Visit San Diego's Animal Kingdoms
A Zoo, a Wildlife Park and a Marine Park Offer Educational Fun
Three of the great U. S. animal sanctuaries are main features on most San Diego travel itineraries, offering hours of outdoors entertainment and enlightenment.
In San Diego, three of the greatest animal kingdoms in the United States showcase lions, tigers, dolphins and other species in their natural environments. Each of them is so different from the others that all of them can be included in the same trip.
San Diego Zoo
Within the lushly landscaped 100 acres of the San Diego zoo live some of the rarest animals on earth -- aardvarks, Bengal tigers, lemurs and Komodo dragons (they're the world's largest species of lizard). Rare though these animals may be, the jungle-variety apes are still the Zoo's stars.
One of the first U. S. zoos to feature animals in their native environments, the park is divided into areas with names like Polar Bear Plunge, Absolutely Apes and Tiger River. Undeniably, the facility’s most publicized animal is Su Lin, the third giant panda born at the zoo.
The guided Zoo Bus tour, Balboa Park Miniature Railroad and Skyfari Aerial Tram give riders the opportunity of looking at the animals from different angles. When feet tire, these inexpensive options offer a great break from walking.
Wild Animal Park
Although the Zoo is located in Balboa Park, its Wild Animal Park is north of downtown San Diego near Escondido. What began as a breeding operation for the San Diego Zoo now is home to about some 3,500 animals belonging to more than 425 different species.
Residents of the 1,800-acre wildlife preserve -- including several endangered species -- roam free like they would in their native habitats since the park’s vegetation comes from many areas in the world. Principal mode of transportation is the five-mile Wgasa Bush Line Railway, a monorail that in 60 minutes takes passengers through areas representing East Africa, South Africa, Asian Plains and an Eurasian Waterhole. Far more expensive transportation in the form of Photo Caravan Safaris, employs small flatbed trucks to shuttle groups of eight into open areas that aren’t accessible to the general public
A special feature of the Wild Animal Park is the Kilimanjaro Hiking Trail, a one and a half-mile path offering glimpses of lions, tigers, elephants, cheetahs and giraffes. Another popular area is Nairobi Village with its Gorilla Grotto, Congo River Fishing Camp and Bridge of the Birds. Several bird and animal shows are presented each day.
Sea World
Sea World, third of the animal-focused entertainments, is billed as San Diego’s number one tourist attraction. The Shamu Show, Sea World’s big attraction, began in 1965, a year after the park opened. The role of Shamu, The Killer Whale, has been played by a series of performing whales. Participation in the encounters is not included in the entrance admission.
In addition to the Shamu Show, Sea World offers several animal encounter programs. Dolphin Interaction lets participants swim and interact with dolphins. Wild Arctic Interaction lets them swim with white whales. Trainer for a Day is another of the interactive options, and there’s also an adventure called “Dining with Shamu. Other aquatic creatures and marine animals on display include penguins and polar bears, sea lions and walruses.
General Information
The San Diego Zoo, located at Balboa Park, is least expensive of the three attractions and Sea World (in San Diego near Mission Bay on Sea World Drive) is as expensive for families as attractions like Disneyland. The admission to the Wild Animal Park (34 miles north of the city) is about midway between the other two. Hours and prices vary with the seasons and types of tickets. For further information on the attractions, contact sandiegozoo and seaworld/sandiego.
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