Bronx Zoo New York – Tickets, Prices, Timings, Animals, What to Expect, FAQs

Step into the awe-inspiring Bronx Zoo, home to over 700 animal species from around the globe. Book your tickets early and get ready to explore the wild wonders awaiting you.

The Bronx Zoo, in the heart of New York City, is the largest metropolitan zoo in the United States. Spanning an impressive 265 acres, it serves as a sanctuary for around 4,000 animals representing over 700 species from across the globe. 

With its remarkable biodiversity and exhibits, the zoo draws approximately 2.15 million visitors each year, captivating locals and tourists. 

Whether you’re a wildlife enthusiast or looking for a family-friendly adventure, the attraction offers an unparalleled experience that blends education, conservation, and entertainment.

This article covers everything you must know before booking tickets to the Bronx Zoo.

Top Bronx Zoo Tickets

# Skip-the-line Bronx Zoo ticket
# Bronx Zoo + New York Botanical Garden

It’s highly recommended to book your Bronx Zoo tickets in advance. These tickets sell out quickly, so securing your spot early ensures you don’t miss out on this unforgettable experience.

Key takeaways

Booking tickets online is better to avoid long queues, especially during peak seasons. Infants up to 2 years old get free entry.

For the best animal sightings, visit when the zoo opens at 10 am. Families with kids spend at least 3 to 4 hours. If you’re a bunch of adults, 2 to 2.5 hours would suffice.

You can use the Bronx Zoo map and plan the animal enclosures you want to visit to make the most of your time at the attraction.

The Southern Boulevard entrance is close to the main exhibits, Electric Convenience Vehicle rentals, and the zoo shuttle stop.

What’s ahead

Things to know before booking tickets

You can buy Bronx Zoo tickets online or at the attraction.

Online tickets let you skip the lines, often at a lower price, while guaranteeing availability for your visit.

After the purchase, tickets are emailed to you, and you can enter by showing the e-ticket on your smartphone—no printouts needed.

Remember to bring your official IDs.

Bronx Zoo ticket prices

You can either book a standard entry ticket to Bronx Zoo or a combo ticket that includes a visit to New York Botanical Garden, New York Aquarium, or American Museum of Natural History.

Note: Strollers available for a fee, if you are visiting with an infant or toddler. You can purchase reduced tickets for seniors 65+ onsite. Free wheelchairs available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Bronx Zoo entry ticket

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Image: Bronxzoo.com

Buy the Bronx Zoo tickets and see over 600 species from around the world at the largest urban zoo in America.

Get unlimited access to several exhibits, including the Butterfly Garden, Children’s Zoo, and JungleWorld, among others.

Enjoy access to all rides and attractions, including the Zoo Shuttle, Bug Carousel, and Nature Trek, subject to seasonality.

Visitors entering after 3 pm must have a Holiday Lights ticket, which grants access to the activities starting at 5 pm.

Please note that the zoo’s animal exhibits begin closing 30 minutes before park closing time.

For some attractions inside the zoo, the timings would be seasonal.

Ticket prices

Adult (13+ years): $31
Child (3 to 12 years): $21
Infant (up to 2 years): Free

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Opening hours

The Bronx Zoo is open between 10 am and 5 pm from Monday to Friday. On weekends, the closing hours extend to 5.30 pm.

Last entry is 45 minutes before closing. Animal exhibits begin closing 30 minutes before park closing time.

The zoo is closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day.

How long does the Bronx Zoo take

On average, visitors spend 2 to 2.5 hours at the Bronx Zoo.

However, if you wish to explore the entire zoo and all of its experiences at a leisurely pace, it can take around 4 to 5 hours.

Best time to visit

For a more enjoyable visit, it is best to book your Bronx Zoo tour on a weekday when the zoo is less busy.

If you want to avoid the crowds, we recommend arriving at the zoo right when it opens at 10 am.

Moreover, the animals are more visible during the early morning and may recede to shaded areas as the day gets hotter.

The zoo tends to be more crowded on weekends, school holidays, and public holidays.

Bronx Zoo entrances

The Bronx Zoo has three main entrances:

Asia Gate: Located at Boston Road & Bronx Park South, this gate is for pedestrian access only.
Bronx River Gate: You can take Exit 6 off Bronx River Parkway to reach this gate. It allows both pedestrian and vehicle entry. 
Southern Boulevard Gate: Pedestrians can go to S. Blvd and 185th Street, and vehicles can go through S. Blvd & 183rd Street. This gate is close to the main exhibits, Electric Convenience Vehicle rentals, and the zoo shuttle stop.

