I really like that you talk about public transit. When I was in San Diego in 2016, I was under 21 so I could not rent any car to get to the Safari Park, although most rentals are not allowed til 25. I spent 2 days at the San Diego Zoo and a day at Seaworld, ubering around all day. Yet basically gave up on visiting the Safari Park, until my father surprised me and called a 45 minute Uber and said we were going. And I absolutely loved the place, and spent weeks wondering whether I liked the Zoo or Safari Park more. But it was worth it, and in the end the Uber prices combined for that week were less than the costs of renting a car. I would love for someone to make a thread about mass transit connections to Zoos, bc the US sucks in regards to mass transit in most ways, especially compared to Europe where most major zoos seem to have transit connections.
Thank you all for the feedback. It seems like a few people would like to continue to hear about my experiences with transportation. It was quite an ordeal to get to and from some of the zoos in the second half of my trip. I had some close calls and adventures! If I were to separate transportation posts from my zoo review posts it would allow people who are uninterested in the former to skip them more easily. If I do any other reviews, I will try to tone down the criticism. I think that I can come across as more harsh than I intend to. In addition, I haven't seen too many poor zoos in my life and quite a few great ones. I think that has caused me to ante up the standards too high. How do I edit my old posts? There are a couple of sentences close to the end of my San Diego Zoo review post (that mweb08 mentioned) that I would like to remove. I am sorry that I wrote them.
No worries. As for editing posts, for whatever reason that option seems to disappear after a relatively short period of time. That feature has certainly frustrated me as I've looked back at errors on older posts.
Part 10A – Travel from The San Diego Zoo Safari Park to the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens The price of an extra hour and a half at the Safari Park was a reliance on expensive taxis, instead of the sporadically scheduled city bus, to get to the Greyhound station on time. I had anticipated a relaxing ride to the station. My plans went awry. There were no taxis outside the Safari Park, so I called for one to pick me up. When I asked for a ride to the Greyhound stop I was told that the Greyhound didn’t stop in Escondido. I had to read off details from my printed ticket before they believed me. The taxi driver phoned me 15 minutes later and I re-confirmed my location twice. The call ended. That taxi never made it to my location. I phoned the taxi company back a few minutes later and was told that the driver had turned around because I didn’t answer his call. He was already far away, and they would have to send another taxi. Fifteen minutes later, I was in danger of missing my Greyhound bus. They do not wait for you. It was the last bus on that route for the day. I had already paid for my hotel in the Coachella Valley for that night and it would have been too late to cancel. I had a tight budget and was concerned that my trip was unraveling. I waited, seething with frustration that bubbled over a couple of times when I muttered curses. I hope that no young families leaving the Safari Park overheard me. Finally, I got a call that another taxi was a few minutes away, and I hurriedly reconfirmed my booking. Before the taxi had even come to a full stop, I plunged in and urged the driver to hurry to the station. Based on travel estimates, I calculated that I was going to miss the bus’s departure time. I was on edge when I got a text asking if I still needed to be picked up. I replied no and that the company had sent two taxis. Minutes later, I got a phone call from a taxi driver asking if I was still at the Park. I repeatedly answered no and explained that I was already in a taxi on the way to my destination. How vexing. In hindsight, it’s probable that poor cellular service was making it hard to hear me. The Greyhound was scheduled to depart, and I was still five minutes away. When the taxi pulled up to the station, the Greyhound bus was still there, but the engine was roaring. I had just seconds before it left. I bolted out of the taxi. My selfish plan was to stop the bus from leaving without me and run back to pay for the taxi. When I got back to the taxi, the driver tried to process the transaction, while the Greyhound’s horn honked persistently in the background. In response, the taxi driver shouted back at the Greyhound. I raced back to the Greyhound feeling horribly ashamed. The driver was furious with me. I apologized. I had made it onto my Greyhound, but I was distressed by all the drama and mess that had befallen myself and others along the way. I was relieved to