A 400-acre preserve, a guided open-air vehicle, and roughly 100 animals between you and the next vineyard.
It is a strange and wonderful thing to watch a giraffe pass in front of a row of zinfandel.
## What it is
Safari West is a working wildlife preserve in the Mayacamas foothills above Santa Rosa — 400 acres, around 100 species, and decades of conservation work with cheetah, rhino, and antelope breeding programs.
## The tour
Three hours in an open-air safari vehicle with a naturalist guide. You start in the aviary and walking enclosures (lemurs, flamingos, a very opinionated cape buffalo) and then head into the open savanna where the giraffes, zebras, wildebeest, and antelope live in mixed herds.
## Pair it with
- A morning tasting at a small Sonoma producer
- Lunch on property at the Savannah Café
- A late-afternoon return through the Alexander Valley
## Good to know
Wear closed-toe shoes and bring a light jacket — the open vehicles get breezy. Kids absolutely love it; the minimum age for the safari is 4.
## How we do it
Door-to-door from Healdsburg, Santa Rosa, or Sonoma in a private shuttle, with the safari pre-booked and timed to your arrival.
safariwildlifefamily friendlysonoma
