Honolulu Zoo
Honolulu Zoo things to do, attractions, restaurants, events info and trip planning
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The Honolulu Zoo is a 42-acre zoo in Queen Kapiʻolani Park in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. It is the only zoo in the United States to be established by grants made by a sovereign monarch and is built on part of the 300-acre royal Queen Kapiʻolani Park. The Honolulu Zoo features over 1,230 animals in specially designed habitats.
attractions: International Market Place, Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort And Spa, Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa, Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort, ‘Alohilani Resort Waikiki Beach, Moana Surfrider, A Westin Resort & Spa, Waikiki Beach, The Twin Fin Hotel, Kapiʻolani Regional Park, Duke Paoa Kahanamoku Statue, Sheraton Princess Kaiulani, restaurants: Duke's Waikiki, Tiki's Grill & Bar, Cheeseburger In Paradise, Hula Grill Waikiki, Lulu's Restaurant Waikiki, Eggs 'n Things - Waikiki Beach Eggspress, Barefoot Beach Cafe @ Queen's Surf Beach, Maui Brewing Co. Waikiki, DECK. at Queen Kapiʻolani Hotel | Waikiki / Honolulu | Restaurant / Large Group / Wedding, Rainbow Drive-In
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The Honolulu Zoo is a 42-acre zoo in Queen Kapiʻolani Park in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. It is the only zoo in the United States to be established by grants made by a sovereign monarch and is built on part of the 300-acre royal Queen Kapiʻolani Park. The Honolulu Zoo features over 1,230 animals in specially designed habitats.
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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 department. Aloha ..
Charl'ette Aileen Pua'nani Kea'loha (Charlie)Charl'ette Aileen Pua'nani Kea'loha (Charlie)
00
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 that we visited!
Jackie NewtonJackie Newton
10
A short walk from the Duke statue on Waikiki beach, the transport links to this zoo are very good. There is a wide selection of animals at this zoo including various birds and primates. They also have a good selection of large cats, penguins, lemurs, etc. The reptiles collection includes a couple of large ones but very little in the way of snakes as they are illegal to import. The ones in their collection are apparently captured illegal imports. The cages are a little "cagey" and made me wish for some transparent sections where a camera could penetrate but you could still see the exhibits clearly. There are some exhibits that I've not seen as clearly in other zoos, the toucan for example. In places where there is perspex, it is not very clean and they could benefit from more regular cleaning instead of signs telling people not to touch the glass. The zoo is quite disabled friendly and there are signs whenever a path is likely to create difficulties for wheelchairs and strollers. None of the difficult paths would lead to anyone missing anything important. There are plenty of activities for families, including a petting zoo that (it's open but petting is currently not permitted due to COVID concerns). There is also a playground and plenty of relaxation space. Food and snacks are available on site and there is also a gift shop. If you enjoy animal photography, the cages will pose a problem in some cases but it's still possible to get some great shots. This is a great little zoo that is not too crowded and has a great selection of animals. Highly recommended.
Gavin BollardGavin Bollard
00
Heartbreaking Experience :-( I avoid zoos, and our visit to Honolulu Zoo reinforced my decision. It was one of the saddest and most depressing I’ve encountered. The enclosures were small and dirty, offering little to no enrichment for the animals. Seeing a lonely, sick orangutan hunched in the corner and the Gibbons in barren spaces with manmade amusements for entertainment was upsetting. Australian animals, like kookaburras, a tawny frogmouth, and a blue-tongued skink, were confined to small, unsuitable enclosures—these are animals I often see thriving in my own garden, living full, dynamic lives in family groups. Why are non-endangered species kept in such conditions? African and Asian animals fared no better—two elephants isolated from a family group, a lone rhino, a lion without a pride, water habitats with litter floating in them and two meerkats without a bustling family group of ten (according to their sign!). Most enclosures were bare, consisting of dry red dirt, concrete, or wire birdcages. While zoos can play a role in conservation and education, Honolulu Zoo feels outdated and inadequate. Many enclosures were closed or under repair, and what was the point of the kids' zoo with so few activities? This facility needs a major overhaul to align with modern standards for animal welfare, focusing on habitat, not incarceration. Until then, it’s hard to see this as anything other than a depressing reminder of what happens when animals are kept for human entertainment.
Wendy GeeWendy Gee
10
I really wanted to love this zoo. It should be thriving because it has amazing weather and tons of tourists but by the way the grounds and animals are maintained I can tell they lack funding. This could be a marketing problem. The exhibits are overgrown, hazy, and a lot of the time empty. It appears they spend most of their resources keeping the animals alive and the common areas free of foliage. The animals appeared to be miserable. The orangutan looked like they were crying the in corner of their cage and not in the play area. It broke my heart. All the ponds were infested with algae. All the glass needs to be replaced and properly maintained. Zoos are not supposed to exist to barely keep animals alive and make a dime. They should be a place of education so children will grow to maintain conservation efforts. The animals should be living their best lives, free of predators and cared for so they can focus in breeding the next generation. Someone needs to either change the management or take over completely. I only gave them 2 stars because somebody went to a lot of effort to get these animals here in the first place.
Kelly NeelyKelly Neely
40
I was happily surprised by the Honolulu Zoo in Waikiki. It is a medium sized Zoo with many more exhibits than I had initially thought. I was in a party of seven to include three small children and an infant. The Zoo offered spacious rental strollers that fit two of my eight year Olds side by side. There is a gift shop that offers toys, children's binoculars, and much much more. There were many viewing areas for the larger animals, and I am happy to say we got some amazing pictures. My children had a blast walking around and searching the exhibits for the smaller animals like lizards or various types of birds. One of the only issues that I had were that throughout the walk there were several stands set up to sell small refreshments such as drinks and dip n dots but none of them were manned. With that in mind I suggest you pack several snacks and drinks for the children. The parking situation was also fairly easy and not an issue even with a large vehicle lile my F150. All in all o would definitely recommend this location gor a fun (albeit) tiring day of walking for you and the family
Justin ThomsenJustin Thomsen
00
Nearby Attractions Of Honolulu Zoo
International Market Place
Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort And Spa
Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa
Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort
‘Alohilani Resort Waikiki Beach
Moana Surfrider, A Westin Resort & Spa, Waikiki Beach
The Twin Fin Hotel
Kapiʻolani Regional Park
Duke Paoa Kahanamoku Statue
Sheraton Princess Kaiulani
International Market Place
4.4
(3.7K)Click for details
Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort And Spa
4.2
(3.6K)Click for details
Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa
4.3
(3.3K)Click for details
Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort
4.5
(3.1K)Click for details
Nearby Restaurants Of Honolulu Zoo
Duke's Waikiki
Tiki's Grill & Bar
Cheeseburger In Paradise
Hula Grill Waikiki
Lulu's Restaurant Waikiki
Eggs 'n Things - Waikiki Beach Eggspress
Barefoot Beach Cafe @ Queen's Surf Beach
Maui Brewing Co. Waikiki
DECK. at Queen Kapiʻolani Hotel | Waikiki / Honolulu | Restaurant / Large Group / Wedding
Rainbow Drive-In
Duke's Waikiki
4.4
(6.6K)$$
Click for details
Tiki's Grill & Bar
4.4
(3K)$$
Click for details
Cheeseburger In Paradise
4.2
(2.6K)$$
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Hula Grill Waikiki
4.4
(2K)$$$
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Reviews
Overview
4.2
(4K reviews)
Phone
(808) 926-3191
Call
Website
honolulu.gov
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Deep Dive
A deep dive into Honolulu Zoo
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