The Miami-Dade Zoological Park and Gardens, also known as Zoo Miami, is a zoological park and garden near Miami and is the largest zoo in Florida and the only subtropical zoo in the continental United States.
With more than 3,000 animals of 500 different species and more than 1,000 different plants, the zoo is divided into several areas that can be walked along a 5-kilometer walkway or by monorail, which allows, not only quick travel from one side to the other, but also a view of the zoo from above. The Miami Zoo covers about 304 acres where animals live in relative freedom inside enclosures in areas designed to reconstruct their natural habitat. Visiting it is truly a unique experience. There are several dining options and the zoo offers many activities for adults and children.
The five main areas into which the zoo is divided are: 1) Florida: Mission Everglades 2) Asia 3) Africa 4) Amazon and beyond 5) Australia. Inside the zoo there is also a large lake called Lake Iguana.
Since visiting the zoo is quite challenging and given the size of each area I recommend that you go early in the morning and consider staying a minimum of 4 hours (but for many 8 hours is not enough!).
Also keep in mind that Miami's weather may be extremely hot in the early afternoon.
