San Diego Zoo Reviews

Rich place full of scenes and animals and attractions if there is no bus tours on like now during covid19, better be in shape to walk all over or split ur trip to 3 times cause its very requiring to roam around and see everything at once

It lives up to the hype! I'm usually disappointed when someone says it's the "best" anything. Not this time! So many animals. And the exhibits were easy for people of all ages to see. And who can beat the perfect weather! Make sure you ride the Skyfari. It's free with admission and gives you a great view.

Great selection of staff. Met some great staff but some who seemed grumpy but that everywhere. It was fun though. Food is in the pricey side along with photos

It's yuge! Wear walking shoes and yes you can buy beer there.

So wonderful! You need more than one day to see it all!

Absolutely world class experience. Independence Day was definitely the time to go! Low crowds and fabulous all around!

We've been zoo members since 2005 and loving every minute of it. My wife and I went on several dates, continued into our early marriage, and have brought our young kids. Our daughter's first visit was at 2 months old and we had a great time. We just love the SD Zoo and Safari Park.

Always a great time. This time of year really brings out the crowd. Evening/night hours in a park like this is a must. Enjoy!

one of the best experiences i had, definitely wanna go back soon when I'm in town again over the summer

Like the animals, don't like how everything is almost over priced.

Not that many animals as one might expect, but that's probably because they give the animals plenty of space. It's pretty pricey, but it's a non profit (at least they call themselves) and giving animals good conditions is probably not cheap. Would go again. Minus one star for no pandas!

Great zoo. One of the largest on the west coast. I was looking forward to the pandas but they have been returned to China. The red panda was nice but the the same the giant panda

Very nice zoo. Lot of walking so come prepared. The zoo has a lot of up and down hill walking which can get very tiring. Unlike the Safari there is very limited covered walkway. Walk to Polar Bear can be a lot of uphill walk and recommend taking the skyfari to it. The wait for Panda can be long. Inside tour is great as you get up close with animals, feed them, and get to know a lot of background about them. When buying any private tours, buy it online before arriving at the park as it is $10/ticket more at the park. Note you cannot buy same day tickets online. Park allows you leave and enter the park again on same day if you get your hand stamped prior to leaving (keep your tickets). On hot days it is recommend to leave mid-day when animals are sleeping and return back by 4 or 5 pm. The bus tour is also good break and a nice way to see some animals. The zoo walk can get very confusing but they have a lot of volunteers around to guide you.

Definitely one of the best zoo's I have been to. I really enjoy the wide variety of animals they have and the size of the zoo. The bus tour is fun and educational. The sky team is enjoyable as well and gives you a different perspective.
I highly recommend coming here whether you live here or are just visiting. Just make sure to set aside a whole day.
Free parking is a bonus as well.

The San Diego Zoo houses over 3,700 animals of more than 650 species, and was a pioneer in the concept of open-air, cage-less exhibits that re-create natural animal habitats. It is one of the few zoos in the world that houses and successfully breeds the giant panda.

The San Diego Zoo has the distinction of being one of the oldest zoological parks in the world. Approximately 3.2 million people visit every year. Keep reading, for a few fun (and interesting) facts about this well-loved attraction.

This zoo is absolutely amazing. So many animals! And the set-up is great. You really need to plan a few days in if you want to see everything. Figure out what you want to see most before you go.

This zoo is so clean and well kept. Animals roam in spacious enclosures and the staff is very informative and able to answer your questions or direct you to a service worker that knows. One employee was disturbed because she preferred to continue on her cell phone and not be bothered with customer service. Overall we loved the experience! Thank you

Great zoo!!! The grounds are as nice or nicer than the animal exhibits. Prices on food and drink are insane but that's to be expected I guess. Denver Zoo is not far behind.

This place is incredible. You can (actually you should) spend a whole day there. Stay till closing time and you'll see the night parade.

The San Diego Zoo is a must see when in the San Diego Area. The care for the animals is always the first priority and the exhibits are designed to provide a natural setting.

Great zoo. Hilly but have hop on and hop off buses which really help to reduce some of the walking. Thoroughly enjoyed our time there.

What an incredible zoo! It's HUGE, plan on spending your entire day here. The staff are friendly & helpful. This zoo is beautiful and very clean... most definitely worth the admission fee.

Excellent zoo. Lots of animals that are very well displayed. Hilly and lots of walking. Rental cart available. Free bus tour in zoo. Also sky ride. Plan on spending an enjoyable full day.

I always have a great time when I'm here, the wildlife and setup is fantastic. They have a new walkway bridge and plenty of new paths to explore and wander through. Never a full moment and a wonderful place to come , either alone or with family. Lots of walking so wear comfortable shoes! Lots of photo opportunities as well.

I really liked the zoo they're so much to do and see so many animals, however I was disappointed to find that sometimes they put fake animals in the exhibition. I honestly hope that the animals are happy with they're environment.

Spent the whole day here! Lots of animals to see and there s also bus tours! Money well spent

Love this place.amazing for children and adults who enjoys animals. The aviary was beautiful

Awesome Zoo! Just make sure you plan for an all day visit!

