As a huge metropolitan area, London is home to many excellent zoos, animal parks and attractions, so here is a quick run down of some of the very best you can find in and around London today. 

ZSL London Zoo

The biggest and the best, London Zoo is the undisputed king of this particular urban jungle. As a day out for all the family, there is so much to do and a great many many popular animal attractions to visit. 

Situated in Regent’s Park, London Zoo first opened its gates in 1828, almost 200 years ago. The zoo is home to some of the most beautiful animals in the world including Sumatran tigers, giraffes, zebras, lions and gorillas. 

In addition to all of these, there is a reptile house and a tropical habitat called Butterfly World that make for fun and memorable exploration even on the cold and rainy days! Don’t let the chance to visit this wonderful attraction flutter by!     

Battersea Park Zoo

This fun little zoo located in Battersea Park is aimed especially at children and is a great way to spark their curiosity without having them walk, or be wheeled around as far as in some of the bigger zoos, saving their legs and those of the parents as well! 

This particular zoo is home to much smaller animals like lemurs, otters, squirrel monkeys, donkeys, Shetland ponies, wallabies, wildcats, armadillos and meerkats. They also have feeding times and regular fun events and talks by the keepers. 

ZSL Whipsnade Zoo

Although not actually situated within London, ZSL Whipsnade Zoo is an hour and twenty minutes drive from Central London, and so makes this list by the skin of its big sharp tiger teeth. It is also run by the same people as London Zoo. 

There are almost 4,000 animals at Whipsnade Zoo and it is a fun family excursion. They have quite a collection of big cats, with leopards, tigers, cheetahs, lions and lynx. Please don’t try petting these kitties, no matter how cute they may look! 

In addition to the big cats, there are gorgeous giraffes, excellent elephants, beautiful bears, riveting rhinos and fantastic fish. Be sure to visit the aquarium before you fin-ish your visit. 

Hanwell Zoo

This particular zoo is one that is better known for being a petting zoo than a fully-fledged zoo with many large wild animal attractions. Hanwell Zoo is based at Brent Lodge Park in Hanwell, London and is known locally as “Bunny Park”. 

Hanwell Zoo is great for children to be able to get close to the animals and observe them in their environments. They have lemurs, cranes, prickly porcupines, mandarin ducks, maras and everyone’s favourite: meerkats!   

Get to Know Animals

This is a mini indoor petting zoo aimed at allowing children in particular to interact closely with the animals. They have one hour unlimited petting experiences which are supervised by handlers. Because “Getting to Know Animals” is entirely indoor, it doesn’t matter if the weather outside isn’t the best. It is a great rainy day treat for all of the family. 

Fancy a safari trip? Take a look at our list of the best UK safari parks.

Photo by Hugo Herrera on Unsplash