I Went On A Wine Safari In Malibu And It Was Epic

If there is one thing I have come to love after 1+ years living in Italy, it is wine. Therefore, when my boyfriend said he was planning a surprise for me on my recent visit to California, I had a feeling it might involve my favorite beverage.

The only clue I was given about the surprise was that it involved “both of our interests.” This clue totally threw me off and had me guessing nonstop for a month or two leading up to my visit.

As we drove along the scenic California coast the day of the surprise, I grew more and more curious. Were we going to the Getty Villa? No. Were we heading to a field to see the recent flowers from the super bloom? Nope.

Suddenly, we got off the PCH and headed into the mountains of Malibu…and I started seeing a familiar site…rolling hills filled with grapevines.

After months of waiting, it turns out my hunch was correct…we were heading to a vineyard!

Little did I know, it wasn’t just any winery we were heading to. We were heading to Saddlerock Ranch to go on a Wine Safari! What exactly is a wine safari, you ask? Keep reading to find out what it is and why you will definitely want to go if you find yourself in Southern California!

About Malibu Wine Safari

If you are a wine lover, an animal lover, or are looking to have “wild” adventure in SoCal, then Malibu Wine Safari is pretty much your dream come true.

Tucked away in the 1,000 acres of Saddlerock Ranch is a scenic vineyard filled with…exotic animals?

As you explore the ranch on open-air safari vehicles, you’ll have the opportunity to taste local wines and meet some not-so-local wildlife like llamas, bison, zebras, water buffalo, and even a giraffe!

Talk about the perfect way to experience a safari in your own backyard (if you are a California local, that is!).

Tours

Malibu Wine Safaris offer a variety of tours at different price points ranging from $65-$155.

We headed on the $65 “Explorer Tour” which includes a tasting of 6 different wines, a tour of Saddlerock Ranch, Meet + Feed with exotic animals, and complimentary crackers and spreads.

The only thing the Explorer Tour didn’t include was a visit with the famous giraffe Stanley. Stanley has appeared in movies like the Hangover III and is a star in his own right.

However, a visit that includes Stanley is another $30, so you’ll have to decide if seeing this famous guy is for you.

The Experience- Wines, and Bison, and Zebras Oh My!

We arrived at the ranch a little early, so we had plenty of time to look around the cute gift shop and take a couple of photos near a cute classic Ford at the property. If you are a lover of Instagram, you will definitely have no shortage of inspiration here!

Once you check-in and sign a waiver, you’ll be given a wristband and assigned to a colorful and wild animal themed safari vehicle.

We were placed in the tiger group and matched the striped black and orange paint job of our safari car.

Once the whole group is checked in, you’ll board the safari car (which really sets the mood of the experience) and meet your tour guide. Ours was super sweet and provided fun facts throughout the tour!

Meeting Mike Bison

The first animals we saw on the tour were bison from Catalina Island. One of my favorite things about the tour were the clever names they had for all of the animals. The bison we saw was named Mike Bison, after the famous Mike Tyson!

White Wine Tasting

While you’ll make several stops during the tour of Saddlerock Ranch, there are only two stops where you will get out and taste wine (after all, it would be a little weird tasting wine right next to a zebra or llama!). You’ll make these stops at the beginning and the end of the tour.

On the first wine stop, we headed to a scenic pavilion next to the area where the ranch’s yaks live! Here we tasted 3 white wines, which were actually made at the Saddlerock ranch. They were each delicious and it’s not every day you can sip vino while observing yaks!

Feeding Barack O-Llama and Kendrick Llama

Next, we headed over to the area where the llamas and shetland ponies live. Here, we each grabbed some carrots and were able to make friends with and feed the llamas and ponies. My favorite llama name was Barack O-llama! The llamas and ponies were both so cute, and this might have been my favorite stop of the tour.

Meeting the Zebras of Malibu

After seeing the llamas, we headed over to see the zebras-a mama and a baby. I absolutely love zebras and it was so cool to see them up close and personally! We even had the opportunity to feed the zebras lettuce (if you weren’t freaked out by their massive teeth, that is).

Our guide was very careful to explain the safe ways of feeding and interacting with the animals so no one felt uncomfortable or unsafe and the animals were safe too! I would never have thought I’d be interacting with zebras in Malibu of all places!

Chillin’ with the Water Buffalo

The last animals we got to feed were the water buffalo. They are simply massive! One of them recently had a baby, so we were only able to see one of the water buffalo up close while the others hung out further away with the baby.

Camp Cabernet

At this point in the tour, we hopped back on the safari vehicle to the last wine tasting.

In my opinion, this part of the tour is the most scenic. You’ll be able to see why Saddlerock ranch gets its name (there is a massive rock that looks like a saddle), and see some beautiful parts of the ranch and learn about its history and the family that runs and owns the property.

You’ll also discover that many of the animals that live there are actually retired movie stars!

We were able to see Stanley the giraffe (the ranch’s most famous resident) from afar while on the way to our final wine tasting.

The final wine tasting takes place at the so-called Camp Cabernet, a field filled with antique vehicles like Airstream campers, a classic Volkswagon van, and even a retired taxi.

Here you’ll have plenty of time to walk around and check out these cool vehicles, enjoy the views, and of course taste the delicious selection of 3 red wines!

After this final tasting, you’ll board the safari car and return back to the main parking lot of the ranch where you can purchase any wines you liked from the gift shop, head over to the ranch’s tasting room, or return home.

The entire tour takes about 1.5 hours, so if you are worried about driving after consuming wine you may want to take an Uber/Lyft or make sure you have a safe form of transportation!

Overall Thoughts

I had an absolutely amazing time on my surprise Malibu Wine Safari and would highly recommend it to anyone who is planning a visit or lives in Southern California. The wines are delicious, the Saddlerock ranch property is stunning, and all of the incredible animals make it a one-of-a-kind experience! I think the wine safari is perfect for a birthday, anniversary, date, or a fun day out with the girls.

You can learn more about the experience on the Malibu Wine Safari website!

Have you been wine tasting in Southern California or does this sound like a cool experience to you? Let me know in the comments!

---

For more adventures in Southern California, check out these posts:

• 10 Things You Won’t Want To Miss In Santa Monica, California
• Fulfilling My “La La Land” Fantasies At Griffith Observatory: Los Angeles, California
• 10 Tips For 1 Magical Day At Disneyland

Pin this for later!