Behind-the-Scenes Tours
Looking for a unique gift? Gift Certificates for future dates are available!
See below for the Gift Certificate form.
Have you ever wondered what it is like to hand-feed an okapi? Or get up close with a zebra? Now is your chance! The Behind-the-Scenes Tour program takes guests one step closer to the animals at the Sacramento Zoo. Get up close to the animals, visit behind-the-scenes areas not accessible to the general public, receive a guided walking tour from one of our educators and see what goes into the incredible care the animals receive every day.
Current Tours Available (see below for details): Okapi Connection, Hooves & Horns, Cheetah Chat, and Reptile House
All tours are guided walking tours. Please read the safety information specific to each program on the ticketing purchase page. Prices of tours include admission into the zoo. For members, tours will be discounted $21 only for the number of individuals that would be covered by your membership level. Members must be signed in to receive member discount. Discounts are reflected after you click “Add to Cart”. We recommend arriving at the zoo early to explore before your tour as we will not be visiting all areas of the zoo.
Interested in booking a tour further out than the available dates? Need a different day than what is offered? Contact the Education department at 916-808-8441 or by email.
Available tours
Okapi Connection
Get up close and personal with one of the most elusive species in Africa – the okapi! The okapi lives in thick forests and are nearly impossible to see in the wild, but not here at the Sacramento Zoo. On this tour, you will venture into the keeper-only area around the exhibit to meet an okapi. You will learn about what it takes to care for these mysterious animals and what life is like for their wild counterparts. There will be opportunities to interact with the okapi, such as hand feeding him a morning snack. This is definitely a rare experience with a rare animal!
- Select days at 9:30 am
- For ages 5 and older*, 1:2 parent child ratio
- 30 to 45 minutes
- $150 per person member*
- $171 per person non-member (includes zoo admission)
Register for the okapi Connection tour
*For members, tours will be discounted $21 only for the number of individuals that would be covered by their membership level.
hooves and Horns
Join the herd as this tour takes you behind-the-Scenes of our hoofstock area. This tour will give you insight into the care of these animals and how the zoo is helping to conserve them. We will make some stops along the way where you will have the opportunity to hand feed some of our favorite hooved and horned animals. You will be dazzled by how close you get to our Grevy’s Zebra. See what it is like to be face to face with the zoo’s tallest animals! This is a tour you will not soon forget!
- Select days at 10:45 am
- 45 to 60 minutes
- For ages 3 and older*, 1:2 parent child ratio
- $65 per person member*
- $86 per person non-member (includes zoo admission)
Register for the Hooves and Horns Tour
*For members, tours will be discounted $21 only for the number of individuals that would be covered by their membership level.
Cheetah Chat
You will want to run fast to catch this new tour! You will go behind-the-scenes to see how we take care of Rowdy and Zig Zag, our cheetah brothers. Find out what they eat and help prepare their mid-day snack (meat balls). Then watch a training session and learn what makes this cat so unique from other cat species. Don’t let this tour get away!
- Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 1:45 pm
- 30 – 45 minutes
- $50 per person members*
- $71 per person non-members (includes zoo admission)
- Ages 8 and up, 1:1 parent child ratioRegister for the Cheetah Chat Tour
*For members, tours will be discounted $21 only for the number of individuals that would be covered by their membership level.
Reptile House
Calling all lovers of lizards, snakes and frogs! This tour will take you inside our Reptile House to learn about the special care needed for amphibians and reptiles and the precautions we take around venomous animals. Practice your skills moving a Replica snake with an important tool of the trade. You will end your tour with a meet-and-greet with one of the reptile keepers and get a close encounter with one of the cool reptile house residents.
- Select days at 2:45 pm
- 45 – 60 minutes
- $75 per person members*
- $96 per person non-members (includes zoo admission)
- Ages 5 and up, 1:2 parent child ratio
Register for the Reptile House Tour
*For members, tours will be discounted $21 only for the number of individuals that would be covered by their membership level.
Tour Gift Certificates
Looking for an amazing gift? We now have gift certificates for Behind-the-Scenes Tours! You can purchase a gift certificate for a specific tour to send your lucky recipient on an exclusive zoo adventure. Can’t decide on the perfect tour? Purchase a gift certificate for any amount instead to let your recipient choose which tour they’d like to do.
When you fill out and send the attached form, you will be contacted by a tour specialist to pay over the phone and customize your gift certificate. Your recipient will need to call to redeem their gift and schedule their tour. Please make sure that your recipient meets all of the requirements for the tour you intend to gift! Requirements for each tour can be found in the tour description. Tour gift certificate requests may take up to four days to process.
Important tour information
Animal welfare is our first priority and all Behind-the-Scenes Tours are dependent on animal participation. If any tour needs to be cancelled based on animal needs, you will be issued a full refund or offered another tour option if available.
- Any program involving our resident animals is subject to change or cancellation based on the animal’s needs. However, every effort will be made to offer alternate areas or reschedule experiences.
- Closed-toe shoes are highly recommended for all tours but required on African spur-thigh tortoise tour. Some surfaces in behind-the-scenes animal and keeper areas may be wet or uneven, and you may be walking through a variety of substrate such as dirt, pebbles or bark chips. For animal health and safety, you may be asked to dip the soles of your shoes into a cleansing solution before entering behind-the-scenes area.
- All tours require guests and staff to wear PPE (personal protective equipment). This is to protect the animals, staff and guests during the tour. Some diseases can be spread between humans and certain animal species. Face masks are required to be worn for the entire duration of the tour. Gloves will be required for any feeding or touching of animals (will be provided by your guide).
