Hi!
Welcome to K&L.
Our family just got back from our Southern California vacation and we had a blast.
I did spend an embarrassing amount of hours researching in preparation for our vacation.
Now I'm going to share all of my tips and tricks with you on visiting the World Famous
San Diego Zoo.
And if you haven't already subscribed, do so now so you can follow our entire Southern
California vacation with even more tips and tricks.
So let's get started!
Partially frozen water bottles and frozen juice boxes are a perfect way to keep you
cool and keep you hydrated throughout the day.
You can bring in food.
We packed our lunch, but there are tons of dining options such as Saber Tooth Grill.
Or you can get your hand stamped to leave to go and eat and then come back.
The cheapest tickets I found in my research was the Go City Card.
If you pay at the gate be prepared.
Currently adult tickets are $56 and child tickets are $46.
A little bonus tip is kids are traditionally free in October.
Now remember, the hours vary.
We came in the dead of summer so they were open from 9am to 9pm.
Download the app before you go.
This is a great digital map.
It's how we were able to navigate the park with ease.
It was easy to locate attractions and restrooms.
Arrive early because this is one the animals are most active and when the park is less
crowded.
Parking is free!
Enough said.
They do have touring plans, but we didn't do one.
Check out the app if you would like to do one yourself.
Don't pack too much.
There's a lot of walking and a lot of it is uphill.
Our kids are 5 and 3 so typically we wouldn't need a stroller, but for all the walking it
was helpful for their tired legs and even nap time.
Once you get through the gate immediately hop on the guided bus tour.
It's about a 40 minute ride which takes you around the perimeter of the park.
This bus tour is included in your price of admission.
It will help you get the lay of the land and see so much.
And here's a bonus tip, sit on the right hand side for the best viewing of animals.
Also, the kids will love it.
There is also the Kangaroo Bus.
Now this is not to be confused with the guided bus tour.
The Kangaroo Bus has 5 stops.
This is perfect if your kids are tired of walking so you can HOP around the park.
The Skyfari goes from the Northern Frontier to the Children's Zoo.
WARNING!
This is not a round trip so you do have to get off at the end, go back through the line
to go back.
The line goes fast and for us it only took a couple of minutes.
Now let's jump in to seeing the zoo.
You're going to start with the reptiles located down on Front Street across from the Children's
Zoo.
Do the Reptile Walk and then you can go through the Reptile house before heading back down
Front St. Now this may seem odd to walk all the way over to visit the reptiles first,
but this will help you land at the perfect place to rest your legs just in time for lunch.
Next go and visit the Urban Jungle.
This is where you can see giraffes, rhinos and kangaroos.
When we visited in Summer 2019 we were able to see 2 adorable baby giraffes and our daughter
Kate absolutely loved them.
Bonus tip, Summer is a great time to visit if you want to see adorable baby animals.
The workers there say mating season is during the Spring time and so Summer time is when
you get to see all of the cute little babies.
Once you finish visiting the kangaroos hop on over to The Outback where you can visit
the koalas.
Continue down the same direction and go through Africa Rocks.
There you'll be able to see some monkeys and some big cats.
Walk back through Africa Rocks and take the corner around to Elephant Odyssey.
This is where you can sit down and eat lunch at the Saber Tooth Grill.
And then afterwards visit the elephants of course.
They were so playful whenever we visited them.
After you've visited the Elephant Odyssey be sure to check out the lions.
Now this is where you'll hop on the Skyfari.
Be sure to take this round trip so you can pick up where you left off.
This was probably our favorite thing to do as a family.
We got to fly above the park and see so much.
Also it was a nice cool breeze and a nice break for our legs.
Once you finish your Skyfari round trip go over and see the polar bears and reindeer
at the Northern Frontier.
Unfortunately, the polar bear was hiding from us.
Walk up Park Way and take the elevator to cross Basher Bridge.
There's a small cafe and snack shop and then you're going to follow the Monkey Trail.
Follow it through the middle portion of the zoo and then back to the front.
Now, the monkeys were probably our favorite animals there.
They were so playful and so interactive and our daughter wanted to take one home.
Hopefully you'll get to meet Karen.
She's a monkey that is so incredibly playful and interactive and the kids absolutely loved
her.
All of this covers the majority of the zoo in 1 day.
Right outside the zoo there is an amazing art district and tons of other fun things
to do in Balboa Park.
If you have the time, be sure to check it out.
I hope these tips and tricks help you plan your trip and if you've been to the San Diego
Zoo before leave your tips and tricks down in the comments section.
And as always, thanks for watching and don't forget to like, comment and subscribe!