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Every spring the San Diego Zoo Safari Park welcomes thousands of beautiful exotic butterflies. This year it is open from April 5th-27th of April! The butterflies are housed in a huge walk-through aviary that is really fun to explore!
One of the best parts about Butterfly Jungle is that you can actually see over 30 species of butterflies from Africa, Asia, Central, and South America! There are also 15 species of birds that co-exist with the butterflies in the Hidden Jungle aviary!
Be sure to bring your own camera! There are so many photo opportunities! The butterflies often land on you and you will want to capture these special moments!
A FEW TIPS:
- Admission to Butterfly Jungle is included with your regular park ticket. But it is only open at certain times and fills up quickly.
- Free reserved time tickets. Be sure to pick up your FREE Timed Tickets at the booth near Hidden Jungle. They’ll allow you to show up at a specifically reserved time. Timed tickets are required 10 a.m. – 2:45 p.m. Hurry – time slots run out quickly! Open viewing is 8 a.m.-10 a.m. and 3 p.m.-6 p.m.
- Wear bright colored clothes.
- Don’t worry when your camera lens fogs up. It will adjust and go back to normal after a minute or two.
Not too far from the butterflies are the Gorillas! I couldn’t leave without going to see the new baby gorilla and her mama Imani! So be sure to stop over there too!
Learn more about Butterfly Jungle here.
We will be in San Diego in 2 weeks and were debating doing this, so your timing is perfect. We did the zoo last year when we went to SD and loved it.
What an amazing experience! I can imagine how thrilling it was for your little girl! We are going to buy season passes to our zoo this year. Totally worth every penny!
The butterfly jungle looks amazing! I love the vivid colors in your photos from your visit!
It is hard to go to any other zoo after having gone to the San Diego Zoo… This zoo is amazing.
I’ve not been to San Diego but this makes me want to go. I’ll add this to my list when I get out that way!
We used to visit when we lived in California. Miss it now, you just don’t see the variety here in the Midwest.
What a fun exhibit! We love butterflies. I have heard the San Diego soon is amazing.
Your pictures are so pretty, I love all of the butterflies! We have an aquarium here that also has a butterfly room and it’s so much fun to visit.
We have a local butterfly garden, and my girls love it so much! It i so cool to see the butterflies land on them.
When Red can touch gently, we will visit our city’s butterfly garden. And how cute is that baby gorilla?!
We are headed there next week! I will have to check this out, thank-you for this post!
Mitch
I’d love to see this exhibit! The butterflies are so beautiful.
Looks beautiful. I have always heard amazing things about San Diego zoo!!
Love, love, love the San Diego Zoo! Great photos!
Oh so cool, this looks like such an amazing place to visit. I have always wanted to do something like this, but for some reason I never have. I totally need to get myself over there! Adorable photos!
What a beautiful exhibit! I love the tips (especially about the camera!)
Our nearby aquarium has a butterfly habitat and I love it. Last time we were there, we couldn’t get any to land on us, but we did get some beautiful photos.
These pictures are amazing! What a cool experience!
How absolutely beautiful! I love that it landed on her. I’ve never been that lucky!
What a great place! I love those butterflies as well as that gorilla. It’s a wonderful place to spend quality time with the family. 🙂
I love that picture of her and the butterfly! Great shot! This looks like a fun place to visit!
Just beautiful! The pictures are amazing as is your little one’s face!
Those butterfly photographs are amazing. I loved how she was able to have a butterfly land on her!
Aren’t those butterflies just beautiful! WE went to the science center this past weekend with my niece and saw a few out and about. She loves them!
OH what a beautiful place. I would love to visit there one day.
The San Diego Zoo already rocks without this amazing new addition! It’s been over a year since we’ve been to San Diego with our family… This is a good reason to make plans to go this summer!
Your daughter is so adorable! I’ve wanted to visit the San Diego Zoo for so long! I would love to see that, how beautiful!
What a beautiful place to visit! It looks so serene. I absolutely LOVE butterflies.
Great pictures – looks like an awesome zoo. I’ve heard a lot of great things about the San Diego Zoo, Would love to visit sometime!
This looks like an awesome zoo! How cute is the mommy with the baby gorilla?!?
I find the butterfly sections of zoo’s amazing. How do they keep them from flying away? Or people from accidentally killing them??