This is a large and beautiful Zoo no question! I would like to give some more stars but there is a lot to improve. When we were there it was the first time that we were on a bigger tour with our baby. And that is the most annoying thing in this park. This is a family attraction, so there a thousands of kids in this park but when we were there there were only 2 family restrooms in the whole park. Additionally the most annoying thing was that there are no nursing/breastfeeding opportunities....nothing... nada. There are no "not so crowded" benches were woman habe some privacy to feed babies. For us it was the first visit so we did not know the best way to see it all. Would be nice to have a map with a suggested walk through the park to see everything.

Amazing zoo! So much to see, friendly staff, and they are doing a lot to help our planet and wildlife.

Always a wonderful time at the San Diego Zoo! Lots of amazing animals to visit while you stroll along scenic walking paths. Great views on the aerial tram and guided bus tour. Fun entertaiment throughout the day and night for the entire family. Enjoy food and drinks (including happy hour for adults) throughout the park.

The sky tram is without a doubt the best part of this fantastic zoo. The operators will allow you to ride with just your party, and the joy of sharing the space while gazing out across Balboa Park and San Diego is absolutely worth the price of admission. Lines move quickly, and the trip is sadly over before you know it. Take it more than once, if you have time.

I like that you can get really close to a lot of the animals. The staff I interacted with were very helpful. A few birds were born just last week, so it was cool to see the chicks in their nests. The food at Albert's was tasty, and the service (Kai) was great.

Our world famous San Diego Zoo!!! This place is gorgeous, fun and vast. They've done a great job trying to give the animals the best enclosures and environment. I would like the bears to have a bigger area but other than that it's an excellent zoo. Try to get there early. Some animals get enrichment in their enclosure and if you get there when the animals are first let out then you get a very unique experience.

No words from any dictionary is suitable for zoo, what a great care taken of birds animals even insects too. Even birds food just like five star dish prepared of salad was given to parrot as we give to our guest. Really very appreciable care is taking by care takers humanity touch to all live beings.

Great zoo! Would recommend going early as the animals are more active. We paid extra for the Crazy About Cats behind the scenes tour and it was definitely worth it! We had an awesome tour guide that provides a lot of information about all the cats and we got to go places only zoo staff usually go!

Great zoo! I highly recommend the 1 hour golf cart tour. Then spend a bit of time for the few places it doesn't go.

What a zoo! Be ready for 3 hours + of walking if you want to see it all!

The hippos and polar bear were my favorites! It was chilly at night and impossible to see the animals after dark. The Christmas light were very pretty.

Great zoo. Definitely worth a trip if you visit San Diego. What made this zoo unique to me was all the exotic plants. The landscape and exhibits were beautiful. Large zoo so plan a full day or multiple days. Use the shuttle to get around to keep from getting too exhausted. Parking free. Lots of restaurants and restrooms throughout to zoo as well.

Outstanding,fun place to work, visit & the food is great & the staff is professionals........

This is a really huge zoo and the animals are so peaceful. it's really clean and the staff are very helpful.

Have been a member for 20 years & was in the area. Stopped by for about an hour before a meeting. I love the zoo & staff always makes you feel welcome. Beautiful day for a walk around!

Great zoo!!! So big and so much to see. Very worth it! Visited from WA.

Animals didn't look happy small enclosures shuttles and Arial lift weren't working

Plants were more diverse than all the animals. Extinct too!

Really enjoyed spending the day looking at all the animals.

This place is amazing. It feels more like a botanical garden with animals living there. The 'pens' don't look or feel like 'pens', it doesn't feel sad like a lot of zoos. I went to a different zoo months after and literally had to leave. It's hard to describe, but what they have going here is SPECIAL. A full day here is a MUST.

It was the first time i went since the African Rocks opened and I loved it. It's like you're taken somewhere else on earth. The plants and structures are well-planned.
The new Bashor Bridge is a plus specially if you have double stroller (like me) that won't fit in the moving walkway.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
1. Buy tickets online to avoid long lines at the gate.
2. If you are a local, getting a Kepper's Club membership is worth it (it's for both SD Zoo and Safari Park).
3. If you could, skip the Pandas, it always have long line. And if you really want to see them, plan to go early and go straight there.
4. If you want to see the animals out and about, it's usually early or late. They often rest midday.
5. To save money, bring your food, it's allowed in the zoo.
6. Bus tour is a big help in planning your trip too, it allows you to see what you want to see up close.
7. If you want to stay in the shade, a good spot is along the Treetops Way, Monkey Trail... Around that area.

It's a fun and educational place to visit! We love every experience we had at the Zoo.

The zoo is always a good time. If you are local the annual membership is so worth it. Buy the big souvenir drink bottle because you get free refills the day of purchase, but you also get refills for a dollar on subsequent visits. You can also bring your own food in so if you are a member and you want to do something fun without spending a lot of money you can do a zoo day.

