San Diego Zoo Reviews

Merry Christmas Eve from the zoo!!! Animals were frisky! Perfect day! Great weather! Great grounds! Great volunteers.

Truly one of the best zoos in the world. It's very big - plan to spend the entire day here to visit each section. For the bus tour, sit on the right side as most of the view on the route are on the right.

Great zoo. Avoid going on a hot day since many of the animals will be hiding under the shade

Yes, it s expensive but think of how expensive it is to operate this zoo. So many awesome animals to care for along with the immaculate grounds. The addition of the people mover ramps and bridge to avoid having to walk up the largest hill in the zoo is appreciated, but to enjoy this zoo you have to be prepared to walk. We spent 5 hours and walked 5 miles.

Great place. Very well designed. Staff were very nice. Family of 4 had a great time.

As always I had a great experience! Every visit I see something new

So this was my first time being to the San Diego zoo! It was phenomenal! I would totally recommend going for more than a day if you can.
The food was good, and they also had the refillable cup! So you pay $6? And then you can go to any of the places that you saw those cups and get free water with ice in it, or pay $1 for pop/soda/fizzy drink (whatever you wanna call it)
My favorite part of walking around and seeing the animal exhibits would be to see the serval and the snow leopard. Before we left we went on the tour and sky tram that came included with our admission pass. It would be an especially good family experience =)

Okay for starters, this is an AMAZING zoo. Not only is it hands down gorgeous but it is an entire experience beyond imagine. From the aviaries that have THREE floors of paths for you to take in every small detail of the birds habitat to the themed trails that lead you through every grouping of animals you could imagine. The Skyfari is an absolute must!! I definitely recommend giving yourself at least two days for the zoo if you are planning a trip to San Diego!

I had been hoping to go for years (since when I still lived in Canada), and my sister-in-law treated me, using a special pass that she'd purchased before. While we only stayed half the day, we walked around and it was quite a pleasant experience, with an incredibly variety of animals, birds, etc. The aviary area was my favorite, and I was happy to see that the birds had fairly large, wide open areas. I skipped the larger animals, so no comment on those areas.

A lot of the Animals were not out and they are in small incloseures in my opinion! But I loved the animals and the staff and the food!!

What is there to say? This is a world-class Zoo with a mission to save endangered species. Growing up in San Diego, some of my earliest memories are at the Zoo. If you've never been, set aside at least one whole day for this.

Such a beautiful place. It will definitely take all day. First thing you should do is get there early and ride the shuttle that takes you all around the zoo. Lots of good information, let s you get a quick glance of the place and take note where you want to go. Helps get more of a mental picture of the place and helps you realize just how big it is. So make a route for you and your family after the shuttle and have fun! Walking shoes 100% a must!

Been a member and contributor for years.. better have your walking shoes on
. Do accommodate challenge human.

Need to go back, didn't have enough time to enjoy it thoroughly.

I love animals. So much to see and do. This zoo is always improving.

they are right the this is the best zoo in the world with so meany cage free exhibits

Pretty good time. Enjoyed looking at the animals. None seemed too disappointed to be enclosed like at the wild animal park.

Great place to bring the kids but do yourself a favor and make sure you get the bus tour. The zoo is so large you and your little ones maybe done walking before you get to see it all. If you do the bus tour you will at least see most of the major animals and then the rest is just extra fun

Did not see a lot of animals, too many kids as it was free kids day in October. The wait was too long for the tour bus. Kangaroo bus much better. Parents do not discipline their children

Beautiful weather. Even better attraction. A must see zoo.

Awesome place for families! Impossible to see everything on one day. It s definitely worth to stand in line to take a skyfari tram. Also the animal show on trampolines is spectacular!

With all the moral constraints associated with zoos, I still feel like this is about as good as one could do for a zoo. Very satisfying day for a family.

Best zoo I've ever been to. The animals were out and active. The bathrooms and zoo werd clean. The staff is really nice and helpful. All around awesome.

This is the best zoo I've ever been to. The proximity of the animals to the guests is amazing, making the experience much more personal with the magnificent animals and the beautifully maintained habitats.

Great experience...but many attractions weren't available, no team, no bus tour...I would have used them...

Great place for families. I would recommend getting the tour package that way you can choose either the personal tour or the double decker group tour. The staff was very helpful and friendly

To tour the San Diego Zoo, follow a guide and then admire the wildlife in areas built just like their natural habitat. Finding your way inside this "jungle" might have you lose some time but in there time is always well spent enjoying the sounds, the smells and the colors of your surroundings.

Had a great time here! Its best place for young kids for amusement as well as for knowledge gathering.
Trails here are relatively narrower, so it becomes a bit crowded specially during weekends.
Inter transportation facilities are also provided like carts, buses etc but you have to pay separately for that, as they are not included in entry ticket.
Cable car is also provided here for which you do not need to pay separately.
Overall it s a must visit place specially when you have young kids in your family!

