Mombasa Lagoon, a decently sized lake filled with Ducks and Pelicans, plus one awesome species I will talk about later in the paragraph. The theming here is tremendous. Buildings like the Congo River Fishing Village and the Mombasa lagoon ooze realism, but don’t have the problem that a lot of immersive exhibits have, which is when the immersion affects the animal habitat. Nairobi Village’s theming is on par with that of the Disney amusement parks. There was also one surprise in the lagoon, a Shoebill Stork! Shoebills were one of my main target species when I was in California, and so spotting one on a densely planted island was one of the highlights of the park.
Dotted around the lagoon are a series of animal habitats, all considered as a part of the Nairobi village section. The most interesting one of these exhibits was the Nairobi station, although exhibit quality was fairly poor. Seeing Black Footed Cats for the first time was awesome, but the all indoor exhibits for them and Fennec Foxes were not. The other exhibits in this area, a tenrec, a frog, some parrots, were also too small for their occupants, so I left this area disappointed at the quality of exhibitory. Also in this area, there’s a nursery which had some baby hoofstock (can’t remember species), a bat house that is a bit boring, and then a few average exhibits for Warthogs, Meerkats, Gerenuk and a few more.
Oh, and I missed something in the first part of my review, Lion Camp. I’ll let you decipher what’s in this area
. I was really impressed with this exhibit, which was a a large grassy hill, and the viewing opportunities are excellent. A large glass panel gives you up-close viewing, while unobstructed viewing was a delight, as these can be rare if you’re not looking down into a pit (this exhibit is not a pit). Overall, I thought this exhibit was excellent. I can’t say if this is the best Lion exhibit in North America, but it’s certainly up there.
Anyways, continuing from the Nairobi Village I passed a decent exhibit for “Mountain Coati” (there not actually Mountain Coati, right?), and made my way to the Tiger Trail. Before I visited the Safari Park all I knew about this area of the zoo was that it was a recent exhibit (2015 or so), costed a decent sum of money, at around 20 million or so, and contained only one animal, the Sumatran Tiger. Due to the last fact, I went into the Park thinking I would be disappointed with this area, but I wasn’t, Tiger Trail is great. The theming is great, there’s a building called the Sambutan Longhouse that not only has a café, but also provides views of the Tigers. There’s even a viewpoint into the Asian Plains exhibit (which is only accessible by paying extra for a tour), and while the view is not great, I managed to se some Bactrian Camels, Yaks, and possibly an Indian Rhino way off in the distance.
The final exhibit in the Park that I had yet to visit was Condor Ridge, which is another very good area. This zone consists of two parts, the opening bit being 6-7 meshed enclosures for smaller animals like Burrowing Owls, and Ocelots, while the second bit only had two exhibits, but the species were much larger. Of the two areas I much preferred the latter, mostly due to the fact that all animals in the front bit were off-exhibit! This was due to construction for the zoos new zone, Walkabout Australia, which is opening soon and looks great, but it was still a tad disappointing to not see any animals in this area. After seeing many off-exhibit signs, I made my way to a large mountain containing Bighorn Sheep. This exhibit is solid, but was completely overshadowed by an exhibit I saw in the next zoo I visited. The California Condor exhibit was great, I think I liked it a bit less than the exhibit at the zoo, but that doesn’t detract from how good it was. Anyway, after seeing this I backtracked through the exhibit, passed construction for Walkabout Australia, and made my way out of the zoo, eager to get to the city of Palm Springs.
So, what did I think of the Safari Park overall? I thought it was very good, and it was a perfect complement to the zoo. If you want to see loads of Birds, Primates and Reptiles, go to the Zoo, and if you want to see huge herds of Ungulates, go to the Safari Park. If I were to rank this zoo it would definitely be in the top 10 I’ve visited (I include aquariums in my rankings), and I wouldn’t hesitate to go back there again, especially if I could pair it with the best zoo I’ve ever visited!
Part 2
Gorilla Forest was up next, and in my opinion, this was the weakest area of the zoo, even if in most zoos it would be considered good (as the quality of exhibitory at SDZSP is extraordinarily high). The Gorilla exhibit itself is fine, nothing to complain about, but nothing to applaud either. One thing that I noticed is that the exhibit has a dry moat (there may have been a little water at the bottom but if there was, I didn’t notice it), which is a first for me (actually, Valencia may have had a dry moat, can anyone confirm this?). A small meshed exhibit for Bee-Eaters is nearby, and in between the Gorilla Forest and Nairobi Village there are a few more of these kind of exhibits (with Turaco and Crested Coua).