Bronx Zoo animals

Bronx Zoo and its animals regularly feature on ‘The Zoo’ show on Animal Planet. 

Discover the fascinating animals of this renowned zoo, living in exhibits that replicate their natural habitats. All these exhibits are included in the regular Bronx Zoo ticket.

African Plains

African Plains exhibit is one of the oldest in the Bronx Zoo, and as the name suggests, it houses animal species from Africa. 

Witness the majesty of the big cats, the grace of the African wild dog, and the beauty of the zebras and nyalas.

On hot afternoons, you may catch the lions drinking water together, sleeping, or playfully interacting with each other. 

The Carter Giraffe Building, located in the African Plains section of the Bronx Zoo, features both indoor and outdoor enclosures for giraffes.

Congo Gorilla Forest

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Image: Bronxzoo.com

Congo Gorilla Forest is one of the four most popular zones in the Bronx Zoo because of the 20 Western Lowland Gorillas that live here. 

Come and meet Ernie – the incredible silver-backed gorilla who is the star of the exhibit.

Other species in this exhibit are Mandrill, Okapi, Red-river hogs, WoWolf’suenon, and Pygmy Marmosets. 

Visitors can view animals from a walk-through area or treetop lookouts at Congo Gorilla Forest.

Baboon Reserve

Baboon Reserve, created like the Ethiopian highlands, spans over a 2-acre area. 

It resembles the native habitat of Nubian Ibex, Rock Hyrax, Waterfowl, and two harems of Gelada Baboons.

The exhibit has a significant slope created by excavating the earth, which provides visitors with a panoramic view of the wildlife on display.

This part of the Bronx Zoo also has a quaint African village-themed café overlooking the animal exhibit.

Tiger Mountain

Tiger Mountain is spread over three acres and has two main tiger viewing areas –

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Tiger Valley: It is an open viewing shelter that gives you a chance to get up close to these magnificent beasts.

Tiger Ridge: You can see the tigers enjoying in and around the private Tiger Pool from the Tiger Ridge. 

Image: Bronxzoo.com

You can see the tigers, mostly Amur ones and occasionally Malayan ones, at this exhibit. 

The Malayan tigers are usually off-exhibit.

Bison Range

In its early days, the zoo established the Bison Range to conserve and breed Plains Bison, which were on the brink of extinction in the US.

This Bronx Zoo exhibit boasts of holding one of the few large herds of bison in American zoos.

Sea-bird Aviary

The Sea-Bird Aviary resembles the Patagonian coast. 

Visitors can walk through it while viewing the 100+ birds, most of which are Inca Terns.

The aviary is 18 meters (60 feet) high, which is a lot of room for the birds to fly around.

Butterfly Garden

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The Bronx Zoo Butterfly Garden has over 40 species of butterflies in a greenhouse and meadow-like ambiance.

Visitors can walk through the indoor conservatory and watch 1000 butterflies up close.

Image: Bronxzoo.com

The Monarch Butterfly is the highlight of this exhibit.

Big Bears

The Bronx Zoo’s Brown bear exhibit, better known as Big Bears, has four bears – one male grizzly bear and three rescued ABC Islands bears.

This exhibit previously housed Tundra, a male polar bear that was put down in 2017 due to old age.

The Dholes or Asiatic Wild Dogs now occupy his enclosure.

Big Bears is a crowd favorite as visitors enjoy seeing the bears splashing around in the shallow water.

Birds of Prey

As the name suggests, these birds use their keen eyesight, muscular legs, and curved beaks to prey on vertebrates. 

Cages in this exhibit are home to birds like Bald Eagles, Rüppell’s griffon vultures, Lappet-Faced Vultures, Burrowing Owls, etc.

Children’s Zoo

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At Bronx Zoo’s Children’s Zoo, kids can pet and play with farm animals like goats, sheep, and donkeys. 

Some animals like otters, anteaters, sloth flamingos, and turtles are on exhibit only in summer.

Image: Bronxzoo.com

Himalayan Highlands

Himalayan Highlands is similar to the Asian-Himalayan region. 

The elusive Snow Leopards and Western Red Pandas are the highlights of this exhibit.

