Africa ... Sonoma style!
By Melanie Anderson/Special to The Enterprise
Published May 12, 2006 - 14:24:22 CDT.
Giraffes, Cape buffalo, zebra, antelope, wildebeest and exotic birds ... it feels like Africa, but it's the wine country.
Safari West, just outside Calistoga, brings another continent to Sonoma County, for those who crave a walk on the wild side. It's an easy trip, with plenty of eye-candy scenery along the way.
“A lot of people who can't afford to go to Africa come here,” said Marie Martinez, the park's cheetah handler.
I've always dreamed of going on safari; I crave the thrill of seeing dangerous and wild animals up close in their natural habitat, with only a photo lens between me and countless untamed beasts.
Sleeping in an authentic African tent amidst the sounds of exotic animals, or taking an open-air safari vehicle into wild animal enclosures, it's easy to imagine yourself in the African Serengeti. But Safari West is hardly off the beaten path: If you don't have a passport, and you have only a weekend, this may be the perfect solution.
With plenty of water, rolling hills, ideal weather and a combination of grassland and forest similar to Africa, the Sonoma County environment replicates the diversity of a savannah.
I finally went on my safari when my 12-year-old daughter and I visited Sonoma County's Safari West, one of six private wildlife preserves in the United States.
When we arrived on a warm and golden afternoon, we were shown to our sleeping quarters: an authentic African tent built on a wooden platform, complete with a deck overlooking the giraffe enclosure. Hardwood floors, large and comfortable beds, custom furniture, an African-themed décor and a bathroom gave the accommodations a luxurious feel.
But the canvas walls - neither sound nor cold proof - made us feel we actually were in the African bush. A space heater and fan kept the tent warm overnight, but with only a net ceiling in the bathroom, we deemed it too chilly to attempt a morning shower.
You won't find televisions, telephones, alarm clocks or Internet access here. Safari West is dictated by nature, not technology. And you won't need an alarm clock, either; the animals will wake you at sunrise.
With plenty of time to roam before dinner, we took a walk around the ranch, getting an up-close look at giraffes, ostriches and various antelope. But when we wandered up a road and came upon a herd of Cape buffalo, a little trickle of fear shivered down my spine. They looked big, mean and scary ... and I'm sure the flimsy wire fencing that separated us wouldn't have stopped a stampede, if the animals so desired.
One bull, in particular, stared me down.
The next day, safari guide Milton Rieback, a South African native who worked at several big game parks in his country, informed us that Cape buffalo are one of Africa's “big five”: one of the five most aggressive and dangerous animals in Africa.
Cape buffalo, Milton explained, have killed more hunters than any other animal. Although they're herbivores, they attack hunters to avoid becoming prey.
I told Milton about my walk the previous day, and he laughed.
“They don't want to come out here,” he said, sweeping his arm beyond the enclosure. “They don't know what's out here, and they have plenty of room in there.”
Then he opened the gate, drove the safari jeep into the buffalo enclosure, and stopped within a few yards of these huge and dangerous animals.
With only 30 Cape buffalo in all of North America, we felt privileged to see the small herd of six at Safari West. A baby had been born just a month prior to our visit, and it already was quite large.
Our safari brought us close to Watusi cattle, gemsbok, waterbuck and impala antelopes, wildebeest and mountain sheep. I was disappointed to miss the zebra, but this proved that all the animals have plenty of space to roam and hide on the 400-acre preserve.
One of our tour highlights occurred when a giraffe and ostrich brazenly walked right up to the jeep, to get a closer peek at us. The ostrich pecked repeatedly on the back of my daughter's seat. As she scrambled into my lap, I thought it was cool to be practically nose-to-beak with the ostrich.
Then the giraffe walked up to my side of the jeep. I got a good look at its body from a few inches away, and the folks sitting on the upper deck were eyeball-to-eyeball with the graceful giant. We learned that giraffes have black tongues so they won't burn in the hot African sun.
The walking portion of the tour takes visitors around the giraffe enclosure, inside the aviary, and to the cheetah enclosure. We also saw lemurs, foxes and a serval (which resembled a bobcat).
Owners Peter and Nancy Lang unveiled Safari West's humble beginnings in the Beverly Hills area, back in 1972, with two eland antelopes, the largest of the antelope family. Peter, the son of Otto Lang, who worked in the entertainment industry - notably on the TV series “Flipper” - grew up being exposed to exotic animals.
In 1989, Peter Lang relocated the preserve to these 400 acres outside Calistoga. His wife, Dr. Nancy Lang, is a former curator of the San Francisco Zoo. As well as managing staff, research and other duties at the preserve, she also teaches biology at Santa Rosa Junior College.
The Langs live in a ranch house on site, which allows them to oversee the many facets of the preserve, including visitor hospitality.
