Getting to Know Hawaii: Honolulu Zoo

Aloha and welcome to the start of a new post series!

After realizing that I haven't done much posting at all on my new home, I figured it was time to get my butt in gear and start =)  This series will feature notable and fun places that Mr. L and I have discovered so far here on Oahu (and other islands when we start island hopping!).  Hopefully this series will become a guide of sorts for anyone interested in visiting this beautiful state =)  Let's get started!

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The Need to Knows:

• The Honolulu Zoo's address is 151 Kapahulu Avenue, Honolulu, HI 96815 and their phone number is (808) 926-3191.  Here's a Google Maps link of the location:

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• The zoo's parking lot charges one dollar per hour; however, there is free parking at the Waikiki Shell across the street on Monsarrat Avenue.
• The zoo is open from 9AM to 4:30PM daily (closed on Christmas Day).
• The admission fees are as follows:
• General Admission - $14.00 for adults 13 years and up; $6.00 for children from 3-12 years
• Military Admission - $8.00 for adults 13 years and up; $4.00 for children from 3-12 years
• Children 2 and under are free
• Expect to spend 2 to 3 hours here; we came out at 2 hours, but we moved a little quickly, so if you have kids, budget enough time!
• For more information, please visit the zoo's website at  http://www.honoluluzoo.org/

When a friend of ours flew into town for the week, one of the first things on the agenda was a trip to the Honolulu Zoo.  This particular friend of ours had never been to the zoo before, although he'd lived on Oahu for four years!  So it was quite a treat to be able to experience it for the first time with him.

We picked up a couple more friends and soon arrived at our chosen destination, where we purchased our tickets (yay military discounts!) and set out on the nearest path with our maps in hand.

I think one of my favorite things about the Honolulu Zoo was the scenery.  The zoo is located super close to Diamond Head Crater, so every now and then you'd get a glimpse of it's gloriously craggy beauty.

The zoo also has wonderful shaded areas:

And some beautiful gardens.

In fact, I loved the foliage so much I made a little collage for your viewing pleasure!  I love all of the bright colors.  They make me so happy =)

I need to learn my flower types -- the hibiscus (yellow flower) is the only one I really know.  The cool tree at the bottom is a Painted Bark Eucalyptus Tree, which is so beautiful to see in person, and of course palm trees at the top left =)

But of course, it's a zoo for a reason -- there are animals!  My odd combination of favorites included the following:

Burmese python -- I totally wanted to take it home with us!

Meerkats, a fennec fox, and a Klipspringer -- they all won the award for PURE CUTENESS.

Gharials, a kind of Indian crocodile.  They were so statue-esque that I didn't realize they were real at first!

Here's a few more animals hanging out in the zoo:

Clockwise: Chimpanzee; Sumatran Tiger; White-handed Gibbon; flamingos and a black swan; Indian elephant; African Spurred Tortoise; and a giraffe.

After getting our fill of some really cool animals, we checked out the gift shop (with lots of souvenirs, especially for kids!), and finally headed back to the house.  

Overall, I'm glad we ended up going; we had a lot of fun.  It wasn't too crowded (although we did go on a weekday at 10AM, so we didn't expect crowds anyways), and it provided us with a pleasant stroll and learning experience, and not to mention a chance to break out the cameras!  I'll be excited to visit it again with friends and family.  =)

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