get out of the bus and transfer in San Bernardino. None of the passengers had said anything to me, but I still felt guilty being around them. In total, it took about four and a half hours to get from Escondido to Thousand Palms in the Coachella Valley. It was too late in the evening to use public transportation to get the rest of the way to my hotel. To save a lot of money on accommodation I had booked a night at a two-star hotel in Desert Hot Springs. I had underestimated how far it was from the Greyhound station and just how big the Coachella Valley is. Taxi fares in the Coachella Valley are more expensive than I anticipated too. They charge $3.25 per mile on top of the base pick-up fee. I was very reluctant to use a taxi to get to my hotel, but it was the only option for me that night. All that money doesn’t necessarily get you a friendly driver. I found my driver’s demeanor to be unsettling. I tried to break my unease by initiating conversation-to no avail. I felt like an unwelcome guest in a stranger’s small house. My hotel was on a long avenue and the taxi driver wasn’t sure he was going the right way. Each time I saw the meter creep up I got more anxious. I stared at the meter like the strength of my concentration could slow it down. I didn’t say anything, but I was concerned that I would have to pay if he went the wrong way. Thankfully, he had turned the right way, but it didn’t stop the bill from being hefty. With the tip, I paid over $70 American. I chose a 15% tip and got a disgruntled comment back from the driver. I don’t think he understood that it was still a lot of money for me to give. There was no point in arguing. I just thanked him for the ride and got out. I got double-billed for that ride the next day on my credit card. I didn’t find out till days later when it caused unexpected problems. On the way to the front desk of my hotel, I must have passed a red notice on the door. I’m glad that I didn’t read it till the next day because I already felt uneasy about staying there. My subconscious brain was picking up a bunch of cues about the hotel and was screeching an alarm in my brain. At check-in, I was startled when the front-desk agent said that illegal drugs were prohibited in the hotel. It was like hearing that murder is prohibited in the hotel. Of course, it is! Why do you need to tell me that? That night, I just wanted to stay safe and locked up inside. The raucous outdoor cold and mineral hot spring pools did not entice me. As I strolled the grounds in the dazzling desert light the next morning, I questioned being so tense the night before. After checking out, I went back to ask about the bus stop, but there was no-one in the lobby. I noticed a red unsafe sign on the door. There was faulty electrical wiring in the hotel that posed a fire hazard. The sign warned not to use the hotel until it was fixed and approved by the fire department. That sign had been up for three days. I guess my subconscious was right to be concerned. No harm had come to me, so I chuckled facetiously. After the chaos and expense of taxis the day before, I was determined to use public transportation that morning. I was feeling more confident than I had the night before and wound up chatting with an affable disheveled man at the local bus-stop. It was a good conversation until he said that males are on a different level or something than females. I cut him off there to keep the overall conversation positive. The Living Desert was over 25 miles (40km) away. I broke up the long trip with a delectable light breakfast in Palm Springs. Further on the way, I stopped at a tourist information center and had a pleasant conversation with the eager employee there. When I missed a bus, I made a detour and took pictures of stunning floral arrangements at a boutique flower shop. The next bus I boarded took me into Palm Desert. There is no bus route that takes you directly to The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens. I was determined to travel the rest of the way without using a taxi. The first half of my 2.5 mile (4 km) walk to the Living Desert brought me through El Paseo. I admired the palm-lined streets, the stylish urban landscape architecture, and the front-window displays of the up-scale stores. Past that, I walked by communities and luxuriant golf courses. I enjoyed walking in the heat and sunshine. In total, it took me about four hours to get from my hotel in Desert Hot Springs to the Living Desert. It only cost me $2.50. The trip gave me both a great over-view of the area and on-the-ground experiences. When I arrived at The Living Desert I felt awash in accomplishment. I had successfully navigated a long and complex route through a region that I hadn’t visited before. The travel that day had been rewarding and was capped off with a visit to The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens!
