To learn more about the Honolulu Zoo, read my blog post titled The Honolulu Zoo. To just learn about the new elephant exhibit, continue reading below.
We haven’t been doing a good job of putting our zoo membership to use this year but we are trying to change that, starting with a visit a couple weeks ago.
It was the first time we had been since they FINALLY finished the new elephant habitat. They’ve been working on that project for longer than I can remember. I’ve heard some complaints about it but I have to say it is 100% better than where the elephants lived before. It always made me so sad to see the elephants in their tiny little space surrounded by concrete and I like their new spot.
The elephants get to walk on the ground now, not just stand on concrete, they have a water feature and they have lots of dirt which they were covering themselves in when we were there. And their new area is much bigger than their old one.
But like I said at the beginning, this new spot for the elephants is a huge improvement over what they had before and I’ll enjoy seeing the elephants much more than I did in the past.
On a different topic, the peacocks are aggressive! Beware of leaving small children unguarded, especially if they have food. The peacocks help themselves, and aren’t easily chased off. My daughter started the day excited to see the peacocks wandering around and ended by wanting to be picked up whenever one was anywhere in sight.
Do it yourself on Oahu
Location: On the corner of Kapahulu and Kalakaua Aves. at 151 Kapahulu Avenue, Waikiki, Hawaii
Hours: 9am to 4:30pm daily; Closed on Christmas
Cost: General Admission: $14 adults and $6 for children ages 3-12; Kama’aina/Military: $8 adults, $4 children ages 3-12. (Keep reading for my zoo membership recommendation.)
Parking: The zoo parking lot is adjacent to the zoo along Kapahulu Ave. This lot is metered parking. Memorize your license plate number (or park near one of the pay stations) and then pay with credit card or cash at the pay station. No need to put your receipt on your dashboard, the parking attendants check when your parking is expired electronically using your license plate number. If I remember right, parking here is $1/hr and you can add time remotely using your phone, how cool is that?! You can also park for free in the Waikiki Shell parking lot which is along Monsarrat on the other side of the zoo.
Facilities: The zoo has restroom facilities in several locations. They have a couple of places to get food and drinks including the Kapahulu Market. There is a gift shop by the main entrance.
Other: A zoo membership is worth purchasing and will save you money even if you only visit a handful of times in a year. You can find membership info and even join online here.
More info:
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I'm a huge fan of the Honolulu Zoo. For being such a small zoo that is inexpensive to get into (the membership fee is outrageously low!), I always have a great time. I see a lot more action from the animals here than I have at other bigger city zoos in the past.
I was so excited when they finally opened up the elephant exhibit! It looks so great! Elephants are my daughters favorite animal, so I was happy she was able to see more of them in a more "natural" habitat.
You're right about the peacocks! Last time we went we were eating lunch at the cafe and one of the males kept trying to take food from my kids hand, she was really getting scared. It takes a lot to chase them away. I eventually stood up and kicked at one as I walked by and a woman yelled at me for kicking "such a beautiful bird"! She obviously did not have a lot of experience with the Honolulu peacocks!
@Savannah – Thanks for your comment! I used my foot to keep the birds away too even though it felt wrong and I knew it didn't look good. I finally started using my empty stroller to charge at them and guard the perimeter around our picnic spot and that worked. Crazy birds! -Lisa