San Diego Zoo

More than a quarter of Balboa Park is taken up by the San Diego Zoo, one of the largest in the country and certainly one of the most beautiful. Its reputation as a unique place of interest has grown with the years. Its beginnings go back to the Panama Pacific Exhibition, when animals were put on show in San Diego for the first time; it has occupied its present site since the early twenties but is continually being extended, for example by the 2.5 acre/1 hectare rain forest environment which was first laid out in 1988, complete with lush vegetation, waterfalls and artificially-produced mist.

San Diego Zoo Map

Important Information:

Official site: www.sandiegozoo.org

Address: Box 120551, San Diego, CA 92112-0551, United States

Opening hours: Jun 26 to Sep 6: 9am-9pm
Sep 7 to Jun 25: 9am-4pm

Useful tips: Those who find walking difficult can take a 3mi/5km bus trip through the canyons and over the hills. By this means they will be able to see a great many of the animals and have the benefit of expert commentaries. There is also a cable-railway which travels over the tree-tops at a height of about 115ft/50m, from which you can have a bird's-eye view of the zoo. No pets allowed. Closing times vary at other times of the year. Call ahead to confirm.

Parking: Pay

Disability Access: Full facilities for persons with disabilities.

Guides: Taped tours for rent. Guided tour available as optional extra.

Facilities: Gift shop, Restaurant or food service, Wheelchair loan or rental

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Here you can see more than 500 exotic plants and 100 animals in their natural surroundings, including majestic tigers from Sumatra, mysterious tapirs from Malaysia, water-dragons and other Asiatic animals. The sub-tropical climate here is not very different from that in San Diego. The San Diego Zoo has had 3 successful panda bear births since the Panda team began in 1996.

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Because of the gradient of the canyon, the visitor must be prepared to face some steep winding climbs, but will be rewarded by impressive sights which will stay in the memory. Immediately after passing through the turnstile you will be greeted by rose-pink flamingos, succeeded by giant tortoises which are native to the Galapagos Islands; then come the koala bears, which cling to branches of eucalyptus trees in their native Australia, and the golden monkeys. You can also go into the bird-houses with their hundreds of birds, some of which are very rare.

The zoo is laid out rather like a botanical garden, in which many exotic plants grow and multi-colored flowers bloom the whole year through.

A Children's Zoo is a special attraction for the youngsters, who can admire the young animals and also stroke some of them.