Swimming with the Humpbacks

Coming January 11

Swimming with Humpbacks is a dynamic educational journey, following a marine biologist who sets out to learn about the behavior of mother humpback whales and their calves.

Searching undersea and in the air, the team tracks down humpbacks to the South Pacific near the island of Tonga. We find ourselves in the middle of a mating ritual, then finally we come upon a newborn and its mom. We see how the behavior of the mother evolves as the calf gets older-to the point that the calf will actually play with us.

All shot in stereoscopic 360° virtual reality, it is a completely immersive and goosebumps-inducing close encounter with one of the largest and gentlest mammals on the planet.

Virtual Reality Rides and Films

Now Open!

Located near the Wolverine exhibit, this virtual reality experience will literally change the way you view animal conservation.  Tickets will be available at the experience and are separate from Zoo admission tickets. Please see the Explorer Checklist on this page for age and height restrictions. Our films are also available in other languages (see ride attendant for details).

GORILLA TREK – NOW PLAYING!

Travel to the extinct volcanoes of Rwanda in central Africa. Trek with world renowned primatologist Dr. Tara Stoinski, CEO of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, up 10,000 feet to visit with a remarkable family of mountain gorillas. Witness for the first time in 3D virtual reality the unique family dynamics that pits one silverback mountain gorilla against another for control of the gorilla family. There are just over one thousand mountain gorillas left in the world and it is vitally important to study the behavior of these amazing animals so that we can help save them from extinction.

“Gorilla Trek” Story Summary

Meet Charles, a silverback mountain gorilla who leads his family known as the Umubano family. This family is unique because there are five other silverbacks who would like to be the alpha, but only one silverback makes the decisions for the family. And for many years it has been Charles. One silverback, Zirikana challenges Charles for control of the family. At first, his challenges are subtle. As time goes on his threatening behavior leads to a physical confrontation with Charles. In the end, Charles remains the dominant silverback and Ziracana is left with a choice: stay with the group and continue to be submissive to Charles or leave the only family he has known to forge his own path in the Rwanda rainforest.

Gorilla Trek VR Theater Description

The Gorilla Trek Virtual Reality (VR) Theater is a ground-breaking, new interactive experience that transports guests from The San Francisco Zoo’s VR Zone to the high-elevation forests of Rwanda. This 360-degree VR documentary, combined with motion-platform seating, offers a once-in-a-lifetime experience of trekking with mountain gorillas in their natural habitat. During the experience, guests will join primatologist Dr. Tara Stoinski of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund on a trip into the dense and unforgiving Volcanoes National Park. Dr. Stoinski leads the VR experience while documenting the family dynamics of a majestic and critically endangered group of mountain gorillas. The immersive film takes guests deep into the forest where they experience frolicking baby gorillas playing under their mother’s watchful eyes while the alpha silverback protects his family and subordinate males vie for leadership.

GREAT MIGRATION – NOW PLAYING!

Join Emmy award-winning documentary filmmakers as they take you on an incredible journey through Africa’s Great Migration. Each year, millions of wildebeests, zebras, and antelopes traverse East Africa’s wide open grasslands in a continuous, circular trek in search of fresh grazing lands and water, pausing only for a few months when females are giving birth. Along the way, hundreds of thousands of the herd fall prey to stalking predators, including lions, crocodiles, cheetahs, and hyenas. In the latest addition to Immotion’s wildlife immersive film experiences, The Great Migration, witness how these millions of free-roaming animals make their way through the peaks and perils of Africa’s savannah terrain, from the Maasai Mara river in Kenya to the majestic landscape of Tanzania’s Serengeti, in search for a better life across the animal kingdom.

Elf Power – Limited Time Only starting November 16

Members get free screening on Nov 16 and 17 with proof of membership

Discover the true meaning of Christmas as you fly by snow-capped mountains in Santa’s jet-powered sleigh in search of a child who needs to believe again. And the magic doesn’t end there – you never know who you’ll meet, thanks to your Elf Power!