San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance

Having our wedding at Kijamii Overlook at the San Diego Safari Park was truly one of the best decisions we could have ever made. The venue itself is absolutely breathtaking — the views, atmosphere, and overall experience were unlike anything we had ever seen. It felt so unique, intimate, and unforgettable, and our guests are still talking about how incredible it was.

What made the experience even more special was the amazing team behind it all. Delanie was beyond exceptional and took an already stunning venue to the next level. From start to finish, she made everything feel effortless, organized, and stress-free. Her attention to detail, communication, and calm, positive energy allowed us to fully enjoy every second of our wedding day knowing everything was perfectly handled.

The staff at the Safari Park were equally phenomenal. Every single person we interacted with was warm, professional, attentive, and genuinely invested in making our day perfect. You could truly feel how much pride they take in both the venue and the experience they create for couples.

One of the most meaningful parts of choosing this venue was knowing that our wedding was also supporting such an incredible cause. It made the entire experience even more special knowing that our celebration was contributing to wildlife conservation and the care and protection of these amazing animals.

If you are considering getting married here, do it. Between the stunning venue, the incredible staff, and Delanie’s outstanding coordination, it honestly felt like a dream from beginning to end.

When we realized we could have a wedding at the Safari Park we know we had to make it happen. The entire team at the Safari Park were so wonderful and supportive, especially our coordinator Delanie. They made the experience absolutely memorable. Being able to have an animal encounter is such a unique experience that we will treasure always. We couldn't be happier with the wedding venue itself and the delicious food. It was a truly wonderful experience.

We cannot say enough good things about the San Diego Safari Park team. They were SO incredibly kind and helpful from start to finish. They made sure we were well taken care of on the big day, from everything from making sure we got enough food to ensuring both brides had a dressing room available! Even with the uniqueness of the venue, they made everything so simple, like coordinating vendors, seating and accommodating all of the guests, the fine logistics, and clearly laying out the best options for us for everything little thing. The team was so kind and understanding with all of our questions and they were always quick to reply (we had so many!)

We were married at Kijami in late September and the venue itself is absolutely stunning. We loved the natural beauty of it, meaning we didn't need to dress it up much with florals or other decor. Having a space for the dance floor and music and a quiet space where guests could take in the view and the animals was also amazing, as it allowed us to enjoy the night however we wanted! We loved that we found a space that was still unique without having to sacrifice any elegance that we wanted. We ended up with about 100 guests at our event and this venue was a great size for that. It allowed for people to mingle without being cramped, but the space still looked full.

We can't thank Alyssa, Emily, and their team enough. Our day was absolutely perfect and we cannot recommend celebrating your wedding here enough. We really look forward to visiting the zoo again soon and continuing to make wonderful memories!

Such a magical experience! Our guests were amazed at the beauty of the venue and LOVED the animal encounter. The food and service were excellent. Alannah worked closely with all of our vendors and was very responsive when we had questions. Safari Park provided a list of preferred vendors that were all amazing. Highly recommend this venue. It was so unique and memorable!

Our wedding at Kijami Overlook was absolutely magical. Our park coordinator, Tommy, made the process as easy as possible and kept us in the loop the whole time, he is amazing. The entire staff were wonderful and a joy to work with.

The venue is beautiful and comfortable. It easily handled our 115-ish guests but could have easily fit more. The bar is built into a tree shape that flows well with the rest of the area. It is also nice and secluded from the rest of the park so even though our ceremony started while the park was open there were absolutely no outside distractions.

Also, THE FOOD! The food is amazing and was our guests' favorite part, aside from the animals of course! While the Safari Park does require that you use their food offerings and they are a bit pricy, the food was superb. We went with the food stations option since we had a diverse crowd, allowing everybody to find something they like.

We used several of the vendors on the Safari Park's preferred vendors list and all of them were fantastic.

Overall, we loved having our wedding here and highly recommend it. The whole thing was amazing and magical.

We had our wedding at Kijami Overlook a few weeks ago and it was everything we could have ever dreamed of! Delanie, our venue coordinator, was very responsive throughout our planning process and helped us view the venue leading up to the wedding for us to gather ideas. All of our guests were so shocked by the animal encounter and so many animals were brought out that we didn’t even see them all. Our guests were all super happy with the food and all the complicated drinks the bartenders were making, and they all said our wedding was the best they’ve ever attended and most unique. We would highly recommend having a wedding at the safari park if you want to have a wedding day unlike any other and if you love animals!

We had our wedding reception at the Treetops Room at the San DIego Zoo, and it was an excellent, 5-star experience. We enjoyed our big day, but we also enjoyed working with Alannah through the prep and coordination that led up to our wedding. Overall event planning went smoothly and Alannah went above and beyond in facilitating the requests we had for our day, suggesting ways to reduce costs, and generally making sure that we had the best experience possible. The venue space is really beautiful, with a private waterfall! Food was excellent; the catering team provided excellent food and service and we received multiple compliments from our guests about the quality and variety of food served.

