Reviews of Panaewa Rainforest Zoo (Zoo)

Tom Mulders

Little gem. I had low expectations but we really liked it. Kids (9-11) loved the setting, enclosures, and especially the tiger set up. Lots of orchids, and beautiful tropical plants (rainforest zoo...). We spotted lots of geckos (Madagascar Day Geckos), and Anolis lizards in the plants. And it's FREE (we donated!)

Richard Todd

Small but pleasant zoo. Kids really enjoyed it and made another fun stop on our last day on the island. Took just over an hour or so to wander round.

Tracy Dixon

Family fun for little to no cost. We make a pic-nic lunch everytime

G Tripps

Not the greatest, but it is good to have a Zoo on this island. It's free to enter and an okay place that you can take your young kids to. There is more rainforest type animals since it is located in a natural rainforest. There is also a decent kids playground where you can just relax and let your kids burn off their energy. Just make sure you pack your own snacks/food and water if you plan to stay a while. There is only 1 souvenir shop at the main entrance. The staff at the zoo are very friendly and knowledgeable about their animals and try their best to up keep the zoo with what they have to work with. Most of the zoo's operations and decorations are from private and public donations. Every Saturday there is also a free minature petting zoo located next to the playground from 1:30pm - 2:30pm.

Freya Van Housen

Always a great time, no matter what age.

Babette Mohan

Most beautifully landscaped zoo ever. Also only FREE zoo I know of.

Debby and Howard Jacoby Ruben

What a treasure. If you’re nearby and have an hour or more go and enjoy this beautiful FREE zoo and garden

Andrew Hardy

Awesome spot! Well worth the stop

Jennifer Nolen

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to this zoo. Entry is donation only. The grounds are very well maintained. Some of the enclosures are small and weathered, but the animals all seem clean and healthy. It's a small zoo, which is perfect for us. We spent about 2 hours here and had plenty of time to enjoy the rest of the area.

Robbie Robb

A nice little zoo, cute decorations and painting, adorable animal benches everywhere for photo ops, basically a botanical garden along the way. Plus it's free, so it's pretty amazing considering that price. Buy the self guided tour map, it's worth it.

Konstantin Avgi

Super fun and fast, best part the animals don't look depressed. Make sure you donate!

David Griffin

It's free admission with donation. And it's definitely worth the price. The only "cool" animal is the white tiger, which was in it's cage the whole hour we were there. There are some cool birds but that's about it. Walked the whole thing in under an hour. Seemed like someone's hobby, collecting birds and monkey, then found a white tiger and had the idea to create a zoo.

nick geier

Nice zoo, free and a good mix of animals. Very clean and an enjoyable experience!!! Definitely going back next month!

Ashlie Thorburn

This was an amazing little zoo. The grounds are beautiful. They have a few tigers, one being a pretty white tiger, and lots of birds and lizards. A few primates. Some have commented on the enclosures, but the animals look healthy and well taken care of. A great free place to visit in Hilo. On Saturday starting at 1:30 there was a cute petting zoo with turtles, tortoises, Guinea pigs, chickens and other small farm animals

Hiwa Pascubillo

Great location i love this place.

Douglas Calvert

This place is so great. Right-sized, clean, and well-cared for. It's free to go, but please, always leave a few bucks at least. It's built of love, but food costs money.

Kayla Bohler

The place is wonderful with all the sweet animals they seem so happy ❤️ Also the gift shop is the best.

Megan Perkins

It would have been 5 stars if the petting zoo had been open! Otherwise I'm shocked and amazed that this is a city/county facility. And entry is by donation. That just doesn't happen most places. Some of the critters were hiding and there was maintenance happening at some exhibits, but it was all within reason. We loved seeing such variety and I was completely enamored with the plants. Amazing varieties of orchids, bamboos, native plants and exotics. Well worth the visit for adults and kids.

Raul Pineda

Lots to look at and learn about Friendly staff

Scott Henderson

Just wonderful!!!!! The staff cares and it was a nice afternoon. Could of just sat for the day and loved every minute. Thanks everyone. Thank you To the Big Island!

