Mornings bring surprises. Before the public arrive, lodge guests are invited to a private sea lion show. California sea lions are born entertainers -- slick, acrobatic, impossibly charismatic -- and their splashy curtain calls feel like a personal encore.

The safari can be taken by car, but the striped safari bus comes with commentary worth hearing. We began with Congo buffalo, twitching their ears like semaphore, before rolling to zebras whose foals can run within hours of birth. Ankole cattle followed, their horns so immense they seemed sculpted for a gallery. The guide relished a story: rhinos once discovered a way past the cattle grid and strolled up to reception, a tale still told with a grin.