Nice walk and enjoyed the jeep tour at Safari park the food available is scarce. Would like a nicer choice go when not hot animals more active.

Start with a map of the Zoo then take the free bus ride around the zoo to get your bearings. Check out the times of certain feedings etc so you don't miss seeing these animals. We were glad we bought the 2 day pass as the Zoo is so big that you need two days to see it all. There are numerous cafes and restaurants around the grounds to eat or just enjoy a snack. Remember to take water, a shady hat, comfortable clothes and shoes and your camera.

This was my second visit to the zoo, the first in 2007 when my two kids were younger. Still one of the best zoos I have ever visited. Although the park is quite hilly the enclosures are more natural than other zoos. The pandas were visiting from China and are always funny and fascinating.

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.

If you think it will be crowded, yes. Yes, it will be. This Zoo is world famous for a reason. Very cool animals and plants left and right. Try planning ahead to see which animals you want to see to avoid going through heavily trafficked areas, and avoid inclines and stairs when you don’t need climb to see them. Save your energy, this Zoo can wear out anyone

I wasn't"t a big fan of this place. First of all its kinda out of the way travel wise. The park offers one 25 minute tours with the free admission. You pay up for everything else. Not that many animals in the caged area, many were empty. Be prepared to walk a lot. In my opinion, the San Diego Zoo is ten times better than the Safari Park.

This is a great zoo! There's something for everyone. You can easily spend all day walking through the exhibits. The one gripe I have is that I wish the park was laid out better - with the walkways and signage it's easy to walk in circles and not know your way out of an area. Make sure you reserve tickets in advance to see the panda bears (you can't walk up to that exhibit). I also wish it weren't so expensive.

EARLY MORNING PANDAS. Tour. Dont waste your money. No different than getting a time slot ticket or waiting in the standby line. Description implies its JUST pandas. As a member I dont need to see the bears or birds We took a slow walk and talked about the plants. Nothing other than seeing the pandas on exhibit. No behind the scenes or add on for the money.

The zoo is pretty and lots of cool animals. However my father and I are unable to walk the zoo and it’s quite despicable they charged us 60 dollars to rent a scooter. For the zoo and safari park just for scooters we shelled out 240 dollars. It doesn’t get much lower than price gauging disabled people.

We've been to lots of zoo's in different countrys, and this was not one of the best. We didn't liked the animal enclosures and the view of the animals wasn't the best. The price was way to high! We went anyway because a lot of Americans told us it is such a nice zoo. But it wasn't. Also way to litte benches to sit on.

Great guides - fun and engaging. Loved the variety of transportation around the park for both overview and up close viewing. Would absolutely go again.

This zoo is amazing. Not only do they have wonderful exhibits but the surroundings and plantings are beautiful. There is something for everyone here. We spent the entire day here but if doing it again we would get a two day pass as we were not able to see everything. We would break it down into halves maybe and be able to see everything. The pandas had returned but the exhibit wasn't open yet so I am glad we saw them in DC last October. Do not miss this if in the area.

This was a great experience and I was also able to feed some of the animals. This is a great place for families with a lot of activities to do

Beautiful botanical park with nice paved and shady walking trails. By the way there are some animals too. I got some good photos of rare white rhinos, Sumatran tigers, low land gorillas and saw a cheetah run too. It’s a nice place to visit with the family and kids. The food was good. It is a money pit as expected. $20 parking. $75 entry per person. $25 food. More options if you have more cash on hand. But heck, you only live once and this is helping the endangered species I think, right? I’d say it is worth it but I’m spoiled by the St Louis Zoo being FREE and $10 parking yet #3 in zoos in the country. A notch above Brookfield Zoo, Chicago or Cheyenne Mtn Zoo in Colorado Springs. So check it out. 1800 acres! Wear good comfy shoes and bring a drink because California is hot and the on site beverages are pricy too… helps save the animals…

I was my first time visiting San Diego Safari, and my family and I were all places around the park, My first impression was that the staff were very nice, and we had a beautiful family day.