The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens
Palm Desert, CA
By Simir Shah
★★★★★4.7(11,437 Google reviews)
What parents say
AI summary of 5 Google reviews — not a first-hand visit. How we write these
Go early. Reviewers say animals are most active in the morning, the desert heat builds fast and summer hours are cut short for that reason. Shade, benches, restrooms and ramps make it workable with a stroller. Giraffe feeding costs extra and runs mornings only. Buy tickets ahead.
A 1,200-acre desert zoo and botanical garden where you can walk giraffes right up to a feeding platform and ride the endangered-species carousel. In cooler months come at opening (8am) so the animals are active and you beat the heat, and don't skip the model-train garden near the entrance. Summer hours end early, so plan a morning visit June–September.
Good for
- Ages 0–2
47900 Portola Ave, Palm Desert, CA 92260, USA
Hours via Google — confirm before a special trip.
Adults $39.95, kids 3–17 $29.95, under 3 free (buy online)
Map
What visitors say
- Arlette HV★★★★★
I was pleasantly surprised by The living Desert Zoo! I have visited the San Diego Zoo and the safari park more than a dozen times and heard about a zoo in the desert, but honestly never expected it to be this great. I proposed the idea of a weekend getaway in Palm Springs and a visit to the Zoo for our daughter's birthday this past weekend. She absolutely loved it! Summer heat can be a bit intense and the hours to visit are short for that reason. I think we'd love to visit again in the Fall when the weather cools down. The zoo in general and the animal habitats are very well made. The employees were very kind, especially the older gentleman who gave us a tour of the wildlife hospital. He was knowledgeable and shared great facts making sure to keep our kids engaged. Feeding the giraffe is such a wonderful experience. It's short, but a great encounter. The price of the zoo is also a plus. Spending $500 at the San Diego Zoo for a family of 4 just for entrance and a cheap lunch isn't as fun as spending that on a hotel night and entrance to the Living Desert Zoo.
a month ago
- Cissy McGraw★★★★★
This zoo is one of the best I've been to. And I visit a lot of zoos. I recommend going right when they open The animals were very active in the morning. The animal enclosures are clean spacious and mimic the environment the animal would live in in the wild. The animals appear well-fed and healthy and all have access to water. There is an on-site veterinarian care center for the well-being of the animals. The staff and volunteers are very helpful and friendly. In fact they go out of their way to provide the zoo visitors a positive experience. Everyone was so nice. There is plenty of shade along the routes to keep guests out of the sun and lots of benches available to rest upon. The park is ADA friendly for wheel chairs. And i had no issues bringing my service dog in. They inform you at the ticket counter of which areas service dogs are not allowed in. These restrictions are necessary for the safety of some of the animals. I highly recommend this zoo for anyone visiting the Palm Springs area.
3 months ago
Showing 2 of 5 Google reviews · Read them all on Google Maps
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