B H

My wife and I had a wonderful time.

Mario Ariosto Matranga

Amazing place, the tigers are in a nice area much bigger than other zoos I have ever seen.

Patrick Harold Cross II

Love this zoo and its free!!!

Ashley Main

Cute little zoo. Great for an outing with the kids. Lots of picnic areas and playground. Petting zoo too!

Mike Hoffman

The Tigers were absolutely stunning! Best tiger exhibit I’ve seen. They come right up to you! It’s clean, and the staff is friendly. A must see if your in Hilo.

Juliana Baguio

Such a beautiful little zoo and very well maintained. The animals there looked very comfortable in their habitats and the ones in the petting zoo, are well-loved & taken care of :) Really enjoyed this place so much- for certain we will be back many, many times! Mahalo for a nice few hours well spent at Panaewa!

Rafay Syed

Beautiful walk with a lush scenery, it's free but you should consider donating to help

Kael Spencer

It's fine. Nothing special here, but it's free (they take donations). Tiger was not present. Butterfly house was empty.

ashlie crews

Really cool little place! Kids loved it and the flowers were amazing too. Really neat birds!

Laetitia Southam

Love this place. Great walk around tropical plants and the children love the animals and the playground.

James Higgs

Fantastic zoo. Runs on donations. Great variety of animals. Nice descriptions of animals with easy to read plaques with interesting facts.

Nick Morris

I can't believe this place is free! The wildlife seems well taken care of and all the plants and flowers everywhere make the place seem very nice. Highly recommend a visit.

Jeremy W

I really enjoyed my visit. This is a nice little zoo. Property appears very well maintained and it's relaxing to walk through.

Danielle Creswick

Great family zoo! Perfect for toddlers and Pre-K with animals that are interesting. Love that it ends with an awesome playground. Chickens and peacocks roam freely and are lovely.

Anthony Rayl

So cute and even if there were no animals the grounds itself is worth your time and the price of admission, which is free. Just a lovely place to take a walk, lots of shade, and the animals seem much more active than in other zoo's I've been to. It's pretty small, so you can see everything in a relatively short amount of time.

Ethan Collyer

It's great to see the different animals at Panaewa, but the exhibits were built in the 50s. Concrete and metal cages do not comply with the American Zoological Association regulations and all the animals are by themselves or in cages too small. Amazing to see intelligent primates up close but sad to see them clearly depressed. Visit them if you can, they need company.

Tanya Kane

More shade would be nice but very much enjoyed our visit.

Gulliver Brown

Love this zoo. A great place to have a picnic, there is a nice little playground for the children. Would be nice if the petting zoo was open for more than one day a week...

Elizabeth Harrison

I loved this zoo! We went twice when we visited, because they have a petting activity for kids on Saturdays. It was clean and all the residents looked healthy and well-kept. All my boys loved the jungle gym, and they have the cutest benches and picture areas, too. Their petting activity on the weekends is volunteer run, and they were all awesome. They seemed to know everything about their furry and feathery friends and were all so pleasant about answering questions, letting the kids feed grass to the guinea pigs, and making sure no one got stressed out. Make sure to leave a donation up front! This zoo is perfect for families. ❤

Cameron Kapicka

Cute little zoo with all the animals you want to see. From tigers to birds this zoo is full of different animals. And to top it off the zoo is free and has a playground for the kids. If your looking for a 2 hour or so adventure with the family or just by yourself, this is a great spot to do so. If you plan to go out and are trying to burn time, again, this is the place to be, I highly recommended this zoo to everyone who drives by it.

Jaime LeGault

Kids loved it! Awesome to have stuff the could touch and climb on! Nice to not have to say 'No, don't touch!' constantly

Jake Huang

To our surprise, the admission fee for the zoo is actually free! Great learning opportunity and a chance to see animals you wouldn't normally see. The greenery and space itself is worth the trip. Also, the benches placed around the zoo is a feature itself!

michelle doppelt

Adorable FREE zoo that has beautiful plants and landscaping as well as many tropical animals.

