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Camping at the Zoo

SUMMER 2023 UPDATE: The Safari Park has construction along the walkway to the Roar and Snore tents and by the elephant viewing tents. This does not affect most of the tents or their original viewpoints, but I am excited to see what the upgrade will look like when they are done!

Ever want to do a San Diego Zoo Safari Park sleepover on your Southern California vacation?

I know it’s been on my list for a long time. The Safari Park Roar and Snore San Diego is an amazing opportunity to sleep under the stars and wake up to the lions roaring at dawn. Camping in a zoo, on an island, and in a national park should all be on your bucket list.

Admission to the San Diego Safari Park (formerly known as the San Diego Zoo Wild Animal Park) is separate from the cost of the Roar & Snore, and each tent option has different pricing. As animal park members, we only needed to worry about the cost of the Safari Park sleepover.

If you aren’t interested in becoming a member (or maybe you just don’t live close enough to make a membership worth it), you can purchase discounted tickets or vacation packages through our Affiliate Get Away Today.

This review is about the All Ages Roar and Snore San Diego Zoo Safari Park experience, although they do have an Adults Only Roar and Snore as well as an option for Girl Scout troops and School Groups.

Before your scheduled sleepover you will need to sign a waiver as part of the check-in process. It covers typical liability clauses, medical releases, etc. Be sure to read through it and ask if you have any questions. It’s pretty straightforward though.

Roar Snore Safari Check-In Process

You can view the full Guest Information (including packing checklist, menu, and map) on this Roar and Snore San Diego Zoo Safari Park PDF here.

When

Check-in is between 4:15 pm-5 pm and ends at 9 am the next day.

During winter, the check-in might be earlier if you choose the Jungle Ropes Safari upgrade so the Flightline Safari zip line and rope course can be done before dark.

We enjoyed the park from late morning through the afternoon, then exited to the meeting spot for the Safari Park Check-in. I don’t recommend going from opening since the San Diego Zoo Safari Park Sleepover is packed full of fun. You don’t want your little ones to be exhausted by the time your event begins!

Where

At check-in time, head to Preferred Parking. If you arrived earlier in the day, you should move your car to park in this area (you won’t be able to park there before 4 pm if you don’t have the level membership that includes preferred parking).

There is a Safari Park “Roar & Snore Safari” sign. Bring your bags and check in with the staff. They will put tags on your bag and load them into a car to drive to your tent for you. Label your bag with your name (we just used masking tape and a sharpie) ahead of time.

You’ll receive color-coded wristbands which will help them distinguish which tour group you’ll be in later.

What to Pack

Camping typically means bringing everything you might possibly need or want, but this camping experience is more like glamping. The Roar and Snore Safari provides the tent, cots (depending on your tent option), chairs, and all the food and beverages.

You are allowed 1 bag and 1 sleeping bag for each person in your group. Pack clothes according to the weather. San Diego can be hot during the day and cold at night, so layers are a great idea.

There are bathrooms (full plumbing), but no showers, so keep that in mind when you pack your toiletries.

I woke up early on purpose to sit outside the tent and hear the lions roar, so our Rumpl blanket was perfect to have with us. If you’re planning on being in the tent all night, just your sleeping bag should be fine depending on the season. We went in September and it wasn’t very cold.

What do you need for the Roar and Snore? 

• Membership or Park Entrance Ticket
• Bag with clothing & toiletries
• Sleeping Bag & Pillow 
• Flashlight or Headlamp
• Personal Medications
• ID (for adults)
• Sunscreen & Bug Spray
• Camera
• Binoculars(optional)
• Blanket(optional)                                                                                                                               

Pro Tip: Use WayAway to get cash back on your travel to San Diego for both flights and hotels.

Roar Snore Safari Itinerary

Depending on the season, daylight hours, and park hours, your experience may have different times or slightly different amenities.

