Honolulu Zoo — Attraction in Honolulu

Honolulu Zoo Review – Worth Visiting Once The Honolulu Zoo is a relaxing outdoor experience with interesting exhibits, shaded pathways, and family friendly amenities. While it is well maintained and enjoyable for a one time visit, there are a few things to consider before going.

Parking and Entry Parking is limited, and we had to park on the street using a meter at $3 USD per hour. Arriving early may help.

Park entry was quick, with no long lines.

Zoo Layout and Accessibility The zoo has a paved main pathway that loops through most of the park, but many enclosures require extra walking beyond it.

Bathrooms are proper buildings, not portable restrooms, and some have water bottle refill stations.

For families with young children, stroller rentals are available near the entrance. The paved paths make it easy to navigate with a stroller, though some areas require extra walking to get a closer view of certain enclosures.

Playground A large play area for kids sits in the middle of the zoo, offering two sections for older kids and a smaller area for younger ones. The entire area is shaded, making it a great break spot for families.

Animal Exhibits Some exhibits are well designed and have good visibility, while others felt a bit underwhelming. The hippo exhibit features an underwater viewing area, and kids will enjoy climbing into the fish enclosure’s viewing bubble. Some indoor enclosures, like the reptile and amphibian exhibits, were crowded.

Unfortunately, the lions and wild dogs were not on display, and the giraffes were in a section not open to the public which was disappointing.

Staff and Animal Care We saw staff feeding turtles, but there was very little staff presence throughout the zoo, and practically no one available to share information about the animals.

Food and Seating Areas The food area offers hotdogs, burgers, cold drinks, and shaved ice. Prices are on the higher side, but the food was decent. The eating area has benches with umbrellas for shade. There are also ice cream stands throughout the park as well.

Gift Shop and Donation Experience At the entrance/exit, the gift shop has a variety of stuffed animals, toys, and zoo themed souvenirs. A highlight was when my daughter donated a few dollars, and they let her ring a large golden bell while staff and visitors clapped. It was a fun moment that made her feel special.

Cleanliness and Atmosphere The zoo was very clean, with no visible trash and well maintained restrooms. There was plenty of shade and seating, and the park was not overly noisy or smelly, making for a pleasant visit.

Final Thoughts The Honolulu Zoo is worth visiting once, especially for families with young kids who will enjoy the playground and shaded seating areas. While it is well maintained, the lack of staff interaction and missing animals take away from the experience. I would pay to come back, but for a relaxed walk through a family friendly space, it is a pleasant way to spend...

Att: Parking? We live In Waikiki, we should have caught the bus OR walked. Took my granddaughter Nani and even She said " we should have taken the bus ". Available paying parking will be full and Please gather up info on payment before You go out and that's for All activities around the island. Families, freeze bottles of water the night before - hot 🥵! Especially the elderly, maybe a couple of cool towels for them. They do sell food, drinks and ice cream dots along the path. At the beginning of your walk, lots of birds and we never got to see the tigers ect. Too hot 😰 and what made it too hot is when we noticed the jungle gym with all of the other kids. I suggest lightly freezing fruits like oranges especially for the kids. 1 restroom on the property. The grounds have changed since the last time I was there in the 60's, 70's. What I found to be the best thing for me? It was the trees on which I climbed into when we played " Not it " I even hugged 1. I told my granddaughter the stories of which animals were in this spot like the penguins and seals. You'll find them at the other activity parks. The Honolulu Zoo is the last place where You can have grass, trees , and sounds of nature in Waikiki. Sadly the highrise" is going up and around the island. I don't even recognize the island anymore. If you have the time go to the " Art on the Zoo Fence " go over to see the many colors and talk stories with the artist. I talked to 2 that day they were at the end of the set up. Don't remember her name, I noticed that She painted women who looked and were shaped just like me. I even thanked her for painting the true women of the Islands. My granddaughter Nani was the one who 😯noticed the colors😲 of the octopus 🐙 the reds, orange and it's on a tile mind blowing 🤯! Prices weren't that shabby 😉. By the way we were parked 3 blocks away from the zoo, we didn't have to pay But! The parking spot technically belongs to the park and recreation of the county. No ticket, so glad NO towing 🫡 and I was glad for who is going to get my truck back? Uncle Frank not Mayor, of the City and County which was He's...

We were looking for something fun and interesting to do to fill some time on one of our days, so we decided to check out the Honolulu zoo. If you are staying is Waikiki it is probably around a 10 minute walk, as it is across the street from the beaches. They do have military pricing on tickets here. They were doing some construction so as you enter, you just go in a loop to the left. The grounds are very pretty and have a botanical garden feel as there are signs showing the different species of trees/plants/flowers. The habitats of the animals also had so much lush greenery in them as well. There are a lot of birds here, but they were all birds that I had never seen before (as I love going to different zoos) and they were all very colorful! I also enjoyed that this zoo had endemic species to the island, that are only found in Hawaii! There are lots of places to sit down and rest and take in the beauty. There is also a small grill/restaurant for food and snacks. In the middle of the zoo there is a playground with a lot of grass so there were many families here enjoying a picnic or just letting the kids burn off some energy. There were plenty of maps around so you didn’t get lost, as the zoo is largely just one big loop. Throughout the zoo was lots of tile mosaic work which was nice to see, and added an artistic touch. We were able to see just about every animal, and many of them were quite active, particularly all of the monkeys! We took our time and we were able to finish walking through the whole zoo in just about an hour. There is a gift shop at the entrance/exit. There are a lot of kids toys and stuffed animals. We chose a cool ornament. Overall it was a pleasant time at the zoo and we were glad...