The Zoo seems to keep growing and expanding in the right direction. We're local and have been here more times than we can count, but we still have to make a few trips to cover everything. Most animal exhibits are beyond what you see anywhere else. Many trails to walk on that are each a different experience in seeing the animals up close. Restaurant food is good quality, but pricey as you'd expect. You can bring a backpack with drinks and your own food for the day.

Lives up to its reputation! This zoo is incredible and great care has been taken to give visitors and the animal residents the best experience possible. I recommend taking the bus tour to get an overall guided tour and then visiting your favorite interests on foot.

The zoo is huge. Great attractions. Kids loved it!!!

Big, beautiful, expensive. Take a tour if your first visit, easy to get lost as poorly marked paths for such a big place. Food and drink is way pricey.

The best time to visit was on Christmas day which started with special bus rides and ended with a Christmas parade and lighting of the tree, also pictures with Santa!!!. But be prepared to walk....a lot!!! With younger kids... You have the option of a hop on hop off kangaroo bus or the tour bus that takes you around the whole zoo.

My kids and I have a great time every time we go. Friendly employees, great customer service, clean & worth the money spent

The park was very clean, absolutely huge, and the animals all looked comfortable and cared for.

So much fun. I highly recommend doing the bus tour first so that you can pin point hot spots and pick exactly where you want to go and what animals you want to see. I got the ticket to feed the giraffes about 2 hours before line started and was so with it!

The zoo is a good place to stroll. It has exanded. But i hear the pandas are returning to china soon.

Second time I've been there and it's amazing the second time around. There's just so much to see and so much to do. I love going there and would recommend it as a must-see whenever someone visits San Diego.

Awesome Zoo, highly recommend, probably the best in the country.

Beautiful zoo with well thought out enclosures and routes for visitors. Lots of walking should be expected. The free gondola above the zoo is a must. Animal highlights include the hippos and koalas!

A perfect place to visit, I've been to zoos in different cities and countries, this was the best!!!

I ordered a burger after waiting in line for 2 hours just to find out my burger had no burger in it just a bun and cheese

The facility was awesome very clean and well laid out

Go later in the day. Near closing. Won't be as crowded and will be cooler outside

Such a lovely place for family and kids. Great place to spend with animals and all the people around

Amazing zoo!! On my honeymoon from Michigan and this was one of our #1 stops! If you ever get a chance to go it's worth it. Don't pass it up!!

That was awesome, didn't see any lemurs but there were all kinds of animals and wildlife. Will definitely go again.

Amazing animals. You can see everything that is in the zoo if you go on the ropeway in the air. It is so much fun. And you can get free refills on popcorn, drinks, and other thing's.

Great place for kids and family . We would like to qr code a map of the zoo as you walk in with information about animals as you walk through the zoo. Possibly with rewards as you walked each exhibit.

The zoo is amazing! A must do if in San Diego. The animals are healthy and happy. Do a tour if possible. We did the penguin one and it ended up just being us. It was so good. There are a lot of animals, you could spend 2 days here.

Awesome zoo. Be prepared for walking up and down lots of hills!

Good zoo! I've been once when I was young and it was nice to come back. The park is well laid out and very accessible. There was alot to see and places to stop when needed. Would recommend if in San Diego.

1. SD Zoo is a must visit place for tourists
2. Plenty of Parking available, clean restrooms, multiple food options available, free hop-in buses inside from one point to other.
3. Zoo highlights are Aerial Tram, Pandas, Tigers, Elephants
4. Amazing feeling to see Pandas for the first time. At the same time felt sad that Pandas are going back to China.

There are too many people congregating without employees noticing, and zoo employees are not enforcing mask requirements inside the park. We saw.people without masks walking past employees who said nothing.

It is a great place to go in San Diego. It's well maintained and everyone is nice, helpful and informative. It is amazing to see some of the animals there.

Awesome place for the family, expect to spend all day here. There's tons of stuff to look at and enjoy

Zoo has quite a lot of exhibits. But thought the enclosures could be bigger for lions, Polar bears and elephants.

Good to come early, last bus tour leaves at 4pm.

If u are in Asia, come visit the Singapore Zoo and night safari for a different experience.

Love the cold weather here, can t beat it

This place is HUGE!! never been to any Zoo this big before, It took us about 4-6 hours to go around it and not even taking a decent amount of time to admire the species of all the animals they have in there. But something is true, they take a lot of care of them, and that for me is something really good, that made me want to go back sometime in the future, please if you are planning on going for a visit, Go in the morning and spend the day there, take nice breaks, admire the park, enjoy your visit.

The bus tour was fun. There are a lot of fun things to do here. It's really worth it!

Beautiful place with beautiful animals and friendly staff!

Great experience. The large variety of animals is really enhanced by the amazing landscaping to make you feel like you re in that animal s natural habitat. The free sky car ride is a great touch as well as the bus tour. Make sure to grab a map!

My favourite zoo I have visited while travelling the world

Just got our pass renewed and had a great day exploring. Love seeing how the zoo supports wildlife conservation.