San Antonio is officially gorilla country again! Congo Falls, the San Antonio Zoo’s spectacular new two-acre gorilla habitat, is now open to visitors — and it marks the first time in more than 35 years that gorillas call the zoo home.
This $30 million project is the zoo’s most ambitious habitat ever built. Three interconnected worlds — the Lowland Basin, the Indoor Rainforest, and the Gorilla Gorge — give guests a front-row look at seven western lowland gorillas, a critically endangered species. The troop includes three females from Zoo Atlanta (Andi, Merry, and Anaka), three males from the Dallas Zoo (Shana, B’Wenzi, and Juba), and Ajari from the Houston Zoo.
At the heart of Congo Falls stands the Mays Family Silverback Peak: at more than 70 feet tall, it is the tallest gorilla tower in the world, giving the gorillas sweeping views of the San Antonio skyline. Add a 30-foot waterfall with a cooling pool, overhead pathways, and 360-degree viewing areas, and you have one of the most immersive great-ape experiences on the planet.
The habitat even carries a piece of San Antonio history: during construction, crews unearthed limestone from the very quarry that supplied stone for the Alamo more than 300 years ago.
Congo Falls also champions conservation. The zoo works with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan, the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, and the GRACE center in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to protect wild gorilla populations. Plan your visit at sazoo.org/congo-falls.
Photo: San Antonio Zoo
