A visit to London Zoo in Regent’s Park is an educational and entertaining day out enjoyed by children and adults too. There are over 750 species at the zoo so, some careful planning is necessary to get to see as many animals as possible; tickets can be purchased at the gates or online where a number of different options are available. Most people start their visit at Gorilla Kingdom close to the main entrance, home to four Western Lowland gorillas.

Across the road from the exit of Gorilla Kingdom is Tiger Territory, where tigers can be seen at a close distance in a safe environment.

Next is Penguin Beach where a colony of penguins entertain (themselves) and visitors diving in and out of the large pool.

Close to Penguin Beach is Butterfly Paradise, housed in a giant caterpillar shaped structure. Inside a variety of butterflies, moths and caterpillars are on display, with butterflies flying around freely in an ever changing environment.

Across from Butterfly Paradise there is a small lake home to pink flamingos, herons and pelicans.

At the Meet The Monkeys attraction, Squirrel monkeys are free to roam around an enclosure built to mimic the Bolivian rainforest swinging from trees and often playing hide and seek in the bushes; make sure to hide away any food before entering the enclosure!

More monkeys can be seen together with other animals in the Rainforest Life enclosure.

In the Animal Adventure area of the zoo, meerkats, very popular in the UK thanks to a very clever TV commercial, can be seen together with a lot of other animals that children (big and small) can interact with including llamas, an alpaca, goats, lambs and donkeys in an environment similar to a city farm.

See the camels and the bearded pigs on the way to the Galapagos Tortoises enclosure and a glass display housing a Komodo Dragon.

Inside the Reptile House nearby, snakes, lizards, crocodiles and frogs can be seen.

Another popular building at London Zoo is the Aquarium; divided in three halls (Freshwater Fish, Coral Reef, and Amazonian Fish) it houses some weird and colorful fish, sea horses and lots of other small creatures of the sea .

Occupying a large area of London Zoo is Into Africa home to zebras, giraffes, pygmy hippos and an okapi.

The construction seen on the other side of Regent’s Canal is the Snowdon Aviary where a number of birds big and small fly free over visitors heads.

And more birds can be seen in different parts of the Zoo like at the African Bird Safari, in the Blackburn Pavilion and during live daily shows featuring among other owls and parrots.

A visit to London Zoo can be combined with a walk along Regent’s Canal to Camden Town, famous for its market and quirky shops.

For people who prefer not to walk, boats stop outside the Zoo on the way to Camden Town; boats also go the other way to Little Venice, a scenic corner of West London and site of the famous Canalway Cavalcade held there every year on May Bank Holiday Weekend.