London Zoo is a 36-acre conservation centre which houses more than 650 species. Situated in Regent’s Park, it’s one of London’s most popular tourist attractions, and a great day out for all ages.
Opened in 1828, London Zoo is the world’s oldest scientific zoo – it was originally intended to be a collection for scientific study. The zoo is run by the Zoological Society of London, a charity devoted to conservation and education.
You’ll find all sorts of weird and wonderful mammals, birds, invertebrates, reptiles, amphibians and fish at the zoo, and there are some great ways to see them. Meet the Monkeys is a 1,500m enclosure designed to recreate the monkeys’ natural habitat in the Bolivian rainforest.
And in the Gorilla Kingdom you can walk through an aviary filled with beautiful African birds before getting a great view of the gorillas in an open clearing. Black and White colobus monkeys scamper in the trees above the gorillas and African primates and reptiles can be seen in the surrounding enclosures.
Other great exhibits in the zoo include the Clore Rainforest Lookout, which is a basement-to-rooftop South American rainforest where you can wander around and see endangered golden lion tamarins, Goeldi’s monkeys and Geoffroy’s marmosets. In the Butterfly Paradise exhibit you’ll walk through a giant caterpillar and discover a world of beautiful butterflies and moths from all over the world.
One thing not to miss at London Zoo is feeding time. The black-footed and rockhopper penguins are fed between 14:00 and 14:30 every day, and it’s always a popular event – especially with families.
If your children want a more hands-on experience with the animals, the Children’s Zoo is the perfect place. They’ll meet rabbits, guinea pigs, sheep, goats, llamas, alpacas, pigs and reindeers, and if you arrive at lunchtime, you might get to help the keepers dish out lunch!
For information on opening times and ticket prices, visit London Zoo (www.zsl.org/zsl-london-zoo/).