Zoologico Guadalajara — Attraction in Jalisco

The zoo is more than a zoo. A safari tour, skyline lift, a mini-train tour that circles the zoo, and more. Home to some unique exotic animals, the zoo also seeks to promote research and conservation. It was successful in breeding the rare Mexican Wolf and an endangered crocodile.

If you visit, the best deal is the "paquete diamante" (which means 'diamond package') for 315 pesos (roughly 15$ U.S.). This package gives access to everything, from skylift to train ride.

Around the park you will find drink stands and a few eating spots. I recommend waiting till you get to the far end as there is a great eating spot overlooking the Huentitan canyon. Ample canopies will shade you from the sun while eating.

After entering the zoo through the massively-wide downward stone stairs with ponds, the mesmerizing and lush botanical life begins to embrace your path.

If you enter the skylift that air trolleys you horizontally from the mid-front to the rear-end of zoo to view the majestic canyon from an aerial perspective, you'll be required to check-in any backpacks, etc. I was skeptical of handing my bag to 3 teenage employees who placed it in a wooden wall box and gave me a rusty key, but all was well when returning for bag.

The skylift/air canopy thing. It's a 2 seater. You might get a strange sensation that the integrity of the single 'hook' that secures the airlift seat to the wire is unsound and unsafe. Do not rock the chair!! In fact, it's forbidden.

After visiting the zoo many times, I recommend not visiting during peak sun and/or during extreme hot conditions. It seems the animals are somewhat lethargic during these periods. Take my recommendation with a grain of salt; YMMV.

A personal quirk that annoys my mind: the Polar Bear. I'm all for seeing animals in zoos, but there is something about seeing the polar bear in 'Mexico' that is almost criminal. It's way out of its natural habitat. Although the zoo attempts to create habitable conditions for the polar bear, the bear simply did not appear to be happy in Mexico's weather conditions.

The Maasai safari ride is most impressive for one factor: the ability to hand feed giraffes. The giraffes are not shy to poke their elongated necks into your ride while facing you with their basketball-sized eyes. While many zoos prohibit any touching of animals for the increasing fears of safety/security, this zoo strips away society's fears to let you feel the wild, if only...

This is a huge zoo with lots of hills. Bring your water, walking shoes and a good camera. I think the zoo is probably pretty amazing but our experience was horrible as was customer service. If you need a wheelchair I suggest getting one before heading to the zoo. We showed up needing a wheelchair knowing that they might not have one available as the website indicated. We were ready to not enter if a wheelchair wasn't available. The parking lot is huge and you have to pay for parking before checking to see if a chair is available. Okay, we are out 100 pesos for parking. We went up to the main entrance & told them we needed to make sure a chair was available before paying and going into the zoo. After a little back and forth the lady called someone to make sure a chair would be available. She confirmed that we could rent one after paying. We paid, excited to check out the zoo & got our handicap son down the long set of stairs to the chair rental. They said they didn't have any available and we could go to the aquarium to rent one. My husband walked over to get one from them and they said they did have chairs available but would not rent to us because they needed all chairs back by 5. At this point it was 3:40 (we arrived at the parking lot at 3:15). My husband tried his best to get a chair, promising we would have it back by 5 but they wouldn't give us a chair nor give us a refund. 😤 We were able to see the Capabarras & made it down to the first set of monkey cages (where no monkeys were 😥) and had to turn around to leave. Overall it was a hugely disappointing experience, it would have been better if they'd just told us they weren't going to rent us a wheelchair and we would have turned around and left not knowing what was beyond the gates. But I guess they wouldn't have made $$ off...

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Of all reviews I've ever posted, this one gives me the greatest sense of accomplishment in providing recognition, hands-down. ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS ZOO!!! I have visited many in the US, UK, Europe and Mexico, and this one is my favorite. The park is huge, much bigger than the park map lets on--if visiting with small kids, make this a two-day trip.

I presume that this zoo is not popping with global popularity only because it is not well advertised outside of Guadalajara. The zoo's website (as of Feb 2025) is lame, which invoked an even bigger surprise from myself and my family during our visit. We bought the ultimate experience package, which seemed a little pricey (around $30 USD each) but gave us 'all access' throughout the park (safari ride, 2-way cable gondola / ski-lift ride across the park, 'train' ride access, aquarium experience, etc.). We had a blast! The animals are well-fed and well cared for. Kids can take part in a mock vetrinary experience. Big amphitheater for shows. Good food & snacks priced right.

The zoo sits at the top of a large canyon, and at the far end of the park (near the giraffe-feeding area [costs a small fee to feed them]), there's a big picnic area right at the edge of the canyon for capturing picturesque vistas with your camera.

Zoo is adjacent to a theme park. During weekends and busy times, I'd imagine the big parking lot fills up. Our weekday visit was perfect.

I would recommend buying tickets in advance, BUT the website does not accept credit cards from outside of Mexico (the cardholder address section defaults to Mexican states and postal codes only).

Definitely visit this zoo!!! Truly, a hidden gem. Great job,...