CALIFORNIA BAY AREA SAFARI! - OVERNIGHT GLAMPING EXPERIENCE WITH RHINOS, CHEETAH, & MORE!

It’s no secret that I LOVE a Safari! I’ve heard about Safari West awhile back when a few people mentioned that there is one in Santa Rosa! I looked it up a couple of years ago and it’s been on my bucket list ever since! This is about the closest thing you can get to a real African Safari, without traveling 10,000 miles one way!

Safari West is in the heart of Sonoma County in Northern California. The property is stunning with 400 acres of rolling hills. It is home to over 800 animals and eighty different animal species. Safari West’s goals are research, education, and conservation. They support endangered species & participate in the breeding of those animals, like the white rhino.

THE VISIT

Safari West is a little over an hour drive from San Francisco! The location makes it an ideal spot to visit for the day or spend the night!

Safari West offers visitors daily for safari rides (reservations required). The Safari includes a 45 minute walking tour where you get to see various birds, ground animals, lemurs, and…. cheetahs! After the walking tour you head out on game drive! The safari driving portion is about 2 hours.

Staying overnight is not a requirement to go on Safari, but I would def recommend it! I will always find a reason to stay overnight in wine country and I am very happy we did. In the fall / winter, the sun starts to set at the end of the Safari journey. We were so happy we could have the night to enjoy dinner and relax, without having to make the trek back to the city.

We visited in November and I def got my very needed dose of autumn vibes in! We stayed overnight and woke up to soothing rain sounds, dense clouds rolling in, and orange/red/yellow leaves glistening and shining from the rains. It was the perfect moody fall morning. We also woke up to a nature alarm clock! We heard many animals – roosters, guinea fowl, and birds in the morning. It’s all part of the safari experience, however, if you are a light sleeper they have ear plugs available to use 😉

The overnight stays are in a luxurious Safari West tent – which is imported from Botswana! The décor was pretty spot on to what you’d find in a real African game reserve lodge. I love Safari West’s effort to create the feeling of being on the “Serengeti”. They really do a good job aiming to replicate this experience in Sonoma!

We stayed in a large tent with a very comfortable king size bed. There is also a heated mattress – this was such a nice plus to have since it got very chilly at night! If you visit in fall/winter, def pack warm clothing, pajamas, a beanie, and socks.

The tents also have a full bathroom and shower. I’ve stayed in glamping tents before and these are much more luxurious and have more amenities. It really did not even feel like a tent or anywhere close to camping. It was the perfect setup for an overnight stay.

The tents have a private viewing deck overlooking the grassy area, where you can see giraffes and antelope roaming! We spent some time out here at night enjoying a glass of wine, looking at the stars. I would love to come back in summer where you can enjoy the warm summer nights and sunsets.

The safari we went on started at 2pm, and check in for an overnight stay is at 3pm. However…we got lucky and our room was ready before the Safari! We put down our bags, headed to the snack deli where we grabbed mount tam cheese (my fav!) crackers, and some drinks for the game drive.

After the Safari, there was a delicious home cooked style dinner. The ribs were some of the best I’ve ever had. It was simple, flavorful, and perfect for a post safari dinner/braai! They also offered s’mores around the fire. For many of the families and kids, they had a movie night with The Jungle Book playing. Instead of the movie, we opted to go on a night time walk to see some of the nocturnal animals, like porcupines and hyenas. They encourage guests to do this and provide flashlights for the walk.

THE ANIMALS

The game drive vehicles are equipped with such knowledgeable and lovely guides! I was so impressed by the level of knowledge and passion all the employees of Safari West has! Everyone was so kind and had such positive energy, it really made such an impact visiting. I loved Safari West because it felt so much more niche and unique than compared to a zoo.

In addition to the amazing guides, the vehicles also have blankets if you get cold, umbrellas / ponchos if you get wet. If you have the chance I would definitely opt for sitting on the top of the vehicle! You don’t get to do that on a real safari in Africa, so take advantage of the best view points!

On the drive we saw warthogs, giraffes, zebras, wildebeest, many antelopes like kudu, oryx, and even a new born baby addax!! My personal 2 favorite animals I saw were the rhinos and the cape buffalo. The cape buffalo is one of the most dangerous animals in Africa and one of the big five! Seeing them in California was so wild to me!

There were 3 rhinos, a mother, Eesha, and father, Ongava, and a baby…Otto! More to come on the rhino’s below! We had the MOST SPECIAL rhino encounter!

THE RHINO ENCOUNTER

In addition to the safari drive, you can also choose between the following Wild Experiences:

-Behind the Scenes Tour

-Rhino Experience

-Cheetah Experience

We went on the Rhino Experience which was incredible and SO worth it! We spent about an hour with these majestic large animals. This was my favorite part of our stay at Safari West! We learned about them, watched the handlers feed them, and we even got the opportunity to safely pet them! Which blew my mind because never in my life could I imagine being that up close to a rhino. It really made me appreciate and respect them even more than I already did. Being up close and personal with them on foot is truly something else. You would not be able to experience this in wild Africa… or at least I hope not!

My favorite part was seeing the interactions between the mom, dad, and baby. The mom was very territorial over her food and made it very well known to the dad to back off. They got into a couple tiffs, & I captured it all on video! It was also SO adorable to see the baby rhino practice charging/knocking horns with his dad. I have the whole rhino experience documented on my YouTube video. I’ll link it below!

While it was incredible to spend time observing the animals up close, it is also important to highlight rhino poaching going on in Africa. I personally did not have much knowledge regarding this topic before I went to Africa, and I think it’s important to shed a bit of light on the issue.

If you did not already know, sadly, rhinos are endangered. This is mostly due to the illegal trade of rhino horns. The rhino horns are sought after by Asian countries, who believe there are certain medicinal properties to the horn. The horns do not have any special properties AT ALL. Rhino horn is made up of keratin – the same protein which forms the basis of our hair and nails. It’s very sad and frustrating that these beautiful animals are harmed in the wild.

Safari West contributes to the growth of global rhino populations and aid in conserving this magnificent protected species. In 2023, Safari West gave birth to it’s first white rhino! Seeing first hand how Safari West has it’s own foundation and conservation programs to help critically endangered species really rounded out our stay. I would highly recommend participating in one of these Wild Experiences when you visit Safari West.