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It was time for an outside adventure this past weekend now that the rains have subsided for a bit in Southern California. Our season passes are about to expire to the San Diego Zoo and the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, so I invited a friend and her daughters to join us for some Saturday fun. The weather was perfect and there were animals everywhere!
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Getting around the Safari Park
Personally, I prefer
So many animals to see
Where to start? We have been here a few times since we got season passes this year, but we decided to start with the new Walkabout Australia exhibit. On the way, we got to see some animals like flamingos, tigers, and meercats.
The new Walkabout Australia section was pretty cool! It took a while to walk there but the view was worth it. When you get there, you are greeted by kangaroos, birds and other animals. They are resting in the shade, eating and wandering about. This is not some ordinary zoo exhibit. One of the best parts of the safari park is getting to be among the animals, sometimes with no fence in between. You go through a special door and out into the very area where the kangaroos are!
Snack time with gorillas
One of my favorite animal exhibits is the gorillas. They rarely disappoint when it comes to watching. There is a baby gorilla that likes to cause trouble and annoy the older gorillas. I usually spend the longest amount of time here watching them interact. The boys got hungry while watching, so I grabbed the Apple Sauce squeeze packets that I always keep handy.
Lunch and Playground
Lunch was up next. We usually like to go to the food place next to the playground so the kids can run around after we eat. If you get a good seat you can even finish eating while they go play and you can see them. The kids loved climbing, sliding, and running all over.
Tram ride
An absolute must is the tram ride. It has 3 cars and is open on the sides but covered on top. The tram ride is narrated with plenty of puns but good for a chuckle. It takes you all over the open areas of the park so you can see animals like giraffes, rhinos, zebras, antelope, ostriches, a camel, Okapi and so many more!
Tips for visitors
A couple of attachments I would highly recommend for your stroller would be the stroller hook and the toy strap. These 2 things will make your life easier anywhere you go. The stroller hook makes it easy to hang shopping bags, small backpacks, water bottles and more. With a toy strap, you can attach a toy to the stroller. If your little one decides to throw the toy it won’t end up on the ground.
- Single or double strollers are available to rent
- Bring snacks because sometimes you will be far from where food is
- Make sure to take advantage of potty breaks when you see a bathroom because the park is very spread out.
- Get there early because parking can fill up. They do have a small tram that can take you from far parking spots though.
Have you been before? What advice would you give to others that are wanting to go? Comment below.
For some suggestions on what to pack in your diaper bag for an adventure like this see my blog post here.
On the way home I got to listen to one of my Audible books while the boys slept. Check out my top 15 Audible book recommendations here.
You are so right about the SD zoo hills, I was worn out walking in my twenties pre-kids… can only imagine what it would be like to try pushing a stroller around now (as I’m pushing 40)!
This looks like so much fun!