We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to this zoo. Entry is donation only. The grounds are very well maintained. Some of the enclosures are small and weathered, but the animals all seem clean and healthy. Its a small zoo, which is perfect for us. We spent about 2 hours here and had plenty of time to enjoy the rest of the area.

I loved this zoo! We went twice when we visited, because they have a petting activity for kids on Saturdays.It was clean and all the residents looked healthy and well-kept. All my boys loved the jungle gym, and they have the cutest benches and picture areas, too.Their petting activity on the weekends is volunteer run, and they were all awesome. They seemed to know everything about their furry and feathery friends and were all so pleasant about answering questions, letting the kids feed grass to the guinea pigs, and making sure no one got stressed out.Make sure to leave a donation up front! This zoo is perfect for families.

This place is absolutely gorgeous from the manicured paths around the zoo to the cute animal themed benches and beautifully painted bathroom walls. This is a must visit if you have kids or even if you don’t. We had a lot of fun wandering around reading about the animals and observing the areas set up for them. You can tell the people taking care of the animals are good to them and they are friendly about answering questions too. Our favorite was Max the macaw that screamed “have a cookie” at us.

Well worth the price of admission - FREE! Nice variety of animals at this tropical zoo. Many different birds to see, as well as monkeys, lizards, frogs, turtles and even a couple of tigers. There is a small gift shop with strollers for rent and a nice playground for kids. Plenty of parking available and this would be a great spot for a picnic. After you spend an hour or two there consider dropping some $ in the donation box on your way out.

It would have been 5 stars if the petting zoo had been open! Otherwise Im shocked and amazed that this is a city/county facility. And entry is by donation. That just doesnt happen most places. Some of the critters were hiding and there was maintenance happening at some exhibits, but it was all within reason. We loved seeing such variety and I was completely enamored with the plants. Amazing varieties of orchids, bamboos, native plants and exotics. Well worth the visit for adults and kids.

Beyond incredible place for the family. FREE. Its small, but relaxed, geared towards familys. Cute benches for kids, BIG playground and picnic area. DONT WALK ON GRASSY SLOPES. its a rain forest and the ground is slippery. I speak from experience LOL. if you have kids, plan on at least 4 hours and bring a picnic lunch. They will love it. They really do have a white tiger.

6 months into a pandemic, the lazy operators couldnt update their website to say that they are closed:/ I travelled 1.5h one way across the island only to disappoint my daughter. Somehow most other parks in Hilo managed to update this by now. Why even have a website, if its so useless? Shame.

This was a great place to stop. A solid walk through can be done in a little over an hour depending on how long you search for animals that are sleeping. Theres no admission, so please make sure you leave a donation in the box. Many of the birds talk if you say the right things to them.The stars of the show, however, are the tigers. Absolutely gorgeous. They have a large enclosure that you can walk around completely, so it may take a bit to find them, but well worth the effort. The Bengal was hiding a bit more in the vegetation. It was really cool to see the stripes working as camouflage.Highly recommend this for anyone looking for a low key, affordable activity.

This place is amazing! The best part about it is free parking, free entrance no line!! We were here enjoying nature for about 2 hours theres no limit! I love Hilo!

It is free with plenty of parking. Little kids love to climb and play on the playground equipment and giant butterfly sculpture. Wide paths are good for strollers. Peacocks wander freely putting on a show. Cute pygmy goats. Hard for the 70 year old gramma to make it uphill near the tigers but she easily goes to the little kid areas. Pretty houses for some creatures and they are always building new habitats. Smells good for a zoo too.

Free and worth every penny. Its nice to have a cheap attraction where you can spend as little (or as much) time as you like. Plants are at least as much an attraction as the animals. Very run down, but a nice mix of animals and flowers.

What a wonderful hidden gem, just outside of Hilo. Google Maps tried to take us to the employee entrance, so keep an eye out for the big sign that says Panaewa Zoo. It was really amazing to see the tigers so close and there are peacocks that roam around freely. It seemed they were pretty used to people, but I dont recommend trying to mess with them. We went on a Saturday morning and it wasnt very crowded. Nothing like the zoos in the mainland.