Part 10B - The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens Images of statuesque California fan palms inspired my visit to the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens. The spiky fronds remind me of the dramatically jagged edges of a cartoon explosion. I was weary of the frigid winter in Canada and looking for an antidote. The exotic palms brought up associations of warmth and sunshine. In deserts, palms grow around sources of water and signify oases. Some palms can look artificial to me, but I love how the skirts of dead fronds on the Living Desert’s palms make them look balanced and wild. The Living Desert, with their alluring palm trees, seemed like the perfect gateway for discovering the desert. California Fan Palms - My First US Zoo Trip by DevinL posted 25 Jul 2018 at 8:41 PM Before I even got to the entrance of the Living Desert, I could see California fan palms towering in the distance and it felt like I had arrived. I guzzled water from a fountain inside the Living Desert like I had arrived at an oasis. As appealing as palm trees and fountains are in the desert; the Living Desert has a lot more to offer. It was difficult for me to travel around the Coachella Valley and the Living Desert appealed to me as an all-in-one-destination. On my US trip I was interested in seeing zoos, gardens, natural history museums, and hiking trails. The Living Desert has all of those and more on one site! The Living Desert is focused on showcasing the world’s deserts. It’s an independent non-profit organization. The Palm Desert site started as a nature center with trails leading into the wild desert. Animal exhibits and gardens were added. Family-friendly attractions, like a ¾ acre g-model train display, further increased the variety of offerings. The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens has become a significant tourist attraction and community resource in the Coachella Valley. In 2018, the Living Desert was voted the tenth best zoo in America by USA Today. The Living Desert also has better aggregate ratings on travel sites than many better attended American zoos. Deserts may not seem like a crowd pleaser, but the Living Desert has developed a great reputation by focusing on them. For now, the developed site is split between African and North American desert sections. An Australian desert section has been envisioned for the future. The highlight of the African section is the stunning semi-arid giraffe exhibit. Trees overhang the pathway, and you travel around massive artificial kopje formations that provide a slight sense of enclosure. From the elevated pathway, views unfold of a basin where giraffe, ostrich, guineafowl, and greater kudu antelope congregate. You feel dwarfed by everything, from the lofty giraffes and palm trees, the flowing mounds of grass, to the mountains beyond and the unbroken desert sky. Giraffe Exhibit Viewpoint - My First US Zoo Trip by DevinL posted 25 Jul 2018 at 8:12 PM As striking as those visuals were, the more memorable experience was the chance to feed the giraffes! I remember giggling as the giraffes ate carrots from my hands. They’re such towering animals, but they seem incredibly gentle. The adults can grab the carrots effortlessly with their prehensile lips and tongues, so I fed a mother and her calf simultaneously to make sure they both got a good share. Giraffe Feedings - My First US Zoo Trip by DevinL posted 25 Jul 2018 at 8:16 PM To feed the giraffes I just had to pay a few dollars and wait in line about five minutes. They even took a bunch of photos with my camera of me feeding the giraffes! The fees for feeding giraffes help support the Living Desert’s giraffe conservation efforts. The Living Desert supports ecological monitoring of giraffes in Namibia’s deserts and environmental education in Tanzania. Their support of the latter is showcased in a re-created classroom outside the giraffe exhibit. Another well-designed area in the African section is Village WaTuTu. It’s inspired by early 20th century northeast African villages and was built to house visitor services and a petting kraal. Far from looking out of place, it looks more integrated with the natural landscape than the other architecture I had seen in the Coachella Valley. The village has a great human scale and use of materials that makes it feel authentic. I ate lunch there under a beautiful thatched roof. Village WaTuTu - My First US Zoo Trip by DevinL posted 25 Jul 2018 at 8:20 PM I couldn’t see any animals from my table, but it felt like they were nearby. Weaver birds and tortoises have exhibits within the village. From the shelter of the village, leopards and striped hyenas can be seen stalking outside. Warthogs live on the periphery of Village WaTuTu. Past the village, cheetah can be found. The cheetah exhibit is represented graphically in the Living Desert’s logo. The logo features the lithe silhouette of a racing cheetah between jagged mountain lines and the gently curving ground split by a tuft of grass. It’s a great choice for the logo. Running cheetahs represent vitality. Cheetahs spend long periods resting to conserve energy and to recuperate after bursts of activity. Similarly, desert plants rest for much of the year and burst into life after rain. On my spring visit, the cheetahs were lounging, but their scenic ridge exhibit was alive with green