Last night, I came back from San Diego, where my family went to visit my
brother Benjamin, an ensign in the Navy who has been stationed there
since August and is shipping out for a six-month cruise in a couple of
weeks. We wanted to make sure we got to see him before that, and though
he was busy for part of our stay, San Diego offered all sorts of
engaging diversions, not to mention gorgeous weather, so we knew we'd
have no trouble entertaining ourselves. When I realized how close I was
getting to my 1100th posting here, I decided to save that nice round
number for the San Diego Zoo, which I expected to be a highlight of our
trip. The second day of our stay, however, two locals advised us to
check out the Wild Animal Park instead. It's still run by the San Diego
Zoo, but it offers an unusual safari-like experience, spread out as it
is on an 1800-acre stretch of land in the San Pasqual Valley. So we
changed our plan slightly. I'm sure we would have loved the zoo. But the
Wild Animal Park was pretty darn impressive and a really nice way to
spend a good chunk of our last day in San Diego.
Upon first entering the park, we wandered into the African Aviary,
an extra-large enclosure containing more than 40 species of birds,
including black herons, open-bill storks, jacanas and hammerkops.
Everywhere we looked, there was some bird or another, many with
vibrant-colored feathers; we also saw several snowy white egrets walking
atop the netting along the exhibit's roof. Though most of the birds
stuck to the trees or the underbrush near the pathway, every once in a
while a bird would venture closer, and there were ample photo
opportunities. There was plenty of interesting foliage too, and it was
definitely worth taking the time to move through the aviary slowly.
Throughout the park are several statues and life-size versions of
animal habitats; my favorites were right near the aviary. A giant
rhinoceros statue is off by itself in a wooden gazebo where visitors can
pose with it, and my brother Nathan and I eagerly hammed it up, with my
resting comfortably behind the rhino's ears and Nathan gingerly
hovering above its horn. Nearby was a large broken egg out of which
visitors could pretend they were being hatched. I managed to squeeze
myself in, but it was a snug fit; I think the egg is intended more for
young'uns. Near these statues was one of several large ponds scattered
through the park. Most of the pond's inhabitants were various species of
ducks and geese, but there were more unusual birds as well, and Nathan
and I stopped a while to feed them pellets from a dispenser. Fifty cents
got us a hefty handful that lasted several minutes and momentarily
appeased some very greedy fowl.
From there, we meandered past several exhibits, including the meerkats and gorillas and the Balloon Safari,
a hot air balloon ride which initially sounded promising but turned out
to be tethered to the ground, merely rising 400 feet in the air and
hovering over the park. I'm sure it was a nice view, but for $15 it
didn't seem quite substantial enough for us to indulge in it. We soon
made our way toward the Lion Camp, which was a centerpiece of the
sprawling African section. We were met by several lions pacing
agitatedly as a crowd of young students looked on; the keeper assured us
that the big cats were bothered not by our presence but by the media
blitz on the other side of their enclosure announcing the grand opening
of the Journey Into Africa tram ride.
Once we got to
the tram, we were informed that it was only its second day of operation
and that starting on the third day, it would cost an additional $10 to
ride. Today, the ride was free. We waited in line while being
entertained by a group of singers, dancers and instrumentalists
performing traditional African music. Once on the tram, which seated
four to a bench and probably around a hundred altogether, we embarked on
a half-hour tour of an extensive area where all sorts of African
animals roamed free. We saw giraffes (one of which was only a few months
old) and antelopes, ostriches and rhinos, zebras and gazelles. Our
guide was very informative, giving us facts about each species, relaying
the park's commitment to conservation through breeding of rare species
and education and even sharing a few folktales about how various animals
got their unique features. The diversity found in this safari is
impressive, and the animals are close enough for easy viewing and
picture-taking but have plenty of room to roam. Our tour lasted about
half an hour, which gave us a nice break from all the walking that we
did throughout the rest of the day.
After the tram ride, we
headed for the elephant exhibit. On the way there, we passed several
unusual critters, including the okapi, a very strange-looking relative
of the giraffe that looks like three or four different species thrown
together. Getting to the elephants required a bit of a trek; a sign
warned us, "You will enjoy the walk, but there is one hill." Ooooh,
intimidating. We were rather winded by the time we got to the top, but
it was worth the walk; among the elephants were two calves, one of
which had been born only two days before. Talk about adorable! After a
little break in the shady botanical gardens, we meandered up to Condor Ridge,
passing roadrunners, bald eagles, California condors, porcupines and
other natives to North America. Up at the top we had an amazing view of
the valley and surrounding mountains. We could see quite a lot of the
park from that vantage point, including most of the land covered by the
Journey Into Africa. The view was awe-inspiring.
At that
point, we already had to start thinking about winding down our trip,
since we were set to meet Benjamin for our last afternoon in town.
Before we left, we saw an Animal Encounter in which we were
introduced to a cheetah and a dog, who licked contentedly on their
bloodsicles (appetizing, no?) while the keepers talked about cheetah
anatomy and the relationship between these two creatures. We checked out
the Hidden Jungle, a greenhouse filled with exotic birds. This
was another walk-through exhibit, so as with the aviary, we got very
up-close and personal. We got even closer in Lorikeet Landing,
another walk-through exhibit, this one devoted to the brilliantly
colored Australian birds. Two dollars got me a little cup of nectar,
which I held out, soon to be landed upon by two lorikeets. These birds
weren't shy in the least; they just toddled around on my hand, taking
turns drinking from my nectar cup. This was the last thing we did before
leaving the park, and it was great fun.
In the end, we spent
about five and a half hours at the park. It's only open from 9 to 5
(gates close at 4), so we only missed out on a couple of hours. Even
with eight hours, as spread out as the park is, it might be hard to see
everything. We got a very good overview of the park but ended up missing
a few exhibits, including the Giraffe Feeding and the Petting Krall
(a petting zoo that apparently includes more exotic animals than
usual). We intended to catch both of those, especially the opportunity
to feed giraffes, but we never found them in time even though we got a
map with our entry into the park. We did a lot of walking, and the paths
wind and intersect often, so it's easy to get rather lost. We also
didn't have time for any of the zoo shows aside from the cheetah one,
which we just caught a bit of in passing, but we saw the animals
involved in the shows, and that was more important to us.
Our
cost of admission was $28 per person, though I got the impression that
we were there at the tail end of the off-season and tickets are usually
more expensive. Packages are available for families that want to go to
the San Diego Zoo too, and if they really want to splurge, they can
throw in Sea World too. Of course, these get pretty pricey; the
three-park deal costs over a hundred dollars per adult. Another
expensive option is the Photo Caravan, which gets visitors really
close to a variety of animals in the Wild Animal Park and allows for
amazing photo opportunities, but the cost ranges from $70 to $130,
depending on the length of time spent on the exclusive tour.
Reservations are recommended for this option, since spaces are very
limited.
If you go to the Wild Animal Park, plan to spend the
whole day, and you'll get your money's worth. There are plenty of shops
and food stands - not to mention overpriced vending machines - so if you
have a hunger (or, more likely, thirst) attack or crave a souvenir,
you're covered. I can't say whether it's better than the San Diego Zoo,
but it certainly was an enriching experience; I just wish it wasn't on
the other side of the country!
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