Industry Tours

Biosphere 2

LaboratoryMuseumOracle, AZOpen

How to visit: official page ↗Open in Google MapsApple MapsSatellite view

University of Arizona research site near Tucson with a self-paced, app-guided walk through the glass habitat and wilderness areas, plus optional guided lung, library and birding tours.

Biosphere 2
Photo: DrStarbuck at Flickr, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Ways to visit

Biosphere 2 Experience (self-paced app tour) Open

What you see
Inside tour, Grounds, Exhibitsbiosphere2.org, 2026-10-26
How
Walk in, Timed ticket · about 75 minutesbiosphere2.org, 2026-10-26
When
MonTueWedThuFriSatSunOpen every day 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., except Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.Closed: Thanksgiving, Christmas Daybiosphere2.org, 2026-10-26
Booking
Not stated · onlineThe page urges buying tickets online to save; it does not say whether walk-up tickets are sold.Book ↗biosphere2.org, 2026-10-26
Cost
PaidAdult: $29 · Senior: $27 · Child (5-17): $15Online purchase is advertised as cheaper; the prices shown are the page's listed rates.biosphere2.org, 2026-10-26
Requirements
  • Fitness and accessibility: Yes. About 100 stairs up and down and a 1-mile walk; hot, humid inside the biomes.
Not stated on the official page: photo ID, citizenship, residency, minimum age, height, safety gear, photography, personal details in advance.Minimum age: Child ticket is for ages 5-17; no minimum age is stated.biosphere2.org, 2026-10-26

Guided add-ons: lung tour, library and history tour, birding walk Open

What you see
Inside tour, Groundsbiosphere2.org, 2026-10-26
How
Timed ticketbiosphere2.org, 2026-10-26
When
Offered at set times each day with a limited number of tickets per hour; the lung tour is 30 minutes and the birding walk 45 minutes. Arrive 30 minutes early to check in.biosphere2.org, 2026-10-26
Booking
Required · onlineTickets are sold per tour; once a time's limit is reached, pick another time or day.Book ↗biosphere2.org, 2026-10-26
Cost
PaidSeparate tickets; prices are on the ticketing page.biosphere2.org, 2026-10-26
Requirements
  • Fitness and accessibility: Yes. The lung and library tours have no elevator; guests who cannot use stairs without a cane, crutches, walking stick, walker or wheelchair are not permitted.
Not stated on the official page: photo ID, citizenship, residency, minimum age, height, safety gear, photography, personal details in advance.biosphere2.org, 2026-10-26

About

Biosphere 2 is a University of Arizona research facility in Oracle, built in the 1980s as a sealed living-system experiment. Visitors do a self-paced walking tour of about 75 minutes using their own phone and headphones, indoors and outdoors with around 100 stairs. Three guided add-ons are sold separately: a lung tour, a library and history tour, and a birding walk.

Owner: University of Arizona.

Getting there

32540 S Biosphere Road, Oracle, AZ, 85623

About 24 miles north of central Tucson on AZ Highway 77; turn onto Biosphere 2 Road at Mile Post 96.5. The site says ride-share return trips can be hard to book.

The pin marks the site itself, not necessarily the entrance (32.57878, -110.85059). Apple Maps directions go to the street address instead. Show on our map · Google Maps · Apple Maps

Biosphere 2 admissions: (520) 621-4800 · bio2-info@arizona.edu

Last checked 2026-10-26. Sources are listed below.

Sources

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