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Family Fun in Palm Desert: The Living Desert Zoo & Gardens

Home » DESTINATIONS » Family Fun in Palm Desert: The Living Desert Zoo & Gardens

Last Modified: August 23, 2023 //  by Anda //  12 Comments

I can’t remember a specific point in time when my love for animals began, but I remember that a trip to the zoo made the best outing for me as a kid. I even enjoyed the smell  that surrounded the animal cages (not particularly clean and well kept in our town).

Those wild beasts always stirred up my imagination about exotic, faraway lands. As an adult, my love for zoos came to a halt. The idea of seeing caged animals gave me more chills than pleasure: the mighty elephant –walker of the African savanna– confined to a cage! It just broke my heart.

But when I became a parent and wanted to show my son real-life wild and exotic animals, my view on the subject of caged animals was challenged again.

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I realized that for most people watching animals in their own natural habitat is possible only in films and TV documentaries. Which brought me back to the argument of zoos, where you can witness extraordinary animals up close and appreciate their grandeur (be that even in a cage!)

Last week, while wandering through Palm Springs –the desert jewel of southern California– I came upon a Wow place: The Living Desert Zoo & Gardens.The small gardens are a wonderful mixture between a zoo and a botanical garden, focusing on plants and animals that thrive in the deserts of North America and Africa. 

From giraffes, mountain lions, wolves and cheetahs to a beautiful enclosed aviary, hummingbirds and butterflies this place features a great array of wildlife. But besides that, its unique setting gives you the feeling of walking through a natural landscape.

The Living Desert Zoo & Gardens also features a couple of great attractions: the Camel Ride, which allows visitors to ride camels for a small fee ($5/person) and the Giraffe Feeding  ($5/feeding).

Feeding a giraffe at the Zoo in Palm Springs
Giraffe feeding time

There is a beautiful butterfly and hummingbird exhibit where you can watch butterflies hatch and hummingbirds eating nectar from the feeders.

There is also a great model train display, which I believe is the longest wooden scale LGB model in the world (3,000 feet of track). Great to see even if you are not into trains.

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Model train display in The Living Desert Zoo & Gardens

The gardens feature a wide variety of desert plants and native cacti and if you happen to visit the area in the spring, you’ll be delighted by a beautiful display of colorful flowers.

The Living Desert Zoo in Palm Springs
The Living Desert Zoo in Palm Springs

Also, there is an interactive Wildlife Hospital on the premises where you can observe medical procedures and examinations taking place in the small and large Animal Treatment Rooms. If you don’t want to walk (in summer it may get very hot!) they do have a tram shuttle for $6 and all day use.

The Living Desert Zoo & Garden is an excellent attraction for all, but particularly for families with young children. Watching the kids’ faces light up with joy when feeding the giraffe or riding the camels brought back some sweet memories of my own son’s childhood. This place is educational, it’s beautiful and it’s fun!

Category: DESTINATIONS, United StatesTag: Destination Guides

About Anda

Anda is an award winning travel writer, avid globetrotter and passionate photographer. She is the voice behind "Travel Notes & Beyond," a collection of stories and travel impressions from her wanderings around the world. When she is not busy writing, traveling, or editing photographs, you can find her hiking in the foothills behind her house together with her husband and their dog.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Michele {Malaysian Meanders}

    January 4, 2017 at 6:25 pm

    I prefer seeing animals in sanctuaries in the natural habitat but also realize that not everyone is lucky enough to go to Thailand to see elephants or Borneo to visit orangutans. As a compromise, I like it so much better when the kept animals have lots of room to roam instead of being confined in a small cage. The Living Desert looks like a very pretty place with well cared for animals. My kids actually hate the smell of zoos, so we don’t visit them very often.

    Reply
  2. Angie (FeetDoTravel)

    January 2, 2017 at 12:24 am

    I love your honesty Anda and I applaud you for having to do a 180 turn when you became a parent! Like you, I used to love zoos, then when I started going on safari, seeing caged animals also appalled me and I have vowed to never visit a zoo again … but I am not a parent and I don’t intend to be so I don’t have to change my thought process for the education of a child. I am so glad you found joy in watching your children’s faces light up and that you were able to rekindle some of your own fond memories from when you were young 😀

    Reply
  3. Paula McInerney

    January 1, 2017 at 12:52 pm

    Stunning photos, and The Living Desert Zoo & Garden looks very well done

    Reply
  4. Albom Adventures

    January 1, 2017 at 3:33 am

    It sounds like an interesting zoo. I like the idea of a desert garden along with the zoo.

    Reply
  5. Morgan

    May 13, 2016 at 8:51 am

    Wow, this place looks absolutely incredible! It’s really neat that they have such amazing scenery that includes both plants and animals. This would be a worthwhile experience and the perfect place to take your child. Very interesting post! Thanks so much for sharing!

    Reply
    • Anda Galffy

      May 13, 2016 at 1:01 pm

      I’m glad if you found out something new from my article, Morgan. Hope you’ll get to visit the Living Desert Zoo.

      Reply
  6. Ryan Biddulph

    April 28, 2016 at 6:46 am

    Hi Anda,

    Looks wonderful to me.

    I recall a local zoo and how it lit up my day. Small operation but they genuinely cared about the animals.

    Thanks for the fun share.

    Signing off from not at all sunny NJ.

    Ryan
    Blogging From Paradise

    Reply
    • Anda Galffy

      April 28, 2016 at 12:28 pm

      Thanks for the comment, Ryan. I bet you are missing the tropics if you are in NJ, but it’s good to come home once in a while, isn’t it?

      Reply
  7. Donna Janke

    April 25, 2016 at 4:40 pm

    I love touring gardens when I travel. The setting for Living Desert Zoo and Gardens looks perfect for viewing the zoo animals. I will keep this in mind for any Palm Springs area visits.

    Reply
    • Anda Galffy

      April 25, 2016 at 6:13 pm

      Good to hear from you, Donna. I hope you’ll have a chance to visit California sometimes soon. Give me a sign if you decide to come down here.

      Reply
  8. Debbra Dunning Brouillette

    April 25, 2016 at 2:33 pm

    Anda, I love this post and all your photos! I am such an animal lover like you and would love to visit this Living Desert Zoo and Gardens in Palm Desert!

    Reply
    • Anda Galffy

      April 25, 2016 at 4:22 pm

      Hope you will, Debbra.

      Reply

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