Photo By: Jane Chouteau

Whether It’s the Safari Tour or the Nature Hikes, The Living Desert Zoo & Gardens is Where We’re Going This Weekend

These Are Our 9 Must-Dos at The Living Desert Zoo & Gardens

Written By: Lynne Eodice Living Desert Zoo

Experience a zoo where you can watch animals roam freely in natural habitats, explore the gardens, take a hike and so much more. The Living Desert Zoo & Gardens has something for everyone! The cooler temps of fall and winter open up more opportunities to experience this awesome park. Channel your inner child by taking a camel ride, letting colorful lorikeets perch on your arm or feed a giraffe. The Living Desert is spread out over 1,200 acres, offering many ways to see the flora and fauna of the area. You can hike, take a shuttle bus or even book a private safari.

Living Desert Zoo

Get Wild

 

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Book one of the private Safari Tours in advance, which includes a guide, personal tram and park admission. You’ll get to see all of the zoo’s exhibits, including an amazing animal hospital. The highlight is a visit to the District Commissioner’s House for a private viewing of the beautiful Amur Leopard.

Living Desert Zoo

Get Your Art On

See 49 Impressionistic-style paintings by 22 artists at the Plein Air art exhibit, 14 of which portray images of the Coachella Valley. Located at the Stephen B. Chase Administration Building, these paintings embody the outdoor painting trend that became popular in the 1900s as a way to capture the California landscape.

Living Desert Zoo

Check Out Model Trains

 

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The Living Desert has an awesome G-scale model train display on over 3,000 feet of track set on almost an acre. Amazingly, these train cars and displays are tended to by a dedicated team of volunteers. Some of the displays feature scenes from Mount Rushmore, the Grand Canyon and an old mining town.

Living Desert Zoo

Bring Your Hiking Shoes

 

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Get a workout on one of the park’s many nature trails! They range in difficulty from easy (1/4 mile) to difficult (five miles from the parking lot). So pack your hiking shoes, a hat and a bottle of water, and take a hike before going to some of the park exhibits.

Wildlife Animal Hospital

Take a walk around Tennity Wildlife Hospital & Conservation Center, which opened in 2002 to provide medical care for the park’s animals. You can even witness medical procedures and examinations of zoo animals. Interactive exhibits will educate you on the animals’ veterinary care.

 

Visit with the Lorikeets

 

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Returning for the second season, the Lorikeets: Winged Wonders aviary gives you the chance to get up close and personal with over 60 lorikeets and lories, a subtropical parrot species. You’ll even have the chance to feed the birds with a cup of sweet nectar.

 

Ride Your Favorite Endangered Species

Marilyn’s Merry-Go-Round features 30 carousel animals found at The Living Desert. It’s located near the Gecko Gulch Playground and includes species like a warthog, lion, jaguar, hummingbird and golden eagle. This is a good photo op too, so plan to snap a selfie with one of the carousel animals.

 

Visit an African Village

 

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The Village WaTuTu is a replica of a northeast African village, where you’ll see animals like hyenas, leopards, donkeys and tortoises, as well as two male camels. Village WaTuTu is also a great place to grab a bite to eat at the Thorn Tree Grill or an ice cream at the Safari Soft Serve.

 

Chat With the Keepers

 

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Here’s your chance to get the inside scoop about the animal residents of The Living Desert from the keepers who know them best. Keeper Chats take place at different locations and times on a daily basis, so check at the park’s Welcome Center for current information.

 

The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens
47900 Portola Ave
Palm Desert, CA 92260
760.346.5694

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Lynne Eodice is an accomplished writer & photographer. She is the former Features Editor for Petersen’s PHOTOgraphic magazine, and has contributed her writing and/or editorial expertise to Photographer’s Forum, Rangefinder, DoubleExposure.com, California Tour & Travel, Family Photo and Adorama’s Learning Center. She is also the author of Photos That Inspire: Photo Workshop, an instructional book that’s illustrated with more than 200 images by various photographers, published by Wiley & Sons.

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