When people think about visiting Palm Springs, they tend to
think about relaxing by the pool, hiking, and shopping. However one of the
hidden gems of the Coachella Valley is the Living Desert Zoo and Garden. This zoo houses various animals and plants that
are native to desert climates. The zoo is broken up into two different
sections: North American desert animal exhibits and gardens and African desert
animals and gardens. Some of the animals include cheetahs, big horn sheep, and condors.
There are insect exhibits visitors can stroll through as well, such as the
butterfly garden and bee garden. There are numerous botanical gardens
throughout the park that make you forget that you’re down the street from the
busy streets of HWY 111. Similar to other zoos there are animal shows and
extras that people can pay for. One of my personal favorites is feeding the
giraffes. You either get carrot sticks or leaves of lettuce to share adult or
baby giraffes. This is a fairly new addition. Visitors used to be able to feed
the giraffes for free, but now there’s a fee of $5 per visitor. Check their
website for feeding times, it only happens twice a day. At the moment it takes
place at 9am and 11am.
The Living Desert is located on Portola Ave in Palm Desert.
Regular hours are 9am to 5pm, but during summer (June through September) the
hours are 8am to 1:30pm—shorter due to the extreme heat. Admission prices are
as follows:
adults - $19.95
children -$9.95
children 3 & under - free
seniors - $17.95
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