The San Diego Wild Animal Park covers 1,800 acres and there's plenty to do and see. Check the daily schedules when you arrive to be sure you don't miss something you really wanted to see.
Arrive when the Park opens to minimize the amount of time you'll spend in the crowds and heat. Be prepared to do a lot of walking, and wear comfortable shoes. And it can get hot, hot, hot, so pack bottled water and wear loose summer-weight clothes. Strollers are a MUST for the little ones. You may bring your own or rent one directly to the left as you enter.
June is the perfect time to go because of the overcast- it was the perfect walking weather for a couch potato like me. Not too hot or cold. We went on a Sunday and there weren't too many people at the park.
Journey Into Africa: This 30-minute trip may be the closest many of us will ever come to seeing these wild critters in their natural environment. Typically, you will see lots of deer and antelopes, giraffes, several kinds of rhinoceros, elephants and other kinds of wild creatures, all roaming in a large, unfenced area. If you're anxious to get to it when you first arrive, the boarding area is at the far side of the park and you may feel like it takes almost as long to get there as it does to ride. It is not included in the General Admission ticket and other tickets allow only one trip, but you can buy individual tickets for it separately ($10 in 2008). If the park is busy and you have more money than time, you can also pay to get preferred boarding.
Heart of Africa: In this area, you'll find okapis, giraffes, warthogs, ground hornbills, and cheetahs.
Lorikeet Landing: Lorikeets are very colorful birds slightly larger than a parakeet. Stop at the entrance to their enclosure to buy a cup of lorikeet nectar. Hold it in your hand and the birds will sit on your finger and drink it up. This activity is highly recommended for anyone, but some children find all the fluttery birds a little scary.
Nairobi Village: Here you'll find the Petting Kraal where you can get some hands-on time with the tamest critters, along with the San Diego Wild Animal Park Nursery. There's also a daily bird show.
Other areas of the San Diego Wild Animal Park include the Lion Camp, Elephant Overlook, Condor Ridge, African Aviary, Hidden Jungle and the two-mile Kilimanjaro Safari Walk. If horticulture is your passion, you can indulge it at the Wild Animal Park. Look for the unusual gardens spread along the trails.
In summer, ten to fifteen thousand people visit the San Diego Wild Animal Park every day. The temperature can be 20 degrees or more higher than near the water. Special after-dark hours during the busiest part of the summer make afternoon arrival a good option.
This review is for the new FLIGHTLINE they have opened at the Wild Animal Park!
Imagine going up 480 feet above the San Diego Wild Animal Park strapped to a harness dangling on a wire. Then 3, 2, 1, wooosssshhhh.....
Flightline opened at the Wild Animal Park and it's a minute and a half (times may vary depending on your weight and since I'm a BIG BOY, I went fast!!!), ride over animals at the Wild Animal Park! It's such an exhilarating new ride that the Wild Animal Park has added and I LOVED it!
Do you really get to see animals below you? I don't really know, cause I was too busy flying down 480 feet at 45 mph!
It's for sure a fun thing to do, NOT for $70 but if you want to do something close to skydiving or bungee jumping but don't want to do either of those things, YOU SHOULD DO THIS!
The total time for this attraction is about 3-4 hours. One hilarious part of it, is for sure when you check in, you have to step on a scale to see if you "pass" the limit! (You better be nice to the person who sees your weight, just in case you want to keep your weight a secret!) You go through harness training, a mini fledgling flight, and then a mini tour as you head up to the top of the Flightline! Just remember to keep your "legs open and apart the whole time". (You know what I'm talking about if you try Flightline!)
The food at the Park is actually quite good, but the prices may shock you. Yes, the Park is a non-profit organization and the proceeds all benefit the animals and various research efforts, but the Park should be more reasonable on its food and drink pricing. A typical lunch with drink will set you back $20 or so, and the portions aren't huge. A bottle of water will cost you $4. A canned soda from a vending machine is set at $3.25.
