Located in nearby Palm Desert (about 20 minutes east), the Living Desert has set aside 1,200 acres to combine a zoo and botanical garden focused entirely on desert ecosystems worldwide. Live exhibits cover North American and African desert animals — mountain lions, bighorn sheep, cheetahs, Arabian oryx, warthogs — while the botanical sections recreate Sonoran, Chihuahuan, and other desert environments. The conservation mission is serious: the Living Desert has played a significant role in breeding programs for endangered desert species.
Worth a half-day. Better visited in morning when animals are more active and the heat is manageable.