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    Elephant Valley

    4.2 (13 reviews)
    Closed 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
    Updated 3 months ago

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    Minna N.

    What a beautiful new exhibit at San Diego Safari Park Escondido California. We've been a countless number of times and love how you really feel like you're fully immersed into the elephant habitat and walking among the gentle Giants. Because of the new opening, attendance on the weekends is extremely high, so be patient when walking through. On the plus side, avoid and go to the other exhibits for a more quiet experience.

    Jenna S.

    All the elephants were happy and the valley was great and there were misters to cool you down .

    I was very excited to "walk with the elephants," by the way it looked online, and the price I paid. But I was disappointed. It ended up being a group of use walking along the same path as others not part of the group, with the tour guide stopping at different intervals giving facts about the elephants. The guide was nice and the information was interesting, but it wasn't much more than others who were walking the same way as us (except for one angle). Others who didn't pay an extra $50 could also hear the guide, for the most part. It was a bit disorganized. Families had children running around while we walked. This was not worth another $100 (tickets for 2), on top of the park admission. I'm sorry but we expected something a little more personal and up close. I recommend lowering the price or stepping up the experience. There was a video on social media of people walking along a path next to the elephants, it was misleading. And I understand that we can't be right there with them, but again, nothing much more than if we had just walked ourselves. Maybe also add a takeaway gift.

    Beef kabobs and fries from Mkutano food place in Elephant valley
    Kira C.

    Opening day of Elephant Valley was crowded, but they had excellent crowd control and performances all around the park! The Elephant valley is vast with plenty of room for the elephants on both sides with an under pathway through where people could walk, the elephants are so close and they had toys all over! They looked incredible happy and comfortable! Their is also a restaurant right there overlooking the elephants right by their watering hole that serves amazing food! A restraint with a 45 day reservation period, plus special sky lounge access for $10 per person! Definitely will be going their in the near future!! It was a beautiful, well thought out Elephant habitat with plenty of native trees and foliage and great design!!

    Beautiful face.
    Bryan And G.

    I love elephants and one of favorite places to see them is at San Diego Zoo Safari Park. We rode the tram, and saw giraffes and rhinos. Derek was the guide, and driver. He was excellent, stopping the tram in different spots. He was very knowledgeable able the park and the animals. At the top of the tram ride, we were ahead of schedule. Derek turned off the tram, allowing for us to hear nature, and take pictures of the beautiful reflection of the animal in the water. He has to have been one of the best divers in a long time!!! It was then off we go to the Hot Air Balloon. I rode the hot air balloon. I loved the balloon. While it is not the day to see them on the ground, it was the day to see elephants from the Hot Air Balloon. Interestingly, they are busily working hard on a new elephant enclosure. We can hardly wait for that! We have seen elephants on previous visits, and we are looking forward to the NEW Elephant's Valley!!! It is quite something to see wild animals in what is their natural habitats!!!

    Marcus F.

    This was my first visit to Elephant Valley even though I've been to the Wild Animal Park for decades. Perhaps the reason that I keep missing it is because this attraction's location is off the beaten path and away from the highly trafficked trails that most tourists take. There are two main elephant viewing areas. One is from the Elephant patio and the other is along service road outside Tembo Stadium. Both offer unique perspectives and if you like elephants you need to look at both locations. Back in the day you would be able to see the Elephants from the park's old WGASA (who gives a shit anyway) electric monorail.

    An elephant posing for us.

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    Review Highlights - Elephant Valley

    Highly recommend visiting at the San Diego safari park.

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    San Diego Zoo Safari Park