It’s free! What’s not to like! The tigers are amazing! Go as often as you can. But something in the gift store or make a donation. All zoos should be free.

We had a wonderful time here, some of the reviews are very mixed saying the animals look sad. I didnt think this was the case, it is free but donations are accepted. How about donating some money for improvements rather then complaining. We spent just over an our here and got some lovely photo!

It was a relatively quick tour. The layout is smart and efficient.

I give 5 stars because you cannot beat free. Plus it was really nice. The tigers have tons of space and so do the monkeys. Just wish some of the birds had bigger cages. The grounds are beautiful as well.

Great little zoo that obviously does its best with what it has. Some of the exhibits, like the tiger exhibit, look fantastic, while others like the capuchin and lemur exhibits seemed small and sad. Animals looked well taken care of and in good health, it just appeared that the zoo lacked the resources to build them proper enclosures. Id still definitely recommend a trip. Admission is free, but please donate something if you can to help support the only tropical zoo in the USA.

A great zoo, especially considering that a lot is done by volunteers and that it is donation only. There are many different kinds of animals, the tigers were my favorite. There are no wheelchairs to rent, but there are a few strollers for a fee. The gift shop closes earlier than the rest of the zoo.

A small, fun zoo. Takes about 2 hours to leisurely walk through. Theres no cost, so didnt mind paying $5 for the simple guidebook, which was helpful for knowing where to go and what you were seeing.

Hubs and I visited just after they opened to kill some time on a Friday. There werent many people there yet, and it seemed the animals were emerging as we got there. It was cool to see them up close and not yet overwhelmed by crowds of people. Spent about an hour and walked the entirety of it, stopping several times and whistled with Romeo (one of the birds). Cool place to check out for sure.

Although you cant expect it to be like a major zoo, it does have some interesting animals and the grounds are lush and tropical.

Great Zoo and my kids enjoyed it and it worth the trip specially if you were staying at kona like us and drove to hilo. Not crowded and well maintained zoo.

Beautifully landscaped and manicured. The white tiger was amazing. The habitat is built so that the tigers are at eye level and only a few feet away, in a large area with plenty of room to roam and play. I have never been so close to a tiger before. The tigers appear happy they were active, walking around, pouncing on each other and rolling in the grass. The white male walked back and forth along the fence making a soft snarling sounds almost like purring.

I love this zoo! Beautiful tigers, birds with funny personality! Beautiful trees and flowers. It is free admission as well.

This place is so great. Right-sized, clean, and well-cared for. Its free to go, but please, always leave a few bucks at least. Its built of love, but food costs money.

This zoo is free, but operates on donations. Its a very nice distraction for a couple of hours. Bring your picnic along as there are no beverages or food for purchase. Plan on spending about two hours to see all the exhibits. The anteaters are surprisingly large.

Nice small free zoo. Dont expect fancy or plenty animals but at least its FREE

This place was really fun! Admission is free! We got through the entire zoo in about an hour and a half, there arent very good signs leading to the zoo but Google maps will take you there. The tigers were so cool, Ive never interacted with such active big cats at any zoo Ive been to. I definitely recommend this to anyone spending time in Hilo

Great little zoo with tigers, monkeys, alligators, tons of tropical birds, and other very interesting rainforest animals! Well worth a visit for an hour or two!

Short visit on our tour, but worth it. Flowers and animals were awesome to see.

The animals seem well taken care of. They all seem happy and active. The enclosures are well kept and large enough for the animals that reside in them. Its a small zoo, but you can definitely make a day out of it if you take your time and bring a picnic lunch. You can get super close to the enclosures, which is something Ive never experienced before! The whole place feels very natural compared to your stereotypical zoo that seems industrial.

I have a soft spot for small zoos like this. Its purely donation based and is just a wonderful place to spend the afternoon.

Cant complain with free...donations highly encouraged...I like putting what I have in cash in the donations box at the entrance. There is a petting zoo every Saturday. Different animals every week. Kids love it! They also love the playground too. A must for locals and visitors alike. You can also rent out the pavilion for parties. My daughter and her friends had a blast at her birthday party.

It was rainy the day we went but it is a beautiful zoo. The tigers have an amazing space, the grounds are immaculate. It is Free.

