This weekend was my birthday weekend and my husband and youngest daughter took me up to Malibu for a few nights of relaxation and adventure. I have always wanted to try the Malibu Wine Safari and what better excuse than my birthday, right? My husband is kind of a picky guy and doesn’t love trying new things, isn’t outdoorsy, and doesn’t like crowds, so the only way I could convince him to give it a shot is if it was a birthday excursion for me. He can’t say no to me on my birthday, it’s the law.
If you’ve never been to Malibu Wine Safari, it’s basically a tour of the Selman family’s private ranch and winery where you get to taste wines made from their 27 varieties of grapes, see some of their exotic animals and take in views of their beautiful 1,100 acre property. It’s really an extraordinary place- many of their animals are retired from TV and movie acting including their most famous resident, Stanley the giraffe. You may have seen him in movies such as Hangover 3. They offer many different tour packages, most lasting about an hour and a half. We saw alpacas, donkeys, horses, zebras, water buffalos, a camel, cave paintings from the local Chumash Native Americans, and of course, Stanley.
If you’re from the LA area, this is a great thing to do when you have guests visiting from out of town. It’s also a great add on activity to a day spent in Malibu or Santa Monica. We did the 10 am Vineyard lunch. I was expecting maybe more of a picnic lunch spread, it ended up being so hot we ate in the “lakehouse” which was a manufactured home on the property although the views of the small lake were quite lovely. I think we could have skipped the lunch portion and had an equally enjoyable experience with a lower priced package. The highlight was 100% meeting Stanley and hand feeding him! It was well worth any extra expense to have that once in a lifetime chance to feed a giraffe up close and personal. I’ve seen other “giraffe feeding” experiences at the San Diego Wild Animal Park and places like that and nowhere lets you get this close and pet the giraffe and take so much time one on one.
I think I will definitely come back to Malibu Wine Safari, it’s a great option for a bachelorette party, birthday celebration, girls trip, or for out of town guests to see the beautiful Malibu hills. I will be writing a separate review of the ranch we stayed at in Malibu as well, it’s not to be missed. As a tip if you’re planning on a wine safari in the summer- take note it’s HOT and the Jurassic Park style trucks are open air and uncovered. I wish I had paid attention to that on the website photos or if it had been stressed in their FAQs as I would have brought a hat or umbrella. I am fair skinned and got a bit too much sun during the 90 minute tour. Also ladies, leave the heels and tight clothes at home. I know we want to take cute pics but you’re climbing in and out of a giant truck and walking on gravel and grass all day. It’s not a heel type of a place. Especially after all the unlimited wine they give you. That being said, our guides Kyle and Christiana were funny and sweet and the whole thing couldn’t have been more fun! If you’re wanting more info, their website is right HERE.