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Wild Animal Park Reviews

15500 San Pasqual Valley Road, Escondido, California 92027

Featured Review : On our drive back from Palm Springs to the San Diego airport, I insisted upon stopping at one of my favorite childhood So-Cal attractions; the Wild Animal Park in Escondido. The Wild Animal Park was conveniently located ...See Full Review

  • Category:Zoos and Aquariums
  • Hours:Mid-June-Labor Day, daily 9-8; mid-Sept.-mid-June, daily 9-4
  • Price:$28.50 includes all shows and monorail tour; $54.45 combination pass grants entry, within 5 days of purchase, to San Diego Zoo and San Diego Wild Animal Park; parking $8
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  • #1 most popular
    thing to do in Escondido
  • Avg. User Rating:
    4 out of 5 stars

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  • San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park

  • 5 out of 5 stars
     KiwiQ2002 from Chicago
  • January 25, 2007
  • Best of IgoUgo
Quote: "Looking for Me?" Photo - Wild Animal Park, Escondido, California About 35 miles north of San Diego, there is a park like no other--the San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park. This place is wonderful and it is a must see on your trip to San Diego!

The Wild Animal Park is different. Instead of large animals in small enclosures, the main focus of the park is an extensive open field exhibit area of land, where giraffes, rhinos, and many other animals are free to roam. In a way, this park feels like you are entering 'Jurassic Park.'

We had a great time! The park was clean, staff were friendly, and bathrooms were clean. There is a lot to see, and a lot of walking. The railway tram is one of the best ways to see the animals in the field exhibit. We took the railway ride, which was about 45 minutes and went to the outside sections of the park.

The highlight of the visit was the photo caravan. It is 2 hours, and costs an additional $90 per person, and worth every penny! You load onto a covered van, and a guide and driver takes you into the middle of the park where you can feed the giraffes and rhinos, and get some excellent close up photos. It's amazing. I would recommend it to everyone, because it is a once in a lifetime experience. Reservations are needed, so you will need to stop at the guest relations desk in the front of the park.

There is a hot air balloon ride which looked fun, but we did not go on it.

Definitely consider the photo safari. It's a little costly, but the park is non-profit, so all of your money goes back to the animals and supports the park! Plus, it is a wonderful experience.

For a great time, head to the San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park next time you are visiting San Diego.
From journals San Diego Weekend Getaway

  • The San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park

  • 4 out of 5 stars
     izrobertson from Ridgewood
  • April 23, 2006
Quote: Travel Photo by IgoUgo member After driving several hours to get here without directions, and conveniently finding out that this park is not in San Diego, we finally made it—and what an experience. The rest of this review is coming soon.
From journals Anniversary - April 13 to 21, 2006

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  • San Diego Zoo,s Wild Animal Park

  • 5 out of 5 stars
     davilin88 from Chico
  • November 13, 2005
Quote: It's a zoo without cages. Herd animals such as wildebeest, gazelles, zebras, giraffes, and rhinos have a huge area to roam, while predators are in separate areas. The Wgasa Bushline Railway gives visitors an overview as it circles the park, stopping for photo ops when the knowledgeable and entertaining guide spots something of interest, such as a male gazelle trying to lure a female into his harem. For an extra fee, you can ride in a truck (photo safari) out on the plain for a closer look. For the more adventurous, there's the Roar and Snore overnight camping. Shows: such as the elephant show, which demonstrates care of these giants; frequent flyers, featuring endangered birds such as a peregrine falcon, South American condor and others; and keeper talks occur throughout the day. There are several aviaries, some of which you can walk through, and for $2 in lorikeet landing you can buy a cup of nectar and these brightly colored birds will land on your hand to feed. Keeper talks feature different animals around the park. One we saw featured an African cat called a caracol, about the size of a greyhound, capable of 12 foot leaps and amazing acrobatics in the air to catch birds. Petting zoo, gorillas, and of course souvenir shops add to a great time for everyone.
From journals Hang Loose in San Clemente

  • Wild Animal Park

  • 4 out of 5 stars
     Nancy&Doug from New Britain
  • February 2, 2005
Quote: Wild Animal Park Photo - Wild Animal Park, Escondido, California I'm not a fan of zoos, but I did enjoy our trip to the Wild Animal Park, the breeding center for the San Diego Zoo. A train safari takes guests through the massive facility. One could take this train ride several times and see different animals on each trip.

We also enjoyed the butterfly house. I never knew there were so many different colorful butterflies out there.


From journals Wild West Tour 2004

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  • Wild Animal Park

  • 5 out of 5 stars
     Whatsline from Warner Robins
  • May 27, 2004
  • Best of IgoUgo
Quote: Wild Animal Park Photo - Wild Animal Park, Escondido, California We were completely blown away by this park. We had already seen the zoo and couldn't think of anything more that they could do, but WOW! they did it!

We got there about 30 minutes after opening and asked the ticket people what is the "not miss" things. They said to go straight to the Heart of Africa and feed the giraffes. This was the BEST advice. Walking into the "Heart of Africa," there are little books. Make sure that you find these, as it will tell you what you are looking at. As we walked to the giraffe area, we were totally blown away. It was like walking into Jurassic Park, zoo-style. As you come around the corner, you get your first glimpse and it has wild animals walking all around you. You can't see most of the enclosures, so you really feel like you are just out there in the open with them.

We sat on the terrace by the food area for hours just enjoying watching things walk by. A really big bird tried to steal my food when I wasn't looking, but he didn't get it. There are birds flying overhead. The giraffes only really come in to eat first thing in the morning and we were fortunate to get there when one wanted something to eat.

The rest of the day was dreamy, like we had walked into a safari. You have to see it to believe it. You can also take the tram ride when your feet get tired and get a look at the animals on the far end of the park. There was so much to walk through and so much to see that we could have easily spent another day there.


From journals San Diego Safari