A beautiful wildlife preservation site where you can enjoy animal encounters with exotic animals! - 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! read more

Wild Wonders - Zoos Near Me - Bonsall, California

See all

We spent our anniversary here for their Sip & Paint event. Great different wines to sip and snacks to 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. read more

We'd visited quite a few years back and had been wanting to return and weren't disappointed. We did the Cat Chat Experience and got to "meet" and feed Sabi, their Serval. What a beautiful feline! Casey our host was very well informed and introduced us to a number of others of their residents. We highly recommend Wild Wonders as a destination, it's for a great cause and seeing the animals up close is a rare treat! read more

Wild Wonders - Their resident porcupine. - Zoos Near Me - Bonsall, California

See all

We celebrated our daughters 9th birthday with family and friends at Wild Wonders and it was such an enjoyable experience. The animals were well cared for, the staff were kind, knowledgeable and professional, and the interaction with their animals was a memorable experience. It was a lot of fun too. We ended our party with a picnic at Wild Wonders and the area provided was clean, spacious, shaded and overlooking a nice view. Couldn't have asked for a better birthday for our daughter. read more

Highly recommend coming here! We had an amazing tour guide, Casey. Who is incredibly knowledgeable and kind. We booked the 2 experience tour with the bearcat meet and greet and fennec fox and friends. Both experience I highly recommend and definitely would go back for the cat chat they offer. We were able to get up close and personal with some amazing animals some local some exotic. If you are an animal lover, know someone who loves animals or just wanna learn more. Book your tour now you will not regret it! read more

See all

We did the Fennec Fox experience, which was so much fun. My daughter was super excited to touch the Fennec Fox, porcupine and Opusum. It was an educational, entertaining experience. read more

Amazing place to learn about the animals And be up close and personal with the animals read more

This was such an AMAZING experience. I originally found them on yelp and booked a vip experience (pricy but worth it). Arriving it was pretty difficult to know where to go, there's a locked gate and it says to call the number so our tour guide will come get us. Unfortunately no one answered so we ended up waving down someone that walked by. They are very cautious with COVID and you have to wear a mask and stay 6 feet away from your tour guide at all times. First animal we saw was the beautiful cheetah and it was amazing being so close. Afterwards we walked and checked out more lovely animals like foxes and alligators. The best part about this experience was being able to pet a few animals. We were sat down and they brought out a porcupine it was amazing! I never thought in my life I'd be able to pet one, she was so cute and had so much personality. Afterwards we were touring more of the property and saw bear cats, servals and even a wallaby. Afterwards we were sat again and were able to pet a ton more animals, like an armadillo, lizards and even a super fluffy bunny! The tour lasted for 1 hour and they recommend closed toe shoes but I was completely fine in my flip flops. This was the most amazing experience I've ever had and I learned a lot about all these wonderful animals. I highly recommend stopping by you will be blown away! read more

Wild Wonders - Zoos Near Me - Bonsall, California

See all

Such a great experience! I would 100% go back! I love that all the animals at their facilities were from other educational facilities, were confiscated or owner relinquished illegal pets, or non-releasable native wildlife and non were breed or taken from the wild. Essentially these animals didn't have a permanent home until wild Wonders took them in! All the animals seem healthy happy and well stimulated. read more

See all

Booked this very very last minute . I thought it was open to public but you must call to reserve a private tour. A-little in the expensive side but very worth a personal very in depth tour or exotic animals. Took my three young sons 4 to 7 year old and they loved it. Would definitely recommend ! read more

See all

Attended the summer event thru the local library. So many animals were brought for the kids to touch and see... learned so much about all the different animals. Awesome experience! read more

See all

It's was a tour with many meet and greets with there animal ambassadors. We had 4 people in our group so it was a nice quiet tour. The handler was very friendly and answered any questions we had. The location is small so parking can be tight. read more

See all

Our 6th and 7th graders had the best time learning about all the different animals. The staff were kind and helpful.

