We truly showed up with no excpectations just the excitement that we were finally able to do something we've been talking about doing for over a year now. We were greeted by Jayme and an amazing animal meet and greet. To be honest during our stay anytime we saw Jayme we knew our experience was going to be fantastic. His enthusiasm was absolutely over the top fun!
After we were escorted in we were whisked away on our next adventure. For seasoned safari park guests this was the African tram. For everyone else the African tram is a guided tour that comes with your admission to the park. The ride takes you on a paved path around parts of the African exhibit.
We then headed to our tents with just enough time to change and head to dinner. We had chosen the premium tent which was fully equipped with electricity, fans, heaters, a queen bed, and two cots. We were located in Tent two. Which had a stunning front row view of the African plains. I could have sat on the porch all night just watching the animals roam. Of course, that plan would not include an energetic six year old. So we moved on quickly to dinner.
After dinner we met up with Jayme again for another fantastic animal meet and greet.
Our last stop before bed was a behind the scenes tour of the lions camp. We have never done a behind the scenes tour through the safari park, so when I heard where we were headed it peeked my curiosity. We went through the keepers area and learned how they fed and cared for the lions. After, we were able to go to the back holding area to see the lions that had been in for the night. There are two groups at the lions camp. Each day the keepers rotate them giving them the ability to spend time in the open enclosure. Tonight the Mother and Father were sleeping in the back quarters. It was very dark and hard to make out any detail of the lions. You were able to feel the presense of the lions size as you listened to them breathing deeply.
Soon our tour was over and we were led back to camp where we enjoyed s'mores around the fire pits and then off to bed! By that time we were all very tired as we crawled into bed dreading our 6:15 wake up call. As I lay there at night the sounds of lions roaring was the most amazing experience that I could never have anticipated. It had never crossed my mind that this would be one of my favorite moments during our safari adventure.
The next morning came all to quickly our first wake up call was at 6:15 am with an announcement that we could venture down and visit both the Elephant and Lion exhibits. Our first stop was for a cup of coffee then, we quickly changed and headed eagerly down to see the lions that had serenaded us through the night.
They were still roaring when we arrived! It was such a awe-inspiring experience to see the lions and how the powerful roar from deep inside is delivered in such a magnificent, beautiful manner.
After we walked around a bit we headed back to camp to grab breakfast before we met our new guide who escorted us to to an animal encounter. During this encounter we met a tawny frogmouth one of the oldest ambassadors of the Safari Park.
Lastly we headed to the tigers exhibit to observe them. I would like to express that the guide we had in the morning did not meet up to the standards of anyone we had interacted with the night prior and I believe our experience would have been completely different had we had him the night before. He did not interact with the children at all and seemed to be standing behind us counting down the minutes until he would walk us to the entrance. It was a sad moment as the high from the previous night quickly dropped into straight boredom, as we anxiously awaited for the tour to end.
Our last activity of the day before heading home was not included in our roar and snore camping trip but was offered to us as an add on. The Campers Caravan was the perfect ending to a phenomenal experience. Jaxon had just turned six back in February so it was one of the tours we had yet to take. We traveled in the back of a covered safari truck out into the Africa enclosure.
This gave us the great opportunity to be able to feed a giraffe up close.
This is a one-of-a-kind experience. We had been at other safari camping trips in the past but none have equalled the excitement and organization we encountered at San Diego Safari Park. It is the closest I have ever come to being on a true african safari. Maybe one day I'll make it to Africa but, I am not sure if the sounds of the lions at night would make me as comfortable.