On November 30th, I turned the big 3-0! I still can’t believe I’m 30. Ten years ago if you would have asked me where I’d be, I would have never guessed here. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. I look back on my 30 years and am happy I’m the person I am.
For my birthday this year, I didn’t want to do anything crazy. I wanted to keep it classic. The first plan was to go to Napa for the weekend. My bestie Farah was already in LA and myother bestie, Deb, who lives in Portland and said she’d fly down for it. While doing research for the trip, Napa just seemed like too much money for just 2 days. Plus I also didn’t want to drive 5 hours. Farah said there were wineries around LA so I looked into it.
Malibu Wine Safari
I actually found out about this place from a hinge profile! He had some cool pics with animals and wine, so I was sold! They offer many different tours, but 3 basic ones. Their most popular is the one where you get to meet Stanley the giraffe. That one was, of course full, so I picked the explorer tour. It was $65 and included 6 glasses of wine.
From the valley, it took about 35 minutes to get to Malibu Wine Safari. There is a lot of parking, so no need to worry there. I would say you need to get there at least 15 minutes early. When they say they leave on time they mean it. There was a group that was late so they missed part their tour because of it. They will not just let you hop on the next tour. During the wait, there isn’t much to do, but they do have a small gift shop.
Your ride for the day is a big jeep that is uncovered. It was raining the day we went so Deb brought a rain poncho. I would honestly say where you sit doesn’t matter because you get off for each stop and there is not much to see as you are driving. There were about 3 stops, 2 having a wine tasting. One flight of whites and one of reds. They don’t sell any of the wines they gave tastings of (weird I know).
The first stop was a tasting flight of whites with nice views and getting to meet a donkey. We took the time to drink and take lots of pictures! They also told us more about the farm. The owner’s wife loved animals. Because of this love of animals, she made some of their lands an animal sanctuary used in Hollywood. You can see zebras, water buffalo, giraffes, alpacas, bison, and even Stanley the Giraffe (if on the gifaffe tour).
The one-stop without wine was probably my favorite. I got to see all the animals! They give you enough time to take pictures with the animals, but you can not touch them.
The last stop of the tour had food and red wine. The food was a basic cheese plate with grapes and crackers. The view was pretty and I was happy to be eating after all the wine. After this, we drove by Stanley but did not stop to see him. You have to be the giraffe tour to get to feed him and get up close pictures.
WORTH IT? SURE
If you are in LA and want a nice day with friends with great pictures take this tour. It’s a tour that’s definitely more the vibe and experience the actual wine. For the price, I felt it was worth it. For more information check out Mailbu Wine Safari.
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