    San Diego Zoo Safari Park

    4.2
    (3k reviews)
    0.2 mi

    We had the pleasure of going to the San Diego Zoo Safari park as a weekend family excursion. Wear…read moresun screen and some good walking shoes as you will easily walk three to five miles or more. Park hours are normally 8am to 4pm, and we arrived around 8:30am on a Saturday morning. Parking is $20 for regular parking, and $50 for preferred parking. The main parking lot has around 20 long rows of parking on a hillside. We went with regular parking and we were able to park in the sixth row which was a short walk to the entrance. The rows fill up fast and the uphill walk gets longer the later you arrive. There was no line to enter and scanning entry tickets for twelve people on one of our cell phones was quick and smooth. We started out by visiting the Wings of the World Aviary, a large netted open-air enclosure with a large number of different bird species. There was an interesting or very colorful looking bird every time you turned your head. Our group kind of blew through here in about five minutes, but I would have definitely liked to stay a lot longer. Right next to the aviary is an area with a large number of flamingos. Elephant Valley was cool with elephants of all ages roaming around. Walkabout Australia was a little underwhelming for the distance walked. We just saw a few kangaroos resting in the shade. There is also a separate room that was very crowded to see only platypus in the US. We visited Tiger Trail but could only partially see one tiger as he was napping in the bushes. The highlight was definitely the safari truck excursion which costs extra and requires a reservation. You ride around various habitats in the back of an open air, covered safari truck. Thomas was our safari guide and did an excellent job pointing out all the different animals along with a lot of great information. He also answered a lot of questions along the way and I think we all learned a lot. The whole park was very clean, there was a lot of different plant life and décor to see, and quite a few sound effects playing in many areas. There was access to plenty of restrooms and drinking fountains, and food spots throughout the park. Unfortunately, we ended up having to leave earlier than planned and missed several parts of the park. I had a great time, and would definitely like to return on our own to take our time and see everything.

    We are on another week and a half STAYCATION, and made our first stop the SAN DIEGO ZOO SAFARI…read morePARK!!! It's one of our favorite places to go to in the city, and we're locals for decades now. We tried a different route today, starting with the tigers, condors, and kangaroos. We then headed for the SP TRAM. On our way, we saw baby "Big Eared" FOXES, and of course the Gorillas. We made the JOURNEY INTO THE WILD @ the new, EARLIER TIME OF 10:30 AM. We both enjoyed the show, but we both had enjoyed the men's version better. NOTE TO RACHEL, and especially SAVANNAH: when you ask for volunteers, and someone right in front of you raises their hand, DON'T DISMISS THEM OUT OF HAND, just because they are sitting in an EV Scooter. It's the SECOND TIME, this has happened!!! We walked down our favorite back walk to get to the SP Tram. It's always a highlight of our day, much the day, though much of that depends upon the DRIVER/GUIDE. This time, we got GUIDE EMILY. She was very, very thorough. AT THE END OF THE RIDE, I got an opportunity to ask her about something she said, something about the mating rituals of giraffes. FINALLY, we made our way to the Denny Sanford ELEPHANT VALLEY. It's as impressive the SECOND TIME AROUND. UTTERLY, beautiful. UTTERLY, words cannot describe the beauty. OVERALL, 2 Thumbs UP, from both of us!!!

    Photos
    I love her
    I love her
    Nom nom. Adorable Giraffe getting his munch on. | IG @moniquedao
    Nom nom. Adorable Giraffe getting his munch on. | IG @moniquedao
    Salmon-crested Cockatoo, star of the park | IG @moniquedao

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    Salmon-crested Cockatoo, star of the park | IG @moniquedao
    Wild Wonders

    Wild Wonders

    4.8
    (121 reviews)
    18.6 mi

    A beautiful wildlife preservation site where you can enjoy animal encounters with exotic animals!…read more - PARKING - We parked on the hill past the entrance of the business, and walked down. Pretty steep but it's a short walk. - SERVICE/ENVIRONMENT - Book your visit online! There are group rates and additional attendee rates, so just make sure you have the right count of people! Staff was very friendly from start to finish, and I loved seeing the enthusiasm shine through their work. It's not a huge site, so not a ton of walking involved, but there are some steps if you're worried about accessibility. Make sure to wear closed toed shoes! - EXPERIENCE - We booked a Wallaby encounter, and initially I thought it was only going to be a single animal experience but I was pleasantly surprised we were taken on a tour around the area! We did get to feed and pet the Wallaby, but we also walked to see all the different animals in captivity. They also brought out some animals for us to pet and see up close! - OVERALL - A wonderful wildlife preservation site, and amazing staff to take care of them all!

    We spent our anniversary here for their Sip & Paint event. Great different wines to sip and snacks…read moreto snack on. Great staff. And we had a blast! Great group of attending people too, had a lot of laughs together. The painting teacher walks you through the techniques so even though I'm not even good at stick figures, I didn't do that bad! My cheetah looks more like a racoon, but that's ok ha. Mine is on the right & my wife's on the left.

