
Barbie and her son Cooper are a rare and endangered horse native to the steppes of central Asia. You’ll first see a Mongolian wild horse known as Przewalski’s horse. Two female American bison, named “Lucy” and “Gally,” call this place home.Īs you continue along the main path, you’ll enter the lower zoo section. RELATED POST: Take a guided bike tour of the monuments in Washington, DCĪs you make your way further into the zoo, you’ll pass by the Bison enclosure. The upper section also has an area dedicated to Cheetah Conservation Station, where you’ll find a few cheetahs and other animals, like an Abyssinian ground hornbill, lesser kudu or a sitatunga. Spend a few minutes exploring the Panda House as well to learn more about the fantastic creatures.īut don’t miss out on all the other animals along the Asia Trail, including a red panda, sloth bear, Asian small-clawed otter, a clouded leopard, fishing cat and a northern snakehead fish. It was fun to watch them eating bamboo leaves or a special frozen treat. Their son, Xiao Qi Ji (SHIAU-chi-ji), was born Aug. Both of them were born in 19 respectively. Mei Xiang (may-SHONG) is the female and Tian Tian (t-YEN t-YEN) is the adult male. You’ll find all three of them along the Asia Trail. One of the more popular animals at the National Zoo are the giant pandas.

Each area offers a different variety of animals. The National Zoo is divided into three sections – Upper, Lower and Valley. Have your entry passes printed or up on your phone so they can be scanned in. Follow the pathways behind the Zoo sign (as pictured in the selfie above) to the entry gate. The walk is about a half mile from the metro stop to the entrance of the Smithsonian National Zoo. You’ll want to exit the metro at either Woodley Park-Zoo/Adams Morgan (then head north) OR Cleveland Park (then head south). That said, the two metro stops in the area of the zoo still leave a walking gap. The metro in Washington, DC, is pretty easy and makes it easy to get around the city. RELATED POST: Explore the National Museum of African American History and Culture Then you can choose a parking spot in any one of the five parking lots. When you arrive in your vehicle, your entry passes will be scanned at the gate.


If you plan to park a vehicle at the zoo, you’ll need to purchase a $30 parking pass. You can do so online, and the pass is good for the day you plan to visit, so you don’t need to reserve an entry time. You are required to snag an entry pass in advance of your visit.
