FAMILIES SPEND WILD NIGHTS AT ANIMAL PARK.

Byline: - Eric Noland

ESCONDIDO - Now there's something you don't often see first thing in the morning: giraffes, perhaps 200 yards from your abode, casually standing in a grove of palm trees.

It's one of many rewards of a Roar & Snore overnight at the San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park.

Offered weekend nights from May through October, the camp-outs allow small groups of guests to sleep out among the exotic animals. The encampment is on a hillside overlooking the East Africa enclosure, and some of the tents are just a few steps from the perimeter fence.

On one side is Lion Camp, where six lions reside - and if you're really lucky, your sleep might be disrupted by the deep, throaty growl of M'bari, the dominant male in the den.

On the other side is the domain of the African elephants, and you just never know when one of them is going to pierce the night's quiet with a trumpet blast.

Roar & Snore is particularly popular with families. I attended on one of the ``Beastly Bedtime'' nights, geared for parents with kids ages 4 to 7.

Right after an alfresco dinner and a campfire program, we set out on a spooky after-dark walk to the den of the Sumatra tiger - a behind-the-scenes peek not afforded to other park visitors.

Alas, the tiger was already bedded down for the night, but the littlest campers were still keenly interested as they peered in through the heavy steel bars. When the keeper asked for questions, the predictable ones came forth: ``How big are their teeth?'' ``Do bad tigers scratch you and bite you?''

Despite the obvious prospect of nightmares, most of the kids squirmed with excitement through the entire evening. Many hugged exotic stuffed animals on the lamp-lit walk with their parents to the tents. And there seemed to be an awful lot of giggling after lights out.

On this camp-out, unfortunately, we weren't treated to any ferocious roars, though it was odd to lie awake deep in the night and hear the distinctive hoot of an owl, and then to wake to the sounds of squawking tropical birds.

Through the night we also heard - light sleepers beware - a lot of trucks beeping in reverse gear. As at Disneyland, this park has to conduct a lot of its work after hours, when most visitors are gone.

Despite its obvious appeal for kids, Roar & Snore is also offered on an adults-only basis, and this year the park will substantially upgrade its offerings to appeal to that group.

The overnight has always been a fairly Spartan undertaking - bring your own sleeping bag and pillow, splash a little water on your face in one of the park bathrooms, be content with hamburgers and hot dogs for dinner.

According to park spokeswoman Sharon Dewar, that will change with renovated bathrooms that include showers, new canvas tents, an upgraded menu, the availability of alcohol on the adult nights and the option of premium accommodations.

The latter will include platform beds, camp chairs, nightstands, electric lighting and all bedding provided, Dewar said. Another option for campers will be to reserve tents in prime locations - in the front row, overlooking the East Africa area.

Standard accommodations are priced at $125 for adults, $105 for children - on top of the standard park admission. That includes dinner, breakfast, use of a tent, guided walks and a second day in the park.

One of the best things about a Roar & Snore camp-out is being in the park at the crack of dawn, when the animals tend to be more active.

As we ate a buffet breakfast in the Heart of Africa region, giraffes ate, too, munching on acacia leaves a short distance away.

Our tables overlooked Primate Island, where kikuyu colobus monkeys - the ones whose fur and coloring evoke an '80s hair band - frolicked in a tall tree.

Far in the distance, in the East Africa enclosure, about a dozen oryx raced down a hillside.

Another bonus is that campers get to take the first Wgasa Bush Line Railway ride of the morning - again getting a chance to see animals before they lapse into a midday torpor.

An Indian rhino female and her baby were wallowing in the mud as we rolled past a little after 9 a.m. The monorail guide was as excited as anyone at this sight. ``Any second,'' the guide said, ``that baby rhino is going to go in there to the bedroom and stay there all day.''

IF YOU GO

GETTING THERE: The San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park is at 15500 San Pasqual Valley Road, Escondido (just east of the town proper). It is convenient to Interstate 15. For directions from San Diego, or any points north, visit its Web site: www.wildanimalpark.org.

HOURS, COSTS: During the winter (through June 16), the park is open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Longer hours in summer. General admission is $28.50 for adults, $17.50 for children ages 3-11.

CHEETAH RUN SAFARI: Offered Saturday and Sunday (afternoons in winter, early evening in summer). Cost is $69 on top of the park admission. Includes two cheetah sprints - provided the cat is up to it. Photo provided. Limited to 50 guests at a time.

PHOTO CARAVAN SAFARI: Two-hour tours into the heart of the animal enclosures. Cost is $90 per person (children must be at least 8 years old). Longer tours, nighttime tours and family caravans (for children age 6 and up) also available.

ROAR & SNORE: Camp-outs are offered on Friday and Saturday nights from May through October. Cost for standard accommodations is $125 for adults, $105 for children - on top of park admission (although a second day in the park is included at no extra cost). Includes inner and breakfast. Premium accommodations and preferred tent placement priced higher.

INFORMATION: www.wildanimalpark.org; [phone]. Reservations for special tours and offerings: [phone].

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Photo:

Camp-outs at the San Diego Wild Animal Park allow parents and children to wake up to the sounds of safari animals.

Eric Noland/Staff Photographer

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IF YOU GO (see text)