The San Diego Zoo | Balboa Park, San Diego

A must-see attraction in Balboa Park is the San Diego Zoo, which celebrates its 94th birthday this year. This 100-acre San Diego Zoo is an international animal experience where guests can see some of the earth’s rarest wild life including giant pandas from China, tree kangaroos from New Guinea and river hippos from Africa.

The San Diego Zoo is home to more than 4,000 animals, representing 800 species, making up a diverse collection of animals many of which are rarely seen at other zoos.

A visit to San Diego’s Balboa Park is also a must see attraction with its 15 fascinating major museums, art galleries and one of the largest planetariums in the world.

Balboa Park is a must see San Diego attraction encompasses 1,400 acres and is well worth your time spending a day or more seeing this beautiful place. It’s no wonder that the cultural pleasing Balboa Park and the spectacular San Diego Zoo are local attractions that residents of San Diego never tire of visiting often.

Residents and visitors alike will enjoy using the many San Diego coupons and San Diego discount coupons offered in both the print version of the SAN DIEGAN and here online on this site to the many restaurants and attractions especially those in Balboa Park.

Because the San Diego Zoo encompasses 100 acres, it’s a good idea to take the 35-minute guided, double-decker bus tour. Try to get a seat on the left side of the bus; you will see more animals.

During the three-mile ride you will view 75 percent of the San Diego Zoo grounds, particularly the areas that would take some exertion to reach on foot. Then you can decide what area you have seen by bus that you want to revisit on Rest of the San Diego Zoo on foot. That’s what most people do when they visit the San Diego Zoo.

The buses are near the San Diego Zoo entrance, so it’s a natural progression to take the San Diego Zoo bus tour before seeing the rest of the zoo.

The San Diego Zoo map at the bottom of this page is
especially helpful to study before your visit the San Diego Zoo to get a lay of the land.

The tropical beauty of the San Diego Zoo is also a fantastic venue for weddings, birthday parties, rehearsal dinners and family outings galore.

A treat for the entire family is visiting the San Diego Zoo after dusk, because this is when the many nocturnal animals you may miss seeing during the day, come out of their natural habitats. And some make loud jungle noises, which adds to this real life experience.

The San Diego Zoo has lots of great kids venues, especially popular is the Safari Sleep Over, which includes a behind the scenes look at the Elephant Odyssey and especially fascinating is the San Diego Zoo after dark.

Use the SANDIEGAN coupon to save $3 on your one day admission.

During the winter months, the San Diego Zoo opens at 9 a.m. and closes its gates at 5 p.m. In the summer, the gates at the San Diego Zoo are open 9 a.m.–9 p.m. Visitors to the San Diego Zoo may remain on the grounds one hour after closing.

Best value admission to the San Diego Zoo includes a bus tour, express bus and Skyfari aerial tram package which is ($37) for ages 12 and older; ($27) for children 3 –11. Children 2 and under and active-duty U.S. military in uniform with ID are admitted free.

Be sure to view the San Diego coupon and San Diego discount coupon page on this site for additional San Diego coupon savings at the many museums in Balboa Park as well as restaurant coupons throughout the city.

San Diego Zoo Elephant Odyssey Exhibit

The newest attraction at the San Diego Zoo is the Elephant Odyssey. The 7.5-acre San Diego Zoo exhibit features expansive naturalistic habitats, a place for children to dig for replica fossils, and life-size models of prehistoric animals. It also houses a 2.5-acre exhibit that is home to a herd of nine elephants. Plus, you can now get a special behind-the-scenes look at the elephants in the San Diego Zoo Elephant Care Center. At this part of the exhibit, you can see the San Diego Zoo keepers and veterinarians working with the elephants. Elephant Odyssey gets you so close to the elephants, you can almost feel their breath!

San Diego Children’s Zoo

The specially designed viewing areas in the Children’s Zoo ensure that even the smallest guests see animals in action. At the Wegeforth Bowl and Hunte Amphitheatre, guests can watch animals such as sea lions and wolves, that can’t be seen anywhere else in the San Diego Zoo, show off some of their natural behaviors.

Become a Member of the San Diego Zoo

Take the wonderful opportunity for you and your family to become members and supports of the San Diego Zoo. Membership to the San Diego Zoo Includes Unlimited admission to the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park, 2 free guest passes, Unlimited Journey into Africa tour at the Wild Animal Park, Unlimited Skyfari aerial tram at the San Diego Zoo and ZOONOOZ® magazine subscription. Membership also includes special promotions and discount offers.