The National Zoo features more than 400 different species of animals. It will take about four hours to see all the zoo exhibits. Use the National Zoo Map to plan your itinerary. The map is in PDF format, requiring Adobe Acrobat Reader for viewing. Maps are also sold for for $2.00 at the Visitor Center and information kiosks throughout the zoo.
Olmsted Walk
Olmsted Walk is the Zoo's main walkway, running downhill from the Visitor Center. The following list highlights stops along Olmsted Walk that are fun for young children and are stroller accessible. Stops are in order of occurrence from the Visitor Center.
Cheetahs - Check out the fastest land animals in the world. See if you can spot the cubs or get an up-close view of one of these magnificent cats in the middle yard.
Zebras - The zebra exhibit offers perfect viewing of these striped wonders from several vantage points.
Elephant House - If it's BIG animals you want to see, then this is the place. Whether inside the building or out, you'll have a tremendous view of elephants, hippos, and a giraffes.
Great Ape House - You may want to take a trip around the back of the Great Ape House to see the gorilla family, including a juvenile. These apes are usually outside in the morning.
Gibbons - Across from the Great Ape House you'll find the acrobats of the Zoo. Stop by and enjoy the high-flying antics of these graceful primates.
Reptile Discovery Center - If the children like big and scaly, slither behind the Reptile Discovery Center to find the Komodo dragon, the largest lizard on Earth!
Think Tank - You may find some orangutans sunbathing in the outside area in front of the building. They can also travel between Think Tank and the Great Ape House on the O Line,
which stretches across the towers situated between the two buildings. Look up to see if an orangutan is on a platform or cable overhead.
Great Cats - The children will roar with excitement along with the lions and tigers. There are even kid-sized viewing windows. Take the kids on the Tiger Tracks Trail to learn all about what it is like to be a tiger.
Kids’ Farm - Learn where your food comes from while playing in the Pizza Garden, and help care for the animals in the Caring Corral.
Valley Trail
Valley Trail is a little steeper than Olmsted Walk, but has many more shaded areas.
Bird House - It may be far, but the Bird House is exciting to visit. Check out flamingos, toucans, ducks, and some lesser-known birds that are equally as fun to watch. They are full of color,
movement, and sound.
Free-ranging Golden Lion Tamarins - Just about midway on the Valley Trail, from about mid-May to mid-October, golden lion tamarins explore their forest home. Look for these small, gold-colored monkeys, roaming freely in Beaver Valley. If you can't find the
tamarins, ask a volunteer to point them out.
Beavers - Near the river otters and Mexican wolves, you can watch the second largest rodent in the world swim and slap its tail on the water.
Sea Lion Pool - You'll find places to sit comfortably while watching the sea lions swim. And don’t miss the underwater observation window at the lower end of the pool. Seeing a sea lion swim by makes quite an impression.
Where are the Dinosaurs? You'll find a bronze cast of a Tyrannosaurus rex skull and fossilized foot print in the Predators Alcove of the Great Cats exhibit.
