Guadalajara Zoo and Safari

If you’re in Guadalajara for more than a couple of days, and/or you are visiting Guadalajara with kids, then the Guadalajara Zoo is a destination you should definitely consider adding to your itinerary!

The Guadalajara Zoo and Safari is definitely one of the nicer zoos we have been to around the world. It is located in the northern part of the city and the far edge overlooks a gorgeous canyon. The setting is beautiful for walking around with lots of greenery.

Here’s everything you need to know for visiting the Guadalajara Zoo!

Visiting the Guadalajara Zoo with Kids

For visiting the Guadalajara zoo, it is easiest if you have your own vehicle. Otherwise we suggest taking a taxi or Uber. There is public transportation to the main road, but it is a very long walk to actually get to the zoo entrance, and you will want to save your energy for walking inside the zoo.

The zoo has a paid parking lot, and for ease of access we suggest you use it! Once inside you can get your tickets.

The ticket booth advertises three options for tickets: Just the entrance, the premier package which also includes the safari, aquarium and train; or the diamond package which includes all of those plus the SkyZoo which is a cable car ride going through the length of the zoo and back.

Depending on the age of your children and how long you have to spend at the zoo, you can determine if you want to buy a package.

Hot Tip: If buy just the basic entrance tickets, then inside the zoo you can pay for the extra attractions separately.

The zoo itself is really nice but be prepared for a lot of walking. You may want to bring a stroller for younger ones, although there is also an option to rent one. Visiting the main enclosures will take at least 2 hours.

We suggest getting an early start both to enjoy the cooler morning weather and because it generally gets busier as the day goes on.

The post about taking your toddler on their First Trip to the Zoo was written about the Guadalajara Zoo. Click through to find tips for babies and toddlers visiting the zoo.

SkyZoo

On our most recent visit (2022), we were able to ride the SkyZoo cable car. You must be at least 110 cm tall to ride it, so think elementary school age and up.

The ride itself lasted for 30 minutes round trip, and while it was cool to see the animals for different angles, it was perhaps a bit too long for our liking.

Note that the SkyZoo opens at 10 am. (The rest of the zoo is open from 9 am). The cost during our visit was 65 pesos per person.

Guadalajara Safari

Here’s an excerpt from when we first visited the safari in 2013:

The Masai-themed ride was great fun and all of us were pretty impressed with the set-up, not to mention how close we were able to get to the animals. Little N was enthralled with the whole experience which made all of us happy. It was a great day!

Guadalajara Aquarium

The aquarium is decidedly the least impressive part of the zoo. Not surprisingly, it’s just not the right weather and location for much of an aquarium. Think of it as an add-on.

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