SeaWorld San Diego, California

One of San Diego’s most popular attractions, SeaWorld is most famously know as the home of Shamu, the killer whale, who has become an unofficial symbol of the city. But the zoo has much more, including plenty of other whales, sharks, dolphins and penguins. And if you like your marine life choreographed, various special animal performances are held, too.


Indeed, San Diego SeaWorld’s highlights are its live shows, featuring trained dolphins, seals, sea lions, and killer whales. “Believe” is the most visually spectacular, a 30 minute show in which the three star performers – Shamu, Baby Shamu, and Namu – glide, leap, dive, and flip through the water while interacting with each other, their trainers, and the audience.

In Penguin Encounter, several penguin species waddle and frolic in a habitat that faithfully simulates Antarctic living conditions. You’ll see dozens of sharks as you walk through the acrylic tube at Shark Encounter.

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San Diego Zoo - San Diego, California

Packed into 40 hectares, the San Diego Zoo presents a stunning variety of nature's largest, smallest, noblest, oddest, and most endangered creatures. This famous zoo has more than 3,000 animals representing over 800 species.


Stop first at the San Diego Zoo visitor center to pick up a map. Highlights of the zoo include the Tiger River bioclimatic exhibit, which realistically recreates an Asian rainforest environment, and Gorilla Tropics, which does the same with an African rainforest. The koalas and the rare giant pandas are also popular.

The gardens at the San Diego Zoo are renowned and some of the plants are used for the specialized food requirements of particular animals. Especially for kids, the Children’s Zoo allows young ones to pet small critters; they will also enjoy the animal nursery, which shows off the zoo’s newest arrivals. For an aerial perspective on the park, take a ride on the Skyfari.

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