At The Backroads

In Part 1 of San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park we started our walk from Nairobi Village to Condor Ridge to Kupanda Falls Botanical Garden to Kilimanjaro Safari Walk and stopped at Lion’s Camp getting a little bit up close with Eezo.

Nose to Nose with Eezo, well, Almost

At Lion’s Camp, one can experience an up close encounter with lions, seeing their enormous paws hint at their power.

Eezo

There is a thick glass window between visitors and lions, and it is a unique experience to be just inches away from them. The exhibit extends to an open grassy plain that starts from the top of the hill and slopes downward. Here, you can experience how the lions play as family.

Lion’s Family

Baby Lions

The Lion Camp does not only bring lions and people together, it also tells the African lion’s story. You can find information in Lion’s Camp about the challenges the lions are facing in Africa and how we can help ensure the survival of this powerful yet beautiful animal. Visiting the Park, you will share their pride of succesfully breeding endangered animals and their re-introduction of almost extinct species into the wild program. 

Continuing West from Lion’s Camp is the Heart of Africa. In between this two you will pass the boarding for the Journey into Africa Tour.

Journey into Africa Tour Vehicle with Cheetah

Yes, you can ride a vehicle to tour Wild Animal Park, but the ride paths and walking paths are different. One would not be able to see in the vehicle tour the Condor Ridge, the Tiger, the elephants, the Old Wolrd Succulent and Baja Gardens, the Kupanda Falls Botanical Garden, and much more. Instead, The Journey into Africa tour is designed to give you a glimpse of the amazing diversity found in Africa.

Buffalos and Giraffe

Courtship Amongs Antelopes

Mom and Baby

Rhino

Balloon Safari and Buffalos

Next to the boarding area of the Journey into Africa tour is the Heart of Africa. Here, you will experience Africa’s amazing diversity of species, which includes some of the most widely recognized and admired animals in the world.

Cheetah

The unique Heart of Africa exhibit makes the cheetahs appear like they are within reach, but no, well, almost.

Cheetah

Cheetah

At the Heart of Africa exhibit, you would still get a glimpse of the Giraffes which seem to be walking all over the African Safari Exhibit. You can watch the Giraffe as much as they seem to watch people too.

People Watching?

The winding trails yet gentle terrain of the Heart of Africa offers a very relaxing walk, with lots of places to sit beneath the trees or near the streams.

 Old Jeep by the Lake @ Heart of Africa

Flamingo Island

Primate Island

There are ample opportunities for meeting animals face to face in the Heart of Africa. If you consider looking up at the branches of the trees, you will see a lot of native and wild Californian visitors also wandering and experiencing the wonderful world of Africa.

Wild Migratory Birds Also Visiting the Heart of Africa Exhibit

Wild Migratory Birds Also Visiting the Heart of Africa Exhibit

Emerging from the trails of the Heart of Africa, you walk uphill going North back to Nairobi Village. Along the trail, you will pass the Gorilla Exhibit and experience some pensive and playful moments of the gorillas.

Happy with his Carrot Stick

Carrot Snack

Broccoli Snack

The Gorilla Exhibit connects to Nairobi Village where you pass the pink backed pelicans resting on the lagoon and the rushing stream. Emerging from the African themed wooded and grass huts and bridge, you will be greeted by the meerkats exhibit. They are tiny, yet I find them so adorable. They keep on moving their heads as if watching for predators coming.

Meerkats

The Same Meerkats, Again

The exhibits I mentioned are all part of the loop trail that goes clockwise. Not mentioned in this loop trail are the exhibits that are at the center of this loop, such as the Lorikeet Landing, Hidden Jungle, Petting Kraal where kids can have their moments petting some animals, and much more.

A walk at Wild Animal Park is an inexpensive way for me to get a glimpse and learn about Africa, without having to leave San Diego and pay for an airplane to Africa. But of course, one day, I dream of really experiencing a real African Safari in the jungles of Africa. While it is still a dream, for now, I content myself with visits to Wild Animal Park.