WHAT DOES THE GIRAFFE SAY?

Thanks to Costco we had 3-for-1 passes to the Safari Park, the Zoo, and Sea world. For some reason our expectations were a little lower for the Safari so we opted to spend our first day in San Diego there, thinking we were saving the best two trips for later. 

As it turned out, we were way off the mark. Even the drive to the place was cool. The sprawling complex comes into view after traversing narrow winding roads surrounded by vineyards and rolling hills, and not only is it beautiful, but there are lorries speeding around corners on said narrow roads so the scenic drive gets your heart rate up too. 

Little did we know that you can add to the magic by viewing the Safari Park as you zip line over it. Apparently you have to be a millionaire to do it, so we went for the tried and tested train on wheels. It didn't disappoint. It was awesome to see the animals minus any enclosures, free to roam around in habitats mirroring the the wild. 

It took Charlotte a little while to realize that her snacks weren't actually the most interesting thing around. For a few short moments in between fruit snacks she was captivated, but if course, for a 20 month old, a few short moments is a terribly long time. I think the rest of us would have been happy to ride the train in a circuit for hours on end but, since the Safari Park had a surprisingly varied selection of things to do, we kept moving.

Charlotte loved Park

And driving her own Jeep

And climbing on everything

And going down the slide again, and again.

While we wanted to ride the train around the park repeatedly, Charlotte felt the same way about the carousel. Since nobody else was really using it and we didn't have to get off in between rides, we indulged her. How could resist that happy little face? We rode it about four times in a row, spotting Granddad on each circle. We rode it until we were about ready to throw up

but it still wasn't long enough for the Chaz. She clung to the thing like her life depended on it as we pried her away.

Feeding the ducks

And even walking on giant lilly pads.

The Safari Park was so magical; from the African drums playing in the car park to the free refills and all of the animals in between. We had such a fun day. It makes me smile to remember it. The icing on the cake? This photo: 

which, incidentally, makes me smile too!