Get the most out of your trip to the world famous San Diego Zoo
with my 1-day itinerary and tips as a long-time San Diego Zoo member!

We LOVE the San Diego Zoo!! We have been members for as long as I can remember and so we go multiple times every single year with our passes. I’d say it’s the #1 thing you must do if you’re ever visiting San Diego! We aren’t biased when we say that it is one of the most beautiful parks and it is world famous for a reason!

The zoo is huge and there is tons to see and do, so I put together this guide to hopefully help your family have the best day at the zoo!

What To Pack:

• Comfortable walking shoes (the zoo is massive and so you’ll be doing lots of walking!)
• Sweater / something to cover-up if it gets chilly (even if the weather is expected to be hot, note that the zoo’s plentiful greenery keeps the majority of the park quite cool with all of the shade and breeze!)
• Food & snacks (you are allowed to bring food to the park! so I recommend bringing your own lunch and nibbles!)
• Water bottles (note that there aren’t many refillable water stations in the park but you can ask the food establishments for water cups to fill your bottle!)
• + Essentials (like sunglasses, Liquid IV etc. – you can check-out my “What’s In My Bag” post for my usuals!)
• Note: I don’t have kids, but there is a cute water area for them to play in so you may want to bring them a swimsuit. Towels are optional, there is a dryer area for them 🙂

I can’t speak to the zoo food as I don’t usually buy it, but we once brought Michael’s nieces to the zoo and they wanted popcorn so we now have a souvenir bucket and can get refills for a great price every time we go! It’s a great hand food to snack on while walking around and the popcorn at the San Diego Zoo is actually really good lol – super crispy and fresh~

Download Before You Go:

I do recommend downloading the San Diego Zoo app before you go! Two main things I like to use it for:

• To check the times of events/activities for the exact date that you’re going (events and their times are always changing)
• To know which way you’re going since it’s interactive and GPS-enabled (rather than trying to find your positioning and directionality manually via the map!
• To find the exact locations of animals you want to see (the app map is interactive and maps almost all of the animals, compared the paper map which just shows the various sections with only key animals plotted)

How To Pay For Parking:

As of this year, the San Diego Zoo start charging for parking >.<

• Free for Zoo Members: Luckily if you’re a member of the zoo (or if you’re friends with someone who is a member of the zoo!), you can park for free by registering your license plate in advance~ (the license plate registered can be updated at any time)
• $8 for San Diego Residents: If the above does not apply but you are a San Diego resident, you can park at the zoo for $8 by verifying your San Diego address in advance
• $16 for Non-San Diego Residents: For everybody else, it will cost $16 !

Don’t forget to take a picture of your animal parking sign to remember where you parked!

How Long / Best Time To Spend At Zoo?

• How much time should one spend at the zoo? I’m an ‘all-day at the zoo’ kind of girlie. Like I said, there is so much to see and do at the zoo that a day goes by quick at the zoo (it usually closes early anyway around 5PM)
• How early should one go to the zoo? I recommend right around when it opens at 9AM~
• When are the animals most active? The animals are most active in the evening (~3PM to close!)

Pro tip, if you’re a member, you can actually go to the zoo an hour early on certain days!!

A Secret Hack To See The Giant Pandas!

The San Diego Zoo is actually one of the few zoos in the US with the privilege of having these precious creatures. And while we missed our pandas for a couple of years after our long-term contract with China ended in 2019, the friendly giants have thankfully recently made their return! They definitely make our zoo complete~

The pandas are a must-see but there is often a long queue to see them given they are so popular. They have recently implemented a free reservation system where you can scan a QR code once you enter to the zoo to grab a designated timeslot to go see the pandas without having to wait so long! However, these are on a first-come first-serve basis, meaning they spots are limited and if you don’t scan early enough there might be no more spots available >.<

I, however, have a secret hack to ensure you are able to grab a timeslot to see the pandas! Instead of waiting until you arrive at the zoo to scan the QR code (and risking running out of timeslots), I’ll give you the direct website where you can grab your panda timeslot! You’re welcome 🙂

• Save this website to grab your panda timeslot!
• Open the website at 8AM on the day of your visit (you won’t be able to grab tickets for future dates)
  • Pro-tip: The zoo doesn’t even open at 9AM so you will be one of the first people to grab tickets!!
• Pick your timeslot (For my itinerary, I recommend ~3PM)
• Save your timeslot tickets~

If you forget to do this and don’t get land a timeslot, don’t worry, you can always walk-in via the standby line (which can either be really long, OR, I have seen it totally empty if you’re lucky!)

Check For Babies!!

One of the main conservation efforts at the San Diego Zoo is helping to repopulate endangered species so I always check their website or social media ahead of time to see what babies have been recently birthed at the zoo and make a point to visit these little miracles. They are always my highlight of each trip because they’re so freakin’ cuuuuuuuute!!!

