Honolulu Zoo: Tickets, Hours and Is It Worth It?

Figures are from the City’s zoo page and the visit and ticket pages of the Honolulu Zoological Society, the nonprofit partner that sells tickets and runs the programs, checked October 14. Hours and prices change, so confirm before a special trip.

Adults (13 and older) pay $21 and children 3 to 12 pay $13; children 2 and under are free. Kamaʻāina with a Hawaiʻi ID and U.S. military pay $10 for adults and $6 for children, and military buy at the admission booth with a valid military ID (prices). For two adults and two children aged 3 to 12, that is $68 at general rates and $32 at kamaʻāina or military rates, by our arithmetic.

Buy at the gate or on the zoo’s own ticket site. The City’s page says tickets are sold at the entrance with no advance sales, while the Society sells them online, so the booth is the safe default. No tour company sells zoo admission: a Viator search on October 14 found no Honolulu Zoo ticket, so the booking cards on this page are for other parts of your day.

The zoo is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with last entry at 3 p.m. (plan your visit), and closes on Christmas Day (City page). Arrive by 2 p.m. to get two hours before closing. Storms close it: the City shut the zoo at 1 p.m. on August 15 for Hurricane Lala (notice) and all day on September 8 for Hurricane Lowell (notice); on a stormy day, call (808) 971-7171.

It is an outdoor zoo. Waikīkī’s average high runs 86 to 88 degrees from June through October and 80 to 82 in winter (NOAA 1991 to 2020 normals), and the zoo’s tour pages tell guests to bring water, a hat and reef-friendly sunscreen (FAQ). Arrive at 10 for the cooler hours and the morning chats, or come after lunch for the elephant and sloth talks. The City notes some animals are off exhibit and may not be visible, so check back later.

The zoo lays its 905 animals out in three tropical zones: the African Savanna, Asian and American tropical forests, and the Pacific Islands (City page). The savanna is the draw. Its two guided routes name lions, cheetahs, a giraffe, black rhinoceros, African wild dogs, meerkats, hippos and penguins (guided tours). The hippo and penguin exhibits reopened on September 1 after $942,000 in City upgrades, with a new walkway to the zoo’s 8 African penguins and the two female hippos, Mara and Louise, nearby (City release).

Elsewhere, the Asian elephants have a keeper talk every day, and the Islands and Ectotherm routes name a sloth, Galápagos tortoise, Komodo dragon and Japanese giant salamander. The zoo map also lists a hands-on Keiki Zoo, an orchid garden and a picnic lawn. Keeper talks follow a posted schedule (keeper talks); days and times change, and the free Honolulu Zoo app carries the day’s list. These are the daily ones and the weekend favorites:

The zoo sits inside Kapiʻolani Park, so it pairs with the park, not a drive. Our Kapiʻolani Park guide covers the park and the Waikīkī beaches guide the sand. For what costs nothing, see free things to do in Waikīkī; things to do in Waikīkī has the rest, and the Oahu Itinerary Builder fits the zoo into your other days. The zoo posts no rain policy, so on a wet day start with our rainy day guide.

Two ways to build the day:

• Diamond Head first, zoo after. Hike early with a reservation, then take the afternoon talks. The Viator shuttle below includes the reservation ticket and is listed at 150 minutes.
• Zoo at opening, sunset after. Be at the gate at 10, finish by noon, and save a free sunset spot for the evening.

Walking: from the Duke Kahanamoku statue on Kalākaua Avenue it is about 0.35 mile to the zoo corner at Kapahulu and Kalākaua, 7 to 8 minutes by our routing (not timed on the ground). TheBus: routes 2, 8 and 42 stop there, about 7 minutes from Kūhiō Avenue and Lewers Street by our count of the timetable; fares are in Getting Around Oahu.

The zoo lot enters from Kapahulu Avenue and charges $1.50 an hour with a four-hour limit at one time. Machines take cards, bills and coins, exact change only for cash (City page). Red or blue disability placards still pay the meter unless the holder has the exemption permit, issued for green placards only (plan your visit).

The Shell lot and meters: the zoo says the Waikīkī Shell lot on Monsarrat Avenue is free; the Shell hosts concerts and we found no event-night rule, so check on a show night. Metered stalls line the park side of Kalākaua Avenue (aquarium directions); we found no City-posted rate, so read the meter. Garages are in our Waikīkī parking guide.

Bring your own snacks, drinks and cooler: the zoo allows them and asks only that you carry out your trash and leave grills and alcohol home (zoo etiquette). Strollers are not on the prohibited list, and the zoo rents double strollers and wheelchairs for $15 each at the entrance gift shop, first come, due back by 3:30 p.m. with a credit card or government ID as the deposit (guest services).

Also banned: bicycles, scooters, skateboards, drones, balloons, bubbles, ball games, frisbees, pets and smoking (full list). Service animals are welcome and should check in at the ticket booth, and the zoo is wheelchair accessible.

Guided tours run in regular hours, last 45 to 60 minutes and cost $75 per tour on top of admission for up to 25 guests (tours). The Saturday Morning Safari, 8:30 to 10 a.m. with admission included, is $500 for up to 10 guests (Morning Safari). Twilight Tours are two-hour guided walks after the gates close: $30 for adults and $25 for children 2 to 12, or $25 and $20 for kamaʻāina, with dates posted week by week (Twilight Tours).

It depends on who is coming. At 42 acres it is a morning or afternoon stop. At $21 it costs more than the Waikīkī Aquarium’s $12 and far less than a half day at Bishop Museum. By group:

• Under 3. Free, and a double stroller rents for $15.
• Ages 3 to 10. The best fit: $13 a ticket, a hands-on Keiki Zoo and a keeper talk every afternoon.
• Teens and adults. A fine two hours if you like animals, built around the elephant and sloth talks. Skip it if your free time is better spent in the water.
• Kamaʻāina and military. At $10 an adult and $6 a child, the easy yes.
• Hot days. Go at opening with water and a hat; the zoo posts no shade map.

Other ways to fill a Waikīkī morning:

• Waikīkī Aquarium. A short walk along the park at 2777 Kalākaua Avenue: $12 general, $5 for ages 4 to 12, open daily to 5 p.m., and open while undergoing renovations by its own notice (admission, hours).
• Bishop Museum. Hawaiian Hall and a kids’ science center fill a half day; see our Bishop Museum guide.
• Sea Life Park. The island’s other big animal stop, a drive from Waikīkī rather than a walk.