San Diego Zoo Safari Park - Exhibits and Attractions

Exhibits and Attractions

Asian Savanna and African Plains

The park's largest exhibits, covering over 300 acres (120 ha), are the open-range enclosures. Visitors view various plains habitats from Africa and Asia. Asian Savanna covers 60 acres (24 ha) and displays Indian rhinoceros and several species of Asian deer and antelope such as axis deer and wapiti. African Plains represents many regions and habitats. East Africa displays Cape buffalo, Southern white rhinoceros, Ugandan giraffe, several other savanna species, and a lagoon with East African Crowned Crane The North Africa exhibit represents the Sahel and Sahara and houses scimitar-horned oryx, Barbary stag, red-fronted gazelle, and Ankole cattle. The Southern Africa field exhibits Grevy's zebras. The Central Africa region features a wooded waterhole with an island for Pink-backed Pelicans, Saddle-billed Storks, and Rüppell's Vultures. On the shores of the lake are bongos, red river hogs, and Vaal rheboks, and other forest animals. A number of smaller enclosures visible only from the tram are home Somali wild asses, kiangs (one of the world's only captive populations of this endangered wild equine), Arabian oryx, gorals, Japanese serows, black rhinoceroses, and Przewalski's wild horses.

Species of note in the open enclosures include two subspecies of giraffe, rhinos (the park has the world's most successful breeding program for Southern white rhinos and is the only New World zoo to have Northern white rhinos), gaur, vultures, markhor, and many species of antelope, gazelle, and deer.

Nairobi Village and Gorilla Forest

The park's Nairobi Village houses numerous exhibits for smaller animals. Among these are meerkats, an African Aviary, lemurs, flamingos, red river hogs, and bee eaters. A large lagoon is home to numerous species of waterfowl such as shoebill storks. Lorikeet Landing and Hidden Jungle display feedable Lories and lorikeets, and African birds, respectively. There is a nursery where visitors can watch baby animals being hand-reared as well as a nearby petting corral. Finally, a gorilla habitat houses a troop of Western lowland gorillas. A flying fox bat exhibit is scheduled to be built here.

Hidden Jungle

Located in Nairobi Village, this climate-controlled indoor exhibit opened in 1993 and displays tropical African birds and insects. The entrance to the building is a simulated earthen crevasse with displays for stick insects and arachnids. The underground segment opens up to a room representing the rainforest understory, which leads to a second room representing the canopy. On display are Long-tailed Paradise Whydah, Purple Grenadier, and other birds.

Hidden Jungle is the setting of the annual Butterfly Jungle event.

Lion Camp

Opened in October 2004, Lion camp houses the park's African lions in a 1-acre (0.40 ha) exhibit. One side of the enclosure is dominated by an artificial rock kopje which has a 40-foot-long (12 m) glass viewing window and heated rocks. The path continues along an acacia-studded ravine and leads to a replica observation tent. This has a smaller viewing window as well as a Land Rover for the lions to rest on.

Condor Ridge

Condor Ridge displays endangered North American desert wildlife. The featured species are California condors (the wild animal park was the key force in the recovery effort for these birds and this is one of the only places in the world where the public can see them in captivity) and desert bighorn sheep. Other species displayed include Aplomado Falcons, Thick-billed Parrots, prairie dogs, black footed ferrets, magpies, and desert tortoises.

African Woods and African Outpost

Formerly known as Heart of Africa, these are two of the park's major exhibits. Visitors go down a trail which replicates habitats in Africa. The exhibit begins in African Woods with scrub animals - vultures, lesser kudu, and giant eland. It then progresses to forest (okapi, duikers, and wattled cranes). The path then leads to African Outpost, which features plains animals - bontebok, warthogs, ground hornbills, and cheetahs - against a backdrop of the open-range East Africa exhibit. A central lagoon has lesser and greater flamingos, waterfowl, an island with colobus monkeys, and an interpretive research camp on a separate island.

Tours and Rides

The park formerly operated a monorail line, the Wgasa Bush Line, which ran through the Wild Animal Park. The name of the monorail was chosen by chief designer Chuck Faust, and is an acronym short for "who gives a shit anyway."

The Monorail line has been retired, partially due to high maintenance costs, and in March 2007 the Journey into Africa attraction, now renamed Africa Tram, opened. The Africa Tram tour brings visitors to the field exhibits to see wildlife from different parts of Africa. In addition, another route is planned to bring visitors through the Asian field exhibits and into eight new ones that will house a variety of African animals from rock hyrax to Hartmann's mountain zebras. The tour utilizes a wheeled tram that runs on biofuel instead of a monorail, and, unlike the monorail, the attraction now costs extra; however, it remains free for members of the San Diego Zoological Society.

As well as the tram, the park has also added a tethered balloon ride that allows visitors to see the plains exhibits from 400 feet (120 m) in the air. The balloon ride is not included in the entrance fee.

Gardens

The park also has extensive botanical gardens, many of which are their own attractions separate from the animal exhibits.