Zoo in Balboa Park, San Diego, housing over 12,000 animals of more than 650 species and with more than 4 million visitors in 2018, San Diego Zoo is the most visited zoo in the United States and travelers have also cited it as one of the best zoos of all time

Getting There

Take Broadway and CA-163 N to Zoo Dr. Turn right onto Zoo Dr

Overview

The San Diego Zoo is a zoo in Balboa Park, San Diego, California, housing over 12,000 animals of more than 650 species and subspecies on 100 acres (40 ha) of Balboa Park leased from the City of San Diego. The San Diego Zoo was a pioneer in the concept of open-air, cageless exhibits that recreate natural animal habitats. For decades, the zoo housed and successfully bred giant pandas though the pandas were repatriated to China in 2019. With more than 4 million visitors in 2018, San Diego Zoo is the most visited zoo in the United States. Travelers have also cited it as one of the best zoos of all time.

Features

The zoo offers a guided tour bus that traverses 75% of the park. There is also an overhead gondola lift called the Skyfari, providing an aerial view of the zoo.

Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Image Size Adjusted

Exhibits at the zoo are often designed around a particular habitat. The same exhibit may feature many different animals that can be found side by side in the wild, along with native plant life. Exhibits range from an African rain forest (featuring gorillas) to the Arctic taiga and tundra in the summertime (featuring polar bears). Some of the largest free-flight aviaries in existence are here, including the Owens Aviary and the Scripps Aviary. Many exhibits are "natural", with invisible wires and darkened blinds (to view birds), and accessible pools and open-air moats (for large mammals).

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "San Diego Zoo", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0