You do not have to wake up at 4 am to hear the lions roar from their nearby lion camp. They were roaring on and off from 4 am for a couple of hours. We even saw the female lion roar in response to the male lion (who roared from a backstage area) when we visited the enclosure at 6:35 am.

It literally puts the “Roar” in Roar and Snore San Diego Safari Park.

It was amazingly peaceful to look out at the African plain and listen to the lions roaring while snuggled up under our Rumpl blanket. The chairs were provided (and located under the cots in the tent), but if you want a blanket, you need to bring one.

Another note regarding the itinerary is that we weren’t quite sure what to expect, so I don’t feel like we enjoyed the actual camping tent area as much as we could have. Next time, I will definitely feel more confident eating dinner and then heading between the tents to play some lawn games after unpacking and before the nighttime tour.

There is one bathroom location available (with plenty of stalls) and lots of sinks for brushing teeth and washing hands. There are no showers.

Coffee and tea were available before breakfast, so if you need your morning hot beverage stop by the food area before heading down to the animal enclosures.

We were allowed to visit the lions and or elephants as early as 6:30 am. The rest of the park was off-limits until the actual park opened at 9 am.

The way out of the park was essentially another tour as our guide explained everything we passed, allowing us to pause and look as we walked.

Day 1: Africa Tram & Guided Walks at Night

4:15 pm Check-in

5:30 pm Tram Ride

6:15 pm Dinner

7:00 pm Unpack

7:45 pm Nighttime Tour

8:30 pm S’mores and Popcorn

9:00 pm Bingo

10:30 pm Bedtime

Day 2: Lion Camp, Cheetah Safari Run, & Animal Encounter

4:00 am Lions Beginning to Roar

4:30 pm Set Chairs outside Tent, Listen to the Lions

5:50 am Officially Wake Up

6:30 am Coffee

6:35 am Visit the Lion Camp

6:50 am Visit the Elephants

7:00 am Breakfast

7:30 am Pack Up

8:00 am Line up for Cheetah Run

8:15 am Cheetah Run

8:45 am Animal Encounter

9:00 am Guided Walks to Park Exit

Roar Snore Safari Tent

The canvas Roar and Snore camping tents have 3 Safari Park Sleepover options: Classic, Vista, and Premium.

The Vista Tent we stayed in overlooked the African plain and we had a great view of the rhinos and giraffes!

Among the tents are lawn game stations with giant Jenga and some toss games. The itinerary didn’t leave us too much extra time to take full advantage of this, but we also didn’t really know what to expect. Next time we go, I think we’ll be able to relax a bit more by the tent.

Classic Tent

In the Classic Tent option, you lay your sleeping bag on top of sleeping pads on the vinyl tent floor.

Classic Tent Includes:

• Sleeping Pads
• Vinyl tent floor
• Size: 9’ x 14’
• Price: $149 per person ($30 each for ages 0-2)
• Sleeps: 5

Vista Tent

We went with the Vista Tent which has sleeping pads on top of cots. Still a vinyl tent floor, but this option also comes with electrical outlets, a fan, and a heater. If you’re looking for a balance between budget and comfort this is a perfect choice!

There are 2 single cots and 2 bunk beds. There is no rail on the top bunk, so our younger kids each took the bottom bunk while my husband and I were on the single cots.

The top bunks worked well for storing our bags since we didn’t have 6 people, although if you do have 6 people there is plenty of space under the cots for storing your bags.

Vista Tent Includes:

• Cots (2 bunk & 2 single) 
• Fan, heater, & electrical outlets
• Vinyl tent floor
• Folding chairs for outside of tent
• Size: 9’ x 14’
• Price: $189 per person ($30 each for ages 0-2)
• Sleeps: 6

Premium Tent

The Premium Tent option was sold out for the weekend we needed to book. I would recommend trying to book it 3-4 months early at least.

This is perfect if you’re wanting a true glamping experience. It has a Queen bed and 2 cots with sleeping mats. Like the Vista Tent, it offers electrical outlets, a fan, and a heater. In this upgraded tent, however, the floor is wood with a rug instead of vinyl.

