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February 29, 2020

San Diego Zoo Safari Park

San Diego Zoo Safari Park was offering Free February for seniors!  The FREE got our attention, but with other things to do and a bit of procrastination it was not until the end of the month that we finally set aside a day to check it out.
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Last time we were here it was still known as the San Diego Wild Animal Park, the name was a changed in 2010.

The African Tram, which replaced the Wagasa Bush Monorail in 2007, offers a tour through the African enclosure.  The tram is included with the $58 ea. admission.  
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The first tram departs at 10 am with a line already formed by the time we arrived at 9:40.  We were the last couple to board the second tram at 10:20.

The tram is included with the entry and a very popular attraction.  The ride is less than 30 minutes, but covers the highlites of the African Plains.
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For a more in-depth experience, a 2-hour ride in the back of a pickup truck is available for $120 (and up) ea.  Or one of the other specific safaris can be purchased.

The park is massive! the only means of visiting the various themed areas is on foot.  Be prepared to walk, and then walk some more.

The park opened in 1972, my first visit was a few years later.  It was HOT the plants had not yet grown to provide any shade, ugh!  a lot is different this visit with more mature landscaping to provide shade along the pathways.  It now has ample shade and with a breeze very comfortable.

Many of the old favorite sites and exhibits are as they have been.  Such as the Nairobi Village.

New to us is the Australian exhibit featuring a most awesome platypus. I expect a platypus to be the size of a house cat, nope!  More like the size of a small squirrel … and FAST!, really fast.
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I took a dozen pictures and this blurry one is the best, I did say he was fast!

Also new to me was the native plant exhibit. 


The park allows picnic lunches and sealed water bottles to be brought in.  That’s a good idea as a water bottle in the park is over $4.  

As with a trip to the San Diego Zoo I took dozens of pictures of the animals.  However, unlike the zoo, the animals are not 'caged', but rather 'fenced' into an area similar to their native habitat and the visitor may be allowed to enter their territory.

Unlike the zoo, the park's goal is to prevent extinction of the animals it protects and return them to the wild.  Most of the condors released back into the wild were raised and trained to hunt here.

If the park chooses to do another FREE senior admission, I expect we’ll return.  It was a fun day for a bit of education and more than a bit of exercise.  Altho we were not required to pay the $58 ea. admission, the $15 parking was not included.

12 comments:

  1. The Tiger trail is very inviting....I just wanted to walk right in with you. I always thought a platypus was a much bigger creature too!

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    1. The entry with its bamboo arch was impressive, that stuff must grows fast. All of the exhibits have a welcoming entryway to define them.

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  2. Wow, I'd never even heard of this place. We'll have to check it out. I especially like the part about them releasing the animals back into the wild. While zoos certainly have a function and many are well run, it's always a bit depressing knowing the animals are likely never leaving. This sounds much better.

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    1. Maintaining and releasing endangered species is it's goal. Most/all of the released condors were raised and trained here, the last of the White Rhinos are here and breeding. It is indeed an amazing program! All the animals are restrained by a fence, they are not incarcerated in a cage.

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  3. We went there with some free tickets we scored and would have to say it was way better than the zoo with a more natural feel...

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    1. For sure there is a major effort to provide a natural feel to the various enclosures. I think that natural feel makes for a better experience then that of the better known zoo.

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  4. Beautiful park. I can see why you wait for a fee senior day with the prices. Couldn't see the platypus. Must be really fast. It's nice they are enclosed in an area much like their natural habitat. Thanks for the tour Jeff.

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    1. Glad you enjoyed the tour. it's not in our price range to visit more than once a decade, but FREE really is a motivation!

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  5. Mike used to volunteer at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. It is amazing the amount of work and knowledge it takes to take care of the animals and feeding them. Great find and price.

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    1. Volunteering at ta zoo takes a lot of effort and dedication, I think I could deal with the animals ... not so sure about all the people :)

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  6. Glad to see zoos are trying to create habitats. I visited San Diego Zoo in the mid 70s. Good thing, because if it wasn't a free day I wouldn't pay that admission fee. Wow!

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    1. The fees go to good causes I'm sure, but we cannot afford the regular admission price. The FREE day sure makes it a great visit.

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