A different side to Nevada

Lions, tigers and bears, oh my! If you’re visiting Nevada with children, you won’t want to leave without visiting one of the Silver State’s many enthralling animal parks and wildlife sanctuaries. The tours available at these sites are both educational and adventurous, something you and your children can enjoy together. Nevada surely offers something for everyone!

Safe Haven Wildlife Sanctuary

Safe Haven Wildlife Sanctuary is a non-profit wild animal sanctuary located on 160 acres in Imlay, Nevada. It is home to bobcats, cougars, African lions, tigers, African servals, foxes and more. Medical care is provided for all animals to provide a better life. Daily tours of the facilities are offered by appointment. Visitors may view and enjoy the animals from the safety of the perimeter fencing. Educational tours and programs as well as outreach programs are also available.

Camel Safari

Have you ever wanted to ride a camel, prep breakfast for an armadillo, see a stealth of a sloth, or admire the ornate quills of an African crested porcupine? With over 50 animals to meet and greet, there is something at Camel Safari for everyone to enjoy. Headquartered in the quiet, unsuspecting community of Mesquite, brace for a truly unforgettable experience unlike any other in Nevada.

When visiting the property, visitors can choose from a variety of programs designed to suit every interest. The property is available for bachelor parties, weddings and other events, and offers a variety of ways to personally engage with the animals, under the professional guidance of staff.

Trek through the Nevada desert on an unforgettable safari atop one of the majestic rescue camels. Visitors will have an opportunity to meet their camel before embarking on a Mojave Desert journey that is surrounded by unmatched southern Nevada landscapes.

Sierra Safari Zoo

While it isn’t a rescue facility, the zoo provides homes for animals that otherwise wouldn’t have one. Today, there are more than 200 animals at the zoo that comprise more than 40 species. Visitors might see a primate climbing atop trees in its private habitat, or a liger (the hybrid of a lion father and tiger mother) prowling with a lion’s pride.

Thanks to the Zoo Crew (30 to 40 volunteers), each animal is well cared for, and the zoo takes every aspect of the animal’s habitats into consideration. While some animals are in open environments, other more dangerous animals are kept in enclosures with roofs.

Gilcrease Nature Sanctuary

One of the few animal rescue centers located in Las Vegas, Gilcrease Nature Sanctuary is home to more than 200 birds. It encourages responsible pet adoption so that the facility doesn’t experience growth in accepting future unwanted pets. They educate the public through onsite classes and presentations on animal wellness, as well as tours of the facility.

This organization is a nonprofit and dependent upon admission fee, pet adoption fee, and fundraising events throughout the year. For those who want to see larger species of animals, there are more than 40 different varieties including llamas and tortoises.

Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge

In an area smaller than Disney World exist at least 26 species of plants and animals found nowhere else on earth—the greatest concentration of endemic life in the United States. The amazing colors of the desert spring pools are reason enough to visit. Just 90 minutes northwest of Las Vegas, Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge is one of Nevada’s best-kept secrets. As you leave the glitz and glamour of the Strip, the landscape becomes a dry, vast, and sparsely-populated desert. This is not where you expect to find unique flowers or four native fish species. The beauty and serenity found in this oasis—the largest in the Mojave Desert—is an unexpected surprise to all who visit.

Sit a while and listen to the melodic calls of more than 275 species of birds, linger over crystal-clear waters filled with iridescent blue fish, or scan the rocky mountaintops for desert bighorn sheep. If you are more the scientific type, there is much to ponder here.