The San Diego Zoo: The Most Swingin' Place in Town

The San Diego Zoo's male giant panda cub, Mei Sheng, left, takes a lesson on how to be a giant panda from mom, Bai Yun, as she munches on some bamboo at the SBC Giant Panda Research Station.

Swing into the San Diego Zoo for a roaring good time. With beautiful and unusual creatures from around the world, the Zoo offers a rare opportunity to visit some of the world's most imperiled and precious wildlife - and learn ways to help save them.

With large, naturalistic habitats, the 100-acre San Diego Zoo is home to more than 4,000 animals representing 800 species - from armadillos to apes, komodo dragons to kiwis, lizards to lions - the diversity is unparalleled. 

The Zoo's newest exhibit, "Absolutely Apes," features two charismatic ape species - orangutans and siamangs. This is the first time in San Diego Zoo's history that two different species of apes are living and playing together in one lush, tropical setting. The enormous, glass-fronted habitat features numerous trees, play structures, ropes and sway poles and has quickly become a favorite for many Zoo guests. Guests can go nose-to-nose with the curious and playful apes, and the primates are always up to something fun. 

The San Diego Zoo is one of only four facilities in the United States to house critically endangered giant pandas, and is the only U.S. zoo to successfully breed, birth and rear healthy cubs. The rare birth of a panda cub took place on August 19, 2003. The healthy male cub will be on exhibit to the public early this year. 
Dozens of rare and obscure animals can be found throughout the facility alongside more familiar zoo critters such as polar bears, lions, tigers, bonobos and much more. Guests to the San Diego Zoo become immersed in lush, tropical environments such as Tiger River, Gorilla Tropics and Ituri Forest. In these naturalistic habitats visitors will find a wide array of plants and animals native to various regions of the world, such as the elusive Okapi found deep in Central Africa's Ituri region, along with hippos, otters, forest buffalos and primates. In other areas of the Zoo, guests may come face-to-face with gorillas, bears, big cats and more. 

Africa Awaits in your Own Back Yard

About 30 minutes north of the San Diego Zoo, an African savanna awakens to the sound of elephants trumpeting, lions roaring and hundreds of gazelles and antelopes trotting toward a watering hole. The beauty of the Serengeti, thousands of miles away, may seem unreachable, but seeing the beauty of this world in one day isn't difficult for those who visit the San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park in northern San Diego County.
Home to more than 3,500 animals, representing 429 species, the Park is a wildlife preserve that mimics the natural habitats of African and Asian animals. While the collection of animals also includes animals from other parts of the world, including North American species in Condor Ridge, it is the expansive African and Asian exhibits that remind visitors of a safari.

Ever hand-feed a giraffe or touch a rhino's horn? You may get that once-in-a-lifetime experience by embarking on a safari adventure with a private guide at the Wild Animal Park. The Photo Caravan tours take guests on a canopy-covered safari truck through the expansive enclosures of East and South Africa, the Asian Plains and Asian Waterhole for up-close photography opportunities of rare wildlife including rhinos, giraffes, cape buffalo, gazelles, wildebeest and more. 

Photo Caravan tours are available for passengers 8 and older. 
Several tours are available ranging from 1:45 -hour to 3:30 hours. Prices range from $60 - $130 per person (Park admission and parking are not included) and reservations are required. Call (619) 718-3050 for more information and to book a tour.

The San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park are open every day of the year with hours varying by season. For Zoo information, visit http://www.sandiegozoo.org or call 619.231.1515. For Wild Animal Park information, visit http://www.wildanimalpark.org or call 760.747.8702.