ZSL London Zoo Review
Reviewed by Amanda Gazzard
ZSL London Zoo has welcomed eager visitors since it opened in 1847. With over 720 different animal species and lots to do including the B.U.G.S and Zoorassic Park we eagerly entered.
There were lots of daily live interactive shows so you have the opportunity to hear interesting facts about your favourite animals and also get to meet some of them a little bit closer. You can choose from the sweet pygmy hippos to the cheeky otters, the gigantic giraffes, to the masterful tigers and playful penguins to name but a few. I would suggest planning in advance what live talks you want to see and plan your route based on the times as most live talks only happen once a day, this will save disappointment.
ZSL London Zoo is home to the most exotic and unusual animals. You can meet the Meerkats, Monkeys, Rainforest Life and Zebra’s, or visit Gorilla’s in their entire splendour.
For the reptile enthusiast, the reptile house is a must along with the magnificent Komodo Dragons.
For those who like life under the sea, the aquarium was delightful. This is ideal for smaller children as you can go right up to the various tanks. Penguin Beach was great as you could get close enough to the penguins you could almost stroke them, this was ideal for the younger ones, especially those in buggies.
The Bug house (B.U.G.S) is not for the faint hearted!!! There is a section where you can actually walk around with live spiders above you on their webs waiting for their next tasty meal… eeekkkk. I actually impressed myself and walked or shall I say fast paced marched around twice, once with each child. You are very safe as the spiders are not poisonous and you are not in any danger of walking accidentally into a web. There was a keeper in the exhibit at all times who was more than happy to answer any questions. My son gladly put the keeper through his paces asking lots of questions which in fairness he answered each once.
Zoorassic Park is a special event which is open until the 3rd September and is included in the cost of your ticket. You are taken back to the prehistoric world where you come face to face with giant moving dinosaurs. You may even get wet if you’re not too careful! You get to meet dinosaurs like the Triceratops, Brachiosaurus and even the masterful Tyrannosaurus Rex. Children are given their own passports which takes them on a journey of discovery.
ZSL London promotes conservation throughout the zoo and each exhibit showed where the animal was on the endangered list and what measures are being done to try and prevent extinction.
It was very evident throughout London Zoo that all the animals were well looked after and a lot of the cage sizes have improved over recent years. There were some enclosures which were undergoing maintenance work which was understandable and there were notices explaining the reasons why. The biggest was the outback enclosure. Most of the areas you could not access here and it was not clear why as this was the only enclosure which did not have any explanation.
The toilets are spaced out well and were always clean and tidy.
There are water stations within the park to refill your own bottles free of charge which is a fantastic idea. London Zoo does not sell water in plastic bottles from within the park in a bid to reduce plastic waste which I personally think is a bold and amazing statement. Let’s hope other attractions follow suit.
London Zoo has an interactive map which you can download via an app for free. My daughter loved this on her phone as we downloaded it before we went so she planned out what route she wanted to take.
London Zoo is ideal for any child from toddler to teenager. Due to the cleaver design of the zoo it is not only buggy but wheelchair friendly with ramp access to all of the exhibits and some exhibits even have lifts.
The only negative comment I have from our amazing day out is the Gorilla Kingdom. They have a wonderful large outdoor enclosure and even an area for us humans to stand sheltered from our wonderful British weather. However, to protect the Gorilla’s I can only presume not to become distressed from eager human eyes viewing them was stick on window transfers in the design of jungle vines. The design was that dense it made it very difficult to actually view the Gorilla’s inside their bedrooms and outside area through the glass leading to frustration from the little ones. Upon observations, we were not the only families to make comments they could not see the Gorilla’s.
Overall it was great day out and would thoroughly recommend a trip to ZSL London Zoo.
If you can purchase tickets in advance then you can get tickets slightly cheaper direct from ZSL London Zoo.
ZSL London Zoo is ideally situated on the outer rings of Regents Park in Central London. We travelled by tube and a short 10 minute walk from Camden Town tube station we were there.
If you wish to drive you can park at London Zoo and is payable on the day. For cars or motorbikes it costs £14.50 for the day. Disabled badge holders can park for free.
Rating: 4/5
Ticket prices (on the gate): Adult £29.75 / Child £22 / Under 3s are FREE (these prices are inclusive of a voluntary 10% donation to help fund the wildlife conservation work around the world – without donation prices are £27.04/£20). Book online in advance and save 10%.
From 30 October 2017 ticket prices are £25 (£20.45 online) / £19.50 (£15.95 online).
For more information or to book tickets online visit www.zsl.org/zsl-london-zoo.
