ABQ BioPark

About

ABQ BioPark is the City of Albuquerque's combined zoo, aquarium, botanic garden, and fishing park, spread across sites along the Rio Grande just south of Old Town. One ticket covers the zoo; a second covers the aquarium and botanic garden, which share a campus across the river. A shuttle connects the two campuses on select days, so a single visit can cover all three without driving between them.

The zoo holds more than 250 species across exhibits that include an African savanna area, a reptile house, and a walk-through ape habitat, plus a seal and sea lion pool where staff run feeding talks. Paved paths cover most of the roughly 1.5-mile loop, though grades near the Cat Walk, the Reptile House, and the Ape Walk and Africa entrances get steep in the older parts of the grounds. At the shared campus, the aquarium centers on a 285,000-gallon shark and ray tank behind a wide acrylic window, and the botanic garden pairs an indoor conservatory of tropical plants with outdoor desert and Mediterranean gardens and a seasonal butterfly pavilion.

Tingley Beach, a short drive south along the river, adds catch-and-release fishing ponds, a model boat pond, and flat paths through the bosque. It suits an hour or two rather than a half day, and it's quieter than the zoo or aquarium.

As of 2026, the zoo, aquarium, and botanic garden are each open 9 am to 5 pm, with last entry a half hour before close. A single-facility adult ticket runs $10 for New Mexico residents and $19.50 for non-residents, with lower senior and youth pricing; combo tickets covering multiple facilities include the inter-campus shuttle. The BioPark closes on New Year's Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, and on Mondays in winter between Veterans Day and Presidents Day. Old Town Albuquerque's museums and restaurants sit just to the north.

Accessibility

ABQ BioPark is wheelchair accessible overall, though a handful of older sections of the zoo have grades steep enough that a visitor with a wheelchair user in their group reported being unable to reach some exhibits, including the approach to the polar bears. Accessible parking is available at the main entrance to both the zoo and the shared aquarium and botanic garden campus.

Once inside, most paths are paved. The zoo's network covers about 1.5 miles, but the BioPark's own accessibility page flags that grades near the Cat Walk, the Reptile House, and the entrances to Ape Walk and Africa get steep in older parts of the grounds. Botanic Garden paths are paved or compacted dirt and run close to a mile if you want to see everything. At the aquarium, an elevator gives access to the underwater river otter viewing area.

Wheelchairs and electric convenience vehicles can be rented at Jungle Wheels near the zoo entrance and at the cafe and gift shops at the aquarium and botanic garden, for $10 a day, first come first served; a fee waiver for wheelchairs (not strollers or ECVs) is available at the Administration Office for guests who can't cover the cost. An electric shuttle links the zoo campus to the aquarium and botanic garden campus on select days and can carry one wheelchair per trip. Rented wheelchairs, strollers, and ECVs aren't allowed on board, but the BioPark issues a voucher so you can pick up a fresh rental on the other end.

Service dogs and miniature horses trained for disability-related tasks are welcome throughout, though they're kept out of a few areas where they could disturb the animals; a policy map at the entrances shows which ones. The BioPark is a Certified Autism Center, with staff trained to work with autistic and sensory-sensitive guests, low-sensory entry hours on the first Tuesday of the month at the zoo and the third Tuesday at the aquarium and botanic garden (9 to 10 am, limited tickets), and quieter rest areas at Dee's Garden and the Africa Amphitheater. For a lower-stimulation route through the main entrance on a regular visit, call ahead at 505-248-8500 to ask what's available.

Checked by Accessible America, August 2026. Report a change

More accessible places in New Mexico

• National Museum of Nuclear Science & History (Albuquerque)
• Indian Pueblo Cultural Center (Albuquerque)
• Sandia Peak Tramway (Albuquerque)
• Petroglyph National Monument (Albuquerque)
• Isleta Casino & Resort (Albuquerque)
• Cliff’s Amusement Park (Albuquerque)

Photo credits

• The Albuquerque Biological Park entrance tower and plaza with outdoor seating under shade trees.: Kenneth C. Zirkel, CC BY 4.0 (source)
• Pyramid-roofed main entrance to the Rio Grande Zoo with a paved plaza and wolf statue.: en:User:Cburnett, CC BY-SA 3.0 (source)
• A covered wooden pergola walkway with a flat paved path through the botanic garden.: Kenneth C. Zirkel, CC BY 4.0 (source)