San Diego Zoo's Safari Park was opened after I left the San Diego area but even on my visits back, I have 
never gone. With my daughter Rebekah and her three kids plus Chris, another grandson here, I finally went.
It's definitely best to arrive well in advance of opening. That gives you time to purchase your tickets if you haven't gotten them online plus get in line at the entrance. We had to purchase tickets at the gate because we had an assortment of discount passes that probably saved us $100. We were also able to get an early time to go through the butterfly enclosure, which is open for only three weeks in the spring.
We headed right to the butterflies. What an amazing and colorful assortment! I wanted to get a photo of a blue one- the common blue morpho. When its wings are closed it blends in with vegetation. Fortunately I got this photo when one landed on a woman's pink hat and opened its wings!
The next stop was the wildlife tram. You can take a number of different safari adventures through the park at varying costs. This one is $10 and included with the price of admission, unless you have a separate pass. That's another one to take as soon as you can. The first one leaves around 10. First of all, your wait in line is minimal and secondly animals tend to be more active earlier in the day.
On the tram ride, you go through the open areas where a variety of antelope, giraffe, rhinos roam. We boarded near the lions. George got a good shot of the male posed in the grass, then later one of him lying on his back, feet in the air- totally relaxed! Grandson Tim, whose birthday we're celebrating, loves lions so he was thrilled to see them. We also saw cheetahs lying in the grass and other grazing animals in smaller, though open, areas.
While most of the large animals are in large enclosures, some are in more zoo-like ones. The large birds like this eagle and the California condor had netting at the top. The eagles were injured ones that could not fly, but the condors appeared to be fine.
The Safari Park, our tram driver told us, was started to breed animals. They have been very successful at that, often successfully breeding species that other zoos have not been able to breed. For endangered species, the park can supply individuals to other zoos or even return them to the wild.
Below is a West African Crowned Crane. Shannon eyes the meerkats, standing to face the sun as they warm up and soak in the rays.
A visit to any amusement park or attraction can get expensive. In addition to tickets, parking is $10 for a car, more for an RV. And, there is food unless you bring in your own. If you want to do one of the special safaris, that will rack up your total even more. Still, this should be on your list to see at some point. If you aren't with kids on break or vacation, you can pick a time when it is less crowded. And remember that inland San Diego County gets hot in the summer. Spring and fall are definitely the best times to go. The spring has the further advantage in that you might see babies. We saw a rather young giraffe, rhinoceros (that was 90 lbs at birth!) and a darling baby elephant. You can take your RV too. It's about 10 miles off I-15 in Escondido. Jaimie Hall Bruzenak
Photos by George and Jaimie Bruzenak and Rebekah Whalen
