San Diego Zoo Reviews

Great zoo.. it's world famous for a reason. It's like a cross between a zoo and a theme park. Sometimes the lines can be long for the sky Safari, but it's with the wait.

Absolutely amazing. We spent the whole day and would have enjoyed a second day. Great for children and adults. Restaurants offered a lot of variety but are pricey.

The zoo was very exciting. They have a tour bus that shows you around the park, and they have another bus called the kangaroo bus that drops you off in four different areas of the park. Both buses are free when you buy any of the day passes, all you have to do is show your day pass to the drivers or ticket collector. Also if you are not afraid of heights, then you check out the skyline trailer to see all of the park from above. I recommend that everyone use these modes of transportations, because it will keep you from wearing yourselves out to early. Lol. Have fun and enjoy the animals.

The world famous zoo is an amazing place to bring the family and see animals from all over.
Bring your walking shoes and some water, because unless you take the tram tour, you will be walking.

The safari park is great as well. It's a cool place to visit.

World class zoo. Spent all day exploring the park. Well planned layout and happy, active animals. A must see place if in San Diego.

Always a fun experience and very educational. There is no zoo better than The San Diego Zoo I love all of the different geographical sections they have for animals. I also love how wide and open the park is and they allow you to bring your own backpacks and food if you want.

Absolutely wonderful place to take children and adults who love animals and reptiles from all over the world!

Best zoo I have been to. We got there at opening and left around 5pm so it's an all day event to see it all. Downside is pandas are no longer at the zoo. It was also insanely busy.

the zoo is a day trip. it's amazing and worth the $$. I recommend the bus tour included in the day pass - has educational value. visiting with a 4, 10, and 12 yr old and all had fun. grandparents came along and one has a rough time w hills and stairs... so I know there are plenty of places to stop and rest too and it's plenty accessible.

Great few hours spent there. Got year pass for more fun soon.

Always super fun... Gondolas under repair, so not running, but great animals and exhibits. Volunteers are super helpful too!

This is THE BEST place to go if you're from out of town and want to take in San Diego. I have been many, many times over the years and it is different every time depending on the time of day and time of year. Due too the massive seize I highly recommend taking the bus first to get a full tour around the entire park. This will give you a good overview of what areas you want to Target to spend more time in. After you finish the full zoo bus tour then you can take the kangaroo bus which does short hugs, stopping frequently, allowing you to get on and off as you choose. I did the nighttime Zoo for the first time this year and it was completely different and the daytime zoo with all the big cats very active. Although it's mostly designed for children I love the 4D movie experiences which are located a few places in the park. Insider tips: Bring really comfortable walking shoes, wear layers of clothing as the temperature changes significantly throughout the day and different parts of the park and bring a water bottle you can refill as you go through the park.

So much to see and do, come early as you'll need the whole day. Strongly suggest you use the phone app so you can plan your visit accordingly. Different paths can be followed to access different attractions, while well marked -- it still can be confusing. Biggest negative is the cost of the onsite food (very expensive). Utilize the bus tour and make sure you try out the skyfari too.

Very intimate park. Skip the special back scenes tours unless you want to pay to be lectured on environmental issues like you are 11, you see nothing extra.

One of the best zoos in the country. Be sure to wear your walking shoes though.

By far the best zoo Ive visited it's even better than the bronx zoo

It is a great zoo. Little expensive. Need to review their prices. But the zoo is great. Nice size parking.

Wonderful experience, you cannot beat ambiance, it felt so times that you were in a jungle. There were some areas under construction.

Amazing! Huge zoo and an insane amount of animals that you might never see again!

Honestly best zoo I've ever been too and lucky for the animals they are in the best weather. It's a bit of a trek up hill to see everything but worth it. Located next to balboa park, amazing location. Beautiful zoo.

Nice zoo many rare species. Expensive to add on individual safaris.

This was the biggest and best Zoo that I have ever been too! The amount of animals and attractions that it's here is unbelievable. You definitely need a full day to even make it through the whole park.

Absolutely breathtaking! It holds a very special place in my heart and I go as often as I can. By far, this is the best zoo I've ever had the pleasure of visiting.

Various choices for exploring this extensive and well-maintained zoo. Beautiful space in three dimensions.

Nice, clean zoo. Good experience. Second only to the Nashville Zoo.

We enjoyed the orangutans, elephants, giraffe babies and the bus tour. Good weather helped.

Fun in the sun! The weather was perfect (of course, it's San Diego) and we had a great time. The big cats were not very active, and some were hard to spot altogether. Overall a very nice zoo and I'd certainly go back!

The weather was so hot, the animals wouldn't come out. So we didn't get to see much. We paid full admission to simply walk up and down the hills. There was no cooling area for the customers either. Even their bottled water was warm. Would be nice if we could at least see the animals hibernating on a video screen or something.

Always an adventure coming here. Been coming here since I was a child and now I get to share the experience with my grandchildren. Always a positive atmosphere and the employees are always nice and informative.

