living desert zoo & gardens

Many animals that you would never see in the wild. Many are species that are being recovered from near extinction. Excellent nature shows with trained animals. A very unique zoo.

We drove here from Palm Springs about 30 minutes. The grounds are lovely and the animal habitats are amazing but that is where it ends for this traveller. It is really quite boring not much activity with the animals and even the bird avery was sparse. There is the animal hospital where they treat the animals but you can only see the small animal and big animal surgery rooms. Nothing too exciting here. We paid $6.00 each for the tram ride which was a waste of money as the whole zoo is not that big. We tried to catch the tram but it was not running every 15 minutes as they indicated. If I had known what was here I would not have journey out. But this was recommended by friends who visited it and loved it. I am used to seeing more wildlife and a lot more birds.

This is not your average zoo. Two main sections North America and Africa. Great exhibits with many volunteers to answer your questions about the animals.be sure to spend the extra $6 in order to use the trams to cut down on the walking. It is best to get on at entrance and ride all the way around the park and then decide where you want to stop first. Feeding the giraffes is so cool you have to do this for a few bucks and if you have a few more ride a camel. Great fun and very educational way to spend a day. Oh I almost forgot if you like model trains you will love this place. Biggest u installation I have ever seen it around 3/4 of an acre.

We had heard different reviews from friends about The Living Desert so weren't too sure of what to expect. We scheduled about 2 hours because of friends who were visiting with us were jet lagged. We could have stayed all day! There were animals to see but more importantly the information on the animals was very interesting. There are also hiking trails which we will enjoy on our next visit. The plants from the different desert were well explained. All in all, The Living Desert is well worth a visit but make sure that you take water, lunch and be prepared to stay several hours.

Great to get close to so many 'wild' animals, but very quiet, & lack of any real activity going on........a ride through the grounds pretty well does it........ slightly boring

This is our second year in Palm Desert. However, this year we are here for two months so we decided to take out a membership as we are close by. This is a great attraction for all member of the family including small children as there is something for everyone. The Living Desert comprises a variety of gardens which comprise native flowers, cactus and a variety of bushes and trees. The small zoo is primarily animals in open compounds versus cages. Various activities are scheduled everyday such as guided walks through the gardens, giraffe feeding (very popular with the kids), camel rides, a carousel, etc, etc. For those who want some exercise there are trails into the desert. You could spend a whole day here, there is a café which sells sandwiches etc. but you can bring your own food.

Best place to spend time with family.huge selection of desert wildlife and botanical plants.there are indoor and outdoor exhibits.It is acting as a big conservation center for desert plants and animals.definitely worth to visit!

Animal exhibits in comfortable natural settings, but like many zoos, the animals lay on the ground and sleep a lot. Camel ride and giraffe feeding. Great drought tolerant plant gardens. Good labeling.

We paid a little extra for a guided tour but it was worth it! Our Guide John met us in the parking lot and was very knowledgeable. Both our girls had a great time and asked lots of questions! We enjoyed going into the clinic to see how they treat the animals....it was pretty cool like being in the ER. The park has lots of local fauna and the animals were pretty amazing! Loved the Peccaries, Cheetahs, Jaguars, Leopards, Giraffes, etc. 21/2 hours was the perfect amount of time and both the girls loved the experience....

Better than a zoo although limited to the Aftrican Continent animals and reptiles (mostly). Walking paths, trees and flowers (plants) all labeled, a tram, a huge minature train set up done completely by volunteers, giraffes to be fed, camel rides around the holidays, and much, much more. On going programs for children, teens and adults all the time. Everyone loves The Living Desert! Free parking and handicapped access. And of course, food.There are shows with animals that have been trained, over night camping, beautiful lights the month of December.

If you are looking for a good day's walk with some interesting flora, this is your place, but I was left feeling frustrated. It's not particularly cheap to get in ($18), and then you are charged $6 for the tram (DON'T buy the ticket - - the trams are NON-EXISTENT and those that DID come along were always FULL - I felt angry and ripped off), $5 for four carrots to feed the giraffe, another $4 to enter the aviary... it seemed like I was always reaching for more money. Maybe we were all a bit crabby because apparently Wednesdays are "invite every elementary school and kids' program within a three state radius" day.... we were constantly dodging running and yelling children at every turn, which made the visit less than relaxing. ("Hey kid, yelling ROWRRRR at the top of your lungs 263 times at the puma is NOT going to make him come over to the fence.") If you've never been to Joshua Tree National Park then a lot of the plant life will be interesting to you, but for those of us that have seen much of the desert fauna, there was nothing extraordinary. I was also a bit unhappy that several of the animal enclosures seemed pretty small to me. Wish I could give this place a great review, but other than feeding the giraffes (which was indeed quite fun), I left feeling frustrated.

The temporary exhibit of the Australian Budgies (parakeets) was awesome!! Just before you walk in the aviary with the birds you are given food so they can eat right out of your hand. That was very cool! Since birds can be difficult to photograph we were so happy to get some exceptional photos that not only showcased their extraordinary colors of blue, green, & yellow but also our interaction with them. We had a really fun day here!

Much more than we expected. When we parked the car, two giraffes were hanging their heads over the fence. We thought they were statues until they began to walk. This park has so much to see that it would be best to arrive fairly early and just stroll through it. Loved the botanical gardens. When we arrived at one of the buildings, a wonderful docent asked if we had seen her favorite part of the park. We had missed it (so much to see) so she took us all the way back and spent quite a bit of time with us. Use the map they provide so you don't miss anything.

My wife, son, and I visited this while on vacation in Palm Springs. Was surprised that it was busy for a Friday morning, but you know its gotta be good when you see that. Was a warm morning and getting hotter - tough for our 3 year old. We spent around 90 mins or so and saw approx. half of the zoo (the African side).My son enjoyed the snake displays and the giraffe feeding. I enjoyed the various animals but perhaps more the desert itself. This zoo has a landscape like so other I've visited. The animals enjoy large spaces as well.Wish we'd had more time to spend, but it was getting too hot - I'd suggest taking kids when its cooler or on a cloudy day.

I don't particularly like "zoos," prefer animals in their own habitats, but the Living Desert is helping to sustain wildlife and breed endangered species. The animals are not always visible, as they have large roaming areas, and come to see people when they want to! Lovely paths to walk and a fun bird aviary where parakeets, parrots and other birds eat from a stick you offer and may land on you. There is an excellent restaurant in the African village area.