No time for an African safari or Amazon adventure? Then take a walk on the wild side at the remarkable—and remarkably varied—Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens in L.A.’s Griffith Park. Explore tropical habitats at Rainforest of the Americas, and observe chimps in a natural setting of waterfalls, palm trees, and rock formations in Chimpanzees of the Mahale Mountains. (World-renowned primatologist Jane Goodall praised the chimps’ digs as one of the world’s outstanding zoo habitats.)
The 133-acre L.A. Zoo is home to more than 1,100 animals, including 29 endangered species. Get close-up (but safe) looks at spectacular Sumatran tigers, deadly Komodo dragons, and bright-orange orangutans. The zoo is also a horticultural paradise with more than 7,500 individual plants. And, as you’ll discover in the kid-friendly California Condor Rescue Zone, it has played a key role in bringing the iconic California condor back from the brink of extinction.
If visiting during the winter holiday season, stick around until after sunset to see the elaborate holiday lights show, Zoo Lights. With a cup of hot cocoa in hand, you can walk through shimmering light tunnels and a disco-ball forest, watch larger-than-life animal-shaped displays, and meet real reindeer.
Insider tip: Go nose-to-nose with a mama hippo and her baby at the zoo’s Hippo Encounter.