Premium Tent Includes:

• Queen bed, 2 cots
• Pillows & bed sheets
• Fan, heater, electrical outlets
• Wood floor with rug
• Wooden chairs for outside of tent
• Size: 12’ x 16’
• Price: $229 per person ($30 each for ages 0-2)
• Sleeps: 4

Roar Snore Safari Food

Dinner

Dinner on day 1 was a buffet-style choice of hot dogs, pulled pork sandwiches, or BBQ chicken. You could also ask for a veggie skewer for the vegetarian option.

Sides included mac ‘n’ cheese, potato salad, sole slaw, corn on the cob, and salad.

Pretty good choices if you ask me. Plus, you could keep going back up for more- I love buffets!

Snacks & Drinks

Looking for dessert? Don’t you worry! Nighttime snacks included s’mores, popcorn, and hot chocolate.

With the large rectangular fire pit, there was plenty of room for everyone to roast their marshmallows. There were enough ingredients per boat for 2 s’mores.

Throughout dinner and snack time, there was unlimited soda, lemonade, coffee, tea, and water. Use your own refillable cup, or use a supplied disposable cup.

Alcoholic beverages were available for purchase to those over 21.

If you like breakfast foods, you’ll definitely love the spread supplied by the Roar and Snore San Diego Safari Park. We are talking french toast, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, breakfast potatoes, and fruit.

Breakfast

Oatmeal was available upon request as were individual milk cartons.

Everything was delicious and made the experience that much better.

Roar Snore Safari Activities

There are multiple activities scheduled throughout your Zoo Safari Park sleepover. They are all amazing and make the experience completely worth it. This is in addition to the food, the snacks, the drinks, the location, and the ambiance. All while supporting Wild Animal conservation efforts from San Diego Zoo Global.

• Africa Tram at Dusk
• Guided Walks at Night
• Bingo Game Night
• Lion Camp & Elephants
• Cheetah Safari Run
• Animal Encounter

African Tram Safari Ride at Dusk

Starting off with an African Tram Safari ride at dusk was the perfect way to kick off our Roar and Snore event. Dusk is one of the times when the animals are the most active (the other being early morning).

It was the same African Tram Safari ride available during the day, so if you do arrive at the park before the Roar and Snore starts, hold off on the Africa tram until your ride at dusk included with the Wild Animal Park sleepover.

The tram was filled with only Roar and Snore guests, and the dialogue was great. We even got to see a baby rhino!

After Dark Guided Walks Tour

Our basic nighttime tour started at 7:45 pm (You can upgrade for a full Night Vision Safari Tour). We were all split into groups (indicated by the color-coded bands we got at check-in) and each group went a slightly different way. It was pretty cool walking around with headlamps and seeing the nighttime animal activity.

Our group walked through the African Loop. Some wild animals were active and some were hard to see. Our headlamps have a red light function, so we were able to have them on while looking in the enclosure. White lights were just for seeing your feet in front of you as you walked.

Bingo Game Night

We got back to camp and enjoyed amazing snacks as listed above, then enjoyed a few rounds of Bingo! There were prizes for the winners, which (of course) we didn’t win. My family is like cursed at Bingo or something, but it was still fun.

Little munchkin got antsy, so we walked away from the Bingo game to look at the rhinos from the Kilima Point African safari overlook station.

Early Morning Animals

One of the big perks of a Wild Animal Park sleepover is that you are there in the early morning when the wild animals are more active.

We went to the lion camp as soon as we were allowed to venture off the campsite, and were rewarded with an in-person roar as the lioness responded to the male’s roar (which came from an off-view area).

Next, over to the elephants. We saw them walk in and out of the water, lift their trunks up, and walk around. If you are new to seeing elephants in a zoo, you don’t always catch them being so active, so this was a real treat!

Excited, we returned to camp for breakfast and then the main event: the Cheetah Run.