Absolutely amazing little gem of a place! We had a wonderful time today visiting and learning about all your animal ambassadors! Our Guide was extremely friendly and knowledgeable! She was also able to keep all kids in our group engaged for entire tour. Animals here are well cared for, happy, and easy to view/interact with. Facilities are extremely clean and you can tell they are passionate about what they do. Highly Recommend! read more

We did the fennec fox experience and it was SO incredible. We got to meet and pet many different animals, including opossum, legless lizard, tortoise, kinkajou, groundhog, and more. The fennec foxes were adorable and actually had a ton of energy. We got to feed them with tongs, pet them, and take a picture with one. The staff were all super nice and you can tell the animals are treated with a lot of care. Highly highly recommend! read more

See all

Wild Wonders is a fantastic establishment! This is such a hidden gem and more people out there need to about it and experience all that it has to offer! They are home to over 120 animal ambassadors and they give back in so many ways! We saw so many unique and special animals up close! They truly take care of their animals and give them the best life. They are passionate about education and rescue. Please show your support, because they are doing great things. Check it out! You'll be so happy you did! read more

If you believe in Rescue, Education and Conservation, then you have found a place you must visit. Located in the countryside of Northern San Diego County, the drive is easy and picturesque. Visits are short, about an hour in length. You choose the main animal you would like to interact with (does not mean touching) and then you get to tour the rest of the sanctuary. Most of the animals here are rescued and have come to live out their lives here. If they are socialized or deemed social, they are used as ambassadors to educate people, who may not ever have the opportunity of seeing one of them in the wild. The cheetahs alone have raised over $100,000 for the conservation of the species. That is a great boon for species who are in jeopardy in the wild. Hubby and I were given a private meet and greet with a Cheetah for Christmas from our son. He knows how much I love animals and this was a perfect present. We met Victor, a very handsome boy who loves attention and posing for the camera. We learned a lot about cheetahs and had the opportunity to ask questions. Loved our time with Victor. Then our host, guided us around the rest of the sanctuary. We had the opportunity to interact and learn about many species, including American porcupine, alligators, serval, bobcat, binturong, kinkajou and a variety of reptiles. Wild Wonders is a great place to visit in San Diego. Your visit here also helps endagered species. GREAT gift for that special someone in your life that is crazy about animals. read more

See all

I've never before been so close to a Cheetah. The closest I've ever gotten is at the Safari Park when I watched the run demo. The animal was gorgeous, and I wanted to take her home. However, that's one of the ways the center gets its animals -- from rescued or surrendered pets that become too much for their owners. She was purring the entire time, and I wanted to reach out and pet her or give her a hug, but that wasn't allowed. Only her handler was able to lay hands on her, since they've had a years-long relationship. After, we met a variety of critters - a porcupine (man, he stinks!), bear cats, a tortoise, fox-like animals, a croc (or a gator; I always get confused...), kangaroos, a kookaburra, snakes, a hedgehog, etc. I'm a complete animal lover, so it was an amazing time. I loved interacting with the ones I could, and the money spent goes to a good cause. I recommend them in a heartbeat. read more

Great intentions and cause, but the director (J. Navarro) has an unappreciative and unpleasant attitude towards the volunteers. Every shift, I'd drive 1 hour to volunteer at this place and was 5 minutes late due to traffic one day, and not even a greeting, but a rude "You're 5 minutes late! Treat this like a job." There was nothing urgent that had been impacted by my 5-minute delay in arrival, as few of the other volunteers had already started the morning chores, cleaning the cages and feeding the animals. I'm always prompt and treat every commitment I make seriously, but that is no way to talk to a volunteer making all this effort from a great distant to help a small wild life sanctuary. Volunteers must pay a fee to participate in Wild Wonders volunteer program. read more

We had them come to goat my 5 year olds birthday party. I think I paid $400. It was totally worth it! They had brought like 5 or 6 animals I think. We even got an alligator introduced to us! The kids loved it! I'd do it again for sure! read more

I absolutely loved this place!! If you truly love animals and wants to know them more intimately and respect them, this is the place to be. Mind you it is not cheap (there is a groupon available for 2 at a discount, but even then I think it was ~$240 for 2 ppl for us), but we both thought it was worth every penny. You get a private tour (the hour we were there I think we were the only guests) with a trained personnel through the animal sanctuary and get to see all the animals up close and personal, and even pet some! This place is NOT a zoo - they adopt and take care of various animals that have been abandoned or cannot go back into the wild, so the species you see may change slightly depending on when you go. We got to see cheetahs, white foxes, armadillos, porcupines, turtles, alligators, to name a few! We even got to visit this play room and watched a ferret and armadillo pair (who have become best friends) play together there. XD It's heart warming to see how well taken care of these animals are, and how happy they are. This is much more personal and respectful than a zoo! Remember to bring some cash as well if you would like to tip your guide - which you should! This is a non-profit place and everything helps not to mention the guides are suuuper friendly, passionate and educational! :) read more