Madagascar!

Madagascar! gives you a feel for various habitats that are typical to Madagascar. 

It has several species native to the island, like Lemurs, Lesser Hedgehog Tenrecs, Fossas, Nile Crocodiles, Radiated Tortoises, and the highly endangered Cichlids. 

Bronx Zoo’s Madagascar is the only place in the United States that houses two Ring-tailed Vontsiras. 

The exhibit also has over 100000 hissing Cockroaches, a commonly found species in Madagascar.

Jungle World

Bronx Zoo’s Jungle World is the largest exhibit, with 800 different species of animals. 

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It has a 210-meter (688 feet) walk-through wooden path. 

You can see Otters, Lutungs, Gibbon, MaMatschie’sree-kangaroos, Gharials, Amur leopards, Pygmy Slow Loris, Greater Mouse Deer, and Malayan Tapirs in this zone.

Image: Bronxzoo.com

This indoor tropical jungle-like area is a combination of habitats like volcanic shrub forest, a mangrove swamp, a lowland evergreen rainforest, and a mountain rainforest. 

Mouse House

With its day area and nocturnal night area, the Mouse House is home to various species of small mammals, particularly rodents. 

Be as quiet as possible to catch the maximum action in this area. 

Sea Lion Pool

The Sea Lion Pool in Astor Court is one of the oldest areas of the zoo and has been home to California Sea Lions since its opening in 1899. 

It is fun to watch these playful animals basking in the sun, barking, and swimming in their pool.

Aquatic Bird House

The Aquatic Bird House has species such as scarlet ibis, roseate spoonbills, Madagascar crested ibis, giant wood rail, etc. 

You can view these birds from many open-fronted enclosures resembling their coastal and wetland habitats. 

The massive aviary also houses Greater and Lesser Adjutant Storks.

World of Reptiles

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Image: Bronxzoo.com

The long hall with terrariums on both sides in World of Reptiles houses several species – Cuban Crocs, Green Tree Monitors, Poison Dart Frogs, and Tiny Turtles. 

You can also view the newborn reptiles in the nursery area of this section.

Zoo Center

The Zoo Center in the Astor Court is a one-story Beaux-Arts building that holds Monitors, Komodo Dragons, Aldabra Giant Tortoises, and Southern White Rhinoceros. 

It is near the Children’s Zoo.

Save time with Bronx Zoo map
There is a lot to see and do at the zoo, which is why it makes sense to have the map of the Bronx Zoo handy when you visit. The map helps locate facilities such as restrooms, parking, restaurants, and first aid centers and navigate the various zones, enclosures, and activities efficiently. You can create an itinerary prioritizing your favorite animal enclosures, encounters, attractions, and experiences.

Experiences at Bronx Zoo

The Bronx Zoo has many unique and exciting experiences. 

Read on to learn about all the fun you can have during your visit.

Wild Asia Monorail

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The 2.6 km (1.6 mile) Wild Asia Monorail ride is a guided tour through the Asian wilderness to view animals, including tigers, red pandas, elephants, rhinos, sambars, deers, etc.

The Bronx Zoo monorail ride covers a 40-acre area with recreated habitats like mud wallows and pastures, forests, and riverbanks of Asia.

Image: Wcsarchivesblog.org

The monorail is open only from May to October and unavailable during winter from November to April. 

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The Bronx Zoo Bug Carousel is perhaps the only place in the world where you can ride insects. 

Every year, more than half a million children take a spin on the insect-shaped seats on the bug carousel in the middle of the park.

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It works as a refreshing stop even in winter, as the sliding glass doors enclose the carousel to keep out the cold.

Bug Carousel costs $6 per person, over and above the regular Bronx Zoo ticket.

Treetop Adventure

The Bronx Zoo Treetop Adventure (TTA) is a separate park area on the zoo grounds consisting of aerial adventure climbing elements and a dual zipline experience. 

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It is managed and operated by the Wildlife Conservation Society. 

The obstacle course comprises rope bridges, wobbly bridges, tightrope walks, ladders, and rolling and swinging elements. It has varying difficulty levels to engage all adventurers.

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Besides, there is the zip line that races over and back across the Bronx River.

The Bronx Zoo Tree Top adventure is not included in the general admission ticket to the zoo. 

Nature Trek

Nature Trek is one of the latest experiences at the Bronx Zoo that allows both children and adults to climb and crawl to new heights. 

