The San Diego Zoo spreads over 100 acres of Balboa Park. It has over 800 different species, and about 4000 animals altogether, mostly enjoying a spacious, natural habitat. It's little wonder that it is regarded as one of the best zoos in the world, and is probably San Diego's best and most popular visitor attraction.
THE ANIMALS
The giant pandas are a major attraction, thanks to San Diego Zoo's successful breeding program which sees giant pandas returned to China to repopulate the wild. The zoo also has the largest number of koalas outside Australia. Other crowd pleasers include the gorillas, polar bears, orang-utans, lions and tigers.
THE HABITATS
There are numerous large natural habitats to see, and it's hard to do justice to all of them in a short space. The most recent addition is Monkey Trails and Forest Tales, a fabulous 3-acre which simulates the forests of Asia and Africa and really makes you feel as if you're there. You can walk at treetop level or down on the forest floor, feel the heat of the tropics and hear the monkey's shrieks. You can see endangered animals such as the clouded leopard.
Monkey Trails is just one of several such fabulous habitats. Others include the Gorilla Tropics, Polar Bear Plunge and four acres of African rain forest in Ituri Forest. It's like a tour to the world's most exciting wildlife locations, all in one day.
CHILDREN'S ZOO
Take children to the Children's Zoo and they might want to spend all day there. Watching the baby animals sleeping and being fed is popular, as is being able to pet animals like rabbits and sheep.
SEEING THE ZOO
The first thing to say is that San Diego Zoo is big. Allow a day, and even then you won't see everything. The best way is to walk, but help is also at hand. Open-top buses give guided tours all day – a good way to get your bearings. There are also express buses to take you from one part of the zoo to another. The Skyfari Aerial Tram provides an overview, quite literally, as it transports you up above the zoo and also gives great views of Balboa Park, San Diego and the bay. Be warned that there can be long queues for the transport at busy times, so try to see the zoo midweek and avoid school holidays.
For full information on opening times and how to get there, visit the San Diego Zoo website.
And read all about the San Diego Wild Animal Park.
Read about SeaWorld San Diego.
To find out other things to do in San Diego, click here.
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