Its free to come here and see the Animals you cant beat free. It is a great experience and I recommend going and checking it out. The walking is healthy for you and The weather is nice and warm and you get to see animals.

A pleasant surprise to visit this zoo, the grounds make for beautiful gardens with flowering trees and plants. As for the animals the tigers are a big thing to see, for the kids the lizards were a hit.

Awesome place to go for a walk and tell everything here is free to you dont have to pay like in the mainland you can even go to the zoo here for free so come to Hawaii the big island where theres lots to see lots to do.

I really enjoyed my visit. This is a nice little zoo. Property appears very well maintained and its relaxing to walk through.

Loved the botanical plants and rainforest feel. Cant believe its free, so I donated. Animals in small cages, as the case with most small zoos. Small kids will love it.

Couldnt believe all the animals to see it what looks to be a very small zoo. It was cool to see tigers, even a white tiger, alligators, and various reptiles from across the United States and beyond all within Hawaiis climate. There is a large map that shows where all their animals come from across the world.Kids have a play area and a farm to visit. You can get closer to the animals than most zoos. It is wheel chair accessable. There is a small souvenir / snack store but pack your own lunch. The best part is the entry is free.

Super fun little outing with the family, nice little zoo! Wouldve given 5 stars if the Tigers were actually out.

For being a free attraction you cant complain. Some of the exhibits are closed down, but what they do have is worth a stop in. The Bengal tiger there was so beautiful, and the monkeys were playful. If it wasnt down pouring it would of def been a better experience for me, but I wasnt disappointed

First of all its free! Like what? Very clean place. You feel like youre in the jungle seeing these animals. Their gift shop is so cute too.

Great zoo. Cant believe its free. Worth a donation for the great experience. Wish I had my kids with me.

Great place in Hawaii to see beautiful and unique animals for free, donations are encouraged though. Fun time walking around the gardens and watching animals. The toucans were my favorite

What an amazing little zoo! Honestly cant believe they dont charge an entry fee! Make sure you leave a donation when you walk in. So well maintained, all the animals homes are lovely and clean. One of the best zoos Ive been to. Favourite has to be the Phoenix (golden pheasant)

Its the most amazing thing you can see. price is great free .beautiful animals beautiful plants just so refreshing.

Really cool little place! Kids loved it and the flowers were amazing too. Really neat birds!

A great place. Very clean. Excellent exhibits including a white tiger and the best part of it all is that it is entirely free.

Beautiful zoo. Well maintained.

For being donor-funded, this was a lot larger and better maintained than we expected. Hope they keep up the good work!

Great zoo for the size of Hilo. We love visiting every time we come to the big island. Only truly tropical zoo in the US, I think, so that’s unique. Great playground for kids as well.

It is a very nice little local zoo. Fun to look around. Birds, tiger and white tiger, lemurs, monkeys and more. We went about an hour before closing and saw the monkeys being fed. It was fun watching one monkey throw a big plastic spool at a door to get attention at dinner time. Zoo was free and there is a donation box.

Great place to go with the whole family. The tigers are definitely a highlight but there are many other really neat exhibits. Plus the kids love the large playground as much as any of the animals

Great place to stop if your are in the area and the right price too (free) there were plenty of animals to see

Beautiful walk with a lush scenery, its free but you should consider donating to help

This is to my knowledge the only zoo on the big island. Its free and the children really enjoyed seeing the animals, a nice collection of birds and reptiles in addition to the bigger attractions. Compared to other zoos, its fairly small and feels rather outdated with enclosures that lack interest for the animals and arent consistently designed for engagement. We had a good visit though and I appreciate the donors and volunteers who keep this place going.

Great little zoo! Saw some animals if never seen before. Donation only.

Great place to take kids for a hands on experience, lots of educational opportunities as well as some interesting animals in a unique environment.

I first thought this zoo would be boring but it actually turned out to be pretty awesome! One thing to remember is that it is free! I would recommend donating to the zoo or buying some cold treats from the gift shop. If you like parrots this zoo is for you, the parrots Roudy and Romeo are the highlights! They have two amazing tigers as well, one white and one brown. The flowers throughout the zoo are breathtaking!

