Honolulu Zoo

Get a rare glimpse of some of the world’s most exotic animal species at the Honolulu Zoo in Queen Kapiʻolani Park. The only zoo in the U.S. to be established by a reigning monarch (Queen Esther Kapiʻolani, c. 1877), it started out as a place for the royals to keep their personal collection of exotic horses and birds. Today, the 300-acre zoo is home to 905 different tropical animals including orangutans, elephants, African lions, meerkats, giraffes, golden tail tamarins, komodo dragons, several species of turtles and tortoises, and much more. The zoo, which also hosts fun children’s activities and educational public programs, gets over 600,000 visitors annually.