San Diego Zoo Most Efficient Route for San Diego Zoo

[Coelacanth18]

I visited the San Diego Zoo last year, and am currently planning a return trip for this year. I tried to put a lot of thought into planning an efficient route to maximize what I saw, but my plan fell apart later in the day and I ended up rushing through Africa Rocks right before closing. While this time the opening hours will be longer, the zoo is still a huge maze and difficult to navigate in a way that doesn't require backtracking.

I started this thread for ideas and inspiration. For the people who have been to San Diego Zoo before, what routes do you think maximize a visit? Some specific questions in mind:
- What's the best way to avoid going up steep inclines?
- What parts of the zoo become more crowded as the day goes on?
- What parts of the zoo feel the hottest in the afternoons?
- Do any animals start being put inside earlier?
- Are any areas (in your opinion) too crowded, confusing or time-consuming for the animals they have?
- What are the best places to stop and get food/drinks?
- What are some exhibits/animals that are really easy to miss if you're following the main paths?

And of course, what do you think is the best route for a full day at the zoo?

Here is the current map for reference:
https://sandiegozoowildlifealliance...SDZ22_Map_Front_no_qr_To_Print_compressed.pdf

 

[DavidBrown]

Just visited last week. I would recommend visiting the invertebrate house and surrounding areas (hummingbird aviary, reptile areas in children's zoo, Komodo dragons) first, as they can get very crowded and there are lots of narrow viewing areas and walkways. Also, the coconut crab is apparently most active in the morning when the zoo first opens. I saw it climbing a tree, and it was a thrill.

 

[TinoPup]

The zoo recently published an ADA map on the website, finally. It's dated July 14th. It isn't super helpful, but it might give a few suggestions? There's a dotted line for the "most accessible route" but it's barely visible. The big circles are for service dogs. https://sandiegozoowildlifealliance.org/sites/default/files/2023-07/Zoo_ADA_Map_07-14-23_LowRes.pdf

 

[Kudu21]

I visit at least once a month, so I can share the route that I have found to work best for me.

I agree with @DavidBrown -- Do Wildlife Explorers Basecamp and the Reptile House/Walk area first. This area become much more congested the later in the day it gets.

From there, I personally go back across the entrance and start in the Australian Outback and Urban Jungle areas before going down through Africa Rocks. Once I get to the bottom of Africa Rocks, I go through the Panda Canyon and adjacent leopard exhibits before doing a slight detour to the Ituri Forest and the lower waterfowl ponds. I then go up Eagle Canyon, around the remnants of Horn and Hoof Mesa, through Polar Bear Plunge, and on to Elephant Odyssey. Upon exiting Elephant Odyssey, I go through the Kopje area and then back to the Koalifornia Boardwalk to go down Bear Canyon and Sun Bear Forest. From there, I'll go up the stairs above the tufted deer yards to the lower level of the Owens Aviary, crossing through Owens to Fern Canyon. I'll then go up Fern Canyon and hang a right to go past the orangutans/siamangs. From there, it is through the Parker Aviary to then go down and go through the other levels of the Owens Aviary and back up through the Aviary Trail. After completing Aviary Trail, I hang a right, go around the gorilla exhibit and then up through Hippo Trail before going down and through the Scripps Aviary. From there, I go down past the bonobos, mangabeys, and crowned eagle, make a U-turn, and then go back to go all the way down to Tiger Trail. Then you can take Tiger Trail all the way up to Monkey Trails and Forest Tales and explore the multiple level viewing of the primate and babirusa habitats at your leisure before heading out past the flamingo lagoon. I always finish with a quick jaunt over to the aviary at the bus loading station and then call it a day!

I hope that this at least somewhat makes sense and is at least somewhat helpful

 

[CMP]

This is the most efficient route I could come up with, which I made a little while back, in terms of reducing backtracking and still seeing everything. It may make more sense as a 2-day route, one for each color, but doing the blue and the new Wildlife Explorers Basecamp first should work too. Bear in mind, I haven't actually been to the zoo in over a decade, since before the Outback was completed.

 

[Coelacanth18]

I would recommend visiting the invertebrate house and surrounding areas (hummingbird aviary, reptile areas in children's zoo, Komodo dragons) first, as they can get very crowded and there are lots of narrow viewing areas and walkways.

I agree with @DavidBrown -- Do Wildlife Explorers Basecamp and the Reptile House/Walk area first. This area become much more congested the later in the day it gets.

