Safari West — Attraction in Calistoga

We took my mother here for the Mother's Day Brunch Safari yesterday morning/afternoon. Overall the park itself was really spacious and the animals were beautiful. Staff seemed very knowledgeable about the animals. The reason I only give this place 3 stars is because (1) the brunch itself was lacking in more ways than one, and (2) staff seemed really uncoordinated and did not communicate effectively to ensure we had an enjoyable time. Our reservation was at 10am which we were told to be there by 9:45am as we would be on a schedule. We arrived at about 9:15am and were told all mother's day brunch safari guests would have to park in an "overflow lot". The lot was really just a dirt turnout on the side of the road. Luckily they provided a shuttle but this was not communicated to us when we made our reservation so no one carried any cash to tip. We were able to go inside the restaurant a little before 10am but we were not able to get our food until about 10:30am. We assumed that there was some staff delay and that our safari would begin closer to noon; although no one had communicated any of this explicitly to us. The buffet consisted of a variety of pastries, bagels with lox and other fixings, a turkey carving station, salad mix, mixed vegetables including carrots, green beans, and potatoes, bacon, sausage and a blueberry french toast. Not a huge variety. I was very disappointed that they didn't have any eggs. Eggs are a staple item for any breakfast or brunch in my opinion. When we asked staff if there were eggs they looked at us like we were crazy. And since I don't personally eat meat, I was left to have a VERY high carb breakfast. The food that I did have was very good but the lack of spread was overshadowing. The brunch itself was described as all-inclusive. The brunch was advertised as having mimosas. Since it was described as all-inclusive I assumed that meant bottomless mimosas. It didn't. That meant that you would get one drink ticket per person and have the option to pay $7 per mimosa, wine or beer. Safari West did a horrible job of advertising this and I feel that it was very deceptive how they described it all-inclusive. Simple language saying all non-alcoholic are included; a cash bar is available would have worked. Since the breakfast had started late we assumed that our tour would begin later. A little after 11:30am we were approached by a staff member and said our tour party was waiting on us. Up until then there had been no information about when anything would start. At this point we were told we were going to be walking for about 30 minutes on a guided tour. Great although we went into this not knowing we would have a walking portion. The 30 minute walking tour seemed rushed and the guide was easily frustrated by people falling behind. After our 30 minute walking tour we were to board a caravan with a different group. Again this whole itinerary we were learning on the fly. Since we were rushed out breakfast and just went on a 30 minute walk my family had to use the restroom. When they asked the caravan driver she seemed very reluctant to allow them but told them to hurry. We were put in very awkward situations continually because staff never communicated what the day would be like. The caravan ride itself was nice. It was about an hour. The seats were really uncomfortable to me but the rest of my party was fine with them. Make sure to have a camera because it's unreal how close some of the animals get. It was nice have the guides describe the various animals and their specific behaviors. I kind of expected more as far as variety of animals but I understand all the animals need to have adequate space. The brunch by itself was priced at $42/person. With the hour long safari you get to see 100 of the 400 acres -- it was $75/person. If you read anything from this review, save your money and eat breakfast/brunch somewhere else and use that money towards the safari of the whole 400 acres. The full safari is about $95 but would have been money...

