San Diego Zoo Inside Look Tour

We took polar Bear tour with Kevin. Our guide was fantastic! We saw many animals and were able to get out and check things out behind the scenes
Polar bears were active when we arrived, so cool. The big male was just laying around napping, but both females up and about for a good show. Kevin (our guide) knew everything there was to know about each animal and there habitat. I thought my favorite would be the pandas, but our final stop was the behind the scenes gorilla exhibit. We saw mom, dad and baby & met there keeper!
This tour made zoo the a wonderful day. As my husband has COPD and unable to walk far or up hills.
Every animals habitat looked so Authentic to the wild. Place was immaculate. All animals looked so healthy and happy. Just a wonderful experience.
$$$ but money well spent

We were in town and decided to go to the zoo and when looking on website noticed the tours and signed up for the surprise tour. This was the best thing we ever did at a zoo we started out with a behind the scenes look with a sloth and got to actually pet him, are guide kindra was aware and so knowledgable in every way. We then proceeded to tigers where she let us get out of the cart and take photos and give us a bunch of info which we did at the hippo, polar bears, elephants and other locations all behind the scenes where we weren’t piled with the rest of the crowd we also stopped at the panda enclosure and rather then wait until the 45 minute line we had a separate entrance with no wait. Finally we ended the day with the Galapagos turtles where we got into the enclosure and fed them by hand and pet them the kids absolutely loved it and was definitely a great choice.

I took this tour in January 2015. It was the best decision I could have made to see the zoo from the inside out while saving a lot of time and effort I would have otherwise spent wandering about. This tour combined with about two hours on my own made me feel like I had done the zoo justice. Don’t get me wrong though, the zoo has a lot to offer beyond what I was able to cover, and that is the reason I bought season tickets for one year which were offered at the end of the tour at a substantial discount. These tickets allow unlimited future visits to the zoo and visits to the Wild Animal Kingdom in North San Diego County for a period of one year. I am always happy to support the San Diego Zoo. It is a wonderful place!

I took my 15month son their today and had a wonderful experience. The place is so clean and every one I uncounted was super friendly. The tour buss man was a blast. My son loved it. Their souvenirs were not over priced at all. Every where we ate had really good food and reasonably priced. And I got a work out at the same time. And their animals are spoiled and their pins were immaculate. And they help animals across the world. So your $$ helps out. It’s not like your making some greedy person rich. I paid $ 36. For my sons sweater and at (Disney) it would have been $ 65.00 but I also love taking my son their 2. We had a really good time. Thank you San Diego Zoo

This tour is absolutely amazing and worth every penny. My husband and I took the Elephant Inside Look Tour on Saturday with our guide Jorge — who was awesome and so incredibly knowledgeable I wish he could have stayed with us all day. This tour is probably one of the best experiences we have ever had and I really would take it again. The tour lasted a little over two hours and we got to see a lot of the animals we may have missed if we just walked the zoo on our own and we learned a lot as well. One of my favorite experience during the tour was the baby Jaguar. Because we were on a tour we were taken along the backside of the enclosure allowing us to have a closer look at that little guy and we didn’t have to squeeze our way through a crowd. Also it was perfect timing because one of the zoo keepers was out with him and we were able to talk to her and ask her a lot of questions we wouldn’t have got to ask. My husbands favorite part of the tour was the Elephant habitat, we got to tour the facility and see a lot of the behind the scenes workings like quarantine protocol for new elephants, food preparation, how the enrichment tools are made etc. We were shown elephant teeth and got to feel and hold a piece of a tusk. We also were taken up into the cat walk and viewing platform which is not always available due to how the elephants feel that day and what is going on inside the habitat. Some of the other highlights were feeding a couple camels, feeding a giraffe, seeing the Pandas without waiting in a huge line, learning much more about the zoo and what they are doing for animals and seeing some of the animals interact with Jorge because he has worked with them (it’s pretty cool to see wild animals recognize people and run up to greet them).

Best zoo experience ever! Skip the Safari and do the Inside Look tour at the Zoo. I got Okapi saliva on my hand while feeding her. How cool is that!
My kids loved the experience so much that they ranked San Diego Zoo above the Sea World! The tour covered 75% of the zoo. So there was still a lot of walking to do after the tour. Brianna was very knowledgeable and friendly. Thank you!

