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What to do in San Diego?
The most exciting to do that caught our eye was the San Diego Zoo. Of course, the promises of sun, beautiful beaches, and delicious Mexican food also had a part in our decision. 😊 When researching for our trip I learned San Diego has a zoo as well as a safari. We are very glad we took the time to visit both while on our trip. Below are a few thoughts comparing the San Diego Zoo and the San Diego Safari Park.
San Diego Zoo
We started our trip at the San Diego Zoo. The zoo is located in Balboa Park right in the middle of San Diego. This proximity makes it easy to access, especially if using public transportation. However, because it is in the middle of a large city, the zoo is landlocked.
We did enjoy the large number of animals at the San Diego Zoo. However, the animal enclosures are pretty standard in size so there isn’t a lot of room for the animals to roam. Additionally, on the day we visited, there were quite a few exhibits where the animals had been removed.
While the zoo might be landlocked, it is on 100 acres so there is a lot of walking required to cover the whole park. However, we did see, and use, the many places to stop and sit. There are plenty of benches as well as eateries with tables nicely spaced throughout the park.
There are many food and gift shop vendors throughout the zoo. Since we were in the park for over 4 hours, we did stop for a little lunch. The food prices were a little high but the quantities were large so we were satisfied sharing a meal. To reduce expenses, we found we were able to bring our backpack into the park with a water bottle and small snack. Free water refills are available at the food vendors.
San Diego Safari Park
The San Diego Safari Park is located about 30 miles away from the zoo, so if you purchase 2-park tickets be aware it takes about 45 – 60 minutes to travel between the parks. The safari is out of town sitting on more than 1,800 acres. The expansive grounds allow for much larger, more natural habitats for the animals.
At the safari we found more animals overall – more of each species and fewer not on exhibit. The animals were also able to roam more, so they seemed more active compared to the zoo animals. Like the zoo, there is a lot of walking. While we didn’t use it, we did see signage for a shuttle bus within the park.
Because the safari is so large some of the animals are far away from the walking trails. There is a free tram that will bring visitors around the outside of the African exhibits. Tour upgrades are also available to visitors who want to get a closer look within the exhibits. In addition to taking the free tram, we also upgraded to the wildlife safari truck tour. We enjoyed both experiences. However, the free tram experience is very good and the upgrade is an easy avoidable expense that won’t negatively affect the safari experience.
Like the zoo, the safari had plenty of seating as well as food and gift shop vendors. We were also able to bring our backpack into the safari, carrying our water bottle, snack, and camera. Food vendors do provide free water refills. The food vendor pricing and portions were similar to the zoo, so we once again shared a lunch meal.
Summary Comparison of the San Diego Zoo vs. Safari
My favorite was the safari but both experiences are enjoyable. If you have the time, we recommend you visit both the zoo and safari. We think you’ll have the most fun if you start with the zoo and then visit the safari. If you only have time for one and transportation is not an issue, we highly recommend the safari.
Both the zoo and safari take 4 – 5 hours to get the most of the experience. There are experience upgrades at both parks. However, we found that these upgrades don’t significantly improve the experience and can be avoided.
The San Diego Zoo and Safari parks are worth the trip. We’ll definitely make the trip again if we are ever in the area.