The Cheetah Safari Run was at 8:15 am. We lined up 15 minutes early and got a spot right off-center. If you want to be front and center (on the bridge overlooking the Cheetah Run area), then I suggest lining up 20-30 minutes early.

Cheetah Safari Run

If you upgraded, you would have a VIP area with seating located to the side of the run.

What is a Cheetah Safari Run? Simply put, you watch the cheetah run. The trainers use this as an enrichment and exercise program for the ambassador cheetahs, which also benefits the guests for them to see first-hand how fast these amazing wild animals can go.

There’s a full explanation of their training program, what they do, how they do it, and then the actual run. It is simply stunning to see a cheetah run.

We were lucky to have 2 cheetahs run that particular morning (usually it’s just one), but little munchkin needed to go potty. We came back down the hill just after the second run finished. Gotta love potty training…

Animal Encounter

As if that wasn’t enough, they split us up into groups again for our in-person animal encounter. Our group got to meet an owl, which is by far my favorite kind of bird.

Seeing the owl up close, getting a good look at the head moving around and the wingspan was just incredible. Munchkin also got to have her questions answered: “How big is its tail?”

The Animal Care Specialist went on to explain the shape of the tail and how it acts like a rudder as it flies. Munchkin was so happy to have that extra attention- a pretty cool experience for a 5-year-old.

Roar Snore Safari Upgrades

There are also upgrade options such as a Wildlife Safari where you go on a truck into the African plain enclosure for a Cart Safari ride, or the Supreme Roar and Snore. The Supreme Roar upgrade includes the Jungle Ropes Safari with the zipline Flightline Safari, a Night Vision Safari where you go on a Cart Safari in the African Plain exhibit, and VIP seating for the Cheetah Safari Run.

The Balloon Safari is a separate experience and can be booked for before or after your Roar and Snore Safari.

The Overall San Diego Safari Park Sleepover Experience

Overall? The Roar and Snore San Diego was an amazing camping experience and we can’t wait to go again. It would be awesome to reserve a tent on the elephant side next time since we were on the African Plain side this time.

It’s the best way to go on a wildlife safari without traveling all the way to Africa for an African Safari. The food, the location, the ambiance, the activities- everything was more than expected and very well executed.

If you’re looking for your own experience, check out our Affiliate partners, Get Away Today , for discounted Safari Park tickets and great hotel deals.

After you get your tickets, book your Roar and Snore San Diego Zoo Safari Park Sleepover!

If possible, I definitely recommend upgrading to the Supreme Roar. This will give you an ultimate safari adventure with the additional Night Vision Safari and Jungle Ropes Safari with the Flightline Safari.

Frequently Asked Questions:

What time does the Safari Park Close?

Depending on the season, the Safari Park will typically close at 5 pm in the winter, 6 pm in the spring and fall, or 7 pm in the summer.

Special events may affect the closing time, and if you are participating in the Roar and Snore you are there all night!

Keep in mind to see animals during the Roar and Snore sleepover after hours, it would be with a guided tour or select exhibits during a specific time frame.

What does Roar and Snore Include?

Depending on what type of tent you reserve, you will have sleeping pads, cots, or a Queen size bed. Most tents also have a fan, heater, and electrical outlets. 2 folding chairs are in the tent, and lawn games are located between the tents.

Dinner, snacks, non-alcoholic drinks, and breakfast are included.

Various activities such as a tram ride, after-dark tour, Bingo, early morning animal viewing, cheetah run, and a special animal encounter are included.

A ticket for entrance to the park is a separate cost.

Flightline Safari, Night Vision Safari, and VIP Cheetah Run viewing are an additional cost.

Where is Roar and Snore?

The Roar and Snore San Diego Zoo Safari Park is located at the San Diego Safari Park in Escondido, CA (15500 San Pasqual Valley Road, Escondido, California 92027-7017). Exit Via Rancho Parkway from the 15 Freeway. The Roar and Snore campgrounds are in an area labeled The Grove on the map adjacent to the Lion Camp and African Plains.