November 2004 Article                      

Try a Safari in Sunny San Diego

The San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park is home to more than 3,500 rare and exotic animals, most of whom roam freely in vast enclosures. In addition to giraffes, gazelles, and rhinos, you can observe South African cheetahs lounging on a sunny hill, or gaze into the eyes of the majestic California condor. Inspired by the African and Asian plains, the 1,800-acre Wild Animal Park offers guests an exotic safari adventure unlike any other outside of Africa itself. 

Tracey Brenneman, CMP, senior sales manager of PRA Destination Management San Diego, says she’s been on safari in Africa and the experience at the Wild Animal Park is awfully close. In fact, it offers some experiences unlikely on the real African plain, she explains. At the park, you can get really up close and personal with the animals, even feeding carrots and apples to the giraffes and Indian rhinos. 

The field exhibits at the park are divided into four areas: East Africa, South Africa, Asian Plains, and Eurasia. Animals includes lions, giraffes, rhinos, antelope, zebras, cape buffalo, and ostriches. The best way to experience the park is through a private one and a half hour photo caravan. Guests sit in the back of a truck, with a knowledgeable guide, and get amazing close in exposures to the animals. The trucks accommodate a minimum of eight passengers and a maximum of 15. Up to four trucks can be run at once…for a total party of 60.

Other wonderful animal and environmental activities in the San Diego area include:

The San Diego Zoo
View rare and intriguing wildlife from nearly every region of the world at the San Diego Zoo. The 100-acre realm is one of only three zoos in the United States to house giant pandas. Here Tracey recommends a guided behind-the scenes tour for 15 to 40 people, with up to four tours being conducted at once. 

Aboard an open-air double decker coach, your guests enter through a special gate with their personal zoo guide to go where the public is not invited. They’ll see what the caretakers see, with glimpses into the feeding areas and the animals bedrooms. They can ask questions of the individual caretakers about the animals and their habits. 

The one and a half hour tour includes two stops of 15 minutes each behind the animal enclosures. Elephants and giraffes, are two stop possibilities. Through the stops, guests get great close-up photo opportunities, yet thanks to the motor coach, do not have to negotiate walking the vast and diverse zoo terrain. A lunch for up to 100 people can be arranged on the zoo grounds as part of the event, if desired. 

Whale Watching
From mid-December through mid-March, thousands of California Gray Whales migrate from the nutrient-rich waters in Alaska's Bering Sea to the warm waters of Scammon’s Lagoon in Baja California, Mexico. The Southern California coastline is situated along the migratory pattern allowing San Diego visitors wonderful opportunities to see the Gray Whale. On an ocean cruise, guests will learn about Gray Whale habits, environmental issues, and whale spotting indicators while en route to the migratory area off San Diego’s coast.

Naturalist tours
You can plan an excursion to explore land and sea with a marine scientist. Strolling the beach near La Jolla, your guests will learn about marine birds, mammals, and plants and the geologic formations that provide their habitat. “You are outdoors in a beautiful setting, ” Tracey says, offering a refreshing break from meetings and other indoor pursuits.

SeaWorld San Diego
Touch and feed dolphins, count the teeth on a shark, come face to face with a polar bear, and cover up when world-famous Shamu comes a-splashing! SeaWorld San Diego provides quite a show while guests learn about a variety of land and sea creatures. Surprisingly, it’s also a place to get to know a team of magnificent Clydesdale horses. 

Al Fresco Team Building
With an average year-round temperature of 64 degrees, San Diego also offers the ideal site for a variety of outdoor team-building activities. Among those offered by PRA are Sailing Cup Challenge, Sandcastle Building where the end result is a City in the Sand, and the Soap Box Derby where teams both build and race.

For more about San Diego, contact your GEP representative, or e-mail newsletter@theeventinsider.com.