| The San Diego Wild Animal Park is a wildlife preserve where some of the earth's rarest animals roam together in herds and flocks in an environment similar to that of their native homeland. Visitors can observe more than 3,200 animals representing more than 400 species, including California condors, Przewalski's wild horses, lowland gorillas and the largest crash of rhinos in any zoo. The Wild Animal Park is also known for its floral collection, featuring more than 3,500 species of exotic plants. The Park is run by the Zoological Society of San Diego, which also heads the world-famous San Diego Zoo.The Park's most recent addition is the Condor Ridge, which opened in May 2000. It is a North American wilderness experience that focuses on more than a dozen rare and endangered native species and the story of their survival in the wild. The Condor Ridge offers guests a first-time-ever opportunity to view California condors at the Park, as well as bighorn sheep and black-footed ferrets. As you traverse scenic trails, you will encounter a variety of habitats from pine forests to prairies to foothills. Some favorite features of the Wild Animal Park include the Heart of Africa, a 32-acre safari walk through an African wilderness. You'll get the chance to traverse a variety of habitats from dense forests to grassy savannas to a waterhole featuring three islands and a rustic interactive research camp. Guests can hand-feed giraffes and stroll near animals such as okapis, cheetahs, rhinos, giant eland, colobus monkeys, wattled cranes, warthogs, hornbills and flamingos. Another highlight of the park is the Wgasa Bush Line Railway, a 5-mile, 50-minute excursion that offers the grandest views of rare African and Asian animals such as chimpanzees, elephants, lions, zebras, rhinos and more. The Photo Caravans offer guests the opportunity to safari inside the Wild Animal Park's field habitats in open-air trucks, providing excellent photo opportunities as the animals approach the vehicles.The San Diego Wild Animal Park plays host to a number of special events, including Kids Music Days, the Butterflies and Orchids exhibit, Roar and Snore Campovers, Park at Dark, the Sunrise Safari, the Mum Festival and the Festival of Lights. San Diego Wild Animal Park is located 30 miles north of downtown San Diego in the San Pasqual Valley near Escondido, CA. Admission: Age 12 and older pay $23.95; age 3-11 pay $16.95; age 2 and younger pay nothing; seniors 60 and older pay $19.75. Parking on premises is $5. |