Visitors to the village in the trees can enjoy the view from a human-sized bird nest along with crossing wavy bridges, crawling through elevated tunnels, and balancing wiggly surfaces.

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The bridges, walkways, and towers are covered in net and safe to navigate with accessible routes.

Only children aged three and above are allowed inside the Nature Trek. 

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This experience costs an additional $6 per person.

A chaperone of 14 years and up must accompany children aged 3 to 8 years throughout the climbing structure. 

Wild Encounters

The Wild Encounters at the Bronx Zoo need to be booked over and above the regular zoo admission ticket

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A family or group of up to six visitors can choose an animal from a giraffe, Cheetah, Penguin, Fennec, Sloth, or Rhino and privately visit the animal. 

Alternatively, visitors can opt for encounters tailored by keepers with a set of animals.

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Each of these encounters costs between $300-$350 and lasts for 30-45 minutes.

Zoo Shuttle

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The Bronx Zoo spans 265 acres, and navigating it on foot can sometimes be time-consuming and tiring. 

The Zoo Shuttle comes in handy as it takes visitors from Wild Asia at one end of the park to the Zoo Center at the other. 

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On the route, the shuttle also stops by Tiger Mountain.

The Zoo entry ticket includes access to the shuttle.

The Zoo Shuttle is available during summer from April to October and remains closed from November to March.

Where to eat at Bronx Zoo?

The Bronx Zoo Dancing Crane Cafe is open throughout the year, from 10 am to 5 pm. Their menu has hot and cold dishes as well as snacks and beverages. The massive restaurant has both indoor and outdoor seating options overlooking a natural marsh. If you are carrying your lunch or boxed meal, you can eat at the picnic areas or tables provided near the café. 

FAQs about the Bronx Zoo

Here are some questions visitors usually ask before visiting the Bronx Zoo.

What animals can I see at the Bronx Zoo?

The zoo houses over 6,000 animals from various parts of the world. The animals include tigers, lions, gorillas, bears, elephants, and many more. Some of the exhibits are dedicated to specific regions, such as the Congo Gorilla Forest and the Himalayan Highlands.

How long can I stay at the Bronx Zoo?

Visitors will need to select an arrival time slot when buying tickets but are allowed to stay for as long as they want.

Is there a dress code at the Bronx Zoo?

While there is no strict dress code, shirts and shoes must be worn at all times.

Is photography allowed at the Bronx Zoo?

Photography is allowed for personal use, but tripod use is prohibited in certain exhibits and at the discretion of zoo staff.

Does the Bronx Zoo have any special events or exhibits?

The zoo frequently hosts various events and exhibitions throughout the year, such as Boo at the Zoo during Halloween and the Holiday Lights display in winter. Additionally, there are a number of permanent exhibits that you can visit, such as the Butterfly Garden and the Children’s Zoo.

Can I bring my pet to the Bronx Zoo?

No, pets are not allowed at the Bronx Zoo except for service animals.

Can I bring my own food to the Bronx Zoo?

Yes, visitors can carry their own food to the zoo. Picnic areas and tables for boxed lunches are available at the park. However, visitors are advised to follow the posted signs to avoid bringing food and drink into restricted exhibits.

How to reach

The Bronx Zoo is located in Bronx Park on Southern Boulevard in New York.

Address: 2300 Southern Blvd, Bronx, NY 10460, USA. Get Directions!

You can reach the zoo by both public and private transportation.

By bus

The nearest bus stop to the Bronx Zoo is Southern Blvd/E 183 St, which can be reached by the Bx9 and Bx19 buses.

By subway

Take subway lines 2 or 5 to reach East 180 Street station near the zoo.

By car

If you are driving by car, turn on Google Maps and get started!

You can park at either of the two parking lots at the zoo, one near Southern Boulevard and the other off the Bronx River Parkway.

The parking fee for cars is $20.

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Researched & written by
Jamshed is a versatile traveler, equally drawn to the vibrant energy of city escapes and the peaceful solitude of remote getaways. On some trips, he indulges in resort hopping, while on others, he spends little time in his accommodation, fully immersing himself in the destination. A passionate foodie, Jamshed delights in exploring local cuisines, with a particular love for flavorful non-vegetarian dishes. Favourite Cities: Amsterdam, Las Vegas, Dublin, Prague, Vienna

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