For the most part paths & attractions are well shaded so it's even pleasant in the middle of the day.

Wear your comfortable shoes because this park is jammed packed with amazing animals to see.

Yay for pandas. Animals seemed bored with their surroundings. Still nice traditional zoo.

Great zoo good for energetic kids to explore the world

I ve heard this is like the best zoo in the nation or what not but it s not that special. I definitely would not spend that much to go back again. That being said it s still a nice place to visit. When I went they were still doing construction on the new Children s Zoo area. That looks like it s going to be a great addition but if they raise the price for that it might not be worth it.

An Interactive, fun place all packed into 100 acres!

My family and I had the pleasure of spending a day here during our summer vacation. So much to do here that one day is not enough, but even though we did not see everything, we felt like we got a moneys worth and more.

We took the Skylift over the zoo, which was super cool and we also did the bus tour around the zoo. I would actually recommend doing the bus tour as soon as you get to the zoo so you can get a sense of where everything is and what you want see first.

The panda exhibit was a popular spot so we saw that as soon as we finished the bus tour. The new Africa Rocks area was really neat and is great for the family.

What I liked the most was how thoughful the layout was at the zoo. You felt every inch of it was well thought out and intuitive for visitors.

We will go back and I would recommend it for any family visiting San Diego. A must see.

Beautiful world class zoo. For those unaware the zoo is also part of a botanical garden project so outside of seeing some wonderful animals you can also see some unique plants and flowers. Be sure to allow plenty of time to just wonder around and explore.

I was tried of watching it on tv. I was so amazed to see everything up front. It is worth the trip.

The zoo is huge. You could spend multiple days here. The staff is super friendly. They go up to you and ask if you need help instead of waiting for you to come to them. You should go to the feedings. We watched a penguin feeding and it was so cool. The staff told us a lot about it and answered all of our questions. The bus tours are nice. If you get a one day pass you get a bus tour too. It is a nice way to see the animals and rest your legs. If you want to see the animals sit on the bottom level on the right side. If you can go, you should.

For the price and how much time you spend here it is well worth it. You can spend the entire day here easily and still not have enough time for everything. There are over 10 restaurants/shacks to get food at so you have plenty to choose from. There are bus routes that go around and are plenty of maps to make sure you don't get lost. It's a must go to place if yoy are in the San Diego area for sure!

Simply amazing. Fantastic zoo to visit. Extraordinarily helpful staff. Animals well cared for.

Almost every time I visit San Diego with my kids we go to the zoo, and it has yet to disappoint them. They are always excited to go and it is often the highlight of our trip. No matter how many times they see the same animals they are always excited to come to the zoo. I would have done 5 stars, but once inside things are on the pricey side, but that's kinda to be expected.

It would be a very nice to do if all the animals were not inside their enclosures. It's a beautiful zoo. And they're bacon cheeseburgers are great

Great place for everyone, be it kids or adults.Has free parking, lots of good restaurants inside the zoo, nice souvenir shops and clean restrooms. Very-very friendly staff. We loved seeing all the animals especially Panda and beautiful birds like Flamingo. Children can also pet goats and sheep and feed Giraffe. Very well maintained and a super nice place to spend a day. Also, we bought one day plus tickets and loved watching a 15 mins 4D movie. It's a great way to take a break and relax. All in all absolutely worth the money and time.

Very clean and interactive. Very nice animal habitats!

The zoo in my opinion is the best in the world. We spent about 6 hours there and still didn't see every little thing. The red panda is super cute.

Great place and time with family thanks for second chances

One of the oldest zoo's in America if not the oldest. I was there during spring time and there were offspring in most of the enclosures. The animals seemed to be relaxed and a great breeding program is usually a good sign i figured. Definitely top on my list in San Diego. Its a huge zoo so come wearing comfortable shoes....

The park is beautiful and there is so much to see and do. Love the addition of the penguins at Arfrica Rocks. If you live in San Diego get the annual pass. Its definitely worth it!

Best zoo we ve visited yet! Very organized and clean!!! Huge place, but it has a lot of options to get to one part to the other, guided tour bus, kangaroo express bus(best for getting around) , skyrail , 4D theater!!! And a lot more!!!!

What an awesome day.

An amazingly well laid out and thoughtful zoo. Water stations, restrooms, and places to eat throughout the entire zoo.

While not cheap, it isn t something you do everyday, so why not splurge!

Highly recommend the Go San Diego card. Helps with the cost if you add two or more items.

The staff were friendly, but it s obvious some of the staff are just going through the motions.

The kids zone close for a year and a half more the the koalas Sue driver was very helpful and she was very nice and informative love the hospitality.

This is the best zoo I have ever been to in my life!

