Welcome to The San Diego National zoo axn-stock

Welcome to The San Diego National zoo Information Page.

Here you will find all you need to know about the natural history of the zoo.
Learn about the geology, trees, mammals, birds, or other plants and wildlife of the area.

The Zoo, located adjacent to downtown San Diego in Balboa Park, is 100 acres in size. It is well known for its lush, naturalistic habitats and unique animal encounters and is home to more than 3,700 rare and endangered animals representing approximately 660 species and subspecies and a prominent botanical collection with more than 700,000 plants. It is viewed in several ways, first and foremost by walking along pathways, into aviaries, and through bioclimatic zones. There is a 35-minute Guided Bus Tour that gives a good overview of the Zoo, along with an Express Bus that stops at several locations to assist guests in accessing different areas. We suggest taking the Guided Bus Tour upon your arrival to acquaint yourself with the various areas where you would like to spend additional time. The Zoo is a unique walking experience that exhibits animals in the most natural way possible, adding shows and animal presentations throughout the day for additional enjoyment. We recommend a minimum visit time of at least three to four hours.

The popular Petting Paddock in the Children’s Zoo allows kids (and kids at heart) a chance to feel the wooly coat of a sheep or comb a gentle goat’s hair. Our Backstage Pass program and Inside Look Tour get you VERY close to exotic animals.

At the Safari Park, the Petting Kraal offers a very satisfactory tactile experience. Also at the Park is Lorikeet Landing, where you lend a hand—literally—in feeding the lorikeets! The Park’s interactive Animal Encounters program gives you an opportunity to have face-to-face contact with the Park’s animal ambassadors like a cheetah, alligator, serval, and other rare and exotic animals. You may interact with trainers and ask questions about the species. Interactions happen throughout the Park; check your Park map insert for times and locations. And (most of) our Special Experiences are uniquely designed to get you closer to animals!

There really isn’t any special time that more animals are in view, although many of our animals are “early risers” and may be a bit more active in the morning. In our concern for the many endangered species that we house at our facilities, we have built exhibits that mimic natural environments. Like natural environments, these areas give the animals plenty of room to hide. We have found that the ability to hide is important to the well-being of many species.

We encourage guests to take photos. However, as a not-for-profit organization, commercial use of photos taken at our facilities is strictly prohibited. Entering photo contests does not infringe on our copyright policies as long as photos taken on our grounds are not published. Lens size and other equipment is up to you. Please be courteous to other guests who may wish to get a close look as well.  Some tours prohibit bulky camera equipment, tripods and the use of selfie sticks.