My Zoo Itinerary

Here is my recommended itinerary to see the best of the zoo! The asterisked (*) items are events with specific times to keep in mind if you plan on adjusting the itinerary!.

• (if available) 8AM-9AM: Early entry to see your favorite animals with no crowds!!
  • But first, take a picture with the iconic flamingos that welcome you right when you enter the park!
• 9AM – 10AM: Enter the park & line up to take the ~35-minute tram tour first-thing! It’s a great way to get an overview of the park and learn about the zoo and its animals
  • After it drops you off, don’t forget to stop by the lovely Japanese Garden next to the Warner Adminsitration Center!
• 10AM – 11AM: Loop through all of the chimps and apes of Treetops Way
  • The orangutans and gorillas are often feed in the morning!
• *11AM – 12PM: You’ll want to start lining up to feed the giraffes for only $8 a person! What a fun memory~
  • While someone is waiting in line, go through the Urban Jungle loop which is small so you don’t have to worry about being too far from the line! It includes lots of quintessential animals like rhinos, the cheetah, and ofc the giraffes!
  • You can also see the cutie koalas nearby at their Outback station
• *12PM – 1PM: Make your way to the 12PM Africa Rocks stage to encounter some animals up-close!
  • To get there, go down the Africa Rocks passage towards the back near the waterfall- the baboon butts are funny and the lemurs are always hilariously sunbathing
  • After the show, I recommend going down Lower Center Street and going up the elevators to cross the beautiful Bashor Bridge!
  • Then take a right through Elephant Odyssey where you’ll see the lions, jaguar, elephants, capybaras, and everyone’s favorite: the meerkats lol
• *1PM – 2PM: At the back of the Wildlife Explorers Basecamp, you can see the ambassador of the day at 1PM at the Rady Presentation Stage!
  • This is a newer section of the park (used to be a petting zoo!) that was built out really nicely with tons of fun features – including a water playground, a rope bridge, little rock walls, and climbing grounds
  • They have lots of exhibits featuring littler critters that camouflage really well so it’s fun game to see who can find them first!
  • My favorite animal here is definitely the adorable Fennec Fox! It’s like a white TaiTai (my dog) with those big ears!
• *2PM – 3PM: Definitely enjoy all of the animals the amazing Wildlife Wonders show at 2PM at the Wegeforth Bowl
  • While you’re waiting to be let into the show, go through the Reptile House and loop through Reptile Walk. Don’t miss out on the huge Komodo Dragon!
• 3PM – 4PM: Then make your way through the rest of the zoo towards Panda Ridge so you can see the pandas!
  • I would suggest the route with the tigers and hippos!
• 4PM – 5PM: Lastly, make your way towards the Northern Frontier at the very back of the zoo to take the SkyFari back to the front of the zoo for your exit
  • Don’t forget to see the polar bears before you get on the SkyFari
  • And after you get off the SkyFari, visit the gift shops near the exits for any cute merch!

Pro-Tip #1: You actually used to have to pay to go on the tram but now it’s free so definitely go! Sit on the right-hand side of the bus (that’s where majority of the animals will be). As for upper vs lower deck, I always sit on the upper deck! I also like going first thing in the day because they often share some updates and tidbits about the zoo that you might want to add to your itinerary for the rest of the day!

Pro-Tip #2: The line for the giraffe feeding moves verrryyyy slowly so it’s best to be at the front of the line if possible! I recommend lining up 30-minutes prior to the start-time which is usually 11:30AM. Note that the giraffe feeding is only on Friday through Sundays and goes until 1:30PM (or till whenever the giraffes are full~)!

Pro-Tip #3: If you can only go to one of the three shows, definitely go to the 2PM show at the Wegeforth Bowl. And if you’re a zoo member, you actually get early entry into the show at 1:40PM (everyone else can enter at 1:50PM) to grab the best seats which I think are in the front-left section (facing the stage).

Pro-Tip #4: The Skyfari also used to cost money so definitely take advantage now that it’s free!!

Pro-Tip #5: Keep those postcards they give you around the zoo (like before the tram tour, at the giraffe feeding, and before the pandas) because they have QR codes where you can view your photos and download them for free (with a watermark!)

And with that, I hope you enjoy your visit to the wonderful San Diego Zoo!! They’re actually celebrating their 100th birthday this year so it’s a really special time to go and acknowledge all of the great things that the San Diego Zoo has done for our animals!

Let me know if you are going to the zoo or if you have any questions~!

Love ya,
Emily

Fun fact, the very first YouTube video was filmed at the San Diego Zoo with the elephants! And funner fact, I also have a YouTube video with the San Diego Zoo elephants for my high school AP biology project that I had filmed if you can find it 🙂