San Diego Wildpark’s Kijamii Overlook venue was the most beautiful place to have our wedding. I never thought a zoo would have this as an option. As soon as we walked into the venue and saw the beautiful view, I did not even care how much it was going to cost, I had to have my wedding there! Our guests told us it was the best wedding they had gone to because it was so beautiful!

We were very happy with everything, Tommy Gomez was our event coordinator and he was so amazing. We could not be more thankful for him. He helped with the planning process, the rehearsal and helped calm my nerves. On the day of the wedding he did so many amazing things that we did not expect at all, he saved us appetizers, got us drinks, helped bustle my dress and so much more than we even expected. Our family and friends loved Tommy and raved about him! The service he and the entire crew of people at the venue provided was outstanding and my husband and I wish we could re-live the event again.

Thank you for the dream wedding and we look forward to visiting with our annual passes!

Our guests say this was the coolest wedding they've ever been to, and they aren't just saying it to be nice, it's absolutely one of the coolest places to get hitched! It was truly such a unique experience, I only wish it lasted longer.

When we were planning our wedding, fun was a top priority. We didn't want anything too uptight or traditional, we just wanted to drink, laugh, dance and sing with our friends and family. At the same time I still wanted a touch of sophistication and I didn't want anything to feel too cheap. Kijamii Overlook was a perfect fit in that regard. The grounds are beautifully kept, and the venue with its baobab tree bar looks neat enough on its own, but can also easily dressed up with florals, candles, and decor for an elegant plated dinner reception.

I liked that food services (appetizers, dinner, optional late night snacks or sweet treats), and bar services were included in the pricing and you could tailor them to your needs/budget. This made things much easier than having to coordinate those things myself. Initially, before the tasting several months prior to the big day, I didn't have high hopes for menu - because when I think of Zoo food, I think of quick service bites. But WOW I was wrong! Everything we tried was much more elevated and so delicious. They're able to offer buffet style meals, food stations, or plated selections. We went with the latter, and everyone loved the 24hr braised beef short rib entrée at our reception. They were also able to accommodate the food allergies and restrictions of our guests with ease, and even snag us some vegan cheesecake bites for guests who were unable to enjoy our wedding cake.

Tommy Gomez was our Safari Park Event Coordinator, and he was just so easy to work with. He was clear and responsive in communication, was able to adjust things easily as our planning went on, answer all of our questions and he reached out to each of our vendors to ensure a smooth arrival and setup ahead of the day. I really didn't have to worry about logistics at all, that was all taken care of and the day went off without a single hitch.

I absolutely loved that we could add an animal encounter to the festivities during the cocktail hour. It was such a highlight to get to meet and even touch some animal ambassadors close-up and it was a great surprise for our guests. Learning about animals while mingling and sipping was much more exciting than your usual awkward "so, how do you know the bride & groom?" cocktail hour.

Our wedding day was perfect, and Kijamii Overlook & all of the safari park staff did a lot of the heavy lifting to make it so!

The moment we toured the Kijamii Overlook at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, we knew it was where we were going to get married. No other venue compared to the landscape, expansiveness and fun that the Safari Park brings. It truly feels like a destination wedding without having to travel too far! We said from the beginning that one of our wedding priorities, was guest experience and our guests LOVED this venue. From the giraffes roaming behind our ceremony arch, to the rhinos bathing in the sun and then add in the animal encounter during cocktail hour, you cannot find a venue like this anywhere else. We had so many guests come up to us and tell us it was the best wedding they had ever been to, and I am sure a lot of that can be attributed to the unique, fun atmosphere that the Safari Park can bring to your event.
 
From the start, Magda helped us to tour to the venue and answer the many questions we had during the tour and really helped us fall in love with the venue. After we officially signed on, Delanie was assigned to us as our venue coordinator, and we were soooo lucky to have her. She was so nice and responsive right from the beginning. I honestly cannot say enough things about her because she helped make the process so easy! From meeting us at our venue food tasting, to answering our many emails, to communicating with all our vendors and making sure they felt comfortable with the unique venue space, and finally helping our wedding day run so smoothly. We feel so lucky to have had her throughout the process. You can really tell how much she genuinely cares about the couples she helps and if you are assigned her as your venue contact, just know you are honestly going to be in the best hands :) Cannot recommend her enough!!
 
During the wedding itself, all of the staff were so nice and helpful. From servers and chefs to folks helping to shuttle our guests on the tram and golf carts, everyone brought so much kind energy to ourselves and to our guests. Not only was the staff friendly, but we also got so many compliments from our guests on how tasty the food was too! Besides the venue space and staff being amazing, a portion of the venue costs also goes towards animal conservation that the Safari Park does, so your money is going towards a very good and needed cause.
 
Our wedding day was truly one of the best days of our lives and a good portion of that is due to the magic that the Safari Park and its staff brings. 1000% recommend the Safari Park, Delanie and the whole team :)