Registrar Kimberly Robertson explained that the preserve is home to 450 individual animals today, with 90 species living on the ranch, including exotic birds and 30 different species of mammals. Robertson's other duties include nursing newborns and overseeing the hatchery. Most of the animals at Safari West are natives of Africa, but some also come from Asia, Madagascar and India.
Safari West's The ongoing mission is wildlife preservation through breeding, education, research and public interaction. The preserve is home to a few endangered species, including a pair of 4-year-old cheetahs, sisters that arrived when they were just 6 weeks old. Handler Marie Martinez is responsible for these cats, named Thula (meaning soft and quiet) and Gijima (fast). Their grandparents were born in the wild, but these sisters came from Oklahoma.
Martinez clearly loves her work and these animals.
Cheetahs are known for their spots, about 3,000 of them. They're also the fastest animal on Earth, and can run 70 miles per hour. With their small ears, they're sight-oriented, meaning they'll chase something they see, not hear. They also have the largest litter of the wild large cats: about four to six kittens. But cheetahs do not breed well in captivity, Martinez said.
During our visit, we saw one of the cheetahs stalk a pygmy goat outside her enclosure. I asked Milton if the cheetahs felt teased, having so many animals within sight, but he said it was good for their natural hunting instincts.
For fun, Thula and Gijima play soccer, take walks and ride around the park in a golf cart or safari jeep. They're watched carefully and kept on leashes while outside their half-acre enclosure. Although the cats are friendly and affectionate with their handlers, Martinez never forgets they're wild animals: She has been bitten, scratched and dragged.
No big cat ever makes a good pet, she cautioned.
Today, there are fewer than 50 cheetahs left in Iran, and about 8,000 in Africa. India has none: The last two were shot in 1951. Their international populations notwithstanding, cheetahs originated in the United States.
In the wild, cheetahs will run down their prey and trip them. Before eating, the cat must rest for 30 minutes, to catch its breath.
Cheetahs are known as the “scaredy-cats” of the big cats; they easily can be scared off by a vulture that wants the prey. Thula and Gijima, hardly fierce, are frightened by wild turkeys that drop into the ranch for a visit.
We left Safari West having experienced what felt like an authentic taste of Africa, without the expense and time of actually traveling half-way around the world. But it's only a taste.
Someday, the call of the wild will send me to Africa, camera in hand.
- Melanie Anderson is a freelance travel writer who lives in the Sierra foothills of Northern California.
While you're there...
The Sonoma Valley is beautiful, especially in the spring, when fragrant flowers are blooming. Activities include wine touring and tasting, bicycling, hiking, hot-air ballooning, biplane rides and horseback riding.
Call (707) 996-1090 or visit www.sonomavalley.com.
Things to do:
- Old Faithful Geyser, one of only three such geysers in the world, erupts approximately every 40 minutes; (707) 942-6463 or www.oldfaithfulgeyser.com.
- The Charles M. Schulz Museum, in Santa Rosa, honors the Peanuts cartoonist and his famous characters; (707) 579-4452 or www.schulzmuseum.org.
- The mansion home of Gen. Mariano Guadeloupe Vallejo, founder of the Pueblo of Sonoma, features artifacts from the late 19th century, and is part of the Sonoma State Historic Park; (707) 938-9559.
- The Petrified Forest features hikes through the majestic giant redwoods, where you can gaze in awe at trees that are more than 3 million years old; (707) 942-6667 or www.petrifiedforest.org.
- The Sonoma Valley Museum of Art is at 551 Broadway, in Sonoma; (707) 939-7862 or www.svma.org.
- For pure pampering and relaxation, the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa is hard to beat. Guests often walk about in robes and sandals. With a fine restaurant, a private 18-hole championship golf course, spa, pools, exercise room, free fitness classes, hiking, biking and wine-tasting tours, you may not need to leave the property. (707) 938-9000 or www.fairmont.com.
If you go:
Safari West Wildlife Preserve and Tent Camp
3115 Porter Creek Road, Santa Rosa; (707) 579-2551 or (800) 616-2695
safariwest@safariwest.com
www.safariwest.com
Safari tent lodging is $225 per night, double occupancy; jeep tours are $60 general, $28 children.
Safari West is open year-round and offers 30 tent accommodations and one cottage. Breakfast is complimentary; lunch and dinner are an additional cost. Jeep tours, a behind-the-scenes tour, cheetah photos and hiking trails are available.
Take I-80 west to Highway 12's Napa exit. Cross the valley and turn right onto Highway 29, for Napa and Calistoga. At Rutherford, Highway 128 joins Highway 29. Remain on 128, going past (not through) Calistoga, for one mile. Turn left on Petrified Forest, toward Santa Rosa; go 4.5 miles. Turn right on Porter Creek Road, and go three miles. At Franz Valley Road, turn right directly into the entrance. (Do not take Franz Valley School Road.)
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