San Diego, CA

Arrive in San Diego and meet your EDU Trips group escort. You’ll spend the day exploring Old Town San Diego; the original settlement of Spanish mission dwellers. You’ll visit the preserved adobes, shops, a Mexican bazaar and dirt roads that create a living history of San Diego from 1829 to 1879.

We’ll begin today with a visit to the San Diego Zoo. Spend the morning gawking at the bright-pink flamingos, take the Tiger River walk, then hiked to Hippo Beach, where you will get your first look at underwater hippopotamuses and check out sand sculptures of the large animals. Next, visit the Giant Panda Research Station and visit the giant pandas—Bai Yun, Gao Gao & Yun Zi. After lunch we depart for San Diego’s Embarcadero, home to the Nautical Museum made up of three floating vessels. You will be awed by the majestic, tall-masted 1863 STAR OF INDIA, the oldest square-rigged ship still sailing. Board the BERKELEY, an 1898 ferry boat that helped rescue San Franciscans after the 1906 earthquake, and the MEDEA, a 1904 steam yacht.

Wake up early and depart for the San Diego Wild Animal Park. You will spend the day exploring 2,200-acre wildlife preserve. First you will board the Wgasa Bush Line Monorail, a veritable visual animal safari through undeveloped land. See hundreds of the park’s African and Asian animals in natural habitats: okapis, Sumatran tigers, Columbus monkeys, Thomson’s gazelles and black rhinoceroses.

Spend the morning at the beach and learning how to surf. During your lesson you will learn essential fundamentals and various techniques on getting to your feet and riding a wave for the first time. You will also learn the basics of positioning, paddling, surfing etiquette, ocean knowledge and water safety. In the evening you will be taken to the airport to catch your flight home.