- If you have had a cold, flu, fever, fatigue, dry cough or difficult breathing in the past two weeks, please let staff know. Some tours will need to be rescheduled due to potential interference in animal safety.
- Tours have a maximum number of guests: four or six people depending on the tour. If you would like to have more guests then the maximum allowed, please contact the Education department.
- *Age requirements are set for safety during the tour. However, any child under the age of 1 year is welcome to join for free as long as they are secured in a wrap or carrier on an adult. Please note that any loud noises may startle the animals making them less likely to participate.
Behind-the-Scenes Tours are a guided walking experience. Some tours require guests to walk long distances, over uneven terrain, up elevations or through tight spaces. Certain encounters are accessible for guests using wheelchairs; these include Hooves & Horns and Okapi. Please advise staff of any disabilities, special needs, medical conditions or any other concerns you may have that could prevent you from fully participating in the experience.
Please note:
- Service animals are not permitted on any Behind-the-Scenes Tours.
Behind-the-Scenes Tours will occur rain or shine. These tours are primarily outdoors; please dress for the weather and for walking during your tour. Tours will take place outdoors and on unpaved paths which may include walking through mud and puddles. If the Sacramento Zoo has to cancel tours due to extreme weather or animal needs, a full refund will be issued.
FAQs
Prices of tours include zoo admission. For members, tours will be discounted $21 only for the number of individuals that would be covered by your membership level. Members must be signed in to receive member discount. Discounts are reflected after you click “Add to Cart”.
We love celebrating! Please contact the Education Department by email or call 916-808-8441. We can give you some options to make someone feel extra special during their tour! Thinking of proposing at the zoo? We can help with that too!
Some of our tour capacities are set for safety but others are more flexible. Please reach out to our Education department at 916-808-8441 to learn more about the guidelines for each tour and additional options for your group.
Allow plenty of time for parking and arrival. The zoo opens at 9 am and you are welcome to explore the zoo before and after your Behind-the-scenes Tour. Guests arriving five minutes or more past the scheduled start time will be unable to join the tour.
Parking is the same as for any other zoo visit. The zoo does not have designated parking. You may park in legal areas on the street throughout Land Park or in the lot across the street. Please allow extra time to find parking and make your way inside in order to make your tour on time.
Meet your tour host outside of the Member and Visitor Services Office by the lake five minutes before your scheduled start time.
No need to print your tickets. You may show proof of ticket on your phone or provide photo ID to match you to our registration records.
Your tour will take place throughout the zoo and in animal areas. Closed-toe shoes are highly recommended for all tours. Some surfaces in behind-the-scenes animal and keeper areas may be wet or uneven, and you may be walking through a variety of substrate such as dirt, pebbles or bark chips. For animal health and safety, you may be asked to dip the soles of your shoes into a cleansing solution before entering behind-the-scenes areas. Depending on your tour, you may be bending or reaching to feed or touch animals. Please dress comfortably.
Behind-the-Scenes Tours take place rain or shine. Please dress for the weather. Umbrellas are not allowed in some animal areas, so we recommend hooded rain jackets for inclement weather. If we have to cancel tours due to extreme weather or animal needs, a full refund will be issued.
- Children ages 3 and up are welcome on the Hooves and Horns tour. The Hooves and Horns Tour allows for two children to be accompanied by one adult.
- Children ages 5 and up are welcome on all other tours. The tours allow for two children to be accompanied by one adult.
- Children under the age of 1 are welcome to join on any tour as long as they are secured in a wrap or carrier on an adult.
Safety rules will be enforced at all times, and adults may be asked to carry or hold hands at all times with small children if the need arises. Due to uneven terrain and tight spaces, strollers are not permitted on the tours.
Changes and cancellations to tours, whether full-groups or individual tickets, must be submitted in writing seven days prior to the tour. There will be a $20 fee per original transaction to reschedule your tour within other available dates. Refunds will incur a $20 fee per original transaction as well and will be processed within two weeks.
Less than seven days before the tour, changes are not permitted, and payment is non-refundable.
Cancellation Form
Tour Date Transfer Form
The Sacramento Zoo reserves the right to cancel any tour due to unforeseen circumstances such as weather or animal needs. In these instances, the zoo would contact you to reschedule your tour or offer a refund.
Behind-the-Scenes Tours are a guided walking experience. Some tours require guests to walk long distances, over uneven terrain, up elevations or through tight spaces. Certain encounters are accessible for guests using wheelchairs; these include African Hoofstock and Okapi. Please advise if you require an accommodation in order to fully participate in the experience.
We want you to enjoy every minute of your behind-the-scenes tour. Photos are permitted throughout the tour and a few great photo ops will be available! Your tour guide is also available to take group shots or photos for you at certain points but you must provide your own camera.
All of our tours go into keeper and/or animal areas and guests are around or in contact with food, training items, etc. We are not a nut-free facility and have many different foods around for animal diets. Gloves are always available upon request. See specific allergy information below.
- Hooves and Horns: guests will be in contact with various plants and foods for animal feedings such as elm, acacia, carrots, celery, yams, romaine lettuce, and more. Guests will be exposed to animal dander.
- Bird Experience: guests will be in possible contact with nuts and nut products.
Tours include small spaces, uneven terrain and animal areas. To keep you and your belongings safe and clean, we recommend not bringing large bags or any valuables on tours.
Unfortunately, we ask that you please leave your stroller behind due to space restrictions behind the scenes.
Contact the Education Department by phone at 916-808-8441 or email zooeducation@saczoo.org.