If I had to pick a must-visit place in San Diego, it would undoubtedly be the San Diego Zoo.

First of all, it is located close to downtown in Balboa Park, making it easily accessible, and it is a vast ecological space home to over 650 species of animals.

As you walk around, you feel as if you are slowly circling the globe with the variety of animals gathered here.

As soon as you pass through the entrance, you can hear the sounds of tropical animals, making you feel like you are stepping into a living nature.

The zoo is said to cover over 400 acres, and it is so large that at first, just looking at the map can be disorienting.

However, after taking a tram ride around, I began to see the overall layout.

The Elephant Odyssey, Africa Rocks, Polar Bear Exhibit, and Flamingo Pond are all themed so well that you can easily lose track of time while exploring.

The most popular animals at the San Diego Zoo are said to be gorillas, elephants, polar bears, and flamingos.

The Elephant Odyssey is the favorite spot for kids, and it's adorable to see the elephants catching apples thrown by the zookeepers.

Additionally, the exhibit with the polar bears shows them swimming gracefully in the water, which is quite a sight.

I visited on a weekday at the suggestion of a friend, and I felt it was much better because there were fewer people and it was more relaxed.

On weekends, it gets quite crowded with tourists, they say, due to the excellent facilities inside.

The adult admission fee is $50, and I thought they must be making a lot of money here. As someone who feels a bit sick seeing others make money, haha.

While wandering around, I took a few more photos of a gorilla that was sitting with its arms crossed like a person.

The flamingo area was so vividly pink that it felt unreal, and there were many educational programs throughout the zoo.

The zookeepers demonstrate feeding the animals or conduct educational talks, but you need to check the schedule on the website in advance.

The San Diego Zoo's cable car is called 'Skyfari,' and it offers a bird's-eye view of the zoo and the beautiful forests of Balboa Park.

It's a short journey of about 4 minutes, but it provides an experience of flying over the zoo. I should have taken photos, but I just enjoyed the view.

In the jaguar exhibit, there was a mother jaguar and a cub, and when the mother jaguar shook a lid from a trash can in her mouth, it broke with a crack, while the cub playfully tried to grab it, as if they were having a tug-of-war.

At first, it looked like play, but seeing the plastic lid break made me realize how strong the jaguar's bite is.

Jaguars are known to have the strongest bite among feline animals, capable of crushing turtle shells and even crocodile skulls. It felt like not just play but a wild training to teach the cub hunting instincts.

Seeing the quiet yet explosive energy of the jaguar firsthand made me understand why this animal is called the top predator of the jungle.

And after a long drive through the zoo, the safari park tour (which takes over 30 minutes) costs over $100, but I haven't been there, so I can't say much about it.

Also, the San Diego Zoo parking lot used to be free, but now you have to pay $10. The parking lot is enormous, so it's good for your mental health to mark the location on your phone app in advance.

Still, taking a day off on a weekday and walking around, I felt that this place is not just a space for displaying animals but a place to 'relearn nature.'