San Diego Zoo Reviews

Can never go wrong when coming by the San Diego zoo. Me and my family always have a blast coming out here. We love seeing the tigers and birds . I hope this place never goes away.

Great zoo, they have a bus tour and bus rides to get around plus an excellent sky tram. The employees are really thoughtful and polite.

Parking was no issue (and no cost) which was great.

Lots of amazing animals and they do great conservation work. Also didn't know how much they do with plants.

Greatest zoo in America!!!!! Albert's is a must eat if you're ever here. Love this place

I was so excited to go here after all I've heard about it. Well, in my opinion only, it's an average zoo...nothing special. It's very expensive and nothing different for animals that other, less expensive zoo's, don't have. It's very clean and organized but nothing special. A bunch of beautiful Flamingos right when you walk in!

Always an amazing visit! Beautiful park with plenty of fantastic animal exhibits to see! The park is so clean and we'll kept throughout. Every shop and stand has polite and quick service. The zoo is huge so be ready for a great walk as you explore the sights.

Second time coming to this zoo and i was just as amazed as i was the first time. There is so much i to see always! You must see the pandas. The line may look a little long but it went by pretty quick!

I keep coming back. It's an incredible place to visit. Be prepared to hold your bladder though, as some areas of the zoo are decently far from a bathroom.

This place is HUGE. Be prepared to walk 8 to 10 miles. Tons of stuff to see. You can see the whole thing in 1 day, but would probably be better to do 2 days.

Great Zoo! Fun, interesting and tons to do and see.

Had an a amazing behind the scenes tour. Kevin was great. Thank you!

My family really enjoyed the zoo. We went in at 9 am when it open and could not finish it. We left to have lunch at 2pm out of the zoo. We just didnt have the energy anymore to finish up. Our experience was great we enjoyed it.

We were visiting from out of town and this was one of the main reasons. I love this zoo! There are so many animals and they seem very well cared for. The highlight of this visit was seeing the Galapagos Turtles. They are enormous and super old. Every staff member I interacted with was very friendly and knew things about the animals that they would share with us. If you are in San Diego for any amount of time visiting the San Diego zoo is a must.

They did great with social distancing protocol. Signage and handing areas that create bottleneck. I felt safer than most places!

It's a great place to show your kids the world without the plane ticket!

We really enjoy this zoo. It is very large. Too much to see in a single day. There are lots of options for getting around and the bus tours are usually very informative and different each time. The animals were very active the day we were here and they seemed generally happy for a being at a zoo.

Very cool. I went in the off season and it was wide open!

It's a great zoo. I can't help but feel bad for the animals. Regardless, this zoo does one of the best jobs in the world to accommodate the animals in a healthy way. The facilities are clean. The variety of animals is amazing. The terrain is beautiful And often interactive. The services provided, buses and live talks, are helpful and engaging. It's really a great place, but bring your lunch bc the food and drinks are $$$ without being

Man you can see all the animals in there. They have made a beautiful place for all the animals.

Excellent zoo. Beautiful grounds and exhibits! However the prices have gone so high, it's just not affordable for a family. The pandas are gone. The rhinos weren't out. The polar bear exhibit was under construction so we couldn't see them. And the whole children's zoo is demolished. The one exhibit my daughter really wanted to see was the insect house, which was gone. It was so disappointing, especially when you plan a vacation and spend so much for tickets.

Great place to go with the family, but I wish they didn't have so many places closed.

My kiddo had a blast! We will definitely be back again soon!

It was such a pretty Zoo! We've been wanting to go for a long time with my daughter and we made a weekend out of it. We're able to turn our tickets into a pass and earned an extra two tickets and two 50% off tickets. Can't wait to take her back and see more of the zoo.

One of the best Zoos in the country for a reason, it's an awesome place to visit! Very easy to get in the door and start seeing all the animals. Everything is super clean, as well as the enclosures (which are usually pretty large and elaborate). Plenty of cool information everywhere about what you're looking at, and the staff and volunteers are always there to help.

