{"id":285396,"date":"2026-04-25T10:34:24","date_gmt":"2026-04-25T10:34:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/285396\/"},"modified":"2026-04-25T10:34:24","modified_gmt":"2026-04-25T10:34:24","slug":"a-13-acre-savanna-where-you-can-walk-alongside-a-herd-of-african-elephants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/285396\/","title":{"rendered":"A 13-Acre Savanna Where You Can Walk Alongside A Herd Of African Elephants"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Elephant-Valley-SD-Zoo-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"wp-block-post-featured-image\" alt=\"A group of elephants at Elephant Valley in San Diego.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\"\/><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy of San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<a data-force-follow=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/secretlosangeles.com\/author\/jamie-ferrell\/\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1777113262_395_6556f2b24022c7f3816afcfc93e09b02279d20544bb46c8f4844cbf3bb73632e.png\"  class=\"avatar avatar-40 photo\" height=\"40\" width=\"40\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u00a0\u2013\u00a0<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tSenior Staff Writer\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\u00a0\u00b7\u00a0<br \/>\n\t\t\tApril 23, 2026<\/p>\n<p>On March 5th, 2026, <a href=\"https:\/\/secretlosangeles.com\/zoos-los-angeles\/\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" target=\"_self\" class=\"shortcode-outbound-link\" data-has-ga=\"true\" data-ga-type=\"click\" data-label=\"https:\/\/secretlosangeles.com\/zoos-los-angeles\/\" data-action=\"text_cta_0\" data-category=\"click_internal\">San Diego Zoo Safari Park<\/a> officially opened the new Denny Sanford Elephant Valley for visitors to see its majestic African Elephant herd up close. <\/p>\n<p>This is the world-renowned park\u2019s largest expansion project since it opened over 50 years ago, presenting an unforgettable experience where guests can explore a scenic savanna environment. <\/p>\n<p>Would you make the two-hour drive <a href=\"https:\/\/secretlosangeles.com\/day-trips-from-los-angeles\/\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" target=\"_self\" class=\"shortcode-outbound-link\" data-has-ga=\"true\" data-ga-type=\"click\" data-label=\"https:\/\/secretlosangeles.com\/day-trips-from-los-angeles\/\" data-action=\"text_cta_1\" data-category=\"click_internal\">from L.A.<\/a> to see the elephants in their new home?<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Elephant-Valley-1.jpg\" alt=\"Elephant Valley watering hole.\" class=\"wp-image-125012\"  \/>Courtesy of San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance<\/p>\n<p>Exploring Elephant Valley<\/p>\n<p>Elephant Valley is a 13-acre savanna landscape that\u2019s been outfitted with more than 300 native African plants, including a rare kokerboom tree. The varied terrain includes numerous watering holes and shady areas where the eight resident elephants can cool off and roam comfortably.<\/p>\n<p>Guests may observe the herd from a curved bridge overlooking the savanna, or from meandering trails where you can \u201cwalk alongside\u201d the animals and get a closer look. You can also opt for an add-on guided walking tour, including a \u201csip &amp; stroll\u201d experience with drinks included. <\/p>\n<p>Mkutano House is Elephant Valley\u2019s open-air safari lodge dining area, a two-story restaurant and lounge featuring elements handcrafted in Kenya. <\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Elephant-Valley-2.jpg\" alt=\"Elephant Valley Mkutano House\" class=\"wp-image-125013\"  \/>Courtesy of San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance<\/p>\n<p>Visiting San Diego Zoo Safari Park<\/p>\n<p>The San Diego Zoo Safari Park covers nearly 3 square miles in Escondido, California, featuring large open habitats where you can enjoy a safari-style experience among more than 3,000 animals. Look for free-roaming giraffes, rhinos, antelope, and of course, elephants, plus over 300 more animal species. <\/p>\n<p>Visitors can opt for safari-style tours in open trucks, the signature \u201cAfrica Tram,\u201d as well as family-friendly play areas and seasonal events.<\/p>\n<p>The park is run by the nonprofit San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, which is dedicated to the conservation and protection of threatened animals. <\/p>\n<p>\ud83c\udf9f\ufe0f Tickets: <a href=\"https:\/\/feverup.com\/m\/113887\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"shortcode-outbound-link\" data-has-ga=\"true\" data-ga-type=\"click\" data-label=\"https:\/\/feverup.com\/m\/113887\" data-action=\"text_cta_2\" data-tracked=\"1\" data-category=\"click_sales\" data-cp_smn_source=\"secretlosangeles\" data-cp_smn_content=\"san-diego-zoo-safari-park-elephant-valley\" data-cp_smn_term=\"text_cta_2\">Get tickets to San Diego Zoo Safari Park here<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udd5c Hours: Open from 9am to 5pm daily<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udccd Location: San Diego Zoo Safari Park, 15500 San Pasqual Valley Rd, Escondido, CA 92027<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Courtesy of San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance \u00a0\u2013\u00a0 Senior Staff Writer \u00a0\u00b7\u00a0 April 23, 2026 On March 5th,&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":285397,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[74,76,75],"class_list":{"0":"post-285396","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-diego","8":"tag-san-diego","9":"tag-san-diego-headlines","10":"tag-san-diego-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285396","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=285396"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285396\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/285397"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=285396"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=285396"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=285396"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}