Tips for San Diego zoo?

[Anonymous]

Traveling there with a 2 and 5 year old. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Go as early in the day as you can to avoid the heat. Are you doing the safari park? It is awesome but hot! Get there before opening.

[Anonymous]

Make sure to do the bus tour at the zoo. You get a better view sitting up top. We often do it twice and sit on the opposite side the second time as some animals are easier to see on one side or the other. Agree getting there early is a good idea.

[Anonymous]

Pay for one of the special tours at the Safari Park. I would do zoo and sarafi park on different days if you have time.

[Anonymous]

Have a stroller for the 2 year old and maybe a double! Do the guided bus ride first, finish the day with the tram back to the front.

[Anonymous]

We love the zoo and the safari park. Highly recommend both if you can swing it. Also, look in to at least one of you getting a season pass - it may be worth it to save money on entrance fees and parking depending on if you do both the zoo and the safari park, or even just the zoo depending on how many of you are in your party.

They can both be hilly in places, so definitely plan for a stroller and a plan for them to have to hop out at times (at least the 5 year old if you'll have a double). Hills plus heat can be tough, depending on exactly when you go re: weather.

Happy to answer any other questions if you have them.

Enjoy!

[Anonymous]

Do you all think the safari park is a good idea for those ages? We will definitely do the zoo one day, but I wasn't sure if the safari park would be better for older kids.

[Anonymous]

I found it a TON of walking and the animal enclosures are small (the cheetah barely had enough room to pace) and underwhelming.

The bus tour is great especially since you get a good overview of whst you want to go and visit.

Fwiw, the admission price is expensive and I didn't think the experience matched it. There's a nice park outside of the zoo. Had a ton of fun there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Go as early in the day as you can to avoid the heat. Are you doing the safari park? It is awesome but hot! Get there before opening.

Depends on when you go. It gets warm in the summer, but not as hot as Bethesda.

[Anonymous]

Sorry, one last question - would you recommend bringing a double stroller, or would it be sufficient to rent one at the zoo?

Thanks all!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you all think the safari park is a good idea for those ages? We will definitely do the zoo one day, but I wasn't sure if the safari park would be better for older kids.

I wouldn't take a 2 and 5 year old to the safari park. There's more to do and see at the original zoo (the one in Balboa Park). Yes I think the safari park is better for older kids who would appreciate the guided tour, and who would be able to do things like zip lining or a ropes course.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sorry, one last question - would you recommend bringing a double stroller, or would it be sufficient to rent one at the zoo?

Thanks all!

Op traveling with a stroller of that size is a pain. We rented one locally which was delivered to our Airbnb upon arrival. We rented through Toddler’s Travels. We got a BOB which was great for SD but would have been very difficult to travel with.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you all think the safari park is a good idea for those ages? We will definitely do the zoo one day, but I wasn't sure if the safari park would be better for older kids.

I wouldn't take a 2 and 5 year old to the safari park. There's more to do and see at the original zoo (the one in Balboa Park). Yes I think the safari park is better for older kids who would appreciate the guided tour, and who would be able to do things like zip lining or a ropes course.

Thanks you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We love the zoo and the safari park. Highly recommend both if you can swing it. Also, look in to at least one of you getting a season pass - it may be worth it to save money on entrance fees and parking depending on if you do both the zoo and the safari park, or even just the zoo depending on how many of you are in your party.

They can both be hilly in places, so definitely plan for a stroller and a plan for them to have to hop out at times (at least the 5 year old if you'll have a double). Hills plus heat can be tough, depending on exactly when you go re: weather.

Happy to answer any other questions if you have them.

Enjoy!

The original zoo doesn't charge parking fees, but the Safari Park does. I would recommend choosing one, otherwise that is a lot of zoo time for one vacation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We love the zoo and the safari park. Highly recommend both if you can swing it. Also, look in to at least one of you getting a season pass - it may be worth it to save money on entrance fees and parking depending on if you do both the zoo and the safari park, or even just the zoo depending on how many of you are in your party.

They can both be hilly in places, so definitely plan for a stroller and a plan for them to have to hop out at times (at least the 5 year old if you'll have a double). Hills plus heat can be tough, depending on exactly when you go re: weather.

Happy to answer any other questions if you have them.

Enjoy!

The original zoo doesn't charge parking fees, but the Safari Park does. I would recommend choosing one, otherwise that is a lot of zoo time for one vacation.

Thanks, that is what we'll do. Appreciate it!