No Need to Go to Africa – LA Has the #1 Wildlife Safari Too! 🦁

The day after Thanksgiving, we visited the top-ranked wildlife park in the U.S. – San Diego Safari Park 🐘. Yes, the kind where you sit in a vehicle and ride through sandy trails and jungles while animals roam right beside you 🚙🌵. You get a close-up view of all their activities, and the photos turn out amazing! 📸✨ 🅿️ Parking There are two options: • General parking: $25, a bit farther from the entrance (short walk to the gate) • Preferred parking: 40–45, closer to the entrance I’d say general parking is just fine – plenty of spots and not too far! 🌿 Family-Friendly Facilities Lots of restrooms along the way, all with changing tables 👶. But if you need a family restroom, those are only available at the park base. Paths are wide and stroller-friendly – multiple strollers can pass easily 🚼. There are also snack and drink stands throughout – super convenient! 🥤🍿 🐅 Safari Experience The safari tour is separately ticketed. It’s best to book online in advance for faster entry 🎟️💻. Prices vary by safari type, and some have age restrictions – only the Cart Safari allows kids under 2; others require children to be at least 3+. If you don’t want to pay extra for the safari, you can take the included Tram (included with general admission). But be prepared to wait in line – it’s popular! The tram covers most of the same areas as the Cart Safari. ❌ Downsides • The walking paths between animal exhibits are quite far apart – you’ll do a lot of walking 🥾. And you often have to backtrack instead of looping around smoothly. • Very few restaurants along the way – basically only two near the entrance. Better to bring your own snacks! 🥪 • Biggest disappointment: After our safari, we walked around to see other animals, but by 4:30 PM, the gorilla 🦍, lion 🦁, and leopard 🐆 areas were already closed! 😤 That’s way too early to close! Plus, as I mentioned, the walking distances are long, so it felt like we spent hundreds of dollars, walked miles, and still missed many animals we wanted to see. 💡 Final Tip Don’t try to visit both San Diego Zoo and Safari Park in one day – it’s not feasible! They’re about 40 minutes apart by car 🚗, and the Safari Park alone is huge. You’ll likely finish around sunset. We arrived around noon and stayed until just after 5 PM. Our little one walked the whole time without a stroller – impressive energy for a 21-month-old! 👏 Meanwhile, my legs were totally sore 😂. #BabyMeetsAnimals #LASafari #SanDiegoSafariZoo #TopZoosInUS #LAKidsActivities #LAFamilyFun #SanDiegoWithKids #ThanksgivingActivities