Lisa Bate

Beautiful well cared for animals in great jimgle homes.

Nate Elkins

Great place to take kids and see something for free

Susan Staehling

Small zoo, easy to find all of the exhibits. The flowers were clearly marked. The park was very clean

Lacy Dean

Beautiful zoo. Happiest tigers I've ever seen. It has a fun play area for the kids, shade, nice walking paths and seating for rest breaks. The capuchin was full of energy and putting on quite the display.

Jeya Srikanth

Good place to visit with children. Half a day would be enough to cover the entire zoo. Very close to Mauna loa macadamia nut center. One can cover both these places in a day

Butch ball

Kids loved this place pretty small but it's awesome

blank space

Panaewa Zoo is a great place to take the kids. There is a playground for the kids to play. The petting zoo is open on saturdays from 1:30p-2:30p.

Christopher Coburn

Fantastic little zoo, staff where very friendly and informative. Great mix of animals for a small zoo. All that for donations only!

Adawn Northern

Nice zoo. Cool free place to spend a day.

Chris Stovall

It’s free! What’s not to like! The tigers are amazing! Go as often as you can. But something in the gift store or make a donation. All zoos should be free.

REBEKAH CURTIS

I love this place. first off it it by donation. we know people cant always afford so we threw s ok me extra money in. the grounds were large and lush. the kids loved the playground and the peacocks roaming around. my favorite was the tiger habitat. it was huge. they were active tigers. I feel that it was a much better habitat than many others I have seen. the animals actually looked happy..

Laura O'Reilly

Free zoo. What a wonderful contribution. Not big but nice to check out. You've got nothing to lose

Jay Garcia

Fun for children and adults. Free parking and entry. Suggested donation for park fee. Enough to see in a few hours so if your in the Hilo area stop by!

Drew Nickell

Great experience, small zoo but really fascinating and awsome place to drop by.

Barbara Mellon

Hidden gem. Beautiful and welcoming little zoo. Free but please leave a donation to help them grow.

Travis Hamill

Especially since it is free, this is a great spot to take family and friends. Animals seem well cared for and happy. The birds especially love to pose for pictures and some of them will talk to you. Not huge (about an hour to an hour and a half of stuff to do, if you take your time) but well maintained and fun. Well worth the trip. And but something from the gift shop, it helps them fund the place!

gabriel.r llmm

This place is amazing! The best part about it is free parking, free entrance no line!! We were here enjoying nature for about 2 hours there's no limit! I love Hilo!

Sean Timm

Great zoo, being free my expectations were low, but this zoo rivals our state zoo which charges admission. The animals look well treated, there is a wide variety. And the space for the animals seems adequate

Joy Dong

Very nice garden and zoo. One monkey put a circus show for us, brushing floor, playing with mirror, standing on the ball and draging the string to make bell ring! It has parrot who can talk! My family had good time there.

Aaron Hansberry

It was a relatively quick tour. The layout is smart and efficient.

Sophie N

I'm not a huge fan of zoos in general but the animals here seem well treated. The admission is by donation and you can meet Namaste, the white Bengale tiger

Katherine Crown

Free $! Beautiful and they seem to take good care of the animals- the living spaces were larger then I’m used to seeing and the animals seem alert and active. (sign of health). Loses a star for not having any interpretive staff or any public education staff while I visited. I’d recommend it to anyone who likes animals.

Laura Carroll

What a wonderful hidden gem, just outside of Hilo. Google Maps tried to take us to the employee entrance, so keep an eye out for the big sign that says Panaewa Zoo. It was really amazing to see the tigers so close and there are peacocks that roam around freely. It seemed they were pretty used to people, but I don't recommend trying to mess with them. We went on a Saturday morning and it wasn't very crowded. Nothing like the zoos in the mainland.