Do:
Wear comfortable clothes and shoes.
Bring some water in a hydration pack if you don't want to buy bottles.
Get a map when you walk in.
Wear sunblock.

Happy animals and conservation focused, this is a zoo 100%worth visiting and supporting.

This is like the Disney World of zoos, could easily spend a whole day walking around the park.

The aviaries are breathtaking. Especially if you're there early since its only you surrounded by so many birds.

WE HAD A GREAT TIME. PLUS MY GREAT NIECE LEARNED SOME THINGS. ME TOO. LOL

The best zoo I've ever been to. The restaurants there are warm and friendly and the grounds in the zoo are well kept. Well worth the cost...

Had so much fun !!! loved the bus tour and getting to see all the animals and learn about how the San Diego Zoo is helping in so many different ways. Can't wait to go back!!

Had not been for a long time and went and it was seemingly exactly the same. The Africa area was newer and was cool. Great place to roam around with the family and enjoy a day. Too expensive for a one day trip though, I didnt look but they probably sell reasonably priced annual passes.

IT'S SO MUCH FUN AND THE ANIMALS ARE GORGEOUS.

One complaint though is that the animals have kind of small cages. The tiger was packing reslly bad, and tried to jump at the viewers.

OTHER THAN THAT I GIVE IT FIVE STARS

wonderful, amazing, mesmerizing, everything good you've heard about this place is true, and then some!

This was our first trip to the San Diego Zoo. It was super busy with it being close to new years. The only bummer was that we were not able to get in to see the pandas (everyone else wanted to see them). The layout of the zoo is fantastic, very organized, food by theme was laid out appropriately, the bus and tram were great options to go around the zoo. A must see! Take some extra time to spend with the orangutans the little one is hilarious.

This is probably one of the world's best zoos and is a must see if you're down in San Diego. We tried experience the whole thing in one day and we almost succeeded but there is so much to see and enjoy you might want to slow down and enjoy it over two visits. You are guaranteed to see all the rockstars of the animal world and more. If you get tired of looking at animals there are so many humans from around the world visiting you may enjoy people watching just as much!

I did not expect this Zoo to be this large! It s definitely an all day or most of your day visit! Lots of animals with plenty to do and stay busy!

The zoo is wonderful for all ages. We r seniors from Illinois. We wanted to see the pandas but knew China called them home. Not to dispair, the Massai giraffes we're incredible with two babies: one female 1 month old and the other a male 6 months old. A total of 7 with both mom's caring for their babies while dad and aunts stayed close by. A must see zoo. You shld get the 2 day pass to experience it all.

Great place to have a drink and watch some of your favorite animals. Go late in the evening or right before they close, one of the best time to see some the animal awake.

Most beautiful zoo on Earth. Haven't been to every zoo, but it's pretty freaking awesome. And a great workout. Those hills are steep!

the San Diego zoo is the ultimate destination for families. There is a seemingly endless amount of activities to do while you're at the zoo. If you decide to spend the entire day there you could potentially see most of it. But there's just no way you can take in all of it. Be sure to make time for the gondola rides. And I would also recommend planning on walking early and enjoying a lot of the rides and entertainment in the latter part of the day. All in all an excellent time and experience for the entire family

Wonderful experience. The parking is really big and is free. The zoo is well maintained and very clean. The animals are maintained and look healthy. The staff are very friendly. One whole day will be required to cover everything in the zoo. Kids will love this place . For elderly folks there are places to sit and relax as you walk. They also have the strollers and wheelchairs. There are electric mobility scooters as well that can be rented out

Whats not to like? Easy layout, great landscaping and habitats. Warning: Do not order teriyaki chicken. Absolutley disgusting. Chicken tenders, Hawaiian burger....good.

Lots of amazing animals I have never seen before. Very easy to get around if your not able to walk much. Lots of info on the animals.

