There's always something new at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo! Part of the Smithsonian Institution, the Zoo invites visitors to watch animals, celebrate at seasonal events like Zoolights, and create unforgettable memories while learning about wildlife conservation. If you follow along with this guide, your visit will take about three hours. Visiting online? Enjoy pandas, elephants, lions and naked mole-rats via our Animal Cams. Feel free to pick and choose your own adventure along the way!

Giant pandas, Asian small-clawed otters, clouded leopards, red pandas, and sloth bears all reside along Asia Trail. Watch famous and beloved giant pandas Bao Li and Qing Bao crunch bamboo, observe fishing cats hunt into pools, and see Asian small-clawed otters scurry along the banks of a shallow stream. As you navigate the forested trail, you can discover the methods Smithsonian scientists are using as they partner with local wildlife experts to preserve habitats across Asia.

Elephant Trails isn’t just an exhibit—it’s a window into a massive conservation program built on decades of research from Smithsonian scientists. Whether you’re at the historic Elephant Community Center or the nearby Elephant Outpost, you can experience the sights, sounds and smells of the multi-generational Asian elephant herd—the cornerstone of the campaign to save this endangered species from extinction. You can also catch a glimpse of the elephants on the Elephant Cam using the link below.

Scurry into the Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s Small Mammal House and meet more than 35 species as they move, eat, and play in enclosures that mimic their wild habitats. Sand cats dwell in desert landscapes, sloths climb from tree to tree, and naked mole-rats tunnel through translucent tubes. Some small mammals share space in mixed species exhibits, providing the animals an opportunity to interact just as they would in their native habitats. The Naked Mole-Rat Cam is a click away.

The home of the Zoo’s gorillas and orangutans is the Great Ape House. Floor-to-ceiling viewing panes give visitors a chance to encounter these endangered animals up-close. Providing a complex environment is essential for great ape care, so the enclosures are designed to provide multiple opportunities for them to use their natural behaviors. You might see apes climb trees and multi-level platforms, rest in a hammock, swing from hanging ropes, engage in enrichment activities, or forage for food.

The Reptile Discovery Center celebrates the diversity, beauty, and unique adaptations of more than 70 reptiles and amphibians. Meet one of the longest-lived residents at the Zoo—an Aldabra tortoise, estimated to be more than 100 years old. Catch a glimpse of the critically endangered Cuban crocodile or spot salamanders inside a real laboratory. And find out how Smithsonian staff are protecting amphibians like the extinct-in-the-wild Panamanian golden frog from the deadly chytrid disease.

The interactive Think Tank exhibit is the place to think about animal thinking! Visitors can meet orangutans, Allen’s swamp monkeys, Norway rats, and hermit crabs to explore the concept of thinking through three main themes: language, society, and tool use. Learn more about the Zoo’s ongoing primate research projects, see the monkeys illustrate the rules of living in a social group, and observe rats navigating their exhibit, highlighting their flexible decision-making skills.

Some of the top predators on the planet live at the Great Cats exhibit, including African lions, Amur and Sumatran tigers, and African bat-eared foxes. Visitors can see what makes the animals such effective hunters while learning about the Zoo’s efforts to conserve these species in their native habitats. On hot days, the cats—and tigers, in particular—may choose to take a swim! Online visitors can also catch a glimpse of the lions on the Lion Cam.

Claws & Paws Pathway invites visitors to get up-close to unusual animals they might not have seen up-close before, like the "grumpy” Pallas’s cat. Many of these critters have something else in common... they stink! Some animals have strong scents to ward off predators or mark their territories. As you visit the exhibit, think about what you smell. A whiff of stinky cheese? That may be the prickly North American porcupine. Buttered popcorn? You're probably smelling the shaggy-coated binturongs.

Kids’ Farm is home to barnyard favorites like cows, alpacas, donkeys, pigs, goats, chickens, and fish. One of the many ways keepers care for animals is by providing them with enrichment—training sessions, objects, toys, sounds, and smells that encourage the animals to use their natural behaviors in new and exciting ways. Animal training and feeding demonstrations happen throughout the day, and young children can interact with the cows and donkeys in a hands-on educational experience.