Kelly Allard

The animals seem well taken care of. They all seem happy and active. The enclosures are well kept and large enough for the animals that reside in them. It's a small zoo, but you can definitely make a day out of it if you take your time and bring a picnic lunch. You can get super close to the enclosures, which is something I've never experienced before! The whole place feels very natural compared to your stereotypical zoo that seems industrial.

Mark G

Well worth the price of admission - FREE! Nice variety of animals at this tropical zoo. Many different birds to see, as well as monkeys, lizards, frogs, turtles and even a couple of tigers. There is a small gift shop with strollers for rent and a nice playground for kids. Plenty of parking available and this would be a great spot for a picnic. After you spend an hour or two there consider dropping some $ in the donation box on your way out.

PAUL Lepage

Great little zoo for people of all ages. Even though the admission is free, there is a donation box (which is well worth it).

Donald Shade

A great place. Very clean. Excellent exhibits including a white tiger and the best part of it all is that it is entirely free.

Natalie Lee

This zoo that operates off donations is well maintained and always a great experience for our family. Staff is always friendly, easy parking, and the playground is top notch.

rod smith

Two big Tigers stole the show.

Prudence Holland

This is a very small zoo. There are far more plants curated than animals. Lots of thought has gone into making this a child friendly outing. I was impressed with the size of the tiger enclosure and there were lots of sturdy toys for them. The other animals were in old fashioned wire cages but most looked contented and well cared for. The iguana in his tree looked as happy as a lizard can.

Deanna Lamont

Just beautiful here!!

Jean Ziggy

Not much to see here. Store is expensive.

Jason Brown

With five children, it is so difficult to afford a trip to the zoo with the whole family. This was hands down the best free zoo I have ever been to!

Shelly Lace

Awesome little zoo! Had fun wandering around and seeing all the exhibits.

Frederick Henderson

Free entrance, but well worth much more! Well worth a visit if you want to see animals that can live in a rainforest.

James Abbott

Go here, its amazing. Go see the blue macaws before they are gone.

Charlotte Malan

A great zoo, especially considering that a lot is done by volunteers and that it is donation only. There are many different kinds of animals, the tigers were my favorite. There are no wheelchairs to rent, but there are a few strollers for a fee. The gift shop closes earlier than the rest of the zoo.

Rosa Dejarnette

Beautiful zoo. Well maintained.

Jenafer Olsen

Amazing dont forget to donate it's donations only

E Dekonor

We really enjoyed the atmosphere for a birthday party. Clean facilities and the tigers are amazing. We missed some of the other animals that are no longer there. Swans were a new and beautiful addition. And upon leaving we supported the zoo by donating change to the wishing well. It's such a fun time at no expense!

Rex Seeley

It is a very nice little local zoo. Fun to look around. Birds, tiger and white tiger, lemurs, monkeys and more. We went about an hour before closing and saw the monkeys being fed. It was fun watching one monkey throw a big plastic spool at a door to get attention at dinner time. Zoo was free and there is a donation box.

MOFOS GAMES

Free admission. The zoo is a little run down in spots but still a great experience for the family. You can spend at least a few hours walking around checking out the animals and reptiles.

Joshua Berlin

Great for kids (watch their fingers!), get really close to the animals, learned a lot. Can't beat the price.

Eric Bonner

Went to my daughter's friend's birthday party at the zoo. Didn't see much, but the white tiger was soooo beautiful and very accessible! The zoo has lots of winding paths, it almost felt like being in the backyard! And the price is right - it's free! (Be sure to donate if ya go!)

Riley Domingo

I couldnt believe this cute little zoo was for free! Its perfect for the family, animals were out and about because they were being fed when we went around 9:30a. The playground was perfect for the kids to run around and get some of their energy out. Would definitely visit this place again!

Geraldine Lorenzo

Very beautiful place and animals.everytime i come and vacation its the first place i visit.

Sophia Gabriel

Wish had more animals. You can have a picnic with the kids and a playground area

Toivo Betancourt

Super fun little outing with the family, nice little zoo! Would've given 5 stars if the Tigers were actually out.

