The Living Desert – Palm Springs, California Attractions

Miles from civilization, not to mention any H1N1 infectees, you’ll find the Colorado Desert, tucked into the shadow of the San Bernardino Mountains, the San Jacinto Mountains and the Santa Rosa Mountains. Along with every luxury pleasure your canceled-Mexico-vacation-heart can handle, this glorious resort destination is home to a rather fascinating zoo and botanical park that’s a must for any family vacation in Palm Springs, California: The Living Desert.

Not just for Lawrence of Arabia enthusiasts any more, the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens explores the diverse, important and very much alive ecology of several world deserts. Combining a zoo, conservation center, botanical garden, natural history museum, safari park, nature preserve and an education center, this is truly an all-encompassing desert experience, and you don’t want to wait too long, lest the harsh summer temperatures come to roost.

Like many modern zoos, The Living Desert is arranged into strolling habitats, North America and Africa, only amidst the animal exhibits you’ll find several beautiful gardens housing the unique and often incredible plant life that has adapted to the extreme weather of the desert.

Animal exhibits are unforgettable: African wild dogs, Amur leopards, camels, bat-eared foxes, bobcats, zebras, meerkats, gazelles, a golden eagle, mountain lions, reticulated giraffes, rock hyraxes, servals, hyenas, boas, tortoises, spiders, scorpions and numerous birds. Unique to the park, guests have an opportunity to get much closer to some of these animals than they would at traditional zoos.

While the animals are surely the star of the show, there’s plenty more worth checking out. Village WaTuTu is a replica of a northeastern African village, complete with mud-walled huts and a lively marketplace. Storytellers are on-hand to impress visitors with spellbinding folklore. Perfect for children, the Discovery Room offers the opportunity to learn even more about the desert with fun hands-on activities. And although I have no idea what it has to do with the ecology of deserts, there’s a hugely popular model train exhibit open daily during regular hours.

The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens is open every day, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. from August 30 to June 15. During the summer months, the admission goes down and they keep morning hours only, due to the extreme summer temperature. Regular season adult admission is $12.50. Event like animal talks and feedings are held daily. Learn all about it here.

The Living Desert is located just a few minutes out from Palm Springs, California just off Interstate 10, so for hotels in Palm Springs, California we always like the Wyndham Palm Springs Resort. You can save a little scratch with one of their family packages. Have fun!

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