San Diego Zoo Reviews

Beautiful, great staff and very family oriented fun. One of the nicest I've been to

All the animals. Very interesting. Very, very unique and interesting. I believe everyone should come see the wildlife.

Amazing zoo i agree to the second best zoo in the world. Please go if u can and take the bus around the park then walk around. Also please go because the zoo only runs on whoever walks through the gates. It is worth the price too

One of the best zoos in the world be prepared to walk alot, they also serve beer here in decent size cups. The whole park is Handy cap friendly. You experience will just be up to how much you want to walk around. If the weather is in the 60s I recommend wearing a jacket as there is alot of trees that will provide breezy shade and it can get quite cool fast. Food in the park is delicious and there are many places to eat

Lots of fun for the family, everyone should check it out. Food really sucks and super pricey. Eat before you go and smuggle in water.

Great place with the kids. Plan the whole day to walk entire park. Open to close.

It is always a pleasure to come to the San Diego Zoo. They are constantly trying to improve an already awesome experience. The new Africa Rocks section is amazing. I'm also always impressed with the quality of the staff and volunteers. They are extremely knowledgeable professionals.

Absolutely loved this Zoo! My girls had a great time and the bus tour and gondolas were awesome!! So much to see and amazing staff. Spent most of the day and enjoyed every minute of it!!

I don t care what other people say, this is the best zoo in the world. Beautiful scenery, large animal enclosures, and fun entertainment and education for all ages. Also interesting that the plant life here is just as diverse as the animal species. Cool place.

this is the place to take your kids you want them to see Bears check you want them to see Lions check you want them to see giant elephants check you want them to see panda bears or that's a long line but boy they got them. Be prepared for big Hills both up and down and lots of walking

It's world famous. Has a lot of caged animals. The tigers look especially stressed with the pacing back and forth.

So first off i got in for free due to an event i was part of but i do think the admission price is kind of steep especially considering the food and merchandise prices are insanely high as well BUT if like me you get in for free or just pay the admission to walk around and enjoy the animals it's a fantastic experience there are so many animals to see and things to learn about it was hard to fit it all in one day (8hrs to be exact) and that was only the zoo side and i would willingly go back (and maybe even pay) to see the safari park side

Awsum place. Loved the animals and personal always went out of their way to help me learn and touch animals though out the zoo and safari at safari saw allot at least 15 baby Joey's ranged from like a few weeks to about 11 months then mama kangaroo kicks out of pouch.

Great be prepared to walk! There is a lot to see and it is not on flat ground! A great experience!

Loved it. $50/person for a day pass. I recommend you do a tour bus (price included) to get an overview before you hoof it around. Wear comfy shoes and bring water (camel back). Definitely do the sky tram too (price included with a day pass too)

It's a beautiful place to visit with so many animals and exhibits, the first animals you see are flamingos, I love how each exhibit goes into detail on the animal, species and level of conservation. They go rid of the children's letting zoo but have great plans to open something more educational in the future. If you live in San Diego it's a must to get the annual membership, and if you visit San Diego it's a must on the list of places to visit. When I get hungry I always order the pretzels, their popcorn is.pretty good. I like that you can also take your own food and if you enter the park with a drink other a straw they politely ask to throw away your straw in order to help bring awareness on how.much harm straws actually cause animals

Took our Girl Scout troop, it was a memory they will never forget.

It was raining when I went, but I still got to see an assortment of fauna from Australia to the Americas to Madagascar and more. It's also good to know that this is a NGO zoo, so all profits go to preventing species Extinctions.

Maybe the best zoo ever

Pros:
Free convenient parking
Affordable admission prices (once you attend you will agree)
Very clean
Friendly knowledgeable staff
Diverse animal exhibits
Well designed paths and navigation throughout the zoo

Cons:
All in park restaurants are quite expensive
ALOT of walking

If you go plan on being there ALL day. To see all of it you will need the whole day. Also plan on walking 6-8 miles throughout the day to see all it has to offer. The zoo allows you to pack in all the food/beverage you want so plan accordingly to bring a lunch.

There are plenty of clean restrooms throughout the zoo. Also plenty of water bottle refilling stations.

The design of the zoo keeps the traffic flowing despite huge crowd volumes.

The animals are VERY well cared for and all appear actually quite healthy happy. Far better looking than other zoos.