(Late review - actual time of travel was in October 2020 during the Pandemic).||||With travel severely limited these days, my husband and I celebrated our birthdays and anniversary at Safari West. My nephew and his wife had gone in September to celebrate her birthday, and they completely enjoyed their experience.||||In a nutshell, we had heaps of fun. Our tent was perfectly situated along the edge where the animals had access to the watering trough, so we had a close up of several animals who came to drink. Our tent was very spacious and comfortable, albeit at little chilly as temps dropped to 37F overnight. There was a space heater, but it made such a rattle that we decided against using it. Despite the temps, we were toasty warm under the covers and dual controlled electric blanket. The "window" shades were open so when we woke up, the compound is the first thing we would see. It was just so chilly! We could see our breath as we poked our noses out from beneath the blankets. We turned in early (8pm) and listened to the cacophony of birds and primates howling and screeching until 11pm then - silence.||||Tip for those not used to sleeping in a tent: tuck the clothes you are going to wear the next morning under the blankets. They will be nice and warm in the morning. Trust me on this!||||Dinner was a nice affair. The tables are large so it was easy to be physically distant. Before the pandemic, it was buffet style. To accommodate that, the servers offer the buffet menu and you can choose what items you would like to try. It could be as much or as little as you wish, and I suspect that you can get seconds if you are still hungry. They started off with a fruit and cheese platter, followed by a crisp green salad, then a choice of mains and sides. For dessert we opted for just one; it was big enough for two to share. ||||Know that the menu is not terribly vegan/vegetarian friendly. That is just how it is. I do not believe they offer tent service for dinner, but you can bring your own food to eat at your tent if you wish. Breakfast is complimentary, and they offer a limited hot and cold breakfast.||||Zach was our tour guide. We were a total of three parties on our jeep which was outfitted with acrylic partitions between seats - a family of four up top, and an older couple at the front, while hubs and I sat at the back of the jeep. Zach spoke mainly on the conservation side of things, and we learned quite a lot about the animals, their current habitats on the reserve and in the wild, as well as their survival rate in the wild. Halfway through the tour, we were given the opportunity to switch seats and give us a chance to sit up top, but as the temps heated up we found the shade of the jeep quite comfortable and declined to move. I think the kids were quite content to ride in the open and hopefully come face to face with a giraffe.||||There are a couple of tent options designed for couples or families. Antelope Alley has some great views of the grounds. We didn't have the opportunity to walk the grounds to Base Camp but I'm sure they have some great views as well.||||Note: If you have a qualified service animal you might be able to negotiate a stay with your pet, but it's in the best interest of all animals involved to leave them at home.||||For a different kind of adventure, consider The Sonoma Serengeti for a couples getaway or a family outing. Best for the kids to be at least 4 years old in order to appreciate the tour. You're in a very bouncy jeep for 2 to 2-1/2 hours and the terrain can be a bit rough. We didn't spot any seat belts in the seats inside the jeep, but noticed they are available on...

(Late review - actual time of travel was in October 2020 during the Pandemic).||||With travel severely limited these days, my husband and I celebrated our birthdays and anniversary at Safari West. My nephew and his wife had gone in September to celebrate her birthday, and they completely enjoyed their experience.||||In a nutshell, we had heaps of fun. Our tent was perfectly situated along the edge where the animals had access to the watering trough, so we had a close up of several animals who came to drink. Our tent was very spacious and comfortable, albeit at little chilly as temps dropped to 37F overnight. There was a space heater, but it made such a rattle that we decided against using it. Despite the temps, we were toasty warm under the covers and dual controlled electric blanket. The "window" shades were open so when we woke up, the compound is the first thing we would see. It was just so chilly! We could see our breath as we poked our noses out from beneath the blankets. We turned in early (8pm) and listened to the cacophony of birds and primates howling and screeching until 11pm then - silence.||||Tip for those not used to sleeping in a tent: tuck the clothes you are going to wear the next morning under the blankets. They will be nice and warm in the morning. Trust me on this!||||Dinner was a nice affair. The tables are large so it was easy to be physically distant. Before the pandemic, it was buffet style. To accommodate that, the servers offer the buffet menu and you can choose what items you would like to try. It could be as much or as little as you wish, and I suspect that you can get seconds if you are still hungry. They started off with a fruit and cheese platter, followed by a crisp green salad, then a choice of mains and sides. For dessert we opted for just one; it was big enough for two to share. ||||Know that the menu is not terribly vegan/vegetarian friendly. That is just how it is. I do not believe they offer tent service for dinner, but you can bring your own food to eat at your tent if you wish. Breakfast is complimentary, and they offer a limited hot and cold breakfast.||||Zach was our tour guide. We were a total of three parties on our jeep which was outfitted with acrylic partitions between seats - a family of four up top, and an older couple at the front, while hubs and I sat at the back of the jeep. Zach spoke mainly on the conservation side of things, and we learned quite a lot about the animals, their current habitats on the reserve and in the wild, as well as their survival rate in the wild. Halfway through the tour, we were given the opportunity to switch seats and give us a chance to sit up top, but as the temps heated up we found the shade of the jeep quite comfortable and declined to move. I think the kids were quite content to ride in the open and hopefully come face to face with a giraffe.||||There are a couple of tent options designed for couples or families. Antelope Alley has some great views of the grounds. We didn't have the opportunity to walk the grounds to Base Camp but I'm sure they have some great views as well.||||Note: If you have a qualified service animal you might be able to negotiate a stay with your pet, but it's in the best interest of all animals involved to leave them at home.||||For a different kind of adventure, consider The Sonoma Serengeti for a couples getaway or a family outing. Best for the kids to be at least 4 years old in order to appreciate the tour. You're in a very bouncy jeep for 2 to 2-1/2 hours and the terrain can be a bit rough. We didn't spot any seat belts in the seats inside the jeep, but noticed they are available on...