Definitely DO THIS!!! It is well worth the money! There were a total of 7 adults on my tour (although children are allowed and I think kids would really love it!!!), and we rode in a large golf cart around the zoo covering way more territory than I could have on my own. I did the Inside Look — Surprise tour (where they don’t say when making the reservation which is the «main» animal on the tour. And what a wonderful surprise it was when our fabulous guide, Krystin, announced we would be heading to the orangutan story our first stop and talk with a keeper. The keeper was so knowledgeable and told and showed us all about their diet and lives at the zoo. We were actually in the kitchen where they prepare the meals for the orangutans.
After the orangutans, we stopped at the okapis and were each able to feed and pet an okapi in a separate viewing area. We later stopped by many of the animals (including the baby jaguar) and got to see «backside» views of many of the exhibits. Then, we went to the panda area. We were permitted to enter through a special door for tours only and view them from a separate viewing area, skipping the line altogether.
We had a special treat on our way back when we stopped to visit a wombat. The keeper shared a ton of information with us (including showing us a couple of new behaviors they had been teaching her), and we each were permitted to pet the wombat.
Overall, it was a great experience that I would recommend to anyone visiting the zoo.

The Inside Look Tour was amazing!!! My daughter and I did the Polar Bears and Friends one and I had the best time! Our guide was Lisa! She was awesome! She was funny. She knew so much about all the animals and answered all our questions along the way.
There were only 5 of us total on our tour. We took a small cart around the zoo. We got off multiple times to see certain animals. We went in behind the polar bear exhibit which was very cool. We saw the pandas and didn’t have to wait in the line at all. For me, the best part was going to see the giraffes and we got to feed them!!! I was so geeked out.
I highly recommend this tour. It took about two hours and it was totally worth the money. And once again, Lisa was an amazing tour guide! My daughter and I had a great time! Four thumbs up from the two of us!

Do this tour if you are visiting the zoo! Even though they name the tour after certain animal (mine was the polar bear and friends tour), we didn’t spend the whole tour to star at sleeping polar bears. The tour takes about 2 hours and the guide drives us around in a golf cart. We hit six stops around the zoo, including THE most popular exhibition — Panda, and we got to cut the 30min + line to have the best view in house.
For those who worry there may be too many people on a specific tour, personally I think it’s a very private tour, for mine it was just us and another couple. Our guide, Brianna, was amazing. She had all the knowledge about all sorts of animals, as well as about the zoo in general. The best part of the tour? I learned what is an Okipa and got to feed lettuce to her!

We doubled up and took the Inside Look Tour and the Backstage Pass Tour. The Inside Look Tour takes you around the zoo while the backstage pass is mostly centered around a stage setup they have in the zoo. We took part of the Surprise Tour which was the only way we could fit in the Inside Look Tour and Backstage Pass Tour in one day. Normally, they list the tours by themes like Polar bears or Koalas and friends. The Surprise Tour is basically animals which they keepers choose based on weather and the animals temperament. Our guide was lovely and really enthusiastic about the whole zoo. I would definitely take this tour again. I don’t think I can ever get used to walking in a zoo ever again after being carted around. Here is a link with some video taken from both tours.

All I can say is you gotta do this. Back scenes look at everything that is anything here

I took the Inside Look tour featuring the Polar Bears. Lucky for me, there was only one other person scheduled for this tour so we got a very in-​depth look at the zoo– it almost felt like a personal tour. Our guide was Lisa (I think), you could tell she is passionate about her job and very knowledgeable about the ins and outs of the zoo. We got behind the scene looks and stories that no regular person «just visiting» the zoo would get. Our tour lasted 2 hours, perhaps just a little more, and she let us off anywhere in the park we wanted to go once done. She didn’t try to hide the facts of zoo life, I’ve always felt bad about certain animals being held captive in the confines of a zoo, but now knowing how well the animals are taken care of and the conservation efforts the zoo provides and educates the public about makes me feel better. Overall, I enjoyed the entire day and recommend taking anyone going to the zoo to take an inside look tour– it’s worth the extra money.

What a great experience we had with (sorry we forget her name) and the inside look tour! (said awesome female!!) was the best! talk about high energy enthusiastic and truly passionate about her job and it made the tour experience even better! We got lucky because we had no other group with us and she did an amazing job at getting our 5yr old involved and made sure to keep his attention. Which most parents will say is quite difficult!
We started off the tour with our own golf cart and giving us the overview of the park, We met two adorable old camels that we had the pleasure of hand feed. We also hand fed the giraffes!
You litterally go behind the scene and get to see up front and personal all the animals! No doubt the best way to see the San Diego Zoo!
We have been recomending this tour too everyone!

Decided too Cruz to sd for the zoo got here at 9am got great parking … And began the journey. A heads up after parking right before you walk into the park they Ask to take your pic at the San Diego zoo sign if your there early you can do it yourself for free or after it’s empty people are usually tired and want to get out of there .
Over all a fun day the down fall was most of the animals were sleeping and just laying around
Restrooms are clean food is not that good but that’s typical for these kinda places .
Friday is a good day to roll up not tomany people are here …

We got to feed a camels behinf the gate, went to the front of a very long panda line and saw the baby breast feeding. Went into the back of the elephant area and there was actually an elephant in the back enclosure. I wish I could remember our guides name since she made our tour so special! There was only six of us on this tour conducted from a golf cart. I am a San Diego native, been to the zoo many times but this was a first and I would do this again.