The zoo in San Diego is very enjoyable. We spent there literally entire day and still didn't visit several places, it is so big. We saw many wonderful views and animals. Unfortunately, most of them were sleeping or not even visible during our walk, so we missed about 50% of animals in zoo. Despite this, we still enjoyed our trip. Weather was nice, sun made views even prettier. It was hot but sun screen and staying mostly under trees helped us stay cooled and don't get burned. One thing I was unhappy: there was long line to see a panda. We were waiting 30-40 minutes and there was only one sleeping panda, it was not worth to wait so long.
We liked this place, we had been there in not as busy time so it was good.

We loved the zoo! We spent over 5 hours exploring the grounds. The hop on hop off kangaroo bus is included, nice extra. The skytram offered spectacular views. The staff at animal exhibits were so friendly and informative! The animal areas were well kept and animals were mostly active. The location is great and it was nice to keep looking around Balboa Park after the zoo.

Very nice zoo. We spent the better part of the day here. Only complaint is that in order to see everything, you have to do some backtracking. We missed the gorillas and didn't even realize it until we were well passed that area. Overall though it was a great day. The restrooms were clean as were the walkways. Well maintained!

The San Diego zoo is the largest zoo I've ever been to. It's not the kind of place where you only spend a few hours. If you wanna see everything it takes a whole day, and it is well worth the trip. My favorite thing to see is the tigers. I love them because they're big cats and they're adorable. But pretty much EVERYTHING here is worth seeing. And I'm not an expert but the animals do look happy to me. Also I rode a tour bus and the girl who was guiding sang a zoo version of a whole new world, it was fantastic. Definitely one of the most fun things to do in San Diego.

Saw one baby elephant, biggest food place was closed to a private affair. Lots of construction. Got to see girl feeding the penguin. That was cool

Good zoo, but a huge chunk of it is under construction. Not quite a impressive as the hype but a good zoo. Just thought the current habits are a bit small for the animals. I have visited many zoos that I fell are a better experience such as the Ft. Worth Texas zoo. Balboa Park which surrounds the zoo is very nice. I think being that the setting is San Diego really pushes it's high ratting.

The San Diego Zoo is great! I've been going since I was a child and there is always something new to experience. From the new Africa Rocks exhibits to new babies around the park to the animal encounters, there is something for EVERYONE. The conservation efforts are a big plus too!

One of our favorite places to visit. Staff is so nice and helpful.

Big place, lots of animals and plants to see, start early so you get to see at least half of it!

The San Diego Zoo is world famous for good reason, they go to great lengths to immerse visitors in all the exhibits and animal knowledge they can squeeze in. This zoo is massive and is almost a 2 day visit.

Great zoo with nice exhibits and interactive programs, but pricing is pretty absurd and prices on food and drinks are different than advertised including heavy gouging. Expect to pay over $10 for any drink or $20 for any food item. Unfortunately due to location you don't have much of a choice to pick something else.

Lots of different animals, worth going!! And I LOVE the koala in San Diego Zoo!!! Adorable

The place was fun though we had to walk a lot. I recommend it for children.

Great zoo! We were a little disappointed that so many of the animals were put away first thing this morning for maintenance-- so no elephants, no polar bears, no red panda. But the atmosphere is wonderful and we'd love to visit at another time of day (like evening when the bears are more active).

Big zoo with plenty to see, appears to work in conjunction with their sister zoo/Safari. Bus tour was interesting and good to do at the start to get an idea of where everything is.

Disappointed. I had very high hopes based on the zoos reputation around the world. Overall the exhibits were interesting and informative, but it didn't seem like anything that special compared to what you see at other zoos for a much lower price.