Kay G

And unexpected Gem! Beautiful and well maintained zoo. Perfect for our younger two kids. Even with a little rain, the gift shop sold a little ponchos for us to continue on our adventure.

Dianna Maree

Super sweet local Zoo.

Jessica Morgan

It is super cute hand well maintained. Nothing big or extravagant to, but a nice way to enjoy an hour or so. I really liked that they included up a small story about the animals. I wish feel that that does a better job to help someone connect with a specific species.

janet01243

Free To Go Zoo Great For Family's

Arlenette-Marie Cabrinha

We loved visiting the Hilo Zoo so much this trip that we went twice. Too bad there wasnt much butterflies this season and there were no Axis Deer. We plan to go again during animal studies of our homeschool.

Stephanie Schilling

One of the main reasons we come to Hilo. We love the tigers, and the walk around.

Christina Behlke

My husband and I went to the zoo to explore the Hawaiian plants, as well as to see the animals. There are lots of birds. I'm not much of a bird person, but the blue macaw was my absolute favorite animal there! What a personality! The zookeepers were friendly and knowledgeable. We got to see the alligators get fed too. That was pretty neat. It was nice to see the zookeepers interact and be playful with the animals.

Steven Christensen

You wouldn't expect a free zoo to be this nice. The animals appear to be healthy and well cared for.

John Mullin

Great little zoo, alot to see for free admission just recommended to leave a nominal donation. Tigers, crocs, e.g...

Jeff Price

Not too big so easy to fit in a day when you're visiting other places too.

Felix Litter

Nice zoo for a 2-hr stay! Free entrance, friendly staff, small playground

Katie Bird

Absolutely amazing. Donation box at entry (no other ticketed price) and has heaps of animals - the lemurs were definitely a highlight! Heaps of parking, heaps of animals from all over the globe and two tigers.

Gwen Wertz

Love this zoo. Up close and personal.

Sharon Nolan

Sweet little zoo. Can't complain as it's free to visit.

Ted Pierson

This was a surprisingly terrific Zoo. Well laid out and the animal habitats were spacious and natural. Loved the anteater! The sloths were out because they just had a baby!

merri bliss

Enjoyed it, enough to see for the kids. Very small but clean.

MinQi

Best zoo ever. Came from California. That is no match. Beautiful, free, happy animals

Geri Johnston

Great place to see the two tigers, but most of the cages are empty and run down. My Kids and Grandkids enjoy it anyway. Too bad the petting zoo hours are limited. But a great place to let the kids run around with the play areas they have there. Pack a snack, they only have limited drinks and ice cream at the gift shop. All in all, very clean place..

tom williams

Wonderful little zoo. Very well kept

Debra Merkel

My two year old grandson had a great time there, it was hard to get him to leave.

Eat This

One of the highlights of my trip! Such a great place, can’t believe it’s free. The zoo takes pride in being eco friendly & has information about sustainability for the animals & their habitat. Huge play ground area & large undercover seating for parties etc. You are able to get right up close to the tigers; the white one was as interested in sniffing me out as I was him. Great photos & a great experience. Thankyou Paneawa Zoo!

Charles Tyler

Awesome place to go for a walk and tell everything here is free to you don't have to pay like in the mainland you can even go to the zoo here for free so come to Hawaii the big island where there's lots to see lots to do.

Zach Helgren

Beautifully tended and maintained. Amazing zoo considering the fact that it is a donation only zoo! Great attraction for families as well!

Franklin Portillo

Very cute little zoo to visit. If you have kids they have a nice playground for them to play on.

Prudi Tomimatsu

Great family outing...significant went to see the white tiger and saw it. So majestic!!!

DR DR

Its free to get in but I always give a donation. Good place to take the children to show them the different animals. Loved the tigers.

