Inspired by this round-up of terrific Bay Area day trips, I drove my family of four up to Santa Rosa to spend the morning on a safari vehicle tour. Super fun! I suggest this trip for tall four-year olds and up, but I’m getting ahead of myself.
We rode on a customized open-air military-grade truck through rocky dusty roads for about two and a half hours. The trek included stops every few minutes to watch animals do their thing and learn some interesting bits of trivia (a rhino’s head weighs over 1000 pounds, who knew?!). No food is allowed but you may carry water bottles on the mini safari.
Because my sons measured over 48″, the four of us rode ON TOP of the vehicle wearing only lap belts — yep leave the car seats at home! Toddlers are welcome but they will sit on your lap or wiggle around the jeep with no seatbelts down in the main vehicle. The view from the top was hot and rewarding. And extra bouncy.
After a brief bathroom break, we took a guided walk through a different part of the animal preserve with cheetahs, lemurs, monkeys, and several kinds of rare birds. The second part of the tour is more like a zoo because animals are enclosed. It is off-road stroller-friendly.
{photo taken on walk by my four year old!}
The main safari tour begins and ends at the deli, which makes fresh family-friendly fare in large portions. We shared two sandwiches among the four of us and felt satisfied.
This adventure was a big splurge for my family. Much more expensive than the zoo but much cheaper than a trip to Africa!
