San Diego Zoo Reviews

Very fun first experience. Quite a workout too! Family friendly and prices for dinning in are not expensive. Will go again!

Such a great and well organized zoo. Totally worth the visit!

Just an awesome experience everytime. The park has so much to offer it really takes more than 1 trip to see it all.

Always a good place for some family time. We are fortunate to live 10 minutes away so we have annual passes. So worth the $

At $56 US per single visit the San Diego Zoo pales in comparison to the Toronto Zoo, at $29 CAD. Size wise, San Diego measures only 100 acres vs. Toronto's 700 acres. All of the animal enclosures were too small, with most of the cats exhibiting symptoms of zoochosis, pacing or biting their cages. I definitely cannot recommend the San Diego Zoo.

My family loves this zoo. It is such a beautiful place, the landscape is great, the animals are in wonderful enclosures and the staff all seem fabulous and knowledgeable. We recently did the night lights and had a fun time being there after dark. We've had a membership for over 4 years and always have a great time.

Zoo lived up to its reputation. Lots of cool animals. Well kept enclosures and facilities. Seeing the pandas was really cool. Was very busy but it was a holiday weekend. Lines were long for just about everything.

Wonderfully amazing San Diego zoo. I have been here several times over the past 30 years. Seems to always have some new attraction. Great fur families. Great for visitors of all types.

It is located in the heart of the very scenic Balboa Park. Here's a huge parking lot with free parking. If you get there late you might have to walk ways. sort of expensive to get into but there's lots of animals and lots of other things to do.

Amazing place, put your walking shoes on have a great time! The hippocampus and pandas are awesome!

It is great for family trips. Tour guides and all the zoo staff are courteous and friendly. If you want to experience the full zoo experience, clear the whole day, buy a skip the line admission ticket, and put your walking shoes on.

Need a better route map. So everything is able to be seen moving in one direction instead of going one way then having to back track to see a different set of animals. And it was pretty hot when we went I think maybe misters being incorporated for days like that could make it more tolerable on days that are hot. Also more covered bench seating to take a break.

Largest Zoo I have visited, it's a great place, they have lots of species, even penguins

So BIG a lot more than you realize - by our count we did over 10K steps and we didn't get to the reptile part because everyone was too tired to go back around. Definitely an all day experience for your first time or find the map first and pick out what you want to see.

I have visited several zoos and by far, San Diego Zoo ranks #1!!! If you have not visited, be sure to visit for a zoo experience like none other. Also, the food was simply delicious (Order the Chicken Quesadillas & Garlic Parmesan Fries)

The best Zoo in America if not the world. Economical and worth the price of admission.

Great experience! Line for the skyfari moves fast. Printing the tickets at home for the zoo save us lot of time. Food here is ok we had asian food next to the panda exhibit at Hua Mei cafe and it wasn't good as we were expecting. After the zoo we walked to Balboa park it has a beautiful architecture and nice views for pictures. My family just had an amazing day here!!

Fun of course, but sometimes seemed like too many animals. Didn't try any food places. People told us it takes more than one day to see it all but we got through from 9 to 3ish, but that's without children.

I always physically enjoy the trip through the park. Any time I can go and walk the property is a definite plus.

San Diego zoo is the best. Always something new to see and a great deal if your a local. Albert's restaurant is a lovely Oasis tucked away at the center with some nice meal choices. A little too much beer and drinking from some visitors especially since there is a beer stand around every corner but at least the money goes to the animals. Love that the zoo is non-profit.

So fun! Take the time to visit and you won't regret it!

It's giant enough it might be worth 2 days. For the little ones, I'd recommend a carrier or stroller.

Very nice. Go early in the morning so it's not too hot.

Amazing world class zoo. I'm not sure what I can add or say, that will even come close to describe it, to do it justice.
My friend and I spent a solid 6 hours there and didn't come close to seeing all of the exhibits. The animals look well cared for, have toys and exhibits with items to occupy them.
The signage, filled with pictures and descriptions is very helpful, which I took pictures of, so I would know which animal or bird they were. Nice gift shops scattered around the park and even a band that played as the sun went down. That was a new concept for me, but I can see where that would interest all sorts of other people in spending time at the zoo and keeping this gem, this treasure, in people's minds. Highly, highly recommend.

Love the zoo! Worth the price to be a member to see something new each time

Connect English loves offering these Zoo trips to our students. The staff at the Zoo is so helpful and friendly. It makes every Zoo day a wonderful day for all of us. Thank you for always taking good care of us!

Love this zoo.. animals all seem they are highly cared for and very roomy for them! The elephant area is my favorite.

Went with just adults and had a great time. Lots of walking

This park is packed with animals, you will love it. Also love the fact that there's a sky tram that runs through it. A must see when you're in San Diego!

Hands down the best zoo I ve ever been to. Great for all ages.