Mike Maguire

Great little zoo that obviously does its best with what it has. Some of the exhibits, like the tiger exhibit, look fantastic, while others like the capuchin and lemur exhibits seemed small and sad. Animals looked well taken care of and in good health, it just appeared that the zoo lacked the resources to build them proper enclosures. I'd still definitely recommend a trip. Admission is free, but please donate something if you can to help support the only tropical zoo in the USA.

Sylvia Grilho

It's a small Zoo, but it's a lot of fun and a great place for kids and for a nice walk

melisa bigler

Fun place to visit, love all the different benches.

Gretchen Jorg

Our kids ages 3 and 5 loved this zoo! Having a zoology degree I can say that this zoo is really fantastic. Tons of gorgeous tropical species to see. The landscaping is beautiful as well. Better Tiger habitat than we have in our $$ Zoo in Seattle. One of the zoo keepers drove by and stopped in a golf cart to speak to some guests in front of the tiger exhibit while we were there and both tigers came running up to greet him. So we got to see both of them which was awesome!

Seth Reiter

Great zoo. Can't believe it's free. Worth a donation for the great experience. Wish I had my kids with me.

Marrissa Aguilar

Great free activity for the community

Sara Schneider

Very fun. We saw lots of animals. My 4 yr old got to help feed a peacock

E 84EE

AWESOME place for family....and playground is great for kids. 5*

Serge Ballif

Super cool little zoo! There were covered picnic tables and a fun playground. Admission is free, but donations are appreciated.

Melissa Quast

Beautiful animals, nice park for the kids and picnic area, nice small selection of animals...my daughters and I had a very fun time

Miejie Galloway

I had a lot of fun visiting this zoo! All the exhibits are outdoors, and many of them have beautiful benches nearby that are carved and painted to look like the animals on display. There are many birds (including peacocks that freely roam the grounds) as well as mammals and reptiles from different parts of the world. It's great that it's free (definitely consider leaving a donation) as well as open on the weekend. I don't believe there is a food court, but there is a decent sized covered picnic area next to a large playground. I definitely would come back on a return visit to the Big Island! Make sure to check under your car for chickens before you leave!

Mary Hirose

I just love the naturalness of this zoo. The animals are obviously well kept, the birds are super active, the petting Zoo on Saturdays have more than just you typical goats and ponies. There are many cool places for shade. And in most place you feel like the one in a cage, not the animal. The playground is wonderful with many shaded benches for parents. Honolulu Zoo could learn a lot from this place.

Rob McMurray

Very nice small, almost intimate experience. Animals seemed content and well cared for.

Colton Lentz

Great place to stop if your are in the area and the right price too (free) there were plenty of animals to see

Lance Shigemoto

Good free zoo to go. If people complain just remember it is free to enter. They have a decent amount of animals considering all by donations.

Cynthia Crabtree

So much fun for the kids! The playground is epic and the animals are incredibly beautiful!

Jade Gilley

Beautiful and we'll cared for animals and plants.

Mark Watson

This place was really fun! Admission is free! We got through the entire zoo in about an hour and a half, there aren't very good signs leading to the zoo but Google maps will take you there. The tigers were so cool, I've never interacted with such active big cats at any zoo I've been to. I definitely recommend this to anyone spending time in Hilo

Alexandre Debargis

Nice, quaint & free visit at the Zoo Had fun petting my birdy friend

Michael Lee

It's a free zoo run by the people that own it so please donate it's incredible what they have done

cindy andriola

Cute zoo a peaceful setting and animals are well taken care of

Stephaine Moncrief

Small zoo. Not a lot of animals but good education about Hawaii ecosystem and animal life. Free. Good playground and petting zoo for the kids. No food sales, bring your own.

Emily Gilreath

This zoo was amazing. It was free, but I definitely would’ve paid admission for it. There was a wide selection of animals and the whole zoo is right in the middle of a rainforest which makes it feel more immersive. We also talked with some women who worked at the zoo who had macaws out of the table to look at closely. This is definitely the most intimate zoo experience I have had.

