Apartments near San Diego Zoo in San Diego, CA (4,128 Rentals)
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Whether you are an animal lover or not, the San Diego Zoo is an awesome exhibit of San Diego beauty. Located in Balboa Park - the hills and landscaping, the Skyfari gondola trip across the park, and the gardens where the San Diego climate allows more plants than grow than almost any other environment in the U.S - makes the Zoo a definite destination for San Diego apartments residents. The zoo is renowned for its giant panda bear exhibit, where two giant pandas were loaned to the zoo in 1987 from China. Since that time, many pandas have been born and the exhibit currently houses five panda bears. But the pandas are certainly not the only worthy animal exhibit to see. A huge variety of animals are to be seen at the San Diego Zoo, from the Flamingo Lagoon to the Reptile Mesa. The "regular" zoo animals such as lions, tigers and bears are all here, as are giraffes, elephants, eagles, apes and monkeys. Below are a few favorite spots. It is so fun to watch the hundreds of monkeys playing, swinging and yelping through both their tropical rain forest, life-like habitats. You can actually stand there for some time, as long as they are not resting, and watch them play. The Ape exhibit, "Absolutely Apes," is equally enjoyable, with orangutans and siamangs living in their own Asian rain forest life-like world surrounded by glass for viewing. They live their lives eating, chasing each other and caring for one another in a very comfortable atmosphere. The polar bear exhibit is remarkable, with a huge pool chilled to 55 degrees for the Polar Bear Plunge, the name of the exhibit. Visitors enter the grotto where a huge glass wall, much like an aquarium wall, allows you to see the bears dive into the water from above and swim up to the glass. So fun! You may also go above and look at the bears lounging on the rocks. Nearby, Siberian reindeer, Pallas cats and northern birds occupy the San Diego "tundra." Jasmine vines and ginger were planted in the Tiger exhibit area so visitors could "smell" the jungle. You can definitely get the feel of the jungle by looking at the tiger habitat. A steep hill and a waterfall, along with logs and a heated cave make it a comfortable place for the tigers to live and exercise. Make sure you check out the crocodile pool next door. You can't leave the park without a ride on the Skyfari, the gondola ride that takes you high in the air, allowing you to see much of the zoo, as well as surrounding Balboa Park and the San Diego skyline. This is a wonderful place to experience, so live life fun and visit the zoo!