Great to have a nice place to spend time with kids and family.

Definitely worth the $$!
Our guide was Emily. She was very knowledgeable about the zoo and could answer all of our questions.
This is basically your own private tour of the zoo — we were on a 8 person golf cart with another family. We saw maybe 80% of the animals as well as some special privileges.
We hand fed camels and okapi.
Had our own area for panda viewing.
Feeding of hippos.
Elephant area with information about training, physical therapy, diet, history…
By reading other reviews, each tour seems to showcase different animals. Our guide had asked if there was anything specific we wanted to do/​see so be prepared!
The tour was about 2 hours long.

An excellent tour! Our guide was Maya.
The quick version: you’ll be driven through the zoo, along some employee-​only trails, shown the keeper areas for a few animals, and given a chance to cut the panda line and look at Yun Zi from a private deck. And feed a giraffe.
We rode around in an 8-​person golf cart, joined by a family of 5 (all over the age of 12). Maya had a core script, but was cheerful and answered all of our questions without dumbing down anything or hiding the facts of zoo life. The tour was about 3 hours in length. We took the 1 pm tour, which was PERFECT in the heat of August. Got away from the crowds, walked around the new elephant care facility (with A/​C and restroom break).
The absolute highlight was watching a keeper feed their female jaguar. She has two cubs, and the girl cub was VERY interested, pawing at the fence and looking for attention. Beyond cute.
If you’re making a destination visit to the Zoo and live very far away (and might only every return in 10 years time), consider it. Recommended for ages 6 and up, as there’s a lot of talking /​discussing /​walking /​interpreting.
The BackStage Tour is better for groups with younger kids, I think, because you meet at one location, sit in an amphitheater classroom and only meet animals in the Africa /​Australia exhibit area. No golf carting.

I have not been to the zoo since I was ten, and all I remembered was being bored out of my mind. That’s easy to do when you are ten and have ADHD. So going back was not a priority for me. Now my kids were older and we had done sea world (see my other review of that place) so we were ready for something new. I was completely blown away by the Inside Look tour. Getting your own personal tour with an Educator and up close interaction with the animals is unforgettable. I would not go to the SD zoo and not do this. It is not the mindless guided bus tour, or the hour long discovery tour where you just get your own driver… This is exponentially better. It’s like a backstage pass versus front row seats. Our highlights include; being three feet away from both the male and female lions before they were fed lamb shanks; watching the Jaguar tear apart a rabbit; petting Mongo the camel; feeding carrots to the Galapagos tortises; meeting Matilda the laughing Kookaburra, Clifford the little red bird, and Jamba the Pygmy falcon; and even «petting» an armadillo/​hedgehog/​porcupine in a separate hidden area. Plus having the golf cart chauffeur/​educator whisk you to your own entrances while the other guests wonder why you get the special treatment is also priceless. Maya, our educator, did a great job. She knew a lot of zoo history and was very funny with stories of the animals and some of their histories. The horticulture around this zoo is worthy to point out as well as they have some extremely rare plant species as Maya also pointed out during our tour.
I think the additional price for this tour is worth it and the best way to visit the San Diego Zoo.

Taking the Inside Look tour is really good for locals that have been to the zoo a handful of times and seen all of the exhibits — or members. It’s also great for tourists who’ve given the zoo a run-​through, want to get the most out of their visit and don’t want to do anymore walking. Straight away, the tour is sixty nine dollars in addition to the zoo admission. It’s definitely not worth it on its own. You’ll miss out on a ton of stuff and you won’t have the ah-​ha or ‘that’s cool’ moments.

The tour leader guides you and six others maximum on a golf cart around the park for a two hour experience. Along the way history, many features that aren’t otherwise mentioned and exclusives happen that make the zoo, as the wise Donal Sheahan says quite often ‘very, very meaningful’. Sorry, inside joke. Anyhoo, the first major stop was the big cat enclosure. We met their keeper and he showed us around the sleeping quarters, discussed their specialized diet, enrichment and the everyday experience. After the talk he fed and discussed the lion pair and younger jaguar. The menu for the day was beef heart and ground beef. The next stop was the camel and llama enclosure for more discussion and feeding. Instead of waiting in a long line, we were led to a separate observation area for the pandas. In between the major stops was plenty of info. Our guide has over thirty years of experience. She was incredibly knowledgeable and seemed to be just as inquisitive with the goings-​on and keepers that we met as we were. Because of carrying on and asking questions, the tour ended up being almost three hours.
Before you say, ‘Eh, the zoo is so boring. I’ve seen everything already’, look again. For a pretty penny, there’s actually a lot more to see, know and appreciate on the Inside Look. There’s also cheaper and more expensive tiers of tours that you can investigate.