Safari in Sonoma? Safari West…It’s Not Just for Kids
Up close and personal with a giraffe at Safari West
As with any tour, the Safari West experience ends in the gift shop where you can purchase everything from binoculars to a stuffed lemur to commemorate your visit. We aren’t complaining about this as Terri was able to get her magnet and postcards as Zeke checked us out of our platform tent which was our accommodation for the night.
We didn’t purchase the stuffed lemur but if they’d put one on the bed of our tent, Terri would have had trouble resisting the impulse purchase.
As we share in our latest Sonoma County video on Safari West, the safari and overnight experience on the 400 acre Santa Rosa property not only isn’t just for kids, it’s quite impressive. Everyone who works there appears to actually want to be there. The animals were respected and well cared for, and in the spring, the grounds were lush, green, and extremely beautiful. While we may not have been in Africa, we certainly didn’t feel like we were 65 miles north of downtown San Francisco.
If you can get past the clunkiness of the website reservation process, the experience is seamless. Zeke purchased packages that included two safari tickets, dinner for two with a bottle of red wine, and an overnight stay in one of the platform tents that made for a lovely excursion and glamping experience.
The Safari
The safari itself was three hours and we started with about 30-45 minutes of a walking tour getting a true education on each of the animals in their enclosures and the birds in the aviary. Jeff, our guide, knowledgeable and patient with all of our questions and it was clear that the education portion was not performative. The 31 year old company is focused on education, conservation, and research. This is not an amusement park.
After the walking tour and a short restroom break, we loaded up into one of the safari jeeps for a two-and-a-half-hour ride through the massive animal enclosures where the animals roam free, and we were restricted to the vehicle. At one point, an ostrich got a little friendly with the jeep and Jeff had to gently persuade her to move away so we could travel through one of the double gates to get back to the road with the assistance of another guide.
Jeff made a point of stopping at various points near the animals to not only provide us with valuable information regarding the animals, but also settle into the space to make the animals comfortable with our presence. At not point were we rushed from one place to the next. We had ample time to enjoy the beautiful outdoors, observe the animals, and take pictures. This was such a foreign experience for us as we are used to being ushered from place to place, National Lampoon Vacation style at the Grand Canyon.
Wear sturdy walking shoes (not flip flops, sandals, or heels), and bring a water bottle and a hat. Wear sunscreen.
Enjoy the images and video of the animals and scenery in our video; we included a section at the end so you could armchair travel with us.
Lodging
Safari West is 10 minutes off of Highway 101 in Santa Rosa making it a great one-day adventure but if you want an extended experience, staying the night in one of their platform tents is a truly unique. We loved being able to walk around after dinner to see which animals were awake after dark. There are about 25 platform tents on the property which means that once all the day guests are gone, we had the place to ourselves.
Our platform tent was at the top of a dirt road (we recommend bringing a backpack instead of a roller bag) near the fence line for one of the enclosures. Quite a few antelope dined at the fence line both at dusk and in the morning which was delightful to experience. It was peaceful, and we had a lovely view of one of the lakes from our back deck.
Our room had a king-sized bed, desk and chair, and a private bathroom with a stall shower, toilet, and rustic wood vanity. The towels, linens, and toiletries were high-quality and despite the cold, we were kept warm with an electric blanket on the bed and a floor heater that could be moved to heat the bathroom.
We saw families with up to three kids so each of the platform tents must have various bedding options.
We recommend bringing some wine or other beverage of your choice and a snack to enjoy on the back deck as you watch the sun go down before dinner.
Food
There are both a cafe and a little store with snacks and beverages in the main area of the property. Since we purchased the dinner and wine package, and we had the 2 PM safari, we chose the 7PM seating for the barbeque dinner. There is also a 5 PM seating.
Once you check in, you are escorted to your table which will most likely be shared with some other people since the tables are large enough to accommodate families and larger parties. Once we were seated, our server brought us a fruit tray to enjoy as we waited to be called for the buffet. She took our drink order and it wasn’t long before we were told we could help ourselves to the food outside.
The food was good. They had a salad, grilled vegetables that did not come out of a bag, a baked sweet potato and chickpea dish, barbequed chicken and tri tip. For dessert, they had ice cream sundaes and for those with birthdays (Terri), they added a candle, and everyone sang happy birthday.
After dinner they had a guest speaker from UC Berkely talking for about 15 minutes on what animal skulls can tell us about the animals and birds with skulls on every table.
Breakfast was included with the room and included oatmeal, yogurt, fruit, bagels, other bread products, and some eggs. Coffee, tea, and hot chocolate are available all day long.
The dining room is also in a big tent, and we felt transported to somewhere far away.
Other Things To Note
We were there in early April and we were taken by surprise as to how cold it got at night (thus the electric blankets and the heaters in the tent). You can expect it to get very hot during the summer so dress accordingly.
As we said in the lodging section, you may end up carrying your bag either up or down a rutted road or trail so it’s best to bring a backpack and not a roller bag. They met us at our car and took us up to our room when we checked in, but we walked down in the morning.
Be prepared to hike for coffee in the morning depending on where your platform tent is. Zeke made the trek down, about a 5-minute walk, and brough lukewarm coffee back to Terri in bed.
Consider a 2 PM or 3 PM safari tour, followed by an enjoyable appertif on your back deck before dinner. Bring snacks and beverages or purchase them in the small store. The prices were insanely reasonable.
Bring binoculars if you have them. Some animals kept their distance. We zoomed in using our phone cameras but it would have been fun to have the binoculars to see the buffalo surrounding their newborn.
If you have electric vehicle, charge before or after your visit in Santa Rosa as there were no EV charges on the property for guests to use.
Arrive before your safari to wander around on your own and possibly check into your tent early. We arrived at 12:30 and our tent was ready at 1:15.
We tipped our guide using Venmo because we didn’t have any cash. Bring some cash for the various tip jars around the property for the service people. Don’t feel obligated to tip but if your experience was like ours, they absolutely deserve a little extra something.
Come ready to learn about the animals and birds and enjoy this safari experience in Sonoma County.
As always if you have any additional questions, please reach out to us via email at zekeandterri@gmail.com.