Review of San Diego Wild Animal Park

The San Diego Wild Animal Park attracts thousands of tourists each year who want to get in touch with nature's most stunning and fascinating creatures. I'm very fortunate to live in San Diego where I can visit the Wild Animal Park just about anytime of the year. This past summer I visited the park with my boyfriend, my best friend, and her three daughters. It had been several years since my last visit and my intention for this visit was to write up a review to let other people know what to expect if they visit during the summer.

Let me start off by saying that I've lived in San Diego for many years and the weather is spectacular about 99.9% of the time. However, I forgot that there are some parts of Northern San Diego that can get pretty hot. The Wild Animal Park is located in Escondido which is one of hottest places in San Diego during the summer. I should have scheduled this visit sometime in September or back in May when the weather wasn't blistering hot! If you have ever wanted to truly experience an African safari surrounded by wild animals, visit the San Diego Wild Animal Park during the summer!

Thank goodness there were mist stations all throughout the park because I think I would have suffered a heat stroke. There was a mini water park for the kids to play and get wet, so that helped cool them down - otherwise our visit probably would have been cut off short.

As for the park itself, it was very clean and well-maintained. The animals looked like they were well-taken care of. What makes the park different from other zoos or places where animals are kept is that there are open areas where the animals can run free as if they're in their natural environment. There is a large African field exhibit and we embarked on a 2.5 mile tour on a tram that took us around this huge exhibit. Other exhibits at the park include the Kilimanjaro Safari Walk, the Lion Camp, the Elephant Outlook, and more. The kids really enjoyed themselves despite the heat.

The employees of the San Diego Wild Animal Park were very welcoming. Wherever we went, the volunteers and animal caretakers thanked us for visiting. Because they are a non-profit organization, all of the entrance and membership fees go to maintaining the park and caring for the animals.

As with most theme parks, the food is pretty pricey. However, I felt ok paying for the food because I knew the money was going back to the park. I believe I paid almost $4 for a big bottle of water.

The only real issue we had during the whole visit was when my friend wanted to exchange a broken spray bottle she had bought in a gift shop. The cashier refused to do the exchange because the manager wasn't around. It wasn't like we were trying to get our money back, but no matter how much she persisted, the cashier would not exchange the spray bottle. She was told that she would have to do the return at the main shop at the entrance of the park.

My friend came out of the shop exasperated, so my boyfriend took the bottle and went back into the shop to demand an exchange. The cashier exchanged it even though just one minute earlier he refused to do it for my friend. So if you need to return or exchange anything at the gift shop, make sure to have a tall, buff man do it for you!

If you ever plan to visit the San Diego Wild Animal Park during the summer, remember to pack the sunblock and wear a hat and sunglasses to protect yourself from the scorching sun! You'll have a great time if you come prepared.