Went during Covid. They have everything marked for social distancing. Really nice experience.

Always enjoy the San Diego Zoo. First time to visit during October kids visit for free, need to needed to be patient and keep clam school age kids where running wild. If kids are not your thing , you might not want to go in month of October.

We had a wonderful time seeing all of the animals. The facilities are maintained great and staff is super friendly. We had a great experience.

Great place for a walk. I recommend going early because the animals after more active in the mornings.

It's A Fun Family And Everyone Experience. U can look at many animals and have fun at tge same time u can take many pictures

Extremely clean with very friendly volunteers and staff to help you along your way. I must do while visiting San Diego

The template for the modern zoo. Great day with grandkids!

Having not been to a zoo in a decade I recently went to the Winnipeg Zoo and the San Diego Zoo within 2 weeks. The Winnipeg Zoo has done a great job on its Journey to Churchill exhibit. The San Diego Zoo has done a great job on its entire 110 acre zoo!! I was blown away at how many different animals were at the zoo in San Diego. Elephants, lions, tigers, hippos, polar bears and everything in between. The SD Zoo layout is unique as it is built into the side of a hill with many steep climbs as you walk through their various areas. They have plenty of guided tours (some motorized) if you prefer not to walk on your own. Lots of food kiosks and restaurants. Its not cheap. Adult day ticket is $54 or $60 if you want the 4D Imax experience. Food was very expensive to buy there. The zoo is non-profit and all proceeds go to the care of the animal and related projects around the world.
Our Wpg Zoo underwater viewing platform was better than any underwater viewing platform at SD but overall they are both worthy ways to spend time with family.

Great place to spend the day and enjoy time with family

We love the San Diego Zoo and try to come as often as we can. We always see something exciting when we are here. I would recommend getting getting a two visit pass if you have the time/money so you don't feel rushed.

There are plenty of exhibits that are great for toddlers too.

My only compliant is that for an organization that is about conservation, they use a lot of plastic for their food services.

Nicer than the Bronx Zoo by far. Watch out for the extra viewing gimics. Find your price and pay it. Don't eat the food. The Margaritas are good.

The San Diego Zoo is everything you could want in a Zoo and far more. I have been hearing how the Sam Diego Zoo is the best Zoo in the country since I was a child, and I do believe that is true. The atmosphere is beautiful and the animals are majestic. The Zoo came alive with music in the night time. I would travel all the way to San Diego again just to go back to this Zoo.

Free parking?! How awesome! Zoo is very clean alot of animals to see also, staff and volunteers are very welcoming! Awesome zoo in a great city!

The exhibits are large and wonderful. The animals appear to be taken care of and happy. You can tell a lot if thought, planning and money went into each exhibit to ensure the quality of life for its inhabitants. The park is rather expensive though. My husband and I ate lunch which consisted of 2 sandwiches and 2 adult beverages for $63. Since you can bring in a cooler of your own, i suggest you do exactly that and save yourself some money.

The people were supper friendly and the staff incredible!

It's the San Diego Zoo. If you were thinking of going? Yah. It's fun! No Pandas this year tho. They got sent back to China, but they are hoping for a new few soon.

Zoo is massive! Tons of great animals to see. Everything was extremely clean from bathrooms to walkways. Every employee was extremely nice and helpful. If you are vacationing in San Diego and have time I would highly recommend taking a walk in this zoo, with or without kids!

An excellent zoo, but a lot of people, it is better to go on a weekday. Here you can spend the whole day.

Definitely go there. Very nice. And you can spend whole day there.

This is a great zoo. Nice selection of animals and birds and plenty of room to walk and wander around. This is a very clean park and there's enough shade. I wish the animals we're out more as a few weren't on display. Overall a thumbs up experience and one of the nicest I've been to.

Great place to visit, Visitors get to spend a day in this Zoo with family and friends. Need atleast 5 Hours to cover all the spots, view wildlife and the safari. Restrooms are well maintained and good food is also available here. Safari ride is the best and very exciting as well. Watching Giraffes from a close distance was very interesting and watching the deadliest predators was very much thrilling.

The best zoo in the country and one of my favorite places to go.

So many new and beautiful changes, I felt I was at a new zoo. The landscaping is so beautiful; in addition to new and improved hands-on experiences and shows. The bus tour was very informative, the animal enclosures have been redone and are more of a natural habitat setting. Definitely a place to visit if you haven t been in a while, or just passing through beautiful San Diego, CA

There is way too much walking for none of the animals to be out. Was disappointed and whooped at the end. The Cleveland zoo is better to me.

Awesome experience here. Especially the wild cats. Animals look healthy and well groomed.

Beautiful place. I love the changes that they made and are making. Make a whole day of it

Amazing. Take the bus ride first to preview what you want to explore on foot.

It's a must see! We enjoyed everything! A bit expensive but we look at it as a donation to the animals.