This place was the highlight of our vacation and did not disappoint at all. It truly is a world class operation.

I've been here multiple times and everyone we experience something new, I'm a fan for sure and can't wait for our next trip!

Very expensive zoo. I like zoo Miami and lion country safari much much better

Beautiful zoo, we saw the pandas before they leave back to China. The Galapagos tortoises were amazing too. Lots of walking, kids gave up, so we didn't finish the entire zoo. The bus tour was great but took a mini nap on it to recharge. Sorry if the folks on the bus got scared when they heard me snore and thought a wild beast jumped on the bus...lol

World famous San Diego zoo is the best! I just recently went to the zoo at night and got to hear the lions roaring. They are super active at night. That s why they re always napping during the day. they re building a new children s zoo section so the sky safari baskets are closed. But still worth it tho!!

Best zoo on the U.S. Go later in the day for less crowds and more active animals.

Best zoo I've been to. Wish I had more time to look at all the exhibits. Great variety of beer.

This zoo is massive. If you wanted to see everything you could easily spend the whole day here. The bus tours, while tempting, are pretty much a waste of time and you can't really see anything on them. I'd recommend taking the skyfari gondolas up to the Arctic then walking down the trails, then taking the gondalas back up. The gondola lines can look long but they move pretty quick if you just get in line. Since there are basically three sections/trails you can do this three times and save yourself walking up the hills.

Also, if you are coming for the giant pandas be warned they no longer have them.

Stunning zoo. This is one of the best zoo's I've been to. All the animals are fantastic and kept in the highest of conditions. Put aside a full day to see all of it because it's well worth it.

Nicely maintained zoo with a huge collections of Animals....

A terrific Zoo! Too much to see in one day. Tons of animals, great map and walking paths, neat and speedy Sky rail. Food was great, animal habitats were beautiful, plants and trees were lush like a jungle. Transportation options around zoo were helpful as it is a large and hilly place. Volunteer Staff were very friendly. Amazing toll house cookie ice cream sandwiches on the way out!

My son and I enjoyed our time here so much! We love visiting zoos and wild animal parks. Unfortunately, man has destroyed so much of the natural habitat and resources these animals enjoyed in the wild, and it is sad to think these are the last of some species we may see in our lifetimes. It was great to share with my child, memories to last a lifetime. The animals seemed so happy and well-cared for and the double-decker bus and tram provided a respite from all the walking. Thank goodness for Albert's restaurant, it is the only real food in the park plus every have cocktails for grownups. An actual sit down dining experience!

This is one of my favorite places to visit. I loved taking my kids and seeing the animals.

Friendly staff, be prepared with comfy shoes. Very hilly area.

The San Diego Zoo is one of San Diego's premier sites.There are two parts to this Organization. 1. Safari Park: a. Located in Escondido. b. Here the animals are in their natural habitat. c. The tram and places to walk give every one a chance to enjoy a global Safari. This is educational. 2. San Diego Zoo: a. Located in Balboa Park. b. Here the animals live with constant care and attention. C. The tour bus and places to walk give everyone a chance to enjoy a global tour. This is educational. d. The Zoo is into care at both facilities and rescue - care for appropriate animals abandoned outside the facility. The beginning of the Zoo started with the 1915. Balboa Park World Exposition. Animals were brought here from all over the world. At the end of the event the homeless animals were abanded. The City fathers and mothers herded them up and developed a home with food, shelter, and care -- I.e. San Diego Zoo.

First time to visit this zoo. There is a reason it is known worldwide. This place is amazing. The animal enclosures are great. Try to go early in the morning or late in the day to see the animals at highest activity level.

Fantastic zoo. We have a season pass and it's so worth it. Always a fun time with the family and so worth getting the pass. The gorillas and monkey areas are always fun.

Very nice Zoo, one time visit is must if going to San Diego.

We love going here and have been going since I was a kid and then once my husband move out here from Ohio during HS, we started going together. Now we have two daughters and love taking them here so that they can see all kinds of animals from around the world. The San Diego Zoo does so much for the animals it s amazing! Love this place and even though we won t be here for long whenever we visit we will make sure to visit anytime we visit family and friends living here in California.

World class zoo! The animals are excellently cared for. There are multiple modes to see the zoo, by foot, by bus, or a combination of both. The foliage is amazing.

