San Diego Zoo is undoubtedly the city of San Diego's most famous attraction. Located in the beautiful Balboa Park, just northeast of the city centre, the San Diego zoo is considered to be one of the most impressive in the world with the largest collection of animals, birds and reptiles in North America.
More than 4,000 creatures reside at this celebrated and influential zoo. The zoo is a living testament of the society's dedication to the conservation, research and love of all creatures great and small. Underscoring this point is the zoo's astoundingly high number of year -round members.
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The cuddly pandas may be the most popular attraction, but the zoo has many other rare and wondrous species: Buerger's tree kangaroos of New Guinea, long-billed kiwis from New Zealand, wild Przewalski horses from Mongolia, lowland gorillas from Africa, and giant tortoises from the Galapagos. The Zoological Society is involved with animal preservation efforts around the world and has engineered many "firsts" in breeding: It was here that the Anegada iguana was successfully bred in captivity for the first time, and where a home for a captive-breeding group of the recently discovered Visayan warty pigs was created.
Of course, the zoo's traditional beasties -- lions, elephants, giraffes, tigers, and bears -- prowl around as well, and a diverse collection of tropical birds is experienced via sprawling walk-through aviaries with 50-foot trees. The zoo was a forerunner in creating bar-less, moated enclosures that allow animals to roam in sophisticated environments resembling their natural habitats. The newest is Absolutely Apes, a habitat that opened in 2003 to showcase orangutans and siamangs of Indonesia; it marked the first time these primates of a single ecosystem share an enclosure at the zoo. Nearby is Gorilla Tropics, where two troops of Western lowland gorillas roam an 8,000-square-foot habitat. A $28 million "heart of the zoo" project in this area, designed not only to enrich primate and other quarters but to improve human traffic flow in the most congested part of the zoo is due to be completed mid-2005.
Despite the hype, I find the Panda Discovery Center to not be worth the hassle when a long line is in place (lines are shortest first thing in the morning or toward the end of the day). More noteworthy is Ituri Forest, which simulates a central African rainforest with forest buffaloes, otters, okapis, and hippos, which are superbly viewed underwater from a glassed-in enclosure; the Polar Bear Plunge, where you'll find a 2.2-acre summer tundra habitat inhabited by Siberian reindeer, yellow-throated martens, and diving ducks, along with the playful titular heroes. The Children's Zoo features a nursery with baby animals and a petting area where kids can cuddle up to sheep, goats, and the like. There's also a sea lion show at the 3,000-seat amphitheater (this is easy to skip if you're headed to SeaWorld). If you come in spring, be sure to walk the Horn & Hoof Mesa, a less-crowded part of the park where unusual plants are often in flower.
My favorite way to experience the zoo is to spend the day on foot navigating the lush canyons and dry mesas that bisect the facility. But if a lot of walking -- some of it on steep hills, some of it quite exposed to afternoon sun -- isn't your passion, the zoo offers a 40-minute guided bus tour that provides a narrated overview and covers about 70% of the facility. It costs $10 for adults, $5.50 for children 3 to 11, and is included in the "Best Value" admission package. You get only brief glimpses of the enclosures, and animals won't always be visible, so you'll be enticed to revisit some of the areas (note that lines for the bus tour can top 1 hr. at midday). Included in the bus ticket is access to the non-narrated Express Bus, which allows you to get on and off at one of five different stops along the same route. You can also get an aerial perspective from the Skyfari, which costs $2.50 per person each way. The ride lasts about 5 minutes -- but it's better for a bird's-eye view than it is for spotting creatures. Ideally, take the Skyfari to the far side of the park and wend your way back on foot.
In addition to several fast-food options, the zoo has Albert's, a beautiful oasis at the lip of a canyon and named after the zoo's most famous ape. It's located behind Gorilla Tropics. Although the food and service is not flawless, Albert's is a lovely place in which to break up the middle of the day (when the animals are laziest) -- entrees, sandwiches, and salads run $12-$18 and there's a full bar.