We had a great time, so any things to see. We loved the layout and variety of animals. There are some pretty steep hills when walking. The air tram cars helped navigate from front to back.

Overall nice place.
Early morning is better for both parking and seeing more animals.
My boys love the skyfari.

Took the grandkids and the big kid's and we were amazed at the wonderful setup with the many animals of the world. It is a place you could return to many times and really enjoy the wonders of this zoo.

It's a world renowned zoo for a reason. You can spend the whole day here and still miss a few things. The park is busiest in the morning through the early afternoon but clears out closer to 4 or 5. The only downside is that the food is pretty basic for being in California. There should be some healthier options available rather than just burgers and fries.

Love this zoo, I've never outgrown it. Now I take my children!

Huge place to wonder around you will need some time....

We love the zoo and this is by far one of the best zoos it's big it's beautiful it's a two-hour drive from LA but worth it you must see at Christmas time and if you do use the Safari Sky Ride it takes you from one side to the other and you can see downtown San Diego and sneak a cigarette no smoking lol

It's great! Plenty of attractions, good food and beer. Get online and study a map before. It's a bit of a maze of it's your first time.

Did Not Have All The Animals. And Needs To Update The Map. Overall Great Experience. Need More Penny Books.

Great place for the kids, and Halloween spectacular nights are pretty cool but they don't have any trick or treating for the kiddos

Awesome as always but use bus and tours so much to see, a lot of walking.

This place definitely earned its reputation. Great day trip for the family

Really nice place to walk around. Great volunteers that are super helpful. If you see a volunteer, let them teach you some fun facts. They have made some nice changes and they will be revamping the Children's zoo area next. The skyway is free for everyone.

The staff here is available and very helpful. Prices of concessions are high, as you would expect. Clean and accessible.

I loved this place because there are so many animals to see but there is only one problem every thing there is EXPENSIVE!

I ve been wanting to come to this zoo since I was a child and finally had the opportunity. It did not disappoint. Well worth the wait. This zoo was phenomenal! So many species of animals, nice size exhibits, and it was very clean. I was amazed. We spent the entire day here. Day well spent.

Now I know why this Zoo is rated so highly.Spent all day and saw animals I'd only seen on TV.Volunteers and employees were some of the best people I've ever had the pleasure of meeting.Very educational (did not know so many plants are endangered).Kept thinking a Velociraptor was going to show...Good use of funds,too.Plan on bringing my grandchildren in October next year!

4 great elephants, bus tour and ski tour was thrilling. Can easily be walked especially after the bus tour. Rhino enclosure was great and the condors were flying around, are huge and look like Rodan.

This is a beautiful zoo...beautiful, but the price is pretty steep. Parking is free and plentiful. Bus tour and sky tram are included in admission but we didnt see many animals from the bus. Food and drinks are also very pricey, but you can bring food in. Again, it is beautiful and clean but almost $60 to get in. Not sure it is worth the price.

Well designed grottos and enclosures make this a world class zoo. Worth the price.

Loved experiencing the rainforest plants in the canyon as well as the carefully planned, expansive enclosures for the exotic animals.

Ticket included bus tour, great for 83 yr. old mom. Individual battery carts available too. Hop on hop off bus only covers 2/3 of park and does not have stop close to entrance/exit. Plan full day to see all! Awesome soup in deli by entrance!

The san diego zoo might be the best zoo in the country! They have great conditions for the animals, nice accommodations for the guests and really really nice staff...

One of the great zoos ever in USA, except for its accessibility for those physically challenged. There at 10 am and all 32 handicap spots taken and walk to entrance had to be 1/4 mile with no tram. Otherwise, easy 5 stars.

Was a great day at the zoo ! Be prepared to walk like there s no tomorrow !

The World famous San Diego Zoo is a giant Zoo! It's hard to see everything in one day. I suggest taking a couple of days to get the full experience.

Incredible zoo. 4,000 animals, tram ride, and bus tour.

Amazing set up, you definitely need more than a day.

Beautiful. Absolutely stunning every time I go! The staff is great, I've never had an issue.

Excellent zoo. The diversity of the botanical gardens is something that is underappreciated.

Great for families, couples, and individuals. Parking is free, the entrance line is always fast, and there's a ton of stuff to do and see once you're inside.

I have an annual pass, and honestly it's even a great place to just come and take a walk! The foliage is beautiful, and there are many different routes and paths to take throughout the zoo.

My kids never tire of visiting. Sometimes we're visiting once and we visit once a week and they're always finding new things to explore. They love the "skyfari", a gondola that carries you over the park. I like it too, because I can walk them all the way to the back of the park and have it carry us back to the front!

The staff are always great too, they seem to really enjoy their jobs. The shows and parades are a lot of fun too.

