Number 1100: I'm Wild About San Diego Wild Animal Park!
Written: Mar 15 '07 (Updated Mar 15 '07)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: gorgeous scenery, expansive, wide variety of animals
Cons: lots of walking, hard to see everything, somewhat confusing layout
The Bottom Line: San Diego Wild Animal Park is a great place to spend the day.
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| bilbopooh's Full Review: San Diego Wild Animal Park |
Last night, I came back from San Diego, where my family went to visit my brother Benjamin, an ensign in the Navy who has been stationed there since August and is shipping out for a six-month cruise in a couple of weeks. We wanted to make sure we got to see him before that, and though he was busy for part of our stay, San Diego offered all sorts of engaging diversions, not to mention gorgeous weather, so we knew we'd have no trouble entertaining ourselves. When I realized how close I was getting to my 1100th posting here, I decided to save that nice round number for the San Diego Zoo, which I expected to be a highlight of our trip. The second day of our stay, however, two locals advised us to check out the Wild Animal Park instead. It's still run by the San Diego Zoo, but it offers an unusual safari-like experience, spread out as it is on an 1800-acre stretch of land in the San Pasqual Valley. So we changed our plan slightly. I'm sure we would have loved the zoo. But the Wild Animal Park was pretty darn impressive and a really nice way to spend a good chunk of our last day in San Diego.
Upon first entering the park, we wandered into the African Aviary, an extra-large enclosure containing more than 40 species of birds, including black herons, open-bill storks, jacanas and hammerkops. Everywhere we looked, there was some bird or another, many with vibrant-colored feathers; we also saw several snowy white egrets walking atop the netting along the exhibit's roof. Though most of the birds stuck to the trees or the underbrush near the pathway, every once in a while a bird would venture closer, and there were ample photo opportunities. There was plenty of interesting foliage too, and it was definitely worth taking the time to move through the aviary slowly.
Throughout the park are several statues and life-size versions of animal habitats; my favorites were right near the aviary. A giant rhinoceros statue is off by itself in a wooden gazebo where visitors can pose with it, and my brother Nathan and I eagerly hammed it up, with my resting comfortably behind the rhino's ears and Nathan gingerly hovering above its horn. Nearby was a large broken egg out of which visitors could pretend they were being hatched. I managed to squeeze myself in, but it was a snug fit; I think the egg is intended more for young'uns. Near these statues was one of several large ponds scattered through the park. Most of the pond's inhabitants were various species of ducks and geese, but there were more unusual birds as well, and Nathan and I stopped a while to feed them pellets from a dispenser. Fifty cents got us a hefty handful that lasted several minutes and momentarily appeased some very greedy fowl.
From there, we meandered past several exhibits, including the meerkats and gorillas and the Balloon Safari, a hot air balloon ride which initially sounded promising but turned out to be tethered to the ground, merely rising 400 feet in the air and hovering over the park. I'm sure it was a nice view, but for $15 it didn't seem quite substantial enough for us to indulge in it. We soon made our way toward the Lion Camp, which was a centerpiece of the sprawling African section. We were met by several lions pacing agitatedly as a crowd of young students looked on; the keeper assured us that the big cats were bothered not by our presence but by the media blitz on the other side of their enclosure announcing the grand opening of the Journey Into Africa tram ride.
Once we got to the tram, we were informed that it was only its second day of operation and that starting on the third day, it would cost an additional $10 to ride. Today, the ride was free. We waited in line while being entertained by a group of singers, dancers and instrumentalists performing traditional African music. Once on the tram, which seated four to a bench and probably around a hundred altogether, we embarked on a half-hour tour of an extensive area where all sorts of African animals roamed free. We saw giraffes (one of which was only a few months old) and antelopes, ostriches and rhinos, zebras and gazelles. Our guide was very informative, giving us facts about each species, relaying the park's commitment to conservation through breeding of rare species and education and even sharing a few folktales about how various animals got their unique features. The diversity found in this safari is impressive, and the animals are close enough for easy viewing and picture-taking but have plenty of room to roam. Our tour lasted about half an hour, which gave us a nice break from all the walking that we did throughout the rest of the day.
After the tram ride, we headed for the elephant exhibit. On the way there, we passed several unusual critters, including the okapi, a very strange-looking relative of the giraffe that looks like three or four different species thrown together. Getting to the elephants required a bit of a trek; a sign warned us, "You will enjoy the walk, but there is one hill." Ooooh, intimidating. We were a rather winded by the time we got to the top, but it was worth the walk; among the elephants were two calves, one of which had been born only two days before. Talk about adorable! After a little break in the shady botanical gardens, we meandered up to Condor Ridge, passing roadrunners, bald eagles, California condors, porcupines and other natives to North America. Up at the top we had an amazing view of the valley and surrounding mountains. We could see quite a lot of the park from that vantage point, including most of the land covered by the Journey Into Africa. The view was awe-inspiring.
At that point, we already had to start thinking about winding down our trip, since we were set to meet Benjamin for our last afternoon in town. Before we left, we saw an Animal Encounter in which we were introduced to a cheetah and a dog, who licked contentedly on their bloodsicles (appetizing, no?) while the keepers talked about cheetah anatomy and the relationship between these two creatures. We checked out the Hidden Jungle, a greenhouse filled with exotic birds. This was another walk-through exhibit, so as with the aviary, we got very up-close and personal. We got even closer in Lorikeet Landing, another walk-through exhibit, this one devoted to the brilliantly colored Australian birds. Two dollars got me a little cup of nectar, which I held out, soon to be landed upon by two lorikeets. These birds weren't shy in the least; they just toddled around on my hand, taking turns drinking from my nectar cup. This was the last thing we did before leaving the park, and it was great fun.
In the end, we spent about five and a half hours at the park. It's only open from 9 to 5 (gates close at 4), so we only missed out on a couple of hours. Even with eight hours, as spread out as the park is, it might be hard to see everything. We got a very good overview of the park but ended up missing a few exhibits, including the Giraffe Feeding and the Petting Krall (a petting zoo that apparently includes more exotic animals than usual). We intended to catch both of those, especially the opportunity to feed giraffes, but we never found them in time even though we got a map with our entry into the park. We did a lot of walking, and the paths wind and intersect often, so it's easy to get rather lost. We also didn't have time for any of the zoo shows aside from the cheetah one, which we just caught a bit of in passing, but we saw the animals involved in the shows, and that was more important to us.
Our cost of admission was $28 per person, though I got the impression that we were there at the tail end of the off-season and tickets are usually more expensive. Packages are available for families that want to go to the San Diego Zoo too, and if they really want to splurge, they can throw in Sea World too. Of course, these get pretty pricey; the three-park deal costs over a hundred dollars per adult. Another expensive option is the Photo Caravan, which gets visitors really close to a variety of animals in the Wild Animal Park and allows for amazing photo opportunities, but the cost ranges from $70 to $130, depending on the length of time spent on the exclusive tour. Reservations are recommended for this option, since spaces are very limited.
If you go to the Wild Animal Park, plan to spend the whole day, and you'll get your money's worth. There are plenty of shops and food stands - not to mention overpriced vending machines - so if you have a hunger (or, more likely, thirst) attack or crave a souvenir, you're covered. I can't say whether it's better than the San Diego Zoo, but it certainly was an enriching experience; I just wish it wasn't on the other side of the country!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
bilbopooh
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 in Movies, Books |
 - Top 500 |
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Member: Erin McCarty
Location: Erie, PA
Reviews written: 2526
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