The world famous San Diego Zoo is a must for any Southern California adventure! The Zoo is located in Balboa Park in beautiful San Diego. The Zoo is 100 acres and is home to 4,000 animals and has a botanical collection with more than 700,000 exotic plants.
In August 1999 the first giant panda was born in North America to survive to adulthood. She has since been returned to China (all pandas are only on loan to zoos and must be sent home after a period of time) but the Zoo currently has five giant pandas in residence. But, in October of 2009 Mei Sheng needs to go back to China so come and see him before he heads back to China. The 
zoo has a Giant Panda Team stay here in order to observe the actions for research purposes. The Giant Panda Discovery Center is located nearby. This area includes a climb-in panda den, interactive exhibits, and a chance to find out what a panda sounds and smells like.
The Polar Bear exhibit, Polar Bear Plunge, is one of the largest polar bear exhibits in the world. These are just a couple of the amazing exhibits available at the Zoo.
You can take a two-hour tour to get a view of how the animals are taken care of by their keepers. The group will be small (maximum 7) which will take you in a VIP cart and visit off-exhibit areas. There is a cost of $70 per person plus Zoo admission for this tour (children unger 3 are free). Another opportunity for a tour is the Discovery Tour which lasts about an hour. It has a guide that will tell you about the plans and animas at the Zoo as you ride in the shuttle cart. This tour has no more than 10 people per tour. The tour covers 70 percent of the zoo and drops you off at one of the show area where you will have preferred seating. Cost for this tour is $39 per person plus the admission for the Zoo. (Children under 3 riding on the lap of a paid adult are free – one child per paid adult).
You can visit the Lion and Jaguar Habitat and see the king of beasts and next door see the jaguar as it prowels a marshy wetland habitat with rocks, trees, 
large branches, and a stream that flows into a pond. The Elephant Habitate has been enlarged to encoumpas 2.4 acres which is home to the seven elephants that live at the Zoo. Six are Asian and one is African. They have several pools and several specially designed “utilitrees” which rpovide shade, food and treats for them. Regular live trees wouldn’t survive long, the elephants would mow them right over.
Admission: $35 adults $26kids (3-11) Zoo only (Includes unlimited use of Guided Bus Tour, Express Bus, and Skyfari Aerial Tram.) Prices vary according to packages sought. Admission to both Zoo & Wild Animal Park are available. If you want the 3-1 Pass to see the Zoo, Wild Animal Park and SeaWorld you can purchase the 3-for-1 pass wich is good for unlimited entry for 5 days from first use.
The Zoo is open daily, including all holidays.
Hours: Summer Hours through September 7): 9 a.m.–9 p.m.
Summer/Fall Hours (September 8–October 4): 9 a.m.–6 p.m.
Fall Hours (October 5–December 18): 9 a.m.–5 p.m
Located at 2920 Zoo Drive in Balboa Park, just north of downtown San Diego. Mailing address: P.O. Box 120551, San Diego, CA 92112-0551.
General information: (619) 231-1515
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