Published on Oct, 2024
Visiting the San Diego Zoo was at the top of my bucket list while visiting the area. It was a hot day, however, the entire zoo is completely shaded with botanical gardens and trees. This was a pleasant surprise while battling the California heat and was beautiful to look at (I took a ton of photos of the plants and flowers as we walked by). Some habitats were a bit smaller than I'd expect, but others were much better than I've seen elsewhere. The panda exhibit was the current headliner, as it required free timed tickets to avoid standing in a very long line. The experience was really lackluster, as we were herded in like cattle and made to stay in a constant walk, so there isn't a good opportunity to admire the panda while walking by. He happened to be sleeping at the time we were there, so it would have been nice to be able to check back at another time without the hassle of the lines or tickets. In other words, I don't think the tickets are necessary and feel letting people come and go on their own time would be preferred. Speaking of tickets, I think the entrance fee is "wildly" overpriced. The air and ground trams were a nice break to sit and enjoy the view.
The Safari was a bit of a different story. There is rarely any shade and a ton of talking between exhibits. There were a couple times that we took shortcuts across the grass, because the walking lanes were unnecessarily windy at times (great for those who need declines/inclines for strollers and wheelchairs. Basically, a set of stairs going down the middle (like the one near the splash zone for kids) would be a nice addition in other areas, too. It was a miserably hot day, so more misting areas or air conditioned shops throughout the park would have been welcomed. The Safari tram was the highlight! We arrived at the tram about 2pm and walked right on with no line! The safari habitats are huge and impressive. The other highlight was the tiger! The glass is often smudged and full of reflections, making it almost impossible to get a great photo (like the beautiful lioness), but the tiger was on full display, pacing in plain view and the glass was clean! I got some amazing shots! And I have to also mention the platypus, which is apparently the only one in the world outside of Australia, so he was worth the visit alone, as well as the albino wallaby!
Overall, both the zoo and safari parks are worth a visit, but if you only had one day or can't handle the heat or don't like the extra walking, stick with just the zoo. Both parks need better signage, because we (and many others) got lost easily in certain areas, so we often had to team up with strangers to figure out where to go. The habitats at our local zoos (Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, and Akron), typically have plaques with information about the specific animal you are looking at, including their names, birth year, relationship to the other animals, etc. This was missing here. They did, however, have a volunteer working at nearly every exhibit, so we could ask these questions (we learned about Jessica the gorilla, for example). Finally, I collect shot glasses and I got one at the zoo that was designed only for the Zoo, but the gift shops at the safari do not offer shot glasses with designs for only the Safari. You can buy one for just the Zoo and one for the Zoo and Safari combined. This is knit-picking, but hoping someone in marketing maybe sees this and realizes they're missing something that may have been overlooked. I declined getting a second shot glass. Aside from my comment about the entry fee being too expensive, I was confused why parking at the zoo was free, but there was a charge for the safari. If I return to the area, I may visit again, depending how expensive the tickets become.
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