A Guide to the World Famous San
Diego Zoo
by Scott Olivares
A Guide to the
San Diego Zoo
I recently visited the San Diego Zoo, and it was
much more fun than I expected it to be. First off,
the price was very reasonable. When you get there
you have the option to buy the regular Zoo ticket or
the deluxe ticket. I paid around $30 for the deluxe
ticket which seemed like a deal to me since I am
used to paying around $50 for Disneyland and Sea
World tickets. The deluxe ticket is definitely worth
the extra ten dollars. It consists of a 40-minute
guided tour, unlimited access to the express bus
that takes you from place to place, and unlimited
access to the aerial tram.
If you have never been to the San Diego Zoo before,
I would suggest going on the guided tour first. It
only lasts about 40 minutes, and takes you around
the entire zoo. The tour has plenty of stops where
you can see many of the most popular animals such as
African elephants, tigers, and bears. The Zoo is
huge, so taking the guided tour is also a good way
to familiarize yourself with its layout.
The bus drops you off near the elephants, where you
will also find tigers and leopards. If you want to
grab a bite to eat, there are a couple of nearby
places where you can get some good food. After you
finish the tour I would suggest walking around the
edges of the park. The Zoo is round, so you will see
most of the animals by going around the edges. You
will find zebras, bears, camels, and many other
interesting animals that I never even knew existed.
Down the middle of the Zoo was probably my favorite
because we got to see the Absolutely Apes exhibit.
Here you will find orangutans and chimps in action,
and in my personal opinion, I think they were
trained to entertain visitors. They seem to love the
attention of all the people watching them because
they come right up to the glass and find funny
things to do. The more people point and take
pictures, the more creative they get.
If you continue down the middle of the park and go
down the long escalator, you will run into the most
popular exhibit at the San Diego Zoo, the Giant
Panda. As you would imagine, this exhibit is always
crowded. I had to wait in line about an hour to see
a not so giant, but very cute sleeping panda bear.
If you have never seen a panda in your life, then I
would highly suggest that you check it out. You will
probably never see one outside of the San Diego Zoo.
The San Diego Zoo is definitely worth a visit, and I
would recommend getting there early because it
closes pretty early, around 4pm. Fortunately there
are tons of things to do within Balboa Park and
plenty of nearby places to hang out.
Written by Scott Olivares
Editor of San Diego Hotel and Travel Guide
