sorry for the upcoming photo overload.. kind of :) all of these photos are from this weekend when we spent the night at the san diego safari park as part of the roar and snore safari. a friend and i had done this for a school field trip back in 3rd grade but i don't remember a single thing from it so we decided to go again.

you guys, it is SO worth it and you must go. pictures don't do it justice.

basically, you check into the park at 4pm on Friday and immediately get to meet an animal - we met Sita the tortoise, who was super friendly. then we broke off into smaller groups (i would say there were maybe 100 total people there, but groups were around 20 each) and toured the park as we made our way to our campsite, which overlooks the African Plains exhibit. we did not share a tent with anyone, even though there were just two of us and it could have fit 5. they set out a catered dinner, which was really nice. i was expecting simple stuff like hamburgers but they had a roast chicken and potatoes so it was definitely a menu planned with ‘adults only’ in mind. they also do a kids’ sleepover that probably has that kind of food.

then we went on the next tours - seeing the elephants and meeting a spiny echidna. Jayme was the trainer who showed us the animals. he was so funny and shared fun facts about the echidna.

we went back to our campsite for a little s'mores snack, and then off to another late night tour - we got to go back through the lions facility and learn about how they are cared for. the safari park is all about keeping animals in as natural of environments as possible, which is how it should be. we did get to see one of the prides sleeping, since they keep both prides separate for safety measures. i kid you not, we were about 5 feet from them. they are so ginormous in person, it was crazy.

afterwards, we all went to sleep in our tents around 11:30. the wake up call was scheduled for 6:15, but i woke up early so i was able to catch the sunrise and see the animals up close. what is so great about the roar and snore is that you get to see the animals when they are most active (late night and early morning), which is outside of regular park hours.

that morning, we took a tram ride all around the park, and you would never guess that such a big facility is tucked away in escondido! next, we met a porcupine (i am forgetting her name, i feel so bad) who was so insanely cute. i wanted to take her home haha

finally, we got to enjoy the rest of the day exploring the park on our own. so of course we hit the new Walkabout Australia exhibit - the wallabies are free to roam wherever, and at one point they were just inches from us. it was absolutely nuts. we finished the day looking at the tiger trail.

if you are ever in san diego, you must book the roar and snore safari. it is beyond worth it and such a once in a lifetime experience.. unless you go back, which i am already planning on doing again :) and since the safari park is a non-profit focused on saving and helping animals, you know that it benefits a good cause too.