Nevada Zoological & Botanical Park
The Southern Nevada Zoological & Botanical Park offers desert eco-tours conducted by the Nevada Zoological Foundation (Las Vegas Zoo). They offer 6 tours to choose from. With the eco-tour, you also get access to the Zoo for the year. These are one-of-a-kind tours that you can’t experience anywhere else with your luxury car rental.
A Selection Of Opportunities
Gemstones – this is a 5 hour tour in a four wheel drive vehicle that will take you back 250 millions years into the past to see the old geological formations, fossils, and ancient Indian petroglyphs. You will walk through the red, orange, purple, and tan sandstone canyons to collect gems. Bring a bag to carry back your treasures in your luxury car rental.
Historic Mining – this tour takes you through some of the oldest mining districts in North America for 5 hours. Leave your luxury car rental behind to step into a four-wheel drive vehicle to go back 1000 years. You will see inside the mines that date back to the 18th century and go deep inside the 1861 gold mine. You will also see the Colorado River and some of Arizona’s desolate wilderness.
Ghost Town – this full day tour takes you to the high desert, cattle range of Lincoln County. The tour will take you to Rainbow Canyon to see the railroads of the 1920s. You will then stop in Caliente, Nevada for lunch. After you will visit the historic railroad depot then continue on to Delamar, one of the most remote and well-preserved ghost towns in Nevada. This town was established in 1894 and died only a few years later. On the way back you will visit Pahranagat Lake for a stop to see the wilderness.
Groom Lake “Area 51″ – one of the most interesting tours you can take! This full day tour goes to one of the most secure military bases in the world: the famous Area 51. You will take the extra-terrestrial highway to the military base where you can have your picture taken next to a sign advising you not to take pictures. Then you can look through your binoculars to see the armed guards who are watching you. A local author on the subject will come meet you to discuss the site. Then you will eat lunch at Little A’Le’Inn, followed by a viewing of photos of Area 51 from the USSR’s spy satellite program. This tour can be combined with the Ghost Town tour for only an extra $50.
Destination Pioche – this full-day tour will take you back in time to a live ghost town before returning you to your luxury car rental. Travel the back roads past the roaming cattle and through Rainbow Canyon to the old mining town of Pioche. Established in 1863, it became of the roughest, toughest towns in the West. There were 72 men shot and buried here before one person died of natural causes. You will browse the town and eat in one of the saloons.
Toned Down Tours
If you don’t want to spend the whole day on an eco-tour, there is still the zoo to explore for a variety of wildlife. Some of the most popular exhibits include a variety of endangered cats, the last of the Barbary Apes in the United States, chimpanzees, eagles, ostriches, emus, talking parrots, wallabies, flamingos, exotic reptiles, and every species of venomous reptile native to Southern Nevada.