Great zoo! Great collection of animals and a park for kids to play.. Well maintained and free for public

We couldn’t make it to the Botanical garden in Hilo since everything closes at 4 or 5 in the big island. So I googled and found this wonderful oasis.Felt like it was volunteer run. Free admission and it has a great play ground.I do not like zoos usually but I felt that they had a good balance of animal protection and education / outreach to the public.Staff were very friendly and knowledgeable.

Nice, quaint & free visit at the ZooHad fun petting my birdy friend There’s also a petting zoo for all to enjoy

“A hidden gem” and must do in Hilo. Follow the paved paths winding through this zoo and discover birds, primates, tigers, and much more. Pack a lunch and plan to eat and relax on of the many detailed themed benches. An all around wonderful place to spend a few hours. My son enjoyed the large playground as well. Donation based admission.

Wow! Not like it was before. It is so awesome now, and has lots of animals filling the cages, that once were empty. It is even upgraded in everyway, including a jungle gym/a swing area for all ages, along with a petting zoo area for the families to get up close and personal with a variety of animals. To top it off with awesomeness, is that they also have 2 Beautiful Tigers. So Beautiful! 4 Realz! Enjoy a day at the park with your Ohana, and dont 4get to stop at the Little gift shop, and take home a suvonier, or get a cold drink with snack. I recommend to all AAA+++

Fun petting zoo for the kids. We love watching the tigers. Beautiful rainforest setting with many beautiful plants and trees. Free admission

Really well kept zoo with a great playground and lots of rainforest animals. We loved the crocodile, ant eaters and parrots.

I love this place. first off it it by donation. we know people cant always afford so we threw s ok me extra money in. the grounds were large and lush. the kids loved the playground and the peacocks roaming around. my favorite was the tiger habitat. it was huge. they were active tigers. I feel that it was a much better habitat than many others I have seen. the animals actually looked happy..

So cute and even if there were no animals the grounds itself is worth your time and the price of admission, which is free. Just a lovely place to take a walk, lots of shade, and the animals seem much more active than in other zoos Ive been to. Its pretty small, so you can see everything in a relatively short amount of time.

Small, but very enjoyable. Nice clean facility. You cant beat it for a free afternoon walk.

Small cute and beautiful! Flora and fauna is gorgeous

This zoo has everything and most important is free

Absolutely amazing. Donation box at entry (no other ticketed price) and has heaps of animals - the lemurs were definitely a highlight! Heaps of parking, heaps of animals from all over the globe and two tigers.

I think this place needs more visiters to show some love. Admission is a donation basis but I recommend the 5 dollar self guide booklet it has much better info than the free map. There is a huge play area for younger kids and a few spots to get out of the sun. All of the animals looked healthy and well taken care of, but some of the cages looked in need of maintenance. Overall I feel like the place was a bit small (Ive only been to a few zoos ) so plan on not more than 2 hours with kids in tow or an hour 15 for a few adults. The staff seemed quite happy and polite. For me there was a lacking of educational side shows or posters or something.

Small zoo thats free and has a playground for kids. The highlight is the white tiger Namaste, and the free roaming peacocks & peafowls. While it does have some other exotic birds and reptiles, the place is lacking polish that you would expect from zoos that charge an entry fee. Lose the expectation, and this zoo is a good way to spend some time with the family

Great place to see giant anteaters, peacocks, plants and more. And its free! Cute gift shop that features animals within the zoo. Friendly staff. Enjoy the serenade by park birds while you stroll through the park.

AMAZING! The only thing Im disappointed about is we didnt plan enough time. The kids could have entertained themselves for hours. We have a group of 9 with all ages and its hard to make everyone happy but this amazing zoo did it. Tons of animals and they all seemed to be out saying hi.

Great family zoo! Perfect for toddlers and Pre-K with animals that are interesting. Love that it ends with an awesome playground. Chickens and peacocks roam freely and are lovely.

Cute little zoo with all the animals you want to see. From tigers to birds this zoo is full of different animals. And to top it off the zoo is free and has a playground for the kids. If your looking for a 2 hour or so adventure with the family or just by yourself, this is a great spot to do so. If you plan to go out and are trying to burn time, again, this is the place to be, I highly recommended this zoo to everyone who drives by it.

