Thanks to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park for hosting our stay so I could write this detailed review of my experience.
My family and I just returned home from a Roar & Snore Safari at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. I’ve been fortunate to go on multiple safaris (South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania and India), and this is as close as you’ll get to a real safari without leaving the country. Here’s what you need to know and what our experience was like:
The San Diego Zoo Safari Park Roar & Snore Safari is located at the Safari Park, not the San Diego Zoo. The address is 15500 San Pasqual Valley Rd, Escondido, CA 92027, which is about 30 minutes away from downtown San Diego.
The Roar & Snore usually takes place throughout the year and mostly on weekends.
There are three different types of tents:
The Classic tents are nestled on the hillside grove under the starry night sky. Dinner, an evening snack, and breakfast are included. Campers must bring their own sleeping bag and pillow.
The Vista tents are perched along the perimeter of the campsite where you can enjoy the view of the African savanna. Dinner, an evening snack, and breakfast are included. Campers must bring their own sleeping bag and pillow.
The Premium tents feel luxurious with home-away-from-home accommodations. Dinner, an evening snack, and breakfast are included. All bedding is provided.
Guests are asked to limit personal belongings to one sleeping bag and one duffel bag or suitcase per person. If you’re in a premium tent like we were, you don’t need to bring sleeping bags or pillows. We brought two pillows since we were driving and it was no big deal to throw them in the car. And don’t forget to bring your toiletries and a flashlight or headlamp. During our night walk, our guide had a flashlight so we didn’t need our headlamps too much but the grounds are very dark so if you are walking around after dark or need to use the loo in the middle of the night, you’ll need a light of some sort.
Weather and Clothing
The Roar & Snore Safari is an all-weather event, so you’ll want to dress for the elements. Comfortable, closed-toe shoes and layered overnight clothing are recommended as well as sunscreen and a reusable water bottle.
Fortunately, San Diego has pretty much perfect weather, but it does rain once in a while. Also, the nights can be really cold and the days really hot. We did our Roar & Snore on January 16, which was 78F during the day and 47F at night.
Even though we had a space heater in our luxury tent, I was still freezing.
Arrival & Luggage Drop-Off
Arrival & Luggage Drop-OffYou can drop your bags off or check in for the safari between 4:15pm and 5pm. When you arrive at the Safari Park, guests tell the parking attendant that they are participating in the Roar & Snore and they will direct you to Preferred Parking, which is near the luggage drop-off location. You will see the purple luggage drop-off trailer office.
The staff were really friendly, helped with the bags, tagged them and put them in the van. I thought our car would be close to the camp, but it’s not. It’s about a half-mile away.
Once you park your car, you walk into the park and make your way to registration. There was something fun about arriving just as the park was closing at 5pm, moving against the flow as other parkgoers headed out.
At registration, guests are given color-coded wristbands since they break the walks off into groups. We were in the red group.
Our guide for the first night was Ryan, who was very knowledgeable and took us on a 30-minute guided walk to the campground.
Dinner
Our first stop was dinner (5:30pm – 6:30pm), where they serve a buffet of burgers, hot dogs and roasted BBQ chicken, which looked so good but was pretty dry; you can pre-order a vegan Black Bean Burger if you prefer.
They also had salad, seasonal vegetables, mac and cheese and potato chips, as well as toppings: American cheese, shredded lettuce and pickles.
The Tents
Next stop was our tent. The tents are spread out around the campsite and the bathrooms are situated pretty much in the middle. It’s a little confusing at first and of course I got lost at 2:51am when I got up and had to use the loo. But the good news is it’s not scary walking around at night. Not like a real African safari. Here, you know the animals are in gated areas. Ryan said that walking the grounds alone at night is like a salesperson walking around a department store in the middle of the day.
We had an hour (6:30pm – 7:30pm) to check out our tent and enjoy free time at the campground. Since it was January, it was dark so we had no idea the elephants and other animals were surrounding us until we woke up in the morning. I suppose if we were here in the summer, we would have just taken the two chairs hanging on our tent wall and pulled them up in front of them to watch.
