Zoo or Wild Animal Park

[Terk-1]

Which is better for 2 adults? Which has more animals?

 

[birkner]

Which is better for 2 adults? Which has more animals?

If I had to choose one it would be the zoo. The zoo is more centrally located in San Diego and more to see IMHO. Both are run by the San Diego Zoo.

If walking is an issue, there is a tram that takes you around the entire Zoo. Here are some differences:

SD Zoo
1. Skyride
2. Pandas
Wild Animal Park:
1. Safari which you can hand-feed animals (i.e. giraffe) for an extra fee
2. Hot air-balloon ride
3. New baby animals that are recently born.
4. A brand new Journey Into Africa Tour

Basically, the wild animal park enables you to see animals in their natural habitat, and the zoo is more enclosed.

If you have enough time to do both, there is a special offer on the San Diego website:
San Diego 3- for-1 Pass Do you want to visit San Diego's premier attractions at a great savings? The San Diego 3-for-1 Pass offers unlimited Best Value admission to the San Diego Zoo, the San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park, and SeaWorld for up to five days.

I believe the cost s $107.00 per adult.

Here are both park websites:

Wild Animal Park: http://www.sandiegozoo.org/wap/index.html
SD Zoo: http://www.sandiegozoo.org/

Good luck and you really can't go wrong with either!

 

[LisaG520]

If I only had to pick one I'd go to the zoo. The Wild Animal Park is very spread out with little or no shade in most areas. And I liked the old train ride better than the new tram.

 

[dleyel]

While we enjoy both very much, if I had to recommend just one I would say the zoo. Much easier to see a greater variety of animals, including the pandas, koalas and Galapagos tortoises. You can hop on and off the express bus to get around, as well as take a narrated bus tour.

 

[mystic_path]

I would also choose the Zoo, more enclosed and more animals to see.

 

[cmwade77]

I am going to disagree with the majority here, I like both of them a lot, but if I had to only pick one, I would say the Wild Animal Park.

You are able to get closer to the animals.
There are a lot of things like the house with all of the Bonsai Trees, the desert environment, a Flower house, please be aware that some these only operate seasonly, but most are open ear around.
If you are going soon, the holidays have a lot more going on at the Wild Animal Park than at the zoo.

I will also say that if you are planning on going in the summer, despite all of this, I would recommend the Zoo, due to the hot weather.

Also, at both locations if you are disabled, they do have the option to take shuttles along the steepest parts of the parks for free, at the wild animal park this does mean that you may occasionally have to use one of the phones that are located throughout the park to call for assistance though, if you think you can make it up a hill and find out you can't, there is a number that you can call from a cell phone to get assistance, just stop in a guest relations and ask for an information packet on it.

By the way, I am lucky enough to have a season pass, so we get to go to both fairly often.

 

[gfrank]

I would say that while the SD zoo is a good zoo... I recomend the Wild Animal Park... less crowded... and a different experience than just "going to another zoo".

not to put down the zoo... it is a very good one as Zoos go. if you can... do both. but I recommend the WA park