The Honolulu Zoo occupies 42 acres inside Kapiolani Park on the edge of Waikiki, making it one of the only zoos in the world within walking distance of a world-famous beach. Its story began in 1916, when city parks administrator Ben Hollinger convinced Honolulu officials to buy an African elephant named Daisy from a passing steamship, giving the city its first true zoo animal.
What makes the Honolulu Zoo historically unusual is its land: the grounds sit on acreage set aside by King David Kalakaua in 1876 for the people of Hawaii, making it the only zoo in the United States built on land granted directly by a reigning monarch. The zoo was formally designated within Kapiolani Regional Park in 1947 and today organizes its collection into African, Asian/American tropical, and Pacific Islands habitat zones.
Stats at a Glance
- Location: Kapiolani Park, Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii
- Opened: 1916 (formally designated 1947)
- Size: About 42 acres
- Species: Roughly 170 species
- Animal count: About 600 individual animals
- Annual visitors: Around 500,000
- Famous for: Only U.S. zoo built on land granted by a reigning monarch
A Zoo Built on Royal Land
The Honolulu Zoo’s grounds trace back to land King David Kalakaua set aside for public use in 1876, within what became Queen Kapiolani Park. That royal origin is why the zoo is often cited as the only one in the United States established on land granted by a sovereign monarch rather than purchased or donated by a private party or government.
The zoo itself didn’t exist as an institution until 1916, when the city’s acquisition of an elephant named Daisy gave Honolulu its first dedicated zoo animal. For decades afterward it operated informally as the Kapiolani Bird Park, building a reputation for its birds-of-paradise collection before being formally chartered as the Honolulu Zoo in 1947.
Visiting Hours and Admission
The Honolulu Zoo is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., with last entry at 3:00 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the gate or online in advance, with general admission priced at $21 for visitors 13 and older and $13 for children ages 3 to 12 accompanied by an adult; children under 2 get in free, and discounted kama’aina and military rates are available with valid ID.
Because the zoo sits directly across from Waikiki’s hotel strip, most visitors pair a morning or early-afternoon zoo visit with time at the beach or in Kapiolani Park’s surrounding grounds, which also host the Waikiki Shell and the Waikiki Aquarium nearby.
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A stick means no greasy hands. Reapply quickly between the penguins and the giraffes.
Let them photograph their own favorite animals — and keep your phone in your pocket.
Hauls kids, coolers and souvenirs across a big zoo or park, folds flat for the trunk.
Honolulu Zoo FAQs
Where is the Honolulu Zoo located?
The Honolulu Zoo is inside Kapiolani Park on Oahu, at the edge of Waikiki in Honolulu, Hawaii.
What are the Honolulu Zoo’s hours and admission prices?
The zoo is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., with last entry at 3:00 p.m. General admission is $21 for adults and $13 for children ages 3-12, and tickets are available at the gate or online in advance.
When did the Honolulu Zoo open?
The zoo traces to 1916, when the city acquired its first elephant, and was formally designated the Honolulu Zoo in 1947.
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Photo: Daniel Ramirez from Honolulu, USA / CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.