Excellent Zoo. Wish I could give 4.5 stars as the line to see the Panda - yes singular Panda was long and only got to see a sleeping panda's bottom. But apart from that plenty to see. Big cats penned up always make me sad as they just pace up and down. Spent a full day here and didn't get to see everything.

We went on a Monday morning right around opening. People arriving did well to distance in the line you go through to answer some health questions before ticketing and entering the zoo. The workers were all eager to help and happy to have people at the zoo. I also appreciated the app they have with a map that helps guide you directly to the animal you want to see. My only drawback is the other people who don't keep their distance once inside the zoo and walk around wearing their masks as chin straps while they snack. I think the San Diego Zoo might want to consider limiting capacity more and having their helpful workers enforce mask guidelines. It would probably be best as well to keep eating to designated areas. Otherwise it was really nice to go walk around and get out of the house.

The bus tour is great, but make sure you sit on the bottom deck otherwise you won't see that much. They have everything you will want to see here! Well laid out, lots to see, and you'll get your steps in for the day!

One if the best zoo. I found the flora more interesting than three fauna.

There's a reason it's the best rated zoo on the planet, and we didn't even get to hit the safari. Plenty to do and we didn't pay for much. The new kids zoo is going to be huge and attached.

This is the world famous San Diego Zoo!! This is top tier conservatory at its best. It's best to prepare for a zoo day as it you would prepare for a day hike: walking shoes, sunscreen, shade hat, and a bunch of water. You are permitted to bring outside food and water (no straws) into the zoo, so a nice picnic is well within reach. Bonus, they serve draft beer that you may walk around with while you take in the awesomeness of the animals. There are so many trails with nooks and crannies that every visit is a new experience. The zoo never disappoints and often pleasantly surprises. Enjoy!!

Loads of animals to see and things to do like bus trip around the zoo and the cable cars above the zoo to let you see it from a different view.

Parking was super simple.

Entry fee was on point.

Merchants were very friendly and there was a good selection of things.

The exhibits were exceptional and the smell wasnt too bad for a zoo. There of course were some under construction but there was plent to do. What was really special? The lay out. It is very well thought out and laid out. Try the tour bus and sky tram.

Makes the Toronto Zoo look a little small. Definitely try going clockwise instead of counter clockwise thru the park.

Had a great time today. And lots of ease even with my scooter.

We decided to get the annual passes. Having them is practical if you're a local. After you've been there a few times, it pays for itself. It's a great place to go walk and distract and destress yourself in the evenings and also to get the kids to take out there energy.

I was really impressed with the SD Zoo. I learned a number of things. I found the exhibits demonstrated a good balance of care and respect for animals and accessibility/visibility for visitors. Very impressive what they are doing for endangered species. If not for SD Zoo, several wild species might be extinct today.

Are you kidding? Its the San Diego Zoo! This is what the Zoo in your home town wants to be when it grows up. Get the annual pass and/or just realize you are likely to not see the whole place in one day. It's not a cheap date, but the organization is out there in the world breeding animals and trying to save endangered species. Most home town zoos are trying to pay the rent.

Well deserved number one zoo worldwide! Full of cute animals from all over the world. It takes a full day to visit the park. I suggest to take the panoramic buss at he beginning of your visit so you can plan your visit better. There are also several shows at predefined hours that you can join to have more details regarding the animals. The standard pass cost 54 dollars, you can save 6 dollar booking online and skipping the line at the entrance.

Always a fun time at the zoo. The tram ride was great to see a lot of animals.

Great exhibits. Never feels too crowded. Great for adults and kids. We visit every time we come to San Diego.

Really expensive. But it is a pretty nice place to take your family. Might want to try and find bundle deals and plan in advance because the prices inside are steep for food.

I would've have gave it a 5.. but because of the pandemic their ski tram and tour bus around the park were down including no shows.. just working at half staffed..

1st time here. Be ready to walk. The SD Zoo is big! There are 2 big sections. Lots of animals to see and lots to do. The zoo has buses that take you around the park and there are other buses with hope on & off options. Its an all day event. Beautiful parade show at the end of the night.

An amazing trip and definitely worth taking a whole day to visit. Get there early and take the bus tour to get your bearings and then take the sky line to the other side of the park where it's quieter at opening and work your way back to the entrance.

Excellent and informative exhibits. Very straightforward layout to the zoo.

Good time. Great place to get out and walk plus see the animals.

Two words: free parking. The animal selection was good despite the fact that they didn't really come out to interact with the guests. So... I really suggest doing the private tour.

What a wonderfully place. Clean, tons of animals on display. Gets busy on weekends but otherwise it's a must see!!

Amazing zoo experiences to be shared here.

Be sure to bring your comfortable shoes or take the bus for easier transportation!

It was amazing but during covid everything is extremely long very crowded