Best Zoos in this world

If you like to go to the zoo, be sure you make it to these three, which in my opinion are the best zoos in this world. I surely haven’t been to all the big zoos yet and I will add to this list if I get positively surprised once more but these zoos have amazed me in the variety of animals they show, the space they have, how nice the cages are and how the visitor path is arranged. If you say that zoos aren’t for you because you rather want to see the animals in the wilderness, think about a trip to Africa and check out this post about a safari in Kruger National Park (click here).

#1 Tiergarten Schönbrunn, Vienna

The zoo of Vienna is amazing. First of all, it’s huge. There kept coming more and more different zones with big/seldom/interesting/cute animals. They have pandas, koalas, elephants, rhinos, polar bears and so much more! Above all, there are the biggest and most beautiful lions I have ever seen! Really majestic, like in Lion King.
The cages and outdoor areas are spacious and beautifully built with informative charts and pictures of when the animals were babies. Plus, the keepers give informative talks and you can watch them feed the animals. I was lucky to always get to a cage right after they were fed, so that the animals were out and about and I could watch them move. If you get hungry, there are places to eat for every price category and fun playgrounds for the kids to distract themselves. If being on the ground gets too boring for you, try the tree canopy walk and look down on the wolves. So, it’s not just a zoo, it’s also a beautiful park to just take a stroll and be amazed at what you discover around the next bend. Also, compared to the other zoos on this list, it’s the cheapest.

(Cost: 16.50€ adults / 8 children / free for children under 6. If you buy the tickets online, you get 1€ off. I could just walk in and scan the code off my phone without a problem.)

By the way, right around the corner from the zoo is Schloss Schönbrunn and a beautiful adjoining park. You can read more about how to get most out of your time in Vienna here.

# 2 Singapore Zoo

To get to the zoo from Singapore city center by public transport I took  the MRT to Ang Mo Kio and from there bus 138 to Singapore Zoo. It took me over an hour to get there and considering this, about 4 SGD is a very fair price for public transport.

This zoo was better than any zoo I’ve ever been to (I wrote this before I went to Vienna and therefore, my memory of Singapore wasn’t as fresh anymore when it came to comparing it to the Tiergarten in Schönbrunn. I guess they would actually both deserve #1). Singapore Zoo is awesome! The cages all look very natural and most of them are only divided from the visitors by plants and moats. Hence, you get very close to the animals! You can follow a feeding time schedule and therefore, will be ensured that the animals are awake and active. In addition, the employees tell you many interesting facts about the animals. There are also fact boards everywhere in the zoo and the amount of writing on it is exactly right so that you don’t get tired of reading them.

What I liked best, was something like a rain forest hall. You can walk through a forest on paths and the animals move freely around you. It was sooo cool that I actually got geese bumps being in there! There were this cute miniature deer that didn’t even reach to my knee, colorful birds, butterflies, monkeys, lizards, tortoise and huge bats (I was so mesmerized that I forgot to look what they are called). Above all they were impressive when they spread out their big, thin wings and then suddenly hung back on a tree branch again. I could have stayed in there all day but there was so much more to see.

(Cost: adults: 32 SGD/ Children: 21 SGD/ Senior citizens: 14 SGD, also up to 30% cheaper if you buy the tickets online)

#3 San Diego Zoo

The Zoo in San Diego is another huge Zoo. It’s so big, that there are buses inside the park to ride around in them and feel like on a safari tour. Plus, there are gondolas in which you can enjoy a ride high above the animals and observe them from the air. The zoo is quite beautiful with big areas for the animals and there are a lot of different animal species. I enjoyed watching the giraffes, elephants and polar bears. The koalas were very active in the morning, however, the pandas were asleep.

In case you don’t have a car, you can take bus 7 to get to and from downtown San Diego.

This zoo is at 50$ for adults and 40$ for children ratehr expensive and that’s only if you buy the tickets online. I was very lucky that I was staying with a couchsurfer at that time, who had an annual pass and could bring an aditional person for free. Thanks again, Eric 🙂

Maybe, if you ask around in the couchsurfing forums, you could visit the zoo with someone who lives in San Diego.

Which zoo do you think also belongs on this list and why? What is your favorite picture in this post? Please, comment!