Zoológico de Chapultepec — Attraction in Mexico City

We Googled the address, but when we got there we were told there is no parking lot at the Zoo. The nearest parking lot is by the Anthropology Museum, which is a long walk and a hard one pushing a wheelchair. The “parking lot” guy by the gate told us we could pay in advance, but we noticed it was a scam. He was charging double what we usually pay at the Anthropology Museum. We proceed and bought the “combo” tickets that included all visits inside, but nobody informed us that we wouldn’t have time to visit it all. Due to my daughter’s disability, mornings are especially hard on her and we arrived at the Zoo at around 1pm. We did not receive a map which made walking around the Zoo confusing. Since the Zoo is very big, plus pushing the wheelchair, it is impossible to go through all of the visits we paid for in only 3-4 hours. It would have been nice to know that beforehand, so we could’ve bought the basic tickets. Plus, inside, if one decides to buy a ticket for the butterfly nursery, one can buy it inside, this way we could’ve chosen what to visit based on the time we have left. The guards by the entrance do not check the tickets, they only check your bags to make sure you don’t take any food inside. It is a way to make you buy food inside. They told us we could pay to store crackers we brought at the ticket booth. Went back and was told the price to rent a locker was $40 pesos. That’s more than what the crackers were worth, so we thought, ok, let’s store the crackers and some of other things and carry lighter bags. Then was told we couldn’t store food inside the lockers, though crackers were in a ziplock bag. Then was told we could pay the same price and have the crackers sit on an open shelf. My daughter takes different meds, every 4 hours for her muscles to work, so we always have crackers or protein bars, plus water with us. This way, she can take her meds with food. Well, not in the Chapultepec Zoo. We took a helper with us to help with the wheelchair, because I am recovering from a shoulder tendon partial tear, but my helper kept going back and forth to the far away parking lot, first to park and then to take the crackers back to the car. We needed them afterwards for our way back home takes at least an hour with traffic. As we finally got to enter the Zoo, it was 2pm already. The helper took the tickets, so he could go into the Zoo. As we approached the Butterfly Nursery, though we had our “Combo ticket booklet”, we were told we needed to present the tickets. More wasted time. Many spaces were closed, no animals. When one buys the “Combo ticket”, you need to visit all of the paid attractions, get a stamp, to get 20% off of your food. But, the Zoo is a huge “garden” and though we stayed inside for about 3 hours, we managed to see only half of the Zoo. So, by 4pm we were starving and not even close to have all of the stamps. One of us had to run around the Zoo collecting the stamps so we could eat and get the 20% off we were entitled. And for our surprise, we were finally handed maps when we bought the food. So, who needs the map at the end of the visit? It made no sense at all! We would’ve moved faster and easier if we were handed the map when we bought the tickets, but we felt everything in the Chapultepec Zoo is made to be complicated. When we got to the Dinosaur attraction, my daughter needed to take the elevator, which is supposed to be for wheelchair accessibility, but the elevator is so tiny, we had to dismantle parts of her wheelchair to fit in. When my daughter needed to go to the restroom, the disabled restroom was locked. When I asked the cleaning lady to please open it, she replied: “Can’t your daughter walk?” I replied, “No, that’s why she is in a wheelchair.” The restroom was tiny, again it was hard to move inside. Accessibility in the walkways and mostly inside the attractions were good. Most of the staff was friendly. The Zoo was clean and it felt like a pleasant walk in a huge garden. Domino’s pizza was delicious. Not sure it was worth the price we paid and the complications...

Nice zoo, vast in size. Mexico city's showcase zoo! Get your comfortable shoes on, you're in for a bit of a trek today! There's plenty of animals to see here for a full day's fun-packed schedule, especially for little ones! The jewel in the crown is the giant panda exhibit. Thing is, it's so popular it gets really noisy and you will have difficulty in actually being able to see the animals! They're mostly likely put off by the childrens' thunderous screaming... Apart from this the butterfly exhibit (this is extra to pay- come on a day when general entrance is free to save some money) is superbly put together and a joy to visit. You're even allowed to release one (out of a container that had just reached adulthood) into the enclosure!!! Incredible really, and not to be missed.

You have your other standard fare of animals, the big cats are gorgeous and a real joy to watch. Be prepared to be confused somewhat as there is no signposting for you to know roughly in what direction you're going in! This needs massive improvement, plenty of people were saying they were lost as in which way they were supposed to go to not repeat things they'd seen already.

If you're hungry and not local, I'd avoid the eateries there at all costs. The hygiene looks non-existent and a recipe for you to suffer Montezuma's revenge! Bored teenagers staff the stalls, take from that what you will. We just drank bottled fizz and ate later outside from the place instead.

Other than this you will have a pleasant time, just a few things are rough around the edges and need further...

Even though I'm someone who only believes in animal captivity only in extreme situations, primarily when species face extreme extinction, the smile on a child's face the first time they see a live giraffe never gets old.

Regarding zoo experiences, I've had many, including the famous San Diego zoo, so I feel like I have a great reference point for this. Let's start with the atmosphere.

First, admission is free. Shame on you America. When thinking about taking a family to the zoo in America, prepare to spend a lot of money. Considering the value a zoo adds to a community, you would think America could find a way to copy this model.

To get to the gate, you'll be taken through Chapultepec Park, CDMX's version of NYC's Central Park. The location offers innumerable other experiences in the vicinity, but because of the size of the zoo, I would plan on this being an all-day experience.

Keep in mind the zoo's size when you pack. You'll need comfortable walking shoes; bags and cameras are allowed; and food is available on site.

As with any zoo, the real experience depends on the animals' cooperation. The zoo contains lions, tigers, bears, etc., All the good stuff, but if the animals are sleeping, it just might be your day.

Overall, it's a...