See all

We had SUCH an incredible time and got to learn so much about the animals. Meeting a cheetah up close was a once in a lifetime opportunity and gave us so much respect for the animals and their caretakers. You can see the love they have for these animals. Every animal lover needs to come here! It's so much of a better experience than going to the zoo or safari park. You genuinely get to intimately experience these animals, learn about their habitats and pet a ton of them. We're excited to go back and bring all of our friends! read more

We had a wonderful time at Wild Wonders celebrating our son's fifth birthday. We booked a private tour that was a gift for his birthday and chose the Wallaby Walkabout adventure. The staff was warm, welcoming and engaging and made us feel right at home. They have a great message of animal conservation through education and awareness and the majority of their animals come from the illegal pet trade. We started our day spending time with their cheetah exhibit and it was incredible to be so close to their enclosure to see and hear it up close! We were led around and saw a few other animals before getting to spend time with the Wallabies and a Cava. So fun to pet and feed the animals. We even got to see a 3-month-old Wallaby up close. Our tour led us around to other animals include alligators, snapping turtles, honey bears, a HUGE porcupine, a serval and others. We wrapped the day up with some great close-up time with an armadillo, a lizard from Egypt, a legless lizard (so cool and strange!) and a hedgehog. Keep in mind, this is a small, privately-funded reserve so you're not going to see everything you would in a larger zoo, but everything is well kept and the information they share is phenomenal. You can book the small, in-person tours or you can even book them to come and bring animals to your school, party or event! This would be a great idea for a birthday party or other activity with kids. read more

From start to finish our experience with Wild Wonders was fantastic! The booking process was super easy (done with Jackie over email after putting in a request on their website). Jackie was very thorough and explained everything we needed to do to prepare for the animals. Fast forward to the day of our daughter's party... Sarah our educator was absolutely fantastic. She was so knowledgeable about all the animals and did a fun and educational presentation! She was so patient with all of the kids and had a great personality. Her assistant Kennedy was also very sweet and made sure all of the kids had hand sanitizer applied after handling each animal. We had an armadillo, monitor lizard, albino boa, kinkajou (which is the cutest thing in the world), hedgehog and the kids' favorite a Wallaby. All of the animals were very docile and I could tell were very loved and well cared for. We will never forget the experience. It was so amazing getting to see exotic zoo animals up close and personal! Highly recommend Wild Wonders!! Thank you for giving our daughter an unforgettable birthday experience! read more

See all

If you have even the slightest remote interest in animals at all, PLEASE come and visit! We were able to snag a great deal from Groupon for the personal Cheetah tour and it was absolutely worth every single penny. The tour lasted about 1.5 hours and you really get the up close VIP experience with many animals that even a certified animal fanatic like myself have never seen in person before. Speaking of which, I have visited and volunteered at several zoos and sanctuaries, and this was easily amongst the most exotic/diverse, well run, organized, and cleanest ones out there. It's a tough world out there for animals, especially in this day and age. Do yourself a favor and come out, get educated, and feel the appreciation for all the work these volunteers put into conservation awareness. You'll walk away feeling like a brand new person. If you don't, you've got much bigger problems to worry about ;) read more

See all

We went to Wild Wonders to celebrate our son's sixth birthday with a tour and feeding a binturong. I believe our guide was Anna, who was very knowledgeable and friendly. We had a great time, saw and even interacted with more animals than we expected, and had a chance to learn a lot about all of them. They were incredibly careful, so we felt completely safe the whole time. Everyone was masked, kept a good distance, and there was sanitizer available throughout. We read ahead of time that the bathroom was not for visitors, which we worried about because we had a long drive, but we went early enough to make a stop at Mance Buchanon Park and it worked out fine. Since getting home, my kid has been reenacting Anna's animal presentations with all his toy animals, so it's obviously left a big impression on him besides just the fun of it. Thank you, Wild Wonders! read more

So many animals! The staff are very knowledgeable. Cheetah lovers are in for a treat! Got to see many animals close up! The little ones will definitely enjoy. They have animals you probably ever heard of before,like the Cavy,bearcats and a kinkajou!! Bring comfortable clothes and during summer a hat! Overall this place is perfect for animal lovers of all ages. For the family ,a first date,a regular date! read more