I can’t stress how amazing our tent was. My wife was a little nervous but since I’d gone camping with my son a few months ago, I wasn’t. The premium tent has a wood floor, queen-size bed with a heavy duvet and bunk beds with sleeping bags. The sleeping bags fit kids and adults (I know since I ended up sleeping in one half the night!) Olivia jumped into the big bed around 1am, probably after hearing the lions roar, which they do the most often between 1am and 4am, according to our guide.
Our tent had two fans and a space heater. We really needed the space heater because I was freezing in the middle of the night. I slept with my wool cap on. Natalie had cozy fleece-lined wool socks for her and the kids but my son, who slept on the top bunk without a shirt on, said he was hot (I guess heat really does rise). A nice touch would be to put hot water bottles in the bed, like they did on our tiger safari in India.
If you go in the winter months, dress in many layers and bring gloves and a hat.
Night Walk
Between 7:30pm and 9pm, depending on your group, you either go for a walking tour and then have S’mores or vice versa. If it’s a large group, they split it up to avoid crowding around the large firepit. We went for a night walk first, which was great. The guides use a red light that doesn’t disturb the animals. We didn’t need our lights until after the tour, but they do illuminate parts of the path where it was pitch dark.
Our son is a real animal lover and loved the night walk and the tour the next morning. He stayed close to all the guides so he could hear every word and answer their trivia questions, which he loved. The highlights of our night walk included:
When you’re walking around admiring the flora and fauna, don’t forget to look up and see the stars.
We saw a tiger sneak up, which was very cool!
We also got to see the resident platypus (they have two) and learned all about them. I had no idea about all their unique abilities! I also learned that the San Diego Safari Park is the only place that has platypuses outside of Australia
It’s a good amount of walking and I ended up carrying Olivia for part of the way, as did other dads in our group.
When we got back to the camp, it was time for S’mores and hot chocolate, which hit the spot.
At 9:15pm, they also offered popcorn and Savannah Hub Bingo, but my kids were too tired to play.
At 10:30pm, it’s lights out in the camp because it’s an early wake-up call at 6:30am and then 6:45am just to make sure you’re up.
Your bags need to be packed and outside of your tent by 7am and breakfast is from 7am to 7:45am.
Breakfast
Breakfast was fruit, French toast casserole, scrambled eggs, potatoes, bacon and vegetarian sausage, and you can ask for cereal or oatmeal.
Good to know: All the staff were really helpful regarding our son’s food allergies. One staff member brought out a binder with all allergens listed at dinnertime, so he was able to have a cheeseburger. Another person prepared separate S’mores bowls for him to make sure his chocolate, marshmallows and graham crackers didn’t get cross-contaminated with anything else. In the morning, a staff member went in the back to get him cereal for breakfast since he was unable to eat most of the other offerings. Everyone’s care and attention to his food allergies was greatly appreciated.
Morning Tour
At 7:45am, you meet your guide for a 15-minute walk to the tram for a private ride. During normal business hours, we were told that you could wait over an hour to go for a ride or pay $20 per person to skip the line.
The tram ride was about 45 minutes and we saw giraffes (including a two-week-old baby), Cape buffalo, gazelles, flamingos and more.
At 9am, they do a private wildlife presentation in an outdoor amphitheater. The kids loved seeing all the animals, especially the porcupine, owl and macaw.
The program ends at 9:30am and you can get a stamp to go back into the park after you put your bags in your car.
Elephant Valley
While you’re there, you will definitely want to check out the all-new Elephant Valley, the largest and most transformative project in San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance’s 109-year history. It will open on March 5, 2026. The Safari Park herd gained international recognition earlier this year when they were seen forming a protective “alert circle” during an earthquake. You’ll be among the very first to journey into this immersive space designed to celebrate the world’s largest land mammal and the communities that coexist with them. As part of the early access, you’ll have the opportunity to explore Mkutano House, a unique dining destination positioned at the heart of Elephant Valley.
All in all, it was a great experience. My wife said our tent was definitely a glamping experience and that she would love to do it again. We all would! For more photos, check out my Instagram Story.