My only real complaint is the food is just okay, which I guess is to be expected. Their kids meals are perfect for kids though and not too expensive at around $9.00.

So whether you're a visitor or local, a visit to the zoo is always a good idea. The annual pass also gets you into the wild animal park!

Everything that we looked cool at was sleeping or someplace hiding, .you have to go a hour before they close or hour after they open. Was not impressed waste of $250 we have better zoo in Seattle and Tacoma. Sorry

We love the zoo. It's a great place to get some fresh air. Beautiful landscaping and paths. Entertainment during night zoo is awesome too. The volunteers and employees also make your visit special. Best zoo in the world!

Awesome place to visit with kids when in San Diego. You can plan for entire day here. In addition to San Diego zoo, I would recommend San Diego safari too.

When we first heard about the San Diego zoo, we were told to plan for a full day, we should have taken that suggestion to heart, because you could spend countless hours walking through the awesome exhibits of this park. The efforts that go into creating and maintaining all of the exhibits and the cleanliness of this park are Disney-esc. There was never a point in time where I saw trash, or dropped food on the ground. There is never a time where I saw gum sticking to the sidewalks, or unclean exhibits. There are people working at the zoo around the clock to maintain a standard of cleanliness and professional appearance. There are so many exhibits that we spent seven hours in the park and we almost missed half of the zoo. That s just a small sample of how big this place actually is. If you re planning on going here make sure you bring comfortable walking shoes because you will be on your feet walking up and down hills all day long. But it s well worth it. The staff are friendly and incredibly knowledgeable.
And the food is actually very good! If there are some negative marks for this zoo that would be for the cleanliness of the bathrooms, and a constant push to sell green screen photos at the tour bus location and at the panda exhibit. These are just minor annoyances. The last thing that was disappointing was the size of the exhibit areas for a number of the cats, especially for the Lions. I understand this is a very old zoo, but I hope these exhibits continue to expand and grow, to be better accommodating to the animals with in them.

My second home. Beautiful animals and wonderful staff. Maybe bring some food and water along since food is a bit pricey and make sure you wear comfortable walking shoes. I can't get enough of this place.

This place is gorgeous. I love how much love and care this place seems to have.

It was beautiful. The animals look well taken care of. Little learning talk sports scattered throughout the day. The skyfari was a fast way to get around the park.

Lovely zoo. A lot of attractions. Good animal views. Enjoyed the walk around the zoo, using the old fashion paper maps to seek out the attractions. They also have an app that acts like a map within the zoo.

This Zoo does an amazing job at conserving and protecting it's animals. They are treated well and are very happy. The Zoo staff is fantastic and very helpful! I learned so much while visiting this zoo and had a fantastic time!

i love this place. i walk and walk and dont get tired because is alot to see. Wear comfortable shoes and bring water.

Love this place! So many animals to see. Easy access to everything. Great for my 2 kids.

Great day out at the zoo with plenty of animals to see. Tickets are expensive but offers are available online. We used AAA discount to knock a few dollars off the ticket price. If you want to see *everything* then preplan your trip using the map online. We saw every enclosure in 1 day. We recommend arriving when the park opens and head straight to the panda enclosure. This opens slightly later but if you're first in line then you'll save time later on as the queue times can end up over an hour. There is good accessibility for wheelchair users and prams and plenty of bus trips I.e. park tour or hop on hop off.

There is no Zoo that can beat this zoo. Truly my favorite.

Complete entertainment for the whole family - MUST SEE !!!

Take the bus tour, and sit on the top right side. This is the best zoo in the world.

A very spacious zoo with a great variety of animals. I didn't know a dog could help to raise baby cheetahs.

Perfect and clean - some of the animals looked a little cramped..

Such a good experience for the children. Worth the membership so you can go back often!

Awesome place worth visiting if in San Diego. The whole zoo is walkable and handicap accessible, and full of cafes and rest areas throughout if you get tired. The animal exhibits are well kept and very diverse as well.

Best zoo we've ever been to, so many animals, very clean, good food everywhere.

It's rated one of the best zoos in the world for a reason. Great for people of all ages

San Diego Zoo is Awesome!!! Pictures from my Pixel 3 you tell me!!!

We all had an amazing time. Beautiful exhibits. Wear comfortable shoes, sunblock. Bring a small lunch and snacks. Lots of really nice place to eat.

Use a tram and make a plan on how to navigate through this massive zoo. Been going to the SD zoo since a child and I always love to return.

My family and I stopped in here on a trip in San Diego. It's safe to say I think my wife and I had just as much, if not more, fun than our kids! We will definitely be back the next time we're out in SD.

Always a great experience! Today we did the shade loop, as we call it. Orangutans, gorillas, tigers, and hippos. All the animals were very visible and we got to inspect them closely through the glass. We could see the hairs on the hippos chin!