Our Airstream Safari descended 4,000 feet from our campsite in the Cuyamaca Mountains and enjoyed a restful interlude at home base in San Diego before going to the bluffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean.  In the meantime, our Airstream friends, Bert and Janie, visited and we took them on a journey to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.

“Safari is a Swahili word for ‘journey’,” said our Africa Tram driver and guide, and indeed, the San Diego Zoo Safari Park* is a journey through various habitats for a large array of wild and endangered animals, along with a wealth of plant life.  As soon as we entered the park, Bert spotted many photographic opportunities,

such as the Southern Bald Ibis, native to southern Africa.

We continued on our safari and came upon a romantic lion interlude.

A nearby lioness basked contentedly in the sun and seemed satiated (perhaps after dining on the 4×4 driver).

We took the Africa Tram for an overview of the largest exhibit, the open-range enclosure, covering 300 acres and presenting various plains habitats of Africa and Asia.

The tram makes periodic stops for photographic opportunities,

such as photographing the giraffe.

Janie and Larry rested after we got off the tram at Nairobi Station, while Bert and I hoofed it up to Condor Ridge.  Photographing the California Condor through a mesh enclosure is difficult, but Bert reveals how it’s done in his post, “California Condor Milestone“.

We are happy that the California Condor is escaping extinction due to breeding programs* at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park and the Los Angeles Zoo.

*This is a link to a YouTube video.