The San Diego Zoo is consistently one of America’s top 5 zoos year after year. The gorgeous San Diego weather makes any time of the year the perfect zoo day. It also means that most of the animals have outdoor exhibits instead of indoor buildings which allow for more innovative exhibits. Established in 1916, today the zoo has over 3700 animals housed on 100 acres of great landscaping and foliage.
We visited the Monday before Thanksgiving. We had hoped that it would be less crowded at the beginning of the week and our assumption proved to be correct. The crowd level was just right. We found the staff to be helpful, informative, and overall accommodating for big families. The animals were quite lively, and the good weather agreed with them too.
We greatly enjoyed the zoo and highly recommend it to other big families. To help you plan, here are 10 helpful tips for visiting the San Diego Zoo.
San Diego Zoo Tips:
1. Ride the Bus Tour (it’s free!) first thing in the morning. The tour covers 75% of the zoo taking a perimeter path around the zoo. This will help you plan what you want to see later. Be sure to sit on the driver’s right-hand side of the bus as most of the exhibits are on the right. Bus tours start loading at 9:30, the zoo opens at 9. Make a beeline over to the loading zone as this is when the lines are the shortest.
2. Take the Skyfari Aerial Tram (it’s free) to the back of the zoo and work your way back to the beginning of the zoo. Using this tactic seems to increase the amount of time walking downhill instead of up.
3. Take advantage of the Kangaroo Express Bus (it’s also free!) to eliminate a lot of walking once everyone gets tired.
4. Foldable umbrella strollers are your best bet for being able to use all three transportation possibilities.
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5. The zoo allows you to bring in outside food although large food storage containers such as coolers are not permitted. One option is to keep your cooler in your vehicle, just get your hands stamped for re-entry then eat your lunch at one of the picnic areas located outside the Zoo’s main entrance.
6. Pack in some water. Your crew will work up a thirst walking so much. Save money by either bringing your own water or bringing water bottles to fill at the water fountains. If you don’t feel like lugging around bottles of water then be sure to purchase a souvenir cup. They allow you free refills all day throughout the zoo.
7. Order your tickets online so you can skip the ticket line and be sure to look for coupons! We found a $6 off coupon for up to 6 guests which saved us $36!
Another option is to check out the Go Card San Diego attraction pass which includes the San Diego Zoo and 40+ attractions. You can choose an all-inclusive Go Card Pass to save up to 55% vs. paying at the gate. Two other Go Card options include building your own pass or opting for a 4-Choice Flex Pass.
8. If you do eat at the zoo, you might want to share meals. We ate at the Hua Mei Cafe near the Pandas and could have easily split our lunches.
9. Pandas – Update – the pandas were sent back to the Republic of China in 2019. 🙁
10. Don’t forget the sunblock! Although the zoo has a lot of shade, you’ll be spending many hours outside to cover the whole zoo and the California sun is hot hot hot!
Thank you for this post! We are planning a quick trip to San Diego soon and I’ve been reading so many articles with “tips” that are almost useless! Yours are very helpful, so THANK YOU!!
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