Would have given it 4 starts since exhibits were still good, except for the zoo's bus tours. This tragic afterthought of an activity results in loud, hot, and dangerous bus traffic barrelling through what appears used to be the zoo's walkways. Any visitors not on the buses are subjected to a sidewalk about half the width of an average city sidewalk. So as your trying to take in a feature exhibit, you're interrupted by the sound of bus brakes, a guide on a mic, and exhaust in your lungs. Completely ruined the entire zoo for me. Hardly any areas can escape having buses barrelling past constantly. There are also very few safety barriers if any in most areas, causing buses to push through pedestrian areas putting people in danger. No matter how careful the drivers are this is an accident waiting to happen. Bus ideas may have sounded great in theory but needs a SERIOUS rethinking.

Hope they keep adding and updating the exhibits. Love the forest

Love this zoo! Being handicapped does make it more challenging to get to all the exhibits due to the deep hills and the map could be much better at helping navigate the elevations.

a fun day with my little girl.. she loved the kangaroos and the giraffes. very spectacular

Beautiful zoo and also considered a botanical garden. Amazing place and will be back!

The Zoo is more amazing than ever with the new Africa Rocks exhibit and the new pedestrian bridge!

My daughter & I enjoyed, thank you. All the way from New York.

THIS PLACE IS THE BEST! in my opinion just SO much better than the los angeles zoo. they are a non profit zoo which is amazing and have all different kinds of animals. i have been about 3 times and have enjoyed every single one of my trips. also, as a tip i highly reccomend purchasing the tram that is available which includes a bus that has two levels which has a zoo guide driving around, making puns/jokes, and talking about the animals. it was definitely worth it and extremely relaxing.

San Diego Zoo is huge and has lots of different animals. Cages and sanctuaries are well kept and organized. Animals are in good shape and health. SD Zoo have Safari and Sky rides and bus tours. Staff are friendly and professional. Parking lot is huge. Admission price is a bit $$$ expensive but its worth it. Kids and adults will surely love the SD Zoo.

Loved the bus that guides you through. A great place to take the children but tricky to get there.

Nice experience. They even have rum and coke in a can!
Restrooms are clean and stocked. Most of the animals weren't out and about, but probably due to the weather.

This zoo is amazing!!! There are so many diffeeent varieties of species and fun activities to do with the kids. They re also known for their rain forest plants and those make the zoo so shady and tropical feeling. We had a wonderful time there but remember to bring sunscreen.

FANTASTIC way to spend your day. One of the best Zoo's in North America. The entire area around it also is amazing to see.

I love going to the zoo and the San Diego Zoo is the best I've ever seen.

I'm sure it's a great tourist destination, however I was really disappointed in the size and quality of the space the animals have. I also heard absolutely nothing about conservation efforts on behalf of the zoo. I felt very sad when I left there.

Its a great experience when the zoo is expanding the park that they making bigger. Beautiful always the landscape, the structure of the park and wild animals. Employs really focus on the wild animals. Only thing I didn't like when elephants metal bar cage so you can get close to them. I rather see them at a distance than metal bar cage to be close to them.

One of the great zoos of the world. It takes days to see, but even a few hours can be packed with wonders. Be sure to plan your visit using the excellent map that is provided free.

Spent the whole day there and still didn't see everything. All of the staff and volunteers were super helpful.

The San Diego Zoo is a must see. Arrive early as there are so many animals to visit. We are members a visit regularly.

AWESOME EXPERIENCE!!! I have been at the jaw-dropping Dubai Underwater Zoo, but this right here beats it in my opinion. Absolute world class zoo.

Be ready to spend a full day here, lots to see and it also involves lots of walking, so come ready.

IMPORTANT TIP: They give 15% discount to students, so bring your student ID. Great place to visit for all ages. Even though it was a weekend, the zoo was not packed and there were no queues.

We loved the zoo. We got there late after a long drive but we were very happy to enjoyed a lot of it.

The San Diego Zoo is one of the best places to check out. I have been here multiple times and have yet to see everything in one go. If you do go, wear really comfortable clothes and shoes and get there early.

Very large location with many, many animals to see, ranging from small and large mammals, reptiles, birds, fish, and insects. The shows were also entertaining. The Zoo staff were also very helpful and courteous. Free for military! Definitely worth a return trip to the SD Zoo!