Wild Wonders - Hasani the cheetah - Zoos Near Me - Bonsall, California

I absolutely LOVE this place! I actually found this place on Groupon, as they have 2 specials going on - 1 with a group tour (really cheap) and a private tour with meet and greet with Victor or Masika, their cheetahs. The private tour for 2 is a little on the expensive side ($180 total), but it's 100% worth every penny. Additional heads to the private tour run at an extra $30 a head. The private tour lasts anywhere from 1-1.5 hours. Our guide, Kimberly (Managing Director/Programs Manager) was wonderful, and Jackie (Executive Director/Compound Manager) was also present for our tour. I don't want to call it a "zoo" as yelp describes it, because it's not quite that. If anything, it's more of an animal sanctuary. This facility aims to educate the public about (endangered) wildlife that comes from all over the world. If I must draw the comparison, they give you a behind the scenes look of what a "zoo" would look like from a keeper's perspective. The animals are treated well, and are a little more domesticated, in the sense that they have grown up around those working in the sanctuary that are caring for them. They are NOT violent, and have an infectious charm and level of curiousity that cannot be found anywhere else. All of the animals are education animals - great for children and adults alike, who want to get up close and personal with each and every one. You can expect to find things from porcupines to fenec foxes to cheetahs, all of which, you can get close to, and even safely pet in some instances in this facility. I came here with my niece (who is 9), my boyfriend (mid 20s), my boyfriend's father (late 50s...who, even though, took a few steps away when Victor the Cheetah came out... I guess he was afraid he was going to get mauled by Victor even though Victor's so gentle!) - all of which, alongside myself, loved it and thought that this was a phenomenal experience. I repeat, this is unlike ANY experience you will ever get anywhere else. Note that the facility is not open to the public, in the sense that you can just "walk in". The facility is open, by appointment only, to those wishing to get private or group tours. It is also located in Bonsall, which is a very rural area, about 40 minutes north of San Diego. Use Waze or the Google Maps app if you're trying to get there as it is extremely easy to get lost. Gratuities are not included, but are welcomed. I highly encourage you to donate, as the money goes back into the necessities such as food, and medical bills needed to help some of the animals suffering from congenital or age-related illness. read more

See all

Please note, all tours and experiences are by appointment only. We did the Bearcat meet and greet, and the private tour. Everyone we encountered was very friendly, our tour guide was very informative about each animal, and he happily answered all of our questions. They will customize the tour to spend more time on the animals you most want to see. We not only learned interesting facts about the animals we met, but learned how that specific animal came to live at the wildlife reserve. We even got to touch some of the animals, and during the bearcat experience, we got to feed him! The cost of the tour goes to a great cause and we will definitely be going back in the future. read more

I took a private tour with my family recently and would absolutely recommend the experience! We were all extremely impressed at how knowledgeable our tour guide was about the animals. We loved being able to be up close with so many different animals that you could never experience like that at a regular zoo. The facility and the animals are very well taken care of and I'm sure we will be back again. Thank you, Wild Wonders! read more

This place was so awesome they have alligators I've been in California all my life so this was an amazing experience. I'll be coming back here for sure read more

My husband and I had a great time at Wild Wonders this weekend. We had a private tour with a cheetah "meet and greet" given by Alana, who did an incredible job! I was surprised when she said she'd only worked there a couple months. She was very knowledgeable about the animals and answered all of our questions. Overall, a very fun, educational experience! Meeting Victor the cheetah was definitely a treat. We also got to see the younger cheetah, Masika. There were tons of cool animals at Wild Wonders and you could tell they are wonderfully cared for. You can really see the bonds the animals and staff have with each other. There were even some animals we had never seen before like the kinkajou ("honey bear") and Binturong, which was really a cool experience. Wild Wonders is not only raising awareness, but raising money for conservation. I was very surprised I had never heard of Wild Wonders before since I've grown up in San Diego, but now I'll make sure to tell all my friends about it! We did have some troubles finding it at first. When you get off the 76, turn on Via Montellano and go all the way up the hill. We almost turned around because there was a misleading "Private Road" sign and the road's not that big. At the top of the hill, you'll see the Wild Wonders sign on the right- turn right and go up that road to the end of the cul-de-sac and park. If Wild Wonders put in a sign at the bottom of the hill near the "Private road" sign, I think that would really help guests. You could even say "tours only" to avoid random people seeing it and coming up. Thanks for the awesome time. We'll be back! read more