Great nighttime Xmas activities during holiday extended hours!

The San Diego zoo is amazing. Not only is the park well layed out with tons of animals to view, but they also have an incredible array of different plants from around the world. I highly recommend it for families or anyone wanting to have a nice day strolling around.

Absolutely love this place, best zoo I ve ever seen.

After a long weekend of San Diego comic con we decided to stay in San Diego for another day to check out the San Diego zoo.
Now I haven't been here in decades so I want expecting it to be a massive but I was wrong. It a big zoo. Be prepared to walk up and down hills. Bring good shoes. You will hike. There are lots to see and the kids will be entertained.

One of the best zoo's on Earth. We took visitors from Europe, two college guys, and they loved it. Too bad the giant albino snake is gone. Ticket and food prices are high.

Wow!!! Worth it!!! Everyone should go at least once in this life. Be prepared to send a day.

Really awesome Zoo. I really enjoyed seeing all the amazing animals. The staff seemed to really treat the animals with love and respect. I spent over 4 hours there and had a really great time! I had never seen elephants or giraffes before my visit here so that was awesome. I also got to see a panda and a lion. I look forward to visiting again in the future. If you're in San Diego, definitely put this on your list!

I have to say, the place is OK. It has some advantages and disadvantages. The advantage of the zoo is the has a lot of different animals that you can see but they have removed the panda and the rhinoceros which I get is an endangered species.
The disadvantage is that there is a lot of time wasted by just walking to see one animal at a time. What I think the problem is that the park needs to be organized so that the animals would not be spaced out as much. I have to say a lot of people were complaining about walking too much in the zoo, going up and down to see a few animals. I do not know if the golf carts that were there are used as a way of transportation around the zoo or not but there were a lot of golf carts lying around and nobody was driving them.
Anyways, I have to say that if you are going there go to the bus tour first so you can plan what animal would you want to see after and plan where are you going next. The cable car was one of the most entertaining thing in the zoo, you get a really beautiful view of the zoo. I would suggests going on these two rides first since they tend to have long lines.

Well maintained with friendly workers. The animals look well taken care of and happy. My family and I had a blast there!

Worth the trip, we loved it! Will be coming back again:)

This zoo was amazing. Very huge, clean and well shaded areas. The exhibits are many.

Spent the whole day and didn't get to see everything. Definitely going to go back. Chillest place I've been to like that. Looks like they really care for the animals there and do a lot to promote conservation

Loved it! Can't wait to go back. So much to see and didn't have enough time. Maybe a 2 day trip. Lol or an all day event.

The best zoo in the United States. They take such great care of the animals and this place is so clean and nice and well run. Everyone who works here really does a great job and is happy and pleasant to deal with. I'm very very impressed with how this zoo is run.

Great spot for families to visit. The place is huge and there is tons to do so be aware that a decent visit would be a bare minimum of 3 hours. They continue to expand on their already impressive number of exhibits and animals.

Great place for kids... Make sure you bring your running shoes.

Still very clean, protocols appear to be working. Only one elephant apparent. Where were the remainder I Signed up for season pass , will return soon.

By far one of the best zoos in the USA. I could go on and on about the zoo however long story short the attractions, animals, bus tour etc...were phenomenal I have no complaints. Really enjoyed myself

Thousands of unique animals to view and interact with. Helpful staff will direct you to various attractions. Trolleys and buses will help you transport you and your loved ones around with little effort.

The animals were fun and they zoo keepers seemed to really care about what they were doing

Nice place to walk around very good exercise place while seeing a lot of cool animals and scenery

This zoo is indeed world famous, which made my standards even higher upon visiting this place. A ticket will set you back around $50, but the thing is that the money they collect from tourists is obviously not used to build restrooms. I didn't find it amusing that I had to run half a mile to the latrine in the middle of Africa Rocks. Took off a star because of that.

Best zoo hands down. The map can be confusing (at least for me), but other than that it's perfect.
When we went, my mom jumped on the web cam and got to experience my daughter and I visiting the Panda "together". For her to experience that with her granddaughter was a phenomenal perk to our trip!

The World Famous San Diego Zoo is the best zoo I have ever visited. We love the big cats (tigers, leopards, etc). We love walking around and enjoying the awesome animal enclosures. The bus tour is amazing and skyfari is nice. Be warned, the zoo is large with lots of steep hills.

