Safari West

Reviews 3

BR

Brittany Estrada

We took my mother here for the Mothers Day Brunch Safari yesterday morning/afternoon. Overall the park itself was really spacious and the animals were beautiful. Staff seemed very knowledgeable about the animals. The reason I only give this place 3 stars is because (1) the brunch itself was lacking in more ways than one, and (2) staff seemed really uncoordinated and did not communicate effectively to ensure we had an enjoyable time. Our reservation was at 10am which we were told to be there by 9:45am as we would be on a schedule. We arrived at about 9:15am and were told all mothers day brunch safari guests would have to park in an "overflow lot". The lot was really just a dirt turnout on the side of the road. Luckily they provided a shuttle but this was not communicated to us when we made our reservation so no one carried any cash to tip. We were able to go inside the restaurant a little before 10am but we were not able to get our food until about 10:30am. We assumed that there was some staff delay and that our safari would begin closer to noon; although no one had communicated any of this explicitly to us. The buffet consisted of a variety of pastries, bagels with lox and other fixings, a turkey carving station, salad mix, mixed vegetables including carrots, green beans, and potatoes, bacon, sausage and a blueberry french toast. Not a huge variety. I was very disappointed that they didnt have any eggs. Eggs are a staple item for any breakfast or brunch in my opinion. When we asked staff if there were eggs they looked at us like we were crazy. And since I dont personally eat meat, I was left to have a VERY high carb breakfast. The food that I did have was very good but the lack of spread was overshadowing. The brunch itself was described as all-inclusive. The brunch was advertised as having mimosas. Since it was described as all-inclusive I assumed that meant bottomless mimosas. It didnt. That meant that you would get one drink ticket per person and have the option to pay $7 per mimosa, wine or beer. Safari West did a horrible job of advertising this and I feel that it was very deceptive how they described it all-inclusive. Simple language saying all non-alcoholic are included; a cash bar is available would have worked. Since the breakfast had started late we assumed that our tour would begin later. A little after 11:30am we were approached by a staff member and said our tour party was waiting on us. Up until then there had been no information about when anything would start. At this point we were told we were going to be walking for about 30 minutes on a guided tour. Great although we went into this not knowing we would have a walking portion. The 30 minute walking tour seemed rushed and the guide was easily frustrated by people falling behind. After our 30 minute walking tour we were to board a caravan with a different group. Again this whole itinerary we were learning on the fly. Since we were rushed out breakfast and just went on a 30 minute walk my family had to use the restroom. When they asked the caravan driver she seemed very reluctant to allow them but told them to hurry. We were put in very awkward situations continually because staff never communicated what the day would be like. The caravan ride itself was nice. It was about an hour. The seats were really uncomfortable to me but the rest of my party was fine with them. Make sure to have a camera because its unreal how close some of the animals get. It was nice have the guides describe the various animals and their specific behaviors. I kind of expected more as far as variety of animals but I understand all the animals need to have adequate space. The brunch by itself was priced at $42/person. With the hour long safari you get to see 100 of the 400 acres -- it was $75/person. If you read anything from this review, save your money and eat breakfast/brunch somewhere else and use that money towards the safari of the whole 400 acres. The full safari is about $95 but would have been money better spent.

DA

Darius Wiles

There are plenty of animals to look at. The giraffes are the star, but there are also cape buffalo, rhinos, zebras, wildebeest and similar, cheetahs, monkeys and birds. Most animals are located in several large fields that the tour jeeps drive through. The jeep part of the tours take about 2 hours because there is a lot of stopping near the animals so the guide can explain more about them. Our guide, Richard, was very friendly and knowledgeable. Some of the animals are curious and will wander over to the jeep to take a look at the tourists, allowing you to see them very close to. After the jeep tour, the same guide leads a short walk past cages with cheetahs, monkeys and birds, and ends with the tour group entering a much larger cage with several bird types to wander among the birds to see them more closely and look at their nests. There are also a couple of dozen tent cabins consisting of solid wooden platforms with a large canvas tent so you can stay overnight. They are a great idea for people who want to camp without sacrificing amenities such as en-suite bathrooms, but, like a standard tent, if its cold outside its cold inside as well. We found it chilly first thing in the morning in September, so plan accordingly if you wish to stay in December or March. We had dinner at the restaurant the day we arrived and breakfast at the same place the next morning. Both meals were good. All the staff we met were friendly, everything was clean and overall we had a great time. Its expensive, so Im taking a star off for that, but its a pretty unique experience (unless you travel to Africa), so its worth the money.

A

A Private User

I have just gotten back from my Safari and was appalled. The young woman at the front desk was cold, and irritated with the guests. I asked her where to go for the tour, and she had said "Follow the people leaving the office". I went to grab some lunch before my tour at 1pm, and the food was horrible. Everything was very generic, and bland, I was expecting much more considering it was over 20 dollars for the meal. Once I had gotten on a old Jeep looking truck, I was completely amazed by the property, I couldnt believe that this place was even real. My tour guide was amazing, I dont recall her name, but she was extremely pleasant and was very knowledge about all the species at the preserve and answered all my questions and then some! When the tour was done, we had a few minutes to use the facilities and before going on the walking portion, I had wandered off to go down the trails, and was baffled to walk towards the Cheetah exhibit, and looked back to see a young Hispanic man urinating on the side of the aviary cage! I was disgusted at the sight. I quickly returned to my group to finish the walking tour. All in all I think what they are doing a great thing at Safari West, but considering how much money you pay for the experience, I would think the San Francisco Zoo would be a better choice, and cheaper.

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