Very nice trip for kids of all ages. The zoo includes an excellent educational program, and a wide variety of animals. Be prepared to stay all day and do a lot of walking with quite a bit of elevation change. Zoo pricing is reasonable, but be sure to keep a lookout for discounts. Food and drinks can be a little pricey, but not bad for an amusement park. Before your trip, plan out which animals you want to see most, to make sure you don't run out of time.

All the animals were well cared for and beautiful. You can see the hard work and care that is put into making the animals happy.

Lovely zoo! We are not from the area, and we are so glad we used our only free day to come here! Employees are really nice, the park is clean, animals are easy to see, and the whole feel of the zoo feels like an adventure in nature.

World renowned for a reason! Every display is beautiful, every animal looks healthy. The SD Zoo does so much conservation work. It's a beautiful place to walk & enjoy a day outside.

Great experience. Cost was a bit high for my taste and I can't say I could afford to take the whole family there. Did wish they had an educational discount. In the end, totally worth visiting once.

Have annual pass. The Hal Glow ween and summer events are great fun... even after the kids are bored with the animals. There's always something new happening here.

This is the best Zoo in the world. They do a wonderful job in their work keeping and breeding some of the most endangered species in the world. During the summer the zoo is open until 9 making it a great place to visit after work, although it seems expensive for single day tickets, a yearly pass pays for itself in just a couple of visits. The best deal is the Keepers Club membership because the pass Holder can bring a guest for free on every visit plus at sign up you receive 2 free guest day passes and 2 coupons for 50% off day passes, meaning if a family of four went it would essentually pay for itself on the first visit.

They need to offer better food options for people with allergies.

Covid 19 protection (masks and social distancing) is not enforced. At entry they say you must wear a mask and wear it properly but a third of the people don't.

Always lots to see and do. It is a wonderful zoo. This is a huge zoo dedicated to conservation and education. The exhibits are huge. You can park yourself or valwt park. There is a bus tour...and there are bus stops, called kangaroo stops, that will pick you up and drop you off throughout the zoo once you are too tired to walk. Check out their website for live panda cams!

The animals are stressed out but great exhibits. They should install a place where the animals can escape the gazes, their big cats are very stressed especially.

Not very crowded and it's another beautiful day here. We finally saw the baby hippo. All the beer was great also. The blueberry beer was very good too!!!

I was very impressed with this zoo. I hadn't been here for many years, but the old style cages seem to be all gone. It's now landscaped paddocks and environmentally enriched enclosures and the animal seem very healthy. (The zoologist in me talking). Highly recommend!

This is a really great zoo. I was especially impressed with the koala habitats. They are better than the ones I saw in an Australian zoo! A good variety of animals. Very good habitats. But wow is the food expensive! At the saber tooth grill, it was almost $85 for three adults!!!!

Pretty nice. Kids loved it. Kind of expensive. Great beautiful tigers on display.

A must see stop while visiting gorgeous San Diego. This 100 acre zoo set in the historic Balboa Park has more than 650 species of animals on exhibition within spacious cageless habitats. The park itself is quite large and spacious and would take close to a full day to take in everything offers. Be prepared though, as the park is in the hills and will require extensive walking through the hills. Throughout tje summer months the hours are extended which gives guests a chance to see the animals at twilight when they are most active. The food in the park is fairly standard "theme park food" but there is also a full sit down restaurant, Alberts Tree Top if the fast casual just isn't your style. One of my favorite aspects is the beer carts and beer stands, San Diego has truly adopted its moniker of under craft capitol as local beers can be enjoyed throughout the park to help keep the southern california heat at bay. My favorite thing to do is grab a delicious beverage and sit back in one of the many aviaries and watch the birds then grab a churro and see if the trash panda is out. Would easily go back, such an amazing place to escape in.

Beautiful spaces, many animals were not out to see. Giant pandas not here right now. Cool and nice for walking. Volunteers were very knowledgeable!

Great zoo, so much to see and do definitely worth the money!

So much to see at this zoo. They are doing a bunch of renovations and improvements. But so many animals and lots of fun stuff for kids too. Did I mention they serve beer and wine here?! Fun for the whole family!

Amazing keepers and staff doing amazing conservation and awareness programs.

Bucket list goal achieved! Is it was everything I expected it to be. Such an amazing experience. A great selection of exhibits and the work that this zoo does to protect animals is above and beyond. We can t wait to come back! Especially loved how spacious and well kept the animal enclosures are! Lots of food options and tons of parking.

Beautiful florals, great exhibits. Fantastic for children, families and adults just looking for a pleasant walk ( worth the annual membership just for a safe, comfortable place to stroll - MUCH more pleasant that a membership in a sweaty gym).

I haven't been to the San Diego Zoo in over 10 years. Even in the midst of Covid-19, it doesn't disappoint. Thank you San Diego Zoo for a wonderful experience!

Take 2 days to do it. You'll walk sooo much! Its hot, wear sunscreen and bring your own snacks/lunch food is pricey

Love the San Diego zoo. It's huge and there is so much to look at. Very well taken care of park.