San Diego Zoo Safari Park

The San Diego Zoo is one of the most important conservation societies on the planet, having saved the California Condor (a vulture and the largest North American land bird) from extinction by breeding them in captivity. The park, opened in 1972 as an offshoot breeding facility of the main zoo some 30 miles away, features open range exhibits where African and Asian animals live freely in environments identical to the wild. Covering over 1800 acres of land, the zoo boasts large ‘exhibits’—some of which are over three times the size of the entire San Diego Zoo.

Tours are given via car or monorail, as the grounds are too large to walk, and the experience is much like an African safari. Exhibits are divided by region rather than by species, so it’s not uncommon to see a family of giraffes strolling by a grazing rhino while gazelle drink from the watering hole nearby. The animals are free to approach the vehicles (the carnivores are kept separately).