    Photos
    Sabi, the Serval cat.
    Sabi, the Serval cat.
    Wild Wonders
    Wild Wonders

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    EcoVivarium

    EcoVivarium

    4.7
    (151 reviews)
    4.8 mi

    What an incredible experience! It was so amazing to see so many reptiles and be able to actually…read morehold them and interact with them in their habitats. We wouldn't have had such an amazing time without our amazing tour guide. Rachel did such a great job teaching our kids the right ways to interact with the animals and you can tell that she really loves what she does. She was really patient with our kids and made this an unforgettable experience. Highly recommend! *full warning, the outside of the building looks a little sketchy at first because it's an old building, but don't let that deter you*

    Would you like to learn about incredible reptiles up close and support a good cause? The…read moreEcoVivarium is the perfect place! For $25 you can get a behind the scenes tour that introduces you to a variety of turtles, snakes, and lizards that call the EcoVivarium home. They also have birthday party visits, host events, and as I learned from my friend Trish, can help teachers get set up with a reptile in the classroom. My first conversation with Susan at the EcoVivarium was heartfelt, as I was calling to see if they might be interested in the donation of our decommissioned aquarium. The setup was only four years old and housed our previous beloved 26 year old fish named Puff that had recently passed away. Susan was kind, expressed her condolences and shared that they would appreciate our donation. Chun P and I met Rachel and Donald on a Sunday and after we brought our items in from the car were treated to meeting some terrific reptiles. Many of the inhabitants at the EcoVivarium have sad stories, some had suffered abuse, some were abandoned, and others were victims of trafficking that were confiscated and brought in by the department of fish and game. Susan has created a safe space and her staff and volunteers give their all to make sure they live a better life. I'm looking forward to visiting again soon and supporting this worthy endeavor!

    Photos
    Bearded Dragon
    Bearded Dragon
    EcoVivarium
    Python wrangling!

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    Python wrangling!
    Butterfly Jungle

    Butterfly Jungle

    3.5
    (6 reviews)
    0.2 mi

    Annual spring exhibit that's known for butterfly interactions and long-ass lines…read more Is it worth it? If you've seen it once you can probably skip it. The problem isn't butterfly jungle, it's the poor timing of butterfly season which is during spring break for SoCal schools. Even during midweek it was 20 minutes waiting. During a Saturday you're looking at an hour. There is one large viewing aviary loaded with butterflies. There are plenty of opportunities to have butterflies land on you if you're patient. I would say that adults were having more fun with this experience than the kids. - There are two mandatory butterfly checking stations before you can leave Butterfly Jungle. If you think TSA searches are embarrassing just wait for the security checks here.

    I come every year to this exhibit, and whether I pay for priority viewing or not, the wait time is…read moresoooo long for maybe ten minutes of wandering the enclosure. It's basically a 2-hour wait if you don't pay, and upwards of an hour if you do. Overall, I don't recommend this exhibit. It's too crowded as it is. Joking, not joking! Well, my best tip is to wear bright colors. Butterflies always land on me when I wear red or hot pink. P.S.- Fun fact: It sounds cruel, but the birds they keep there are to eat the butterflies when the exhibit ends. Enjoy~ Pros: - great photo ops Cons: - humid inside - long lines - priority viewing oversold

    Photos
    Apparently this guy wasn't supposed to be here...
    Apparently this guy wasn't supposed to be here...
    Butterfly Jungle
    Completely packed with people

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    Completely packed with people
    Garden of Eden Mobile Petting Zoo

    Garden of Eden Mobile Petting Zoo

    4.9
    (79 reviews)
    22.8 mi

    Wonderful experience! We booked for a children's party. Shawneen was prompt and clear with…read morecommunication. She very knowledgeable about each of the animals and gave me a little background on them all which I felt was a testament to how much they are cared for. Booking was a breeze. The trailer arrived well before our scheduled petting zoo time for set up, everything was thoughtfully arranged for safety but also so that it would photograph nicely. Shawneen did an excellent job explaining etiquette for everyone and gave parents helpful pointers to ensure the little one's were comfortable and having a great time. After cleanup, there was no sign whatsoever that a whole bunch of farm animals had been present only moments before. I really wouldn't change a thing, we loved this experience, our guests loved this experience, and I would recommend it to anyone considering.

    Shawneen and all her furry friends are such sweethearts! We had her come out for a company event-…read moreFall Festival for our program families! We had kiddos of all ages and abilities- she catered to each one's needs and guided them in properly petting or feeding each animal. She is also very knowledgeable of each animal and their breeds- it's really nice to learn the "why" behind how they look or "why" you have to pet them a certain way. Each animal is unique and very good with kids! During the event I got to walk a goat like if it was a dog and carry a chicken by my side! HIGHLY recommend her team and furry friends for your next event! I know we will definitely be reaching out to her again for our future events :)

    Photos
    Garden of Eden Mobile Petting Zoo
    Garden of Eden Mobile Petting Zoo
    Alpaca and chicken

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    Alpaca and chicken

    Elephant Valley - zoos - Updated July 2026

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