Calcorax Productions

This is a really beautiful zoo. The tigers were really cool, and there is sure a lot of neat birds. It is small, and some of the exhibits were empty when we went, but when you consider its a free zoo its pretty amazing. A great place to take kids, lots of beautiful photo opportunities and very easy to get to.

Levi Macklin

Great place for a simple yet rainforest zoo monkeys are funny and energetic and there white tiger is one to be seen

porsche nachor

Nice zoo. I like that it's free! Very open and relaxing.

Kelden Farias

The appearance of the zoo and the animals they have there is always exciting and adventurous

Jennifer Nakamura

This place is a special place indeed. Love it!!

Susan Epp

I like this zoo best of any zoos I've been to. The animals look well cared for and the grounds are beautiful

Ari Reyn

This place has seen better days, friendly staff and beautiful greenery. Always a great stop on the way to town to take kids!

debra morrow

It is clean and an enjoyable atmosphere

Christine Harker

Love the plants. Plants seem to be taken care of. Disappointment with the quantity and types of animals. Love the Toucan, tigers, dart frogs, monkeys. Sad there isn't more animals for the children of Hawaii.

From Da 808

Nice place to relax, have a little lunch and check out the animals.

Drew Considine

Great zoo! It rained while we were there so the tigers came out to play. Great experience and nice exhibits. The blue macaw was a sight to see. Nice playground for kids as well.

Mario Simard

Good zoo considering that it's free (donation recommended). 1 - 2 hours enough to walk through.

M Paipai

It is free with plenty of parking. Little kids love to climb and play on the playground equipment and giant butterfly sculpture. Wide paths are good for strollers. Peacocks wander freely putting on a show. Cute pygmy goats. Hard for the 70 year old gramma to make it uphill near the tigers but she easily goes to the little kid areas. Pretty houses for some creatures and they are always building new habitats. Smells good for a zoo too.

Amy Moentman

Very cool. Lots of neat things to do. We loved the sloth and the birds at the beginning.

Green Bio

Old and not well taken care of. The tigers are cool, but other than that it seems like a bird sanctuary. Don't get me wrong, it's a decent diversion, but BRING AN UMBRELLA, it is a tropical RAINFOREST. And leave a few bucks in the donation box, they need it!

Maia Gaia

I love this zoo. It’s been my go-to place as a new mother. Now that my babe is 16 months, he loves running around to see the animals (especially the tigers) and loves the jungle gym. This place is so valuable to our community and I’m so grateful for it! Best zoo I’ve ever been too, not just because of its beauty, but because it’s free! We live to bring a little change for donations when we come.

R. Lee Donaldson

This is a fantastic little zoo that is free and well maintained. It is totally worth the stop and time visited. Allow about 1-2 hours visiting time. Very impressed with the exibits and how the animals are kept. This zoo far better then the Honolulu zoo.

Joy Garcia

Cute benches and beautiful animals!

Jordan Kuanoni

We are Blessed that our Big Island Zoo provides no admission fee

Geririgged

Free! Small and quick but worth a visit if you're nearby

William Bogle

Nice zoo. Takes 1 to 2 hours to go through.

Jessica Pavlak Young

Hubs and I visited just after they opened to kill some time on a Friday. There weren't many people there yet, and it seemed the animals were emerging as we got there. It was cool to see them up close and not yet overwhelmed by crowds of people. Spent about an hour and walked the entirety of it, stopping several times and whistled with Romeo (one of the birds). Cool place to check out for sure.

Jenah Winkler

Its free to come here and see the Animals you can't beat free. It is a great experience and I recommend going and checking it out. The walking is healthy for you and The weather is nice and warm and you get to see animals.

Patrick Zhang

Very cool experience, got to learn a lot of new stuff. Definitely worth it. Would’ve paid $5 per person to enter but it was free! Definitely a place you should go if you’re near Hilo.

Jeremiah Reistetter

Free activity that's great for all ages. Bring snacks and drinks if you want to stay for a while, otherwise it's a great short stop if you are in the area.