What’s the big deal about the San Diego Zoo?

Editor’s Notes:

September /October 2009 - Construction at the entrance of the San Diego Zoo is currently taking place. Please drive carefully if you are planning to drop someone off at the Zoo. As you approach the Zoo on foot, please remember to keep within the designated walkways. Safety first!

August 2009 - Bai Yun, the Giant Panda, gave birth to her 5th baby on August 5, 2009.  The bouncing bundle of joy weighed in at 4 ounces. The baby will be name on its 100th day by Chinese tradition. The sex of the baby is still not known.  Look very carefully at the San Diego Zoo’s PandaCam to see the baby develop.

Let us start out by saying that the San Diego Zoo is well worth your time and your money.

The San Diego Zoo is more than just a collection of animals; it is about beautiful and lush landscaping (with 700,000 plants), encounters with animals (870 species and subspecies), and birds (1,850 individual species) and that’s just the beginning. Most of all, the Zoo aims to expand peoples’ knowledge and appreciation for authentic animal species conservation.

The San Diego Zoo is a nonprofit organization that relies on ticket sales and donations to sustain itself and to continue its world-wide research programs. The San Diego Zoo has a pretty good track record - it has been open to the public since 1916.

You Will Get Your Exercise!

The San Diego Zoo is very large - it covers 100 acres of Balboa Park. You should consult the San Diego Zoo map to best plan your visit so you don’t miss seeing one of your creatures. The San Diego Zoo’s terrain consists of both uphill and downhill slopes. If you have children that require a stroller or someone needs the use of a wheelchair, pay attention to the signs along the ‘trails’ that tell you to take alternate routes so you don’t have to get stuck looking at a flight of stairs.

There is one way besides walking to get from one end of the park to the other - the Skyfari Aerial Tram. The ‘buckets’ fit up to 4 people and are worth the $4 each way.  It is one of the best ways to see the enormity of the Zoo from above and provides a unique perspective. If you choose to walk the Zoo, then dress accordingly with comfortable shoes.  You can also take advantage of the Zoo’s guided bus tours which are available at an additional cost. The guided bus tours are great for folks with limited mobility and/or time.

Don’t Miss the Enhanced Animal Enclosures

Over the last decade, the San Diego Zoo has worked diligently to enhance the living conditions of the animals. The most popular main exhibits like the Ituri Forest, Polar Bear Plunge, Monkey Trails, Tiger River, Gorilla Tropics, Giant Pandas, Sun Bear Forest, Absolutely Apes, and the newly opened Elephant Odyssey,” are the best examples of the Zoo’s commitment to improving the animals’ quality of life. These types of exhibits do not put the animals in cage, per se; it is more of a natural setting that allows various species of animals to roam around in the same enclosure. These exhibits also provide the visitor with more information about the animals and the Zoo’s conservation efforts. Don’t miss these exhibits.

Insider Tips for the San Diego Zoo

Fastest Way to the Pandas - After you walk through the entrance, ask the attendant to point you to the Fern Canyon stairs. Fern Canyon is the most direct and the shadiest route to get to the pandas. Once you reach the bottom of Fern Canyon, make a left and start walking until you see the signs for the pandas.

Beyond the Reptile House - Some people think that there is nothing beyond the ever popular Reptile House - not so! There is a whole section of different varieties of reptiles to the west of the Reptile House, including giant tortoises, gators, iguanas, frogs, skinks, and geckos.

Hummingbird Hut - Tucked away to the left of the Wegeforth Bowl and the Reptile House, is a large collection of bromeliads, but there is also something else in a little old stucco building - it is a special house for hummingbirds. Enter the building on either side and be sure to check for hummingbirds as you push back the plastic chain barriers to get inside. Once inside, be still and just watch the action around you. Hummingbirds literally buzz by your head to get one from one end to the other.

El Condor Pasa - Large flying birds are always amazing to see in real life. The Zoo has located very large aviaries around its grounds but one group of aviaries just doesn’t seem to get as many visitors as the others because of its location. This group of large flying birds (like the Andean condor) is located on in their own aviaries on a bridge that is located between Ituri Forest and the Polar Plunge. You can literally take the high road (the bridge) or the low road (the walkway) - do yourself a favor, take the high road. Pun intended.

Children’s Zoo - If you have children with you, take them to the Children’s Zoo. Even if you do not have children with you, go to the Children’s Zoo. The Children’s Zoo recently underwent a remodel and features an improved petting area which includes bunnies, miniature horses, goats, sheep, and pigs. In addition to the petting area, the Children’s Zoo also features a Mouse House made of bread, 2-4 nursing rooms for baby animals, bird egg incubators, a porcupine, marmosets, an otter grotto and a naked mole rat exhibit.

Orchid Greenhouses - On the third Friday of each month, the Zoo opens up its orchid greenhouses to the public from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The orchid greenhouses are located on the most northern side of the Zoo near the East African Kopje exhibit.

Great Shopping - Gift shops are located throughout the Zoo but the largest ones are located near the exit from the Zoo. The stores carry a wide variety of products from around the world. Naturally, stuffed animals, Zoo t-shirts and hats are available but there is also a wide assortment of ceramics, art pieces, and things for the home that are unique and attractive. All proceeds from the sales go toward helping the Zoo meet their fundraising goals. These stores are very popular with the locals who know that they can buy a ticket to enter the Zoo, go to the gift shop, make their purchase, and get the ticket price refunded at the Gift Store.

What You Need to Know

Hours - The Zoo is open every day of the year from 9am - 4pm (off grounds at 5pm) with longer hours in the spring and summer. Check for current hours at the Zoo’s website.  In fact, check to see if you can take advantage of Nighttime Zoo during the summer months.  Nighttime Zoo is a great opportunity to enjoy the Zoo at night, learn about and see the nocturnal animals in action and take in the nightly entertainment under the cover of darkness and cooler temperatures.

Admission - Best Value Ticket (includes unlimited use of Guided Bus Tour, Express Bus, and Skyfari Aerial Tram) - Adults (ages 12+) - $35 and Children (ages 3-11) - $26.

Annual Pass to both the San Diego Zoo and the San Diego Wild Animal Park - $89 for dual adult membership, $28 per child membership (ages 12-17) and $24 per child membership (ages 3-11).

Military Discount - Active duty military personnel (U.S. and foreign) with valid military ID card receive free admission. Spouses and dependents receive 10% discount on the Best Value Admission only; valid military ID required.

Directions & Parking - Free parking is available on the San Diego’s Zoo property as well as throughout Balboa Park. Please take care when parking in the lot. City of San Diego Parking Enforcement regularly check the lot to make sure that people stay within the lines.

Public transportation via bus is conveniently located on Park Boulevard adjacent to the parking lot.

The San Diego Zoo is located at 2920 Zoo Drive in Balboa Park, just north of downtown San Diego.

Alexandra Hart is the co-editor of the Visitors Guide for SDNN and the co-owner of San Diego Travel Tips.com. Email Alexandra at: sdtips(at)sandiegotraveltips.com

Tags: Bai Yun, bai yun baby, San Diego baby panda, san diego panda, San Diego Zoo, SD Zoo, SDNN, World Famous San Diego Zoo, zoo

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 6th, 2009 at 8:37 pm and is filed under Visitors Guide. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.