The pandemic might be here to stay for a long time, especially in California, but that doesn’t mean a complete stop of life. Sure, we often feel trapped at home and restless, but there are still ways to get out and enjoy our beautiful state.

Last weekend we decided to do just that – get out and live a little. We have a five year old in the house and he needs some activities. Schools in California are mostly closed and various activities are discouraged, so there is very little action for kids.

But surely San Diego Safari was going to bring back good old times if just for a very short time.

We have been to this park many times before, so it was very interesting to see how things have changed these days. First of all, we had to make reservations in advance. We have bought discounted tickets online before, but it was optional, to save time. Now San Diego Safari wants to limit the number of visitors and thus spots have to be booked in advance.

Another thing is masks. They are mandatory for adults and kids 16 and over. We are not very big mask supporters and choose face shields instead whenever possible. To do that we had to get special bracelets and a medical condition was needed to justify those shields.

Besides masks everywhere, even in wide open outdoor spaces, we had our temperature taken and forms filled out about travel and possible exposure to COVID. After those hurdles, we were allowed in to have fun. At least our 5 year old and his friend didn’t have to wear masks while having this well-deserved day at the zoo!

Since we’ve had safari tours at this park before, we decided to forego them this time and treat it like a zoo visit. Kids don’t really need to get in animals’ faces to enjoy them. It was a perfect day to walk around at our own pace instead of tours with a bunch of people and all their masks.

Kids will be kids though and our little explorers got tired and hungry pretty fast. Knowing how tough it might be to navigate lines and people at food courts, we took our own lunch and had a wonderful picnic. It’s pretty simple – I loaded all the healthy goodies to my trusty Personalization Mall bag and carried it with me. I love and own so many items from this company because of the quality of their products and customization that we all appreciate. One thing is certain – you won’t get your stuff mixed up with anybody else’s!

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After a nice food break, we continued our animal walks for a while longer exploring tigers, marsupials, bats, flamingoes, and rocks and fountains along the way.

The views from the park are also spectacular with mountains and palm trees in the distance.

This visit was definitely a very full rounded Californian experience and, unlike all other times, shared with very few people. This felt strange, but very refreshing at the same token.

I would definitely recommend such a visit in spring. Weekends might be tough to book, but come on a regular day if you can and you will feel like the park belongs to you.

My advice is to bring your own food, but other than that enjoy the rare opportunity to imagine that life is back to normal even if just for one day. Visiting this park, even with masks and temperature checking, filled us and the kids with hope that eventually we will be free again. Enjoy and get out there!