That seems to jibe with my experience last year, so I'll take it under consideration. One potential concern (not sure if I'm overthinking this) is the activity level of the animals throughout the day. Are the outdoor reptiles like iguanas and turtles going to be active and visible at 9 or 10 AM in the morning, and likewise will there be as much bird activity in the Lost Forest aviaries in the late afternoon or evening?

I visit at least once a month, so I can share the route that I have found to work best for me.

I hope that this at least somewhat makes sense and is at least somewhat helpful

Yeah, I think this route overall makes sense; it's similar to a route I already had in mind, but yours adds a couple convenient tweaks such as doing Ituri Forest and Tiger Trail separately. It does still require an uphill jaunt from Eagle Canyon to Elephant Odyssey, but that's not quite as steep as going up Center Street or Africa Rocks - and frankly it's hard to go downhill three times on that side of the zoo without looping around a bunch

I always finish with a quick jaunt over to the aviary at the bus loading station

It's nice that this aviary is in a convenient location by the entrance, as it took two checks for me before I saw the Kagu.

 

[Nile Hippo Expert]

Here’s my recommended order of exhibits to go to:
1 - Front Street/Koalafornia Boardwalk
2 - Urban Jungle
3 - Center Street
4 - Africa Rocks
5 - Elephant Odyssey
6 - Northern Frontier
7 - Marsh Aviary
8 - Park Way
9 - Panda Trek (should be called “Red Panda Trek” lol! )
10 - Hippo/Tiger Trail
11 - Monkey Trail
12 - Scripps Aviary
13 - Discovery Outpost
14 - Children’s Zoo
It is a very good order for touring the whole zoo. It may take more than a day to tour the entire place, as when I visited in 2021, I was there from opening until closing and still missed some exhibits completely!

 

[Kudu21]

That seems to jibe with my experience last year, so I'll take it under consideration. One potential concern (not sure if I'm overthinking this) is the activity level of the animals throughout the day. Are the outdoor reptiles like iguanas and turtles going to be active and visible at 9 or 10 AM in the morning, and likewise will there be as much bird activity in the Lost Forest aviaries in the late afternoon or evening?

In my experience, I have not had any issue seeing any of the outdoor reptiles (other than the sheltopusik, which I have never seen ). I usually do all of the buildings/Wildlife Explorers Basecamp first to give it a chance to warm up a little bit first, before doing the Reptile Walk. Likewise with the birds, I feel like I have had as much success in seeing active birds as can be expected in aviaries of those sizes, haha. For me, I am usually getting there around 4:00ish, so it’s starting to cool down and they’re usually flying around, eating afternoon diet, and singing their afternoon chorus.

Yeah, I think this route overall makes sense; it's similar to a route I already had in mind, but yours adds a couple convenient tweaks such as doing Ituri Forest and Tiger Trail separately. It does still require an uphill jaunt from Eagle Canyon to Elephant Odyssey, but that's not quite as steep as going up Center Street or Africa Rocks - and frankly it's hard to go downhill three times on that side of the zoo without looping around a bunch

I’ve found doing Ituri Forest separately is much easier, as the way it is designed allows for it to be a pretty easy “mini-loop” that doesn’t feel like much of a back track (especially with the okapi and hippo habitats currently closed). It gets confusing when you try to include it with Tiger River.

Yeah, the Eagle Canyon path is not the nicest, but I feel like it is the least of multiple evils when it comes to potential uphill climbs You cannot completely avoid the hills or backtracking at San Diego, unfortunately, lol.

It's nice that this aviary is in a convenient location by the entrance, as it took two checks for me before I saw the Kagu.

It is! It’s usually much quieter later in the afternoon as fewer people are boarding the bus. I’ve had much better luck with the kagu later in the day than first thing in the morning. There is, of course, the kagu on exhibit at the safari park too, now, which is usually easier to see, so it’s nice to have multiple options between the two parks.

 

[Coelacanth18]

I’ve found doing Ituri Forest separately is much easier, as the way it is designed allows for it to be a pretty easy “mini-loop” that doesn’t feel like much of a back track (especially with the okapi and hippo habitats currently closed). It gets confusing when you try to include it with Tiger River.

Interesting. What I did last time was Ituri Forest--Tiger River--rest of Lost Forest, which worked pretty well and didn't require much backtracking. However, with those exhibits closed right now I do think doing them separately makes more sense. I guess it can also help if you want to break up Lost Forest a bit so you're not bogged down in that part of the zoo for hours (not in a bad way, but it can be time consuming if you've only got one day).