The San Diego zoo never fails to impress.... even in the heat of the day, we took the aerial tram then the bus and we were able to cool off. Employees were super nice and helpful.

There is so many animals! It's a beautiful zoo with friendly people.

I visited the San Diego Zoo recently and had a really nice day. The exhibits and animal enclosures were really nice and the zoo keepers and volunteers seemed to really care about the animals. I know it's not ideal to keep animals in cages, but I truly hope that by studying them we can learn to save their species.

Very nice place . Try to get the kangaru bus pass and the bus tour as part of the ticket offer. Its a big one , walking would be tiresome and time taking.

Love the zoo. Fun times lots of animals. Check out my other photos at @manbehindalens on Instagram

Beautiful!! Highly recommended. Everything is clean and well-organized, and the animals are gorgeous!

When coming to San Diego, one of the must go to locations is the San Diego Zoo! It is one of the best laid out zoos in the world, respecting the needs of the animals that dwell there. They have a world class reproductive program trying to keep species from becoming endangered/extinct. The setting is beautiful....in the middle of the beautiful Balboa Park, near downtown San Diego....with lots more to explore within walking distance. No matter how warm it is outside, there is always someplace cool to find if you need a rest.

Very nice zoo, great animal variety and insteresting spaces. Good restaurants inside.

This zoo is so quaint and up close and personal. So many animals the tour busses are a great way to see this zoo if you have little ones air elderly. If your just plain tired as well.

I love this zoo, hands down best one I've ever been too. Plenty to see and do with all ages. Great gift shops. A few restaurants and food options, although as you probably guessed, a bit pricey. Could always pack a lunch and eat in the courtyard outside in the shade if you prefer. I recommend that you wear a hat for protection and if it's really sunny keep to the shady paths as there can be long stretches in areas without shade and lots of walking, just be mindful, especially if you or little ones or elderly are sensitive to overheating. I like to have a little water spray bottle and a hydrating bevarage in my little backpack. Owens Aviary is my go to spot for serenity and tranquility. Love the shade and waterfall and as a bird nerd, I of course love the birds. I take my time here and think and pray and just take in GODS beautiful creation and leave refreshed giving thanks with a grateful heart. Enjoy and take your time.

Excellent for family trips, bad for kids 3 and under, unless they have good condition for long walks! Must bring baby vehicles so you can give them a ride when they're tired, but its thoughtful if you are planning to take the air ride, or bus ride, you have to let the thing parked and then take it back where you let it behind, must be so good with maps! You are going to lose your mind! Also, don't mind if you don't bring yours, just paid $14 yes $14 for a single stroller, or $18 for a double one. My recommendation, do not, repeat, do not lose your time in the gorilla area, unless you like them a lot, it is too big and little thing to see, the best is to take your time and energy for elephants and top of the map, North-East! Good Luck!

Came to San Diego and apparently the zoo is a must see while you're here. $57 to get in and either stand in line or dodge the parade of strollers being piloted by parents who couldn't care less if they plow through the crowd. The displays weren't great and the viewing areas were fairly small given the amount of people in the park. The kangaroo bus is the only real way to navigate but it only covers half of the park. I'll gladly take the St Louis or Indianapolis zoo.

I have been to many zoos across the south and I have to say this was an incredible experience and the best I've seen! All ages can find things to do here and the scope of the zoo cannot be fully imagined until you actually go! It was amazing!

My first time there. Lots of fun though several exhibit were not available.

Very beautiful I m enjoying the new Kangaroo bus that takes you up all the hills so nice it s a show stopper

Great for some family togetherness... make sure you go during cooler months so that you can actually catch some of the animals out and about. Super pricey but worth at least 1 visit in a lifetime.

The best zoo ever it is amazing I don't even know what to my wife and son loved it

This is a great zoo!!! But plan to do a lot of walking. There are also a lot of hills. They do have a "kangaroo hopper" bus, which helps in some areas.
I really appreciate the work that this zoo and other such places do to save animals. It also educates people about animals that they wouldn't even know existed without zoos and teaches them what they can do to help.
I love zoos! I visit them and support them whenever I can. Without them several animals would have already become extinct. They love the animals and take great care of them.