Such a cool place! Run on donations! Give and give plenty! Great place for kids to get some energy out. Even has a playland!

Its very nice it has lots of really pretty parrots, two tigers, monkeys, turtles, a small petting zoo, etc. its free but you can make a donation of however much of you want. Its on about an acre or two and I would recommend taking a trip there. Very family friendly and the staff is really kind.

I just love the naturalness of this zoo. The animals are obviously well kept, the birds are super active, the petting Zoo on Saturdays have more than just you typical goats and ponies. There are many cool places for shade. And in most place you feel like the one in a cage, not the animal. The playground is wonderful with many shaded benches for parents. Honolulu Zoo could learn a lot from this place.

Beautiful grounds, park for kids!! Great fun especially in the winter when its cooler. In summer definitely bring drinks and sunscreen! Not a huge zoo, but for Hilo it works!

Its a complimentary experience that relies on donations. We had fun donating change in the form of wishes in their wishing well... it is a small zoo, with some cool birds, Macaws, A white tiger, alligator and monkees

Small but very well organized and the space is used efficiently. The animals are all clearly healthy and the zoo has put in considerable effort to care for them. As you enjoy the fauna, dont neglect the flora.There is no admission cost, but donations are appreciated. No matter where you may be on the Big Island, its worth the trip. Definitely recommended.

Well it is a free zoo so you cant expect it to be equivalent to the San Diego Zoo obviously but considering its free it was absolutely excellent I had a great time there there was staff there was friendly the Tigers were amazing and much bigger than the Tigers I saw at the Phoenix Zoo since its free I would highly recommend you go you literally just walk right in its awesome I went there twice in one week

Great local zoo. Our kids loved it. So much to see ... Tigers, monkeys, alligators, exotic birds, farm animals, and much more! Admission is free, but donations are suggested.

The facilities and gardens at this zoo are beautifully maintained. I have no doubt that the animals are equally well cared-for. However, the animals’ living conditions are dreadful - primates, birds, alligators, etc. housed in minuscule, restrictive cages. The staff/owners should ship all the animals to modern facilities that can provide appropriate, humane living conditions and convert the zoo into botanical gardens.

A zoo and a botanical garden all wrapped up together. Nice to go to a zoo and see happy animals! Entrance is free and the workers and volunteers do a awesome job keeping it up. Truly amazing place.

A small yet AMAZING zoo. We had a blast. The kids play area is such a fun place for parents to take a break for a bit.

Little gem. I had low expectations but we really liked it. Kids (9-11) loved the setting, enclosures, and especially the tiger set up. Lots of orchids, and beautiful tropical plants (rainforest zoo...). We spotted lots of geckos (Madagascar Day Geckos), and Anolis lizards in the plants. And its FREE (we donated!)

My husband and I went to the zoo to explore the Hawaiian plants, as well as to see the animals. There are lots of birds. Im not much of a bird person, but the blue macaw was my absolute favorite animal there! What a personality! The zookeepers were friendly and knowledgeable. We got to see the alligators get fed too. That was pretty neat. It was nice to see the zookeepers interact and be playful with the animals.

Good zoo considering that its free (donation recommended). 1 - 2 hours enough to walk through.

A nice zoo and garden that is free, with donations accepted. The staff want you to see the animals. Very approachable garden, animals and staff

Not as big as most Zoos but It is a great time killer...

Its free! Animals are treated humanely and are given lots of room to roam around.

Awesome zoo. Beautiful greenery, decent animals. Family had a great time.

There is a lot more than I was expecting from this zoo. There were a lot of great animals-tigers, ant eaters, monkeys, mini horses, macaws even a nene. The zoo is also a well planned out garden. There is a cute park for the keiki. They also have a petting zoo on Saturdays from 1:30-2:30.

Besides a nice collection of animals, the grounds are full of interesting plants. Look for all of the orchids growing on tree branches.

Free of cost treasure. Rainforest with flowers galore. Pleasant walk through lush gardens to see exotic birds and animals. Well worth a visit.