desert trees and grasses. Cheetah Exhibit - My First US Zoo Trip by DevinL posted 25 Jul 2018 at 8:22 PM Like many other exhibits at the Living Desert, the cheetah exhibit successfully burrows views of the wider desert landscape and mountains. This gives the exhibits a vast desert scale on a visitor-friendly sized site. Gardens and an interesting variety of desert animals can also be found in the African section. Charismatic African painted dogs can be seen up-close through viewing windows. Grevy’s zebra, gazelles, addax, and Arabian oryx (native to the Arabian Peninsula) have large open exhibits that melt into the surrounding desert landscape. Critically Endangered northern bald ibis are the highlights of the aviaries. They look like miniature vultures, but with long, slender curved beaks. Meerkats can be found nearby, as well as rarer small carnivores like black-footed cats and sand cats. Cape porcupines and rock hyrax round out the impressive collection of African desert animals. African Wild Dog Exhibit - My First US Zoo Trip by DevinL posted 25 Jul 2018 at 8:25 PM African savanna and rainforest exhibits are common features in American zoos, but African desert displays, like those at the Living Desert, are much more rare and unique. The African section of the Living Desert already has an impressive variety of animals and scenic exhibits. Lion, spotted hyena, black rhinoceros, and small animal exhibits will open in fall 2018. That will add more iconic African animals to what is already an impressive African section. Unlike the African section, which has a loop layout, the North American section is a bit more difficult to navigate. Created on an existing rocky mountain slope jutting out of the landscape, the Bighorn Mountain is the most prominent exhibit in the North American section. I spotted a few desert bighorn sheep. They’re so well camouflaged that as soon as they stop moving they seem to disappear into the mountainside. Desert bighorn sheep are an endangered subspecies that can be found in the mountains around the Coachella Valley. The exhibit was originally populated by sick lambs caught by California Fish and Game that had nowhere else to go. Since then, sheep born in the exhibit have been reintroduced into the Coachella Valley. The mountainside exhibit at the Living Desert is a striking natural setting well suited to showcase desert bighorn sheep. Bighorn Mountain - My First US Zoo Trip by DevinL posted 25 Jul 2018 at 8:27 PM The peninsular pronghorn exhibit is on a much flatter expanse of desert land that suits their habitat preference for areas with long sight lines. The exhibit burrows views of the vast landscape beyond. Most of the North American animal exhibits, including those for pronghorn, coati and coyote, are quite scattered. Eagle canyon takes a different approach. Peninsular Pronghorn Exhibit - My First US Zoo Trip by DevinL posted 25 Jul 2018 at 8:30 PM Eagle Canyon takes up just a small part of the Living Desert, but it has a large variety and high density of animal exhibits. It mimics moving through a desert canyon. Canyons bring water from the mountains to parched desert basins and support a wide variety of plants and animals. Eagle Canyon is the Living Desert’s version of a blockbuster immersive exhibit complex that you might see in much larger American zoos. It was the first major capital project developed at the Living Desert. They did not squander that opportunity. The design quality and attention to detail are excellent. At Eagle Canyon I had a variety of great up-close experiences with a variety of animals in intricately recreated natural habitats. I watched a vigilant bobcat who would temporarily slouch its dignified posture to bite into meat. I was so close, I felt like a dinner guest. An exuberant badger was also captivating. The badger scuttled around, occasionally stopping to dig into the earth and sniff the depression. On a shady canyon ledge, a couple of paws were visible. When I looked closer a glaring cougar’s face materialized from the darkness. I also saw caracal cats and foxes but couldn’t find the Mexican wolves on their ridge. American Badger in Eagle Canyon - My First US Zoo Trip by DevinL posted 25 Jul 2018 at 8:35 PM Eagle Canyon has a variety of other animals too. Inside the canyon building, there are exhibits of reptiles and other small animals. Outside, there are exhibits for peccary and eagles and a walkthrough aviary for ducks, doves and egrets. Mexican Boa Constrictor in Eagle Canyon - My First US Zoo Trip by DevinL posted 25 Jul 2018 at 8:36 PM Part of the allure and experience of Eagle Canyon is the sense of space. Most of the Living Desert has vast open spaces. Trees and simulated canyon walls create a sense of enclosure in Eagle Canyon. The spaces are more intimate than in the open desert. In the confined canyon spaces, the scale decreases and you slow down. It feels cooler and more comfortable. These experiences are heightened because of the contrast with the other spaces encountered at the Living Desert. Cougar Exhibit in Eagle Canyon - My First US Zoo Trip by DevinL posted 25 Jul 2018 at 8:33 PM The jaguar exhibit is another immersive exhibit where you can potentially get up-close to a charismatic animal. The vegetation here is denser than elsewhere at the Living Desert to represent where tropical deciduous forests meet the