See all

It's been awhile since we've been here but I had a blast when we went. We found a Groupon that made it possible for us to come financially and showed up early on a Saturday morning. I enjoyed 99% of the visit, the only part I didn't like was the reptile room but that's just because I'm terrified of snakes. The park is small but that's nice because you feel like you get a more intimate experience. The park seems very clean and the rangers are very knowledgeable and clearly care deeply about the animals. My fave parts were all the foxes (my personal favorite animal) and the cheetahs (stand next to those lovelies with your back turned and have a nice check in with the universe as to your place on the food chain.) If you are an animal lover, go. You won't regret it. read more

This place is amazing. They raise money for protecting animals. You also get to learn all about the rescued animals and maybe even pet a few. I did the night tour, so you get to see the lively nocturnal animals. read more

Wild Wonders - Zoos Near Me - Bonsall, California

What a wonderful organization to visit! Over the years my kids have attended various field trips to Wild Wonders and they always leave interested in a new animal they have discovered. We haven't gotten bored yet! The staff does a great job during the presentations and my kids always enjoy getting the ability to touch and interact with the animals. Great for kids and animal lovers of all ages! read more

We took our employees to Wild Wonders for a team building outing and it was fantastic, We had a guided tour and met so many amazing animals. This place is a hidden gem! read more

I enjoyed my first visit so much that I ended up volunteering for them for several months. I've volunteered for a couple of animal sanctuaries in the area but found Wild Wonders to be vastly more organized than the rest. It's run by two zookeepers from the (former) Wild Animal Park who actually know what they're doing. I've seen other rescues run by the well-intentioned and inexperienced, people who hire qualified help only to never listen to their knowledge. To see a place like this run by qualified experts is a small miracle. Now with everyone talking about Tiger King on Netflix it's hard to realize that there are ethical places like Wild Wonders out there. The enclosures are safe for human and animal, each one gets enough space, the food is fresh ( I should know, have prepped it a few times ) and every animal gets enrichment and attention. In many ways I think they're better than many larger zoos. If you just got done watching a Netflix show about mullets and tigers and need to get that bad taste out of your mouth, try Wild Wonders. I continue to be their customer even after I've run out of spare time to volunteer anymore. In a word, ethical. read more

We hired Wild Wonders to come out and shows us their animal ambassadors for my daughter's 4th birthday party. The trainers were a little early and set up quickly. They were understanding of the kids being short on patience or having to use the bathroom, etc. They were respectful to the animals (very important to our family) and made sure to communicate to the party what the animals liked, to let the children take turns petting the animals (after giving instructions), make sure the kids sanitized their hands when touching the animals. Our party was outside in a framed tent, so some animals could not come to the event (birds, foxes, sugar gliders) so keep that in mind when planning an event. We had some kids on the ground on a blanket and parents and other kids sitting behind them. The trainer walked around but was respectful to ask if someone wanted to see animals before approaching (e.g. "Do you want to pet this snake"). The trainers were knowledgable about the animals, which made it more fun for older kids and parents and they let us take pictures with the animals. I would definitely hire them again for another party, including an adult party. Also considering a visit to the venue to see other animals they have on-site. read more

My sister, my friend, and I did the cheetah meet-and-greet tour! We absolutely loved meeting the 4-year-old cheetah! We learned so much about how the animals have arrived at Wild Wonders. The grounds are so clean, well organized, and the animals look to be very happy and healthy! The tour was extremely informative, and I think it's great for all ages. We had a great tour guide, and we got to meet several animals and learn about their natural habitats and their personalities. I enjoyed meeting the hedgehog and the porcupine! I highly recommend booking a private tour! read more

See all

Wonderful alternative to the Zoo or Wild Animal Park. We went on July 4, and enjoyed a private tour w/ our extended family. Saw about 15 or more animal species, several up close and personal. Clean facility, animals seen well cared for, although the enclosures are a bit small. Large staff of paid and volunteer animal lovers. Fun experience and great for the extended family, a homeschool group, girls scout group, etc. Sooo much better than fighting crowds, and in the ends, probably ends up being a little less $, for a better experience. Love saving $ and saving animals. Tour was about an hour. Wish we had a few more photo ops, but fun and educational experience-- the best kind! Bring water and go potty before you get there! read more