I’ve had much better luck with the kagu later in the day than first thing in the morning. There is, of course, the kagu on exhibit at the safari park too, now, which is usually easier to see, so it’s nice to have multiple options between the two parks.

That makes sense, I saw them late in the afternoon (maybe like 4pm).

I'm guessing Kagu at the safari park is a new development? I don't remember any from last year.

It may take more than a day to tour the entire place, as when I visited in 2021, I was there from opening until closing and still missed some exhibits completely!

Depending on the person, I still feel confidently that it can be done in one day, especially with the 12 hour summer days. Last May I saw almost everything except EO in exactly 9 hours, and that included taking my time birding in all the aviaries. That being said, the experience can be made a little less stressful and more fulfilling IMO if one prioritizes; I already know a couple of areas that aren't must-sees for me, especially as a return visit (thinking of Urban Jungle, Northern Frontier, Panda Trek and Center Street - all mammal heavy with species I've seen a lot before).

TL;DR: for a first-time visit 2 days is great, maybe even ideal. If you only have one day or its a return visit, marking out any priorities you have on a map ahead of time is strongly recommended.

 

[Kudu21]

Interesting. What I did last time was Ituri Forest--Tiger River--rest of Lost Forest, which worked pretty well and didn't require much backtracking. However, with those exhibits closed right now I do think doing them separately makes more sense. I guess it can also help if you want to break up Lost Forest a bit so you're not bogged down in that part of the zoo for hours (not in a bad way, but it can be time consuming if you've only got one day).

Personally, I just feel like compartmentalizing the sections makes the area more accessible and less overwhelming, and I just like spreading it out throughout the day. I could definitely see it working that way as well.

I'm guessing Kagu at the safari park is a new development? I don't remember any from last year.

Correct. I believe it only went on exhibit sometime in the last five or six months. It is in the second aviary down from the Rainforest Aviary right before you get to the buff-cheeked gibbon exhibit.

Depending on the person, I still feel confidently that it can be done in one day, especially with the 12 hour summer days. Last May I saw almost everything except EO in exactly 9 hours, and that included taking my time birding in all the aviaries. That being said, the experience can be made a little less stressful and more fulfilling IMO if one prioritizes; I already know a couple of areas that aren't must-sees for me, especially as a return visit (thinking of Urban Jungle, Northern Frontier, Panda Trek and Center Street - all mammal heavy with species I've seen a lot before).

TL;DR: for a first-time visit 2 days is great, maybe even ideal. If you only have one day or its a return visit, marking out any priorities you have on a map ahead of time is strongly recommended.

I would agree with is. On my first visit in 2021, I found the zoo to be immensely overwhelming, and I felt very rushed to see the whole park in a single day -- I felt as though I was running to get through the last few aviaries and Monkey Trails. Now, with multiple visits under my belt, I can very easily see what I want to see and finish the whole park in one day, even without getting there at opening or staying until closing.

 

[Julio C Castro]

To answer what parts of the zoo get the hottest, I will say it’s these: Africa Rocks, Elephant Odyssey, and Northern Frontier. Africa Rocks and Elephant Odyssey are a bit more exposed, with EO having a congestion problem around the middle section and by the Jaguar/Lion exhibits. Africa Rocks is similar but the benefit if you start the trail starting by the Kopje, you can make the trek down and take a nice break in the underwater viewing for the African Penguins/Leopard Sharks aquarium. Trust me when I say watching them swim while taking in the cool AC as you drink an cold water is a nice escape from the SoCal sun As for the Northern Frontier, it’s definitely the steep incline that can drain you faster. However, if I do walk through Africa Rocks as I mentioned, I’ll take the elevator up to cross the Bashor bridge and walk Northern Frontier down to Raptor aviaries/Asian Leopards/Panda Trek Trail!

 

[RatioTile]

I see that the zoo's open until 8 PM, and dusk right now is around 4:40 PM. Do any exhibits stay open after dark, like the reptile house or insect building?

 

[Kudu21]

I see that the zoo's open until 8 PM, and dusk right now is around 4:40 PM. Do any exhibits stay open after dark, like the reptile house or insect building?

The Reptile House and Cool Critters stay open for Jungle Bells, but the exhibit lights get turned off at dusk. The Spineless Marvels building closes at dusk. Many of the animals across the zoo stay out overnight, but there are no lights in the animal areas, so seeing them can be difficult if they are not close to the front of the exhibits.