BRONX ZOO

ESPAÑOL

Just in New York City there are 4 zoos, one in Queens, another in Prospect Park in Brooklyn, another in Central Park, and one in the Bronx, the oldest and largest in North America, and the one that boasts having their animals in environments of greater freedom. Certainly, it is a good claim, so we decided to go. What I found was… well, a zoo. I’ve been in some of the best considered worldwide: this one, the one in Singapore and the one in Sydney (my favorite), and some more I do not know if they are so well considered, like those in Barcelona, Brisbane, Chicago and Buenos Aires. The enclosures are very spacious and there are many interesting types of animals, but nobody expects the ninth wonder, an elephant is an elephant here and in Beijing.

HOW TO GET TO BRONX ZOO FROM MANHATTAN

The zoo is in the middle of the Bronx. Needless to say, it is by far one of the most crime-ridden areas in New York, and it is not exactly beautiful either, so wandering around is not advisable:

Of course you can get there by private vehicle.
Metro: that’s how we arrived. The lines are 2 or 5, the latter being much more recommendable, since at peak times there is a direct service that skips several stops; if we do not take it, it will take an eternity to arrive, which is what happened to us, from station 77 in the Upper East Side it took almost an hour. The closest stops are:
- South entrance, 300 meters east of station E 180.
- Bronx River entrance or gate B (east), 400 meters from Pelham Parkway station, two stops further north of the previous station. It is important to note that next to the Bronx Park East intermediate station there is no gateway to the zoo.
Bus: that’s how we came back. The Bus Express BxM11, which is probably the best option for being the simplest.
- Back to the UES it took about 40 minutes, but we had to wait for the bus for at least 20 minutes.
- The price is the same as any other public transport and can be paid with the Metrocard.
- It is taken in Manhattan on Madison Avenue with 23St, or on 5th avenue with streets 35, 43, 51, 58, 69, 85 and 98th, and leads to gate B.
- The first bus leaves Manhattan at 6:45 am and the last bus leaves the zoo at 11:22 pm, every 30 minutes. Slightly less frequency on weekends.
- When going from south to north, once you get on the bus in Manhattan, you can not go down until you get to the Bronx, and from north to south, once we got into it by the zoo, in Manhattan you can only get off, nobody can go up.

SCHEDULES

The opening dates change every year, but approximately:

From the beginning of April to the end of October:
- Monday to Friday: 10 am to 5pm.
- Saturdays, Sundays and holidays: 10am to 5:30 pm.
From the beginning of November to the end of March: from 10 am to 4:30 pm.

AND PRICES

Here comes the good, Wednesdays are free, yo pay what you want (donation). So despite the possible crowds, we better go on Wednesday or it will cost us an arm and a leg:

Adult (as of May 2018): $ 22.95.
Child: $ 14.95.
Senior: $ 20.95.

You have to buy them at the entrance, because online they only allow you to acquire the “Total Experience”, which includes the general ticket and the optional areas, even more expensive:

Admission of adult: $ 36.95, almost nothing…
Children $ 27.95.
Senior $ 31.95.

Parking for all day costs $ 17.

VISIT

The zoo has the usual types of animals. The spaces in which they are usually are large, so we recommend a camera with good zoom to take proper pictures, not like mine. At the entrance there is a map with the distribution of the animals and where the special exhibitions are located.