Sonoran Desert. Views leading up to the exhibit are restricted and a thicket forms an archway over the pathway. The views open to an abandoned silver mine with a mineshaft, rusted truck, and washbasin. Desert vegetation looks like it’s reclaiming the mining area. The jaguar’s space is elevated like a pedestal. I looked through the glass windows into the exhibit but couldn’t find the jaguar. Perhaps it was watching me from a cooler recess. I had a bit more luck at the walk-through oasis aviaries. A stout black-crowned night heron was perched on the handrail. I was shocked by how unperturbed it was by my proximity. As I strolled through the aviary a speedy greater roadrunner raced by. In the heat of mid-day, active birds can still be encountered in the desert. Black-crowned Night Heron - My First US Zoo Trip by DevinL posted 25 Jul 2018 at 8:40 PM It was cooler in the nearby Palm Oasis. I wove around scattered boulders to reach the sheltered pond. Desert pupfish, a small Vulnerable fish adapted to extreme conditions, swam in the shallow waters. Tall California fan palms crowd around the pond. It felt like a secluded sanctuary. There are more than a dozen themed gardens around the North American section of the Living Desert. The gardens look natural, but still well-structured. Each garden is a thoughtfully arranged composition of plant forms, textures, and colors. It feels like the gardens were designed by someone with a profound love of both natural deserts and the sculptural qualities of North American desert plants. Barrel Cactus Garden - My First US Zoo Trip by DevinL posted 25 Jul 2018 at 8:46 PM North American Garden - My First US Zoo Trip by DevinL posted 25 Jul 2018 at 8:48 PM The Living Desert’s animal care is showcased in the state-of-the-art Tennity Wildlife Hospital and Conservation Center. Visitors can watch medical procedures and examinations take place through tall viewing windows. There’s a wealth of interactive displays and animal artifacts to explore. Stone paving within the building transitions beautifully outdoors to an enclosed garden with black lava rock and cacti. The Tennity Wildlife Hospital and Conservation Center gives the impression that the Living Desert takes great pride in their animal care work. I didn’t have much time left and wound up missing: the Discovery Center (a natural history museum of the Coachella region); wildlife shows at the Tennity amphitheater; the reptile displays by the entrance; California landscape paintings in the administration building; and a few gardens. Of those attractions, I regret missing the Discovery Center the most. I certainly didn’t have time to go on any of the desert hiking trails, which had been a big part of my initial plans. In addition, there were a variety of attractions I purposefully bypassed including: a walkthrough aviary where you can feed lorikeets (separate paid admittance required); an endangered species carousel; and the desert themed Gecko Gulch playground with saguaro cactus slides and giant animal sculptures. If I had children, then I would love taking them to those attractions. The biggest departure from The Living Desert’s mission to showcase desert life is the 3/4-acre g-scale model train display. The small trains pass through a miniaturized desert landscape. The display began as a part of the annual WildLights holiday program. It was so popular that it became a permanent feature. Volunteers built and continue to maintain the extensive and well-executed display. G-Scale Model Train Display - My First US Zoo Trip by DevinL posted 25 Jul 2018 at 8:44 PM Few desert animals are active during the heat of the day. Interactive experiences with animals and other attractions help fill out the visit to the Living Desert when many of the animals are resting in the shade. The variety of attractions at the Living Desert have made it a popular community resource. Nearly everything at the Living Desert is of exceptional quality. Their outstanding animal exhibits include those that utilize natural features (Bighorn Mountain), thoughtfully designed exhibits that burrow natural scenery (the giraffe and cheetah exhibits), and immersive habitat simulations (Eagle Canyon). I loved the natural and picturesque gardens. The Tennity Wildlife Hospital and Conservation Center is excellent. Even their other attractions, like the g-scale train display, have been deftly realized. As an independent non-profit, the Living Desert has a fraction of the resources of large American zoos. It’s evident that the facility has been built up thoughtfully with care. The Living Desert’s focus on the world’s deserts makes it an attractive destination. Many American zoos have a cosmopolitan collection of plants and animals, and few have appealing desert displays. For desert exhibits, the Living Desert has the advantage of being within a natural desert with great views of the surrounding landscapes. The Living Desert was a great introduction to the desert on my trip through the United States. Over the next few days, my admiration of the desert continued to deepen as I experienced more nature-based attractions there.
Thanks for the great review! I too love the Living Desert, I feel as if it’s definitely an underrated zoo that more people should visit.
Thank you for the thoughtful Living Desert review, I still have not visited there but I would like to!
