Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Cheap alternative to the San Diego Zoo

Kangaroos, horses, ostriches, donkeys, goats, llamas, deer, camels

"We don’t even mind the two-hour drive from here to Mexicali."
"We don’t even mind the two-hour drive from here to Mexicali."

In the last few days, photos and videos of snakes hissing and slithering within the confines of Mexicali vehicles have surfaced online.

“The last photo was with a viper,” captioned Juan M. underneath a Facebook photo of his presumed young daughter holding a large yellow-colored snake in the backseat. Aida posted a video of a snake that serpentined onto the door panel of the vehicle she was co-piloting. “Super cool," she said, "they give you the opportunity to touch them.”

“The last photo was with a viper.”

On August 29, Mexicali citizens gathered at the grand opening of “Safari en el Bosque” at the Bosque y Zoológico de la Ciudad de Mexicali park and zoo that’s about 120 miles east of the World Famous San Diego Zoo.

Marina del Pilar Ávila Olmeda, the city’s mayor, reportedly announced that “the first safari” in the entire state of Baja was opened to the public that Friday with the purpose of offering a “safe recreational space and re-activating the local economy.”

Sponsored
Sponsored

“We know that there have been very difficult months of confinement for everyone,” she continued in a statement, “and little by little we have to adapt to the new normal, and the bosque (forest) of the city is an example of this.”

The tigers from the adjoining zoo weren’t allowed to roam within the separated safari.

The circa-1964 park and zoo, which is located in the Río Nuevo area about four miles south of the Calexico and Mexicali port of entry, is charging 130 pesos ($6) per vehicle to enter the safari.

In an El Imparcial news report, they depicted the organizers squirting sanitizer onto the drivers’ hands and spraying down the vehicles prior to entering.

“It’s good to share moments with the animals,” said a driver of a red jeep in the news report, “my nephews, little girl, and my wife came with me.”

Photos were taken at the safari — of kangaroos, horses, ostriches, donkeys, goats, llamas, deer, and camels, and a dozen animals parading across a dirt road in front of a stopped SUV — then posted online.

The majority of visitors who posted online about the 45-minute drive-through petting zoo, were content, while a handful was pet-peeved, some wondering why the tigers from the adjoining zoo weren’t allowed to roam within the separated safari confines.

“A total disappointment,” said Gallegos B., “the poor people lined up for hours [and] there is no seriousness in the staff … and you get to the dinosaurs, and you are welcomed by a speaker at the top of the stairs, and it’s not even hidden. Asked if I’d go back? Never.”

“He probably expected a Jurassic Park [styled] tour,” said Jenny from City Heights. “What do you expect for six bucks? In all honesty, we don’t even mind the two-hour drive from here to Mexicali. We’re planning to pay the extra 50 pesos to reserve our spot; that’s 180 pesos total, which exchanges to what — $9 USD. Even with an additional $40 in gas, and another $25 for tacos and sodas, which we can take into the vehicle during the safari, that’s $74 for a car full of happy kids.”

According to the venue’s Facebook page, the safari is open from Thursday through Sunday between 9 am to 5 pm.

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Second largest yellowfin tuna caught by rod and reel

Excel does it again
"We don’t even mind the two-hour drive from here to Mexicali."
"We don’t even mind the two-hour drive from here to Mexicali."

In the last few days, photos and videos of snakes hissing and slithering within the confines of Mexicali vehicles have surfaced online.

“The last photo was with a viper,” captioned Juan M. underneath a Facebook photo of his presumed young daughter holding a large yellow-colored snake in the backseat. Aida posted a video of a snake that serpentined onto the door panel of the vehicle she was co-piloting. “Super cool," she said, "they give you the opportunity to touch them.”

“The last photo was with a viper.”

On August 29, Mexicali citizens gathered at the grand opening of “Safari en el Bosque” at the Bosque y Zoológico de la Ciudad de Mexicali park and zoo that’s about 120 miles east of the World Famous San Diego Zoo.

Marina del Pilar Ávila Olmeda, the city’s mayor, reportedly announced that “the first safari” in the entire state of Baja was opened to the public that Friday with the purpose of offering a “safe recreational space and re-activating the local economy.”

Sponsored
Sponsored

“We know that there have been very difficult months of confinement for everyone,” she continued in a statement, “and little by little we have to adapt to the new normal, and the bosque (forest) of the city is an example of this.”

The tigers from the adjoining zoo weren’t allowed to roam within the separated safari.

The circa-1964 park and zoo, which is located in the Río Nuevo area about four miles south of the Calexico and Mexicali port of entry, is charging 130 pesos ($6) per vehicle to enter the safari.

In an El Imparcial news report, they depicted the organizers squirting sanitizer onto the drivers’ hands and spraying down the vehicles prior to entering.

“It’s good to share moments with the animals,” said a driver of a red jeep in the news report, “my nephews, little girl, and my wife came with me.”

Photos were taken at the safari — of kangaroos, horses, ostriches, donkeys, goats, llamas, deer, and camels, and a dozen animals parading across a dirt road in front of a stopped SUV — then posted online.

The majority of visitors who posted online about the 45-minute drive-through petting zoo, were content, while a handful was pet-peeved, some wondering why the tigers from the adjoining zoo weren’t allowed to roam within the separated safari confines.

“A total disappointment,” said Gallegos B., “the poor people lined up for hours [and] there is no seriousness in the staff … and you get to the dinosaurs, and you are welcomed by a speaker at the top of the stairs, and it’s not even hidden. Asked if I’d go back? Never.”

“He probably expected a Jurassic Park [styled] tour,” said Jenny from City Heights. “What do you expect for six bucks? In all honesty, we don’t even mind the two-hour drive from here to Mexicali. We’re planning to pay the extra 50 pesos to reserve our spot; that’s 180 pesos total, which exchanges to what — $9 USD. Even with an additional $40 in gas, and another $25 for tacos and sodas, which we can take into the vehicle during the safari, that’s $74 for a car full of happy kids.”

According to the venue’s Facebook page, the safari is open from Thursday through Sunday between 9 am to 5 pm.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Undocumented workers break for Trump in 2024

Illegals Vote for Felon
Next Article

Trump names local supporter new Border Czar

Another Brick (Suit) in the Wall
Comments
This comment was removed by the site staff for violation of the usage agreement.
Sept. 23, 2020
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader