My dream is to go on an African safari. It is definitely at the top of my bucket list! But that trip will be quite expensive, and though I will get to it someday, it won’t be in the very near future. However, I found this little gem, that, while not exactly the same as actually being in Africa, was a pretty cool “African safari” close to home! Safari West is in Santa Rosa, California, about 35 miles from Napa. Since we love animal adventures, it was the perfect addition to our Napa getaway (see the rest of our trip in our post about Napa here).
The Safari
The day we arrived, we went on a group safari. This was in an open air vehicle, with the option to sit up top for a better view! While some of the animals are in fenced in areas, the safari takes you well into the “wild” to see African species in their enormous habitat, without a fence separating you and the animals.
With 400 acres of land for the animals to roam, and nearly 1000 animals from over 90 species calling the park their home, it was inevitable that there was a surprise waiting around every turn! We saw giraffe, rhinoceros, cape buffalo, wildebeest, zebra, and several species of antelope to name a few.
The driver of the safari vehicle was very knowledgeable, and talked about the animals extensively throughout the three hour safari tour, making for a very educational experience.
It was really hard not to imagine we were really in Africa during this tour. The animals were magnificent and it really was a photographer’s dream!
The Keeper for a Day Adventure
Because we are animal lovers, and try to experience any animal encounter that we can when traveling, we of course also decided to participate in their “Keeper for a Day” adventure! This was AMAZING! From 9:00am until 3:00pm, we got to tag along with the park animal keepers, and discover what it’s like to be responsible for feeding and caring for exotic animals! We helped prepare their food and actually got to feed several of the animals!
During our Keeper of the Day adventure, we hopped on the back of the feeding truck and headed out into the wilderness. Before we knew it, we had a large following of animals behind the truck, as they knew it was feeding time! It was so cool being so close to these magnificent animals, and getting to participate in their care for a day!
During the Keeper of the Day adventure, we also had the opportunity to get up close and personal with some pretty cool animals… like a rhinoceros!!!! Have you ever pet a rhinoceros? It was intimidating, and so super awesome all at the same time!
Besides the open safari area, there are several large cages for those animals that can not roam free. We got to visit these areas as well and observe and feed some of those animals. The baby monkey was adorable! And the little duiker really loved licking my arm.
The Overnight Experience
Did I mention you can spend the night there? Well, you can! And of course we did! Two nights actually. The accommodations were glamping tents! They were super nice, and even had a bathroom complete with a shower inside!
There is a cafe on site, so meals are available when staying overnight. In fact, breakfast is included. You can also get a package that includes dinner and a bottle of wine! Which of course we did. Once the park closes, you can not leave the grounds, but that was definitely okay with us, as there was so much to see and so many amazing animals so close to our tent! Our tent had a front deck that looked out over the area where the giraffe roamed. It was such an amazing view!
The inside of the tents were really comfortable, and decorated with African decor, making us feel like we were really in Africa! A comfortable bed and a nice clean bathroom added to the luxury of the tent. Being a tent, of course there is no air conditioning or central heat, but there was a space heater that we utilized as it was chilly at night, and that was sufficient. The canvas glamping tents made us feel like we were really on a safari!
Lemur Island
The next day, after a good nights sleep, we had breakfast and went to watch the lemurs on lemur island! It was early and they were just started to warm up in the sun, so it was slow going (and pretty funny). Once they were fully awake and warm, it was so entertaining watching them jump around on the tree branches!
This was such an amazing trip! I can’t wait to bring our kids back so they can experience this African Safari so close to home! From the animals to the staff, the keepers to the other visitors, the accommodations to the food and drink, everything was exceptional! Safari West is definitely a place to experience! To see the rest of our Napa getaway, check out our post, A Hot Air Balloon Ride, Train, Tuscan Castle, and WINE… Visiting Napa.
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What a GREAT trip. Wonderful photos!
Wow, this is great especially that is not too far away. That’s a great program they have that you can be part of the zookeeper’s routine daily.
I love the tents and that you can stay on the grounds, how cool is that! Thanks for sharing.
I know a lot of people who’d love to go to Africa on safari so I’m happy to hear there’s a gem like this so close to my home! I’ll have to check it out!
I love all the animals! It is amazing that you could actually interact with them!
So cool! The closest thing to a Safari that I’ve ever done is at Animal Kingdom, but this looks amazing. A few summers ago we staying in a Yurt which looked very similar to these glamping tents – it was a very neat experience.
What great pictures! My wife and I also want to eventually get to Africa, but like y’all that’s quite a ways away.
I am curious, though, did the tour guide from the safari mention how they’re able to “trick” the animals into thinking they’re in their native habitat? Like is the California climate in that region of Cali similar to what they would have experienced in Africa? (I live in Florida, so all I know is that ALL of Florida is hot).
We have some cool nature reserves out here too, but none it sounds as cool as this! Thanks for sharing.
The animals are so close. I love that. An African Safari close to home is great so that you don’t have to be on a long flight. 🙂
there is one of those near me. i have always been curious about it.
I can never get enough of animals and wildlife, and this safari would be exactly the kind of thing all of us would enjoy! Thanks for sharing! LOVE that giraffe in the final photo! 🙂 Watch out! 🙂
What fantastic photos! Thank you for sharing!
I have been on an African Serengeti safari, and while you weren’t in Africa, you got to see most of the animals you would have seen there. It looks like you all had a great time!
The overnight or keeper for a day would be so fun!! What a unique experience!
An African safari is on my list too but this looks like so much fun!
What a cool experience! That crocodile looks scary! It is my dream to go on an African safari!
What an experience – this sounds amazing!! I would love to go on a true safari, not sure it’s in the near future though – going to look into this an option until then! Love the glamping too!
Ok I’m adding this place to my list! It looks awesome and so doable! Great pictures as well!
This sounds absolutely amazing!!! Zookeeper for the day AND clamping?!?! I’ll be there!
Glamping!
Your whole experience looks amazing! I personally would like to glamp & be a zookeeper for a day!