Nearby, but not in the Gorilla forest is a walkthrough exhibit for Ring-Tailed Lemurs. I am a huge fan of walkthrough enclosures, but I feel as if this one was a disappointment. There are simply not enough primates, as I counted only 3, and the exhibit itself cannot compare to some of the others I’ve seen (Valencia being the best). The fix is so simple, just add more Lemurs, but until then, this exhibit is disappointing. Near the Lemurs is an aviary called the Hidden Jungle, and like the Lemurs, it was a bit weak in comparison to the other exhibits. A long row of small, but empty terrariums do not make a good first impression, and the aviary itself was looking a bit tired. It’s not necessarily bad, per se, but it just isn’t something that I’d come to expect from the Safari Park.
These exhibits transitioned into the next area, the Nairobi Village. The focal point of this area is the Mombasa Lagoon, a decently sized lake filled with Ducks and Pelicans, plus one awesome species I will talk about later in the paragraph. The theming here is tremendous. Buildings like the Congo River Fishing Village and the Mombasa lagoon ooze realism, but don’t have the problem that a lot of immersive exhibits have, which is when the immersion affects the animal habitat. Nairobi Village’s theming is on par with that of the Disney amusement parks. There was also one surprise in the lagoon, a Shoebill Stork! Shoebills were one of my main target species when I was in California, and so spotting one on a densely planted island was one of the highlights of the park.
Dotted around the lagoon are a series of animal habitats, all considered as a part of the Nairobi village section. The most interesting one of these exhibits was the Nairobi station, although exhibit quality was fairly poor. Seeing Black Footed Cats for the first time was awesome, but the all indoor exhibits for them and Fennec Foxes were not. The other exhibits in this area, a tenrec, a frog, some parrots, were also too small for their occupants, so I left this area disappointed at the quality of exhibitory. Also in this area, there’s a nursery which had some baby hoofstock (can’t remember species), a bat house that is a bit boring, and then a few average exhibits for Warthogs, Meerkats, Gerenuk and a few more.
Oh, and I missed something in the first part of my review, Lion Camp. I’ll let you decipher what’s in this area
. I was really impressed with this exhibit, which was a a large grassy hill, and the viewing opportunities are excellent. A large glass panel gives you up-close viewing, while unobstructed viewing was a delight, as these can be rare if you’re not looking down into a pit (this exhibit is not a pit). Overall, I thought this exhibit was excellent. I can’t say if this is the best Lion exhibit in North America, but it’s certainly up there.Anyways, continuing from the Nairobi Village I passed a decent exhibit for “Mountain Coati” (there not actually Mountain Coati, right?), and made my way to the Tiger Trail. Before I visited the Safari Park all I knew about this area of the zoo was that it was a recent exhibit (2015 or so), costed a decent sum of money, at around 20 million or so, and contained only one animal, the Sumatran Tiger. Due to the last fact, I went into the Park thinking I would be disappointed with this area, but I wasn’t, Tiger Trail is great. The theming is great, there’s a building called the Sambutan Longhouse that not only has a café, but also provides views of the Tigers. There’s even a viewpoint into the Asian Plains exhibit (which is only accessible by paying extra for a tour), and while the view is not great, I managed to se some Bactrian Camels, Yaks, and possibly an Indian Rhino way off in the distance.
The final exhibit in the Park that I had yet to visit was Condor Ridge, which is another very good area. This zone consists of two parts, the opening bit being 6-7 meshed enclosures for smaller animals like Burrowing Owls, and Ocelots, while the second bit only had two exhibits, but the species were much larger. Of the two areas I much preferred the latter, mostly due to the fact that all animals in the front bit were off-exhibit! This was due to construction for the zoos new zone, Walkabout Australia, which is opening soon and looks great, but it was still a tad disappointing to not see any animals in this area. After seeing many off-exhibit signs, I made my way to a large mountain containing Bighorn Sheep. This exhibit is solid, but was completely overshadowed by an exhibit I saw in the next zoo I visited. The California Condor exhibit was great, I think I liked it a bit less than the exhibit at the zoo, but that doesn’t detract from how good it was. Anyway, after seeing this I backtracked through the exhibit, passed construction for Walkabout Australia, and made my way out of the zoo, eager to get to the city of Palm Springs.
So, what did I think of the Safari Park overall? I thought it was very good, and it was a perfect complement to the zoo. If you want to see loads of Birds, Primates and Reptiles, go to the Zoo, and if you want to see huge herds of Ungulates, go to the Safari Park. If I were to rank this zoo it would definitely be in the top 10 I’ve visited (I include aquariums in my rankings), and I wouldn’t hesitate to go back there again, especially if I could pair it with the best zoo I’ve ever visited!