Hongshan Forest Zoo is a mixed bag when it comes to attractions, with some being quite good and others being not-so-good. First, this is not a modern zoo, so visitors expecting a Bronx Zoo or Washington National Zoo will be dissapointed. Everywhere has its highlights, and the Hongshan Forest Zoo does have a good panda exhibit and primate exhibits which let you really get a good look at the monkeys (and their sometimes enormous, multicolored posteriors). There is also a nice park when you first walk in, an the trails around the zoo are forested and attractive.
Some exhibits are disappointing. The elephants just seem to stand around in their small enclosures with nothing much to do, and the penguin exhibit costs extra and has literally nothing to see. Other special exhibits cost extra money to get into, like the reptile house. In the past, I have seen the animal show, which is a bit like a circus but not very entertaining. Finally, be careful if you go in summer, as the mosquitoes there are plentiful and viscious.
