Many may find visiting London zoo to be a great expense. You have the parking, the entry fee, the long-winded journey with the addition of rising fuel prices for petrol and diesel. All of these reasons can be exceedingly off putting when visiting this famous zoo as your visit may end up totalling around £200, depending on group size.
However, who doesn't want to see the fluffy penguins, especially during the summer when they start to malt, or even the baby tigers lounging on their dad's back? Now, that for me is definitely worth a visit. Yet, these adorable showcases won't be available all year round so some may find their visit disappointing if they are looking for spectacular animal performances.
We mustn't leave out the rest of the London Zoo family! It's not only tigers and penguins that you are able to see; London Zoo is rather famous for its size and selection of species. They are currently working on the expansion and rebuild of a new reptile house after recently building the Galapagos tortoise hide.
Yes, London Zoo has a large range of mammals including: giraffes, zebras, African wild dogs, sloths, penguins, hippos, tigers and lions with more. But they also have a large range of reptiles, amphibians, birds, fish and insects. There is something for everyone at London Zoo but if you're scared of spiders and have arachnophobia I would not suggest visiting the walk in spider enclosure as you may just lose your will to live.
The Cutest animals? Well it’s a hard pick. You could go for the new-born tiger cubs, the ring-tailed lemurs, sloths or even the Komodo dragons if they suit your fancy. But if you want to light up at the sight of an adorable baby animal I would definitely recommend going to the Zoo late spring and all through summer to find the best photo bomb worthy moments after mating season is over!
If you're an adult and have younger children how are you going to keep them occupied and their education at a maximum? Well around the zoo throughout the year they have animal talks going on at different times during the day. This often involves feeding time so the animals are very active and it gives your child the opportunity to learn great amounts of knowledge while gawking at the animals around the zoo. These talks often happen at penguin beach or even for the large range of birds. Plus around the zoo you may find multiple different events like tour guides, face painting or even hand crafting every once in a while. You may also find perfect picture spots to take great photos for a keepsake memory.
However, while the zoo can be very entertaining, you will also be on your feet all day so you will need to ensure that especially during the summer you are staying hydrated. Luckily around the zoo are multiple café stands that sell various different beverages, from water all the way to Fanta and likely whatever you can imagine. Although beverages around the zoo can be quite pricey, I would recommend bringing a cooler rucksack or ice packs and carrying your own.
Bins are also located everywhere around the zoo so their shouldn't be any reason for dropping litter, especially as it can be toxic to many animals. It could be the reason along with climate change why in the wild there is a decline in certain species.
Usually a visit to a zoo always ends in one particular area: the Gift shop. Children go wild at the amount of merchandise sold and it can be one of the busiest areas at the zoo during the afternoon. The range sold really attracts a lot of customers. This includes: plushies, key rings, stationary, puppets, cutlery, clothes, figures and more. So you may have to extend the viewing period by around a quarter of an hour unless you have no interest in a purchase. Though if you do it can be rather expensive depending on what you choose to buy which adds to the total cost of the whole trip.
So overall, is London Zoo worth the visit? Definitely! But it really depends on finance and organisation of your own trip. Luckily, the zoo does have different routes laid out on the ground so you shouldn't get lost in the big area. Plus, it is a great place home to many species that the zoo is helping conserve due to endangerment.